Band of Five Attributes (Re-Written)

Chapters

Chapter I, Part II- Where Is What Now?
Chapter II, Part I- A Tremor In The Desert
Chapter II, Part II- Minecart Derailed!
Chapter III- Ponyville's Waterfall
Chapter IV- Hurricane in Canterlot
Chapter V, Part I- Fire On The Other Side Of Town
Chapter V, Part II- Likely Circumstances, Unlikely Timing
Chapter V, Part III- The Bigger They Are...
Chapter VI, Part I- Tenmei Likes Trains!
Chapter VI, Part II- Once In a Blue Moon
Chapter VII- What in Hell?
Chapter VIII- Here It Be Decreed...
Chapter IX- A What Now?!
Chapter X- Phantom Train
Chapter XI- I Was Lied To?!
Chapter XII, Part I- Tears of the Ocean
Chapter XII, Part II- I Wish I Wasn't
Chapter XIII- A Triad(?) From Hell
Chapter XIV- Damned
Chapter XV, Part I- Slate Walls...
Chapter XV, Part II- ...Iron Coils
Chapter XV, Part III- Jailbreak!
Chapter XVII- Midnight Sorrow
Chapter XVIII- Just a Chat
Chapter XIX- Triple the Shenanigans
Chapter XX- This, I Like
Chapter XXI- Hallucination
Chapter XXII- Early Morning Talk
Chapter XXIII- WHAT?!
Chapter XXIV- The Problems Keep Piling
Chapter XXV- WTF?!
Chapter XXVI- Something Went Awry, Alright
Chapter XXVII- Motionless
Chapter XXVIII, Part I- Starlight
Chapter XXVIII, Part II- A Displeasing Turn
Chapter XXIX- Broken Glass
Chapter XXX, Part I- Payback
Chapter XXX, Part II- Stay Back!
Chapter XXX, Part III- A Cheap Tactic
Chapter XXXI, Part II- Standing, and Falling
Chapter XXXII- Monkey Business
Chapter XXXIII- Sleepyhead
Chapter XXXIV- Skyward Complication
Chapter XXXV, Part II- The Night Drags On
Chapter XXXVI- Infested Street
Chapter XXXVII, Part I- Hell's Chariot Beckons Thee
Chapter XXXVII, Part II- Backup
Chapter XXXVIII, Part I- In Need of Bashing
Chapter XXXVIII, Part II- A Helping Hoof
Chapter XXXVIII, Part III- Seeing Stars
Chapter XXXIX- Break
Chapter XL- Two Issues At Once
Chapter XLI- Horrific Pain
Chapter XLII, Part II- Rarity
Chapter XLIII- Time Flies
Chapter XLIV- Worry
Chapter XLV- Royal Intervention
Chapter XLVI- Documents of Nightmares
Chapter XLVII-A Simple Argument
Chapter XLVIII- Hell's Bells Chime in Chaos
Chapter XLIX- Snow in November
Chapter L- Royal Orders
Chapter LI- Guest of Honor
Chapter LII, Part I- Snowballs...
Chapter LII, Part II- ...And Hot Chocolate
Chapter LIII, Part I- Invitation
Chapter LIII, Part II- Fabric and Sketches
Chapter LIII, Part III- In The Same Boat
Chapter LIII, Part IV- Something New
Chapter LIV- Princess of Love
Chapter LV- Escalation
Chapter LVI- List of Jerkwadishness
Chapter LVIII- A New Cutie Mark
Chapter LIX- When in Doubt...
Chapter LX, Part I- ...Stare in Awe...
Chapter LX, Part II- ...Fight...
Chapter LX, Part III- ...And Proceed to Panic
Chapter LXI- Darkened Crystal
Chapter LXII- Calm Before the Storm
Chapter LXIII- White Light
Chapter LXIV- Bottled Emotions
Chapter LXV, Part I- A Little Needed Help
Chapter LXV, Part II- Oh My
Chapter LXV, Part III- Embrace
Chapter LXVI- The Project
Chapter LXVII- Cock-A-Doodle-Doo!
Chapter LXVIII- Cutie Mark Crusaders!
Chapter LXIX, Part I- Well, That Went Smoothly
Chapter LXIX, Part II- ...Ehh?!
Chapter LXX, Part I- Sound Barrier
Chapter LXXI- Fever Dream
Chapter LXXII- Rumors and Dreams
Chapter LXXIII- Spring Showers
Chapter LXXIV- A Bad Feeling
Chapter LXXV, Part I- Enhancements
Chapter LXXV, Part II- One-Mare-Army
Chapter LXXV, Part III- Magic Limiter
Chapter LXXV, Part IV- Welcome to The Club, Admissions Are Free
Chapter LXXV, Part V- Banishment
Epilogue
Chapter I, Part I- Lightning Strikes Manehatten
Chapter XVI- Back to Square One
Chapter XXXI, Part I- Soothing Darkness
Chapter XXXV, Part I- Brief Respite
Chapter XLII, Part I- Sending the Search Party
Chapter LVII- Ponies of The Round (Punching) Table
Chapter LXX, Part II- More Ways Than One
Intro

Chapter I, Part II- Where Is What Now?

The lightpost-turned-monster screamed in anger as it forced itself to look in the direction of the unseen attacker. Many ponies, including the mare it had tried to attack, fled screaming in terror, revealing the owner of the weapon and string to be a mare who was entirely purple in hue.

The monster snarled at her like an animal. “Yuuki!” It hissed before awkwardly galloping towards the alleyway in which the purple mare stood. She recalled her weapon before hurling it again, this time hitting the monster square in the face with it. It recoiled, standing on its impossibly thin hind legs, and screamed in pain. It then stomped its front hooves into the ground, looking like a long metal noodle in the process, and hissed once more at its assailant.

Yuuki wrapped her weapon around her hoof thanks to the string and stared intently at the beast. She heard another metal clanking sound behind her, and turned around to see a trash can with a pony’s face plastered onto its front, and two elongated legs serving as arms.

It snarled before using its legs like a cricket would, pouncing at the purple mare with such haste she had no time to react. It knocked her onto her side and pinned her head and ribs with its two only legs.

The lightpost drew close, its elongated form almost impossible to hold up on all four of its pathetically thin legs. It then reared up on its hind legs, towering over almost all else, and readied its front hooves to smash into its opponent.

“Freeze!” Called out a voice, causing the lightpost to revert to all fours and postpone its attack. It turned its long neck and small head side to side, looking for the owner of the voice. It then noticed a few half-dozen or so ponies, some with wings and some with horns and all clad in a blue uniform.

The ponies in uniform were carrying things under their wings, in their hooves, or in some kind of glowing aura that corresponded with their horns. Things like handcuffs, black sticks, and what looked like switchblade knives.

“What are these things?!” Cried one as he got closer to look at the lightpost and trashcan.

“I have no clue! Detain them, at once!” Yelled another one as his black stick levitated next to him.

“What of the mare?!” Shrieked a third as he readied a pair of handcuffs in his hooves.

“Take her in for questioning, but only after we deal with these freaks!” Called a fourth as he loaded a black stick into his mouth.

“I am not a freak!” The trashcan objected, jumping off of the purple mare it had pinned before approaching the ponies in uniform. It ran up to one that had a switchblade knife in a magic aura at a speed comparable to that of a pony running on all fours.

“What the?! How can something with two legs run so fast?!” Yodeled the pony the trashcan ran to, nearly jumping in surprise as it sprung up with a hoof ready to punch him. At that moment, a grey-and-purple blur whizzed around the trashcan two times before a string tightened and was pulled back, forcing the can to break its leg as it punched the concrete.

“I may be down, but I’m not out just yet!” Yuuki shouted, retracting her yoyo-ball hastily with an outstretched hoof. She was now trying to stand up using her other foreleg, but there were noticeable bruises on her left cheek and side.

“Get down! You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into!” Cried a pony in uniform, who was rushing at the lightpost with his black beating stick hovering next to him as he ran. The lightpost swung its whole upper body before the pony could land a hit, causing said pony to then careen a ways in the air and land in another small crowd of accumulated ponies. The whole lot fell onto their backsides and bellies upon impact.

Yuuki forced herself into a sitting position, wincing as she then moved onto her wobbly legs. She turned her head to see that the lightpost was about to come crashing its forelegs down on her body. The mare ran out of the way, then around the monster quickly, utilizing her yoyo-ball in the process. The weapon wrapped around the hind legs of the monster and tied them to the lanky base.

The monster tripped, its whole body crashing down in that instant. It growled like an animal before forcing itself upright with its front limbs and dragging it’s now-useless lower quarters as it turned around to face the purple mare.

The monster roared again, but this wail sounded as if it were admitting defeat. It fell to the ground, and then vanished from the world. The trashcan had also disappeared without so much as a trace of it having existed, and the purple mare retracted her weapon before coiling it around her hoof.

She looked around, and all was silent as she did so. It was as if her mere presence stunned the ponies who witnessed the event to the core, the things she just pulled defying all forms of reason.

And then she laid eyes upon a pony in police garments standing right next to her, a serious glare present on his face. “I don’t know what else to do about this situation, but you are coming with me, miss.” He said.

“A-Am I under arrest?” She asked, pupils shrinking to tiny dots.

“Not quite. You will be taken in for questioning.” The pony answered, his expression unwavering.

“What in the great balls of fire am I to do?!” Was the thought that bounced about madly in the mare’s skull. “I’d seen a body or something like that hours ago...or was it minutes? Hell, was I even dreaming then? Should I tell him?”

“Is something on your mind?” Asked the pony, eyes widening just a bit.

“There’s...something…” Yuuki stammered nervously. “Come on already! Just tell him for crying out loud!”

“Well, what?” Asked the pony again.

“J-just follow me.” Yuuki stuttered before walking to the alley she came out of earlier ago. The other ponies in suits followed with looks of curiosity on their faces. She took a left, noticing the discarded trash cans, and then a right shortly thereafter. The ponies who she ushered soon found themselves asking questions only a deranged madman could answer.

There on the lightpost of the empty street beyond the alley was the body of a stallion clad in breathtaking gold armor, complete with helmet and horseshoes. His white coat had been stained in blood, and his body dangled uselessly under the head of the post, tied by the hooves in chains. Patches of muscle were evident even from a distance, indicating that he had been decaying for at least a few days.

“Who is stupid enough to string up a royal guard?!” Asked one pony as if he were in denial.

“I can’t be too sure, but I think I know who did it.” Hissed another, glaring at Yuuki as she turned to look at him.

“Poor bastard looks like he got strangled. By something thin.” Commented a third, also looking at the purple mare.

“I hope this doesn’t mean what I think it does…” Yuuki thought, sweat starting to form on her body again.

“And what she has happens to be a thin string.” Stated a fourth, also casting his glare on the mare.

Yuuki turned her whole body around and began backing away slowly.

“You are under arrest!” Cried a unicorn pony, his horn glowing with some freaky aura and brandishing a pair of handcuffs in a corresponding aura.

The mare turned around quickly and ran past the dumpster, taking a right onto the empty road which was really a bigger alley. The ponies in uniform followed, some not wasting a second as they took to the air on wings of feathers.

A total of seven ponies--three unicorns and four pegasi--suddenly sprung up in front of the purple mare, causing her to skid to a noisy halt on her hooves before she could crash into them. They all had no strange picture on their flanks, and they all had some kind of erratic scarring on their bodies. Whatever pelt, mane, and tail they may have had had either fallen out or had been plucked out from the roots. Two of the unicorns had red eyes, a pegasus had green eyes, and the others of the lot had varying shades of brown irises.

All of them stared at the purple mare intently, some smiling as they did. The ponies in uniform immediately stopped behind Yuuki and looked at the bald stallions.

“Well, well, lookie at what we have here. The mare from last night. And she got herself into some trouble with the cops.” Spoke one of the bald unicorns, poking Yuuki in the shoulder with his hoof. “Ya owe us big time.”

“O-owe you w-what?” Yuuki stammered nervously.

“I dunno how or what happened, not even why. All I know is you made a hole in the roof of our hideout.” Answered the stallion, his voice darkening as he spoke. “So, how’s about we make you a deal?”

Yuuki looked back between the police and the bald ponies for a moment before looking back at the unicorn who poked her. “And w-what happens i-if I d-don’t t-take the deal?” She asked.

“Ya ain’t got a choice, sweetheart. You carry out your end of the bargain whether ya want to or not.” Answered the stallion, whose horn began lighting up in a bright orange color.

It was then that the bald unicorns were jumped by the winged officers, and handcuffs wrapped around the hooves of the bald pegasi. Then, the wings of the baldies were chained against their bodies and the horns of those tackled by the pegasi found themselves with what could best be described as hats of metal. Pretty quickly, the bald ponies were pinned against walls and cuffed accordingly.

Some of the officers, mainly those who lacked horn and wing, looked at the purple mare reassuringly. The bald stallions were raising hell, shouting about how the alleged royal guard deserved his death because he crossed in their territory or something.

And then a decrepit building suddenly towered over the others with huge arms and a pony’s roaring head on top. It turned to the group in the alleys, growing a horn on its head in the process.

“Well, shit.” Yuuki hissed, shaking her head sadly as she looked at the sight. “I think we’re fucked.”

Chapter II, Part I- A Tremor In The Desert

In a small town in the desert, complete with farming fields and Western-style saloons, ponies once again gathered round a most peculiar spot. This time, some hefty brutes of stallions were carefully loading a teenage pony onto a bed. This one had a brown, trimmed mane and a tan pelt, glasses lopsided on his face complete with cracked lens. His tan pelt ended before his brown hooves, as far as the legs were concerned. The strange thing about him was the fact he had a gold-colored crossbow strapped onto his right hoof.

They wasted no time in sheltering the pony in the nearest building possible and away from the scorching desert sun, which happened to be an inn of some kind. They housed him in a quaint room that had small pictures of ponies, a dresser drawer, and the bed the teen pony happen to lay on. There were also stools surrounding a small table, and some playing cards stacked neatly in a deck.

One stallion, this one with a golden orange coat, eyes the color of grass, and a two-toned orange mane entered the room as the bulky stallions left. On his head was a brown Stetson and a brown leather vest was fitted onto his front quarters.

His head turned to the pony in the bed as a soft groan of pain came from his slowly shifting form. Then, his eyes opened behind the cracked glasses, irises the color of the earth fogged up a bit from sleep or something of the sort.

“Where...am I?” Asked the teen pony, voice clouded with grogginess and underlying pain. “My head hurts…”

“Whoa, easy there.” Said the pony with the Stetson, walking to the injured pony to avoid startling him. He gently placed a hoof onto his head and ruffled his mane some. “We just found ya a few minutes ago, laying on the hot sand in the middle of town. Not a good place to take a nap, but I could tell ya crashed something fierce.”

“I...feel woozy…” Replied the tan pony, blinking a few times. He tried scrunching his eyes shut, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. He felt like he was in an oven being roasted alive.

The orange pony put his hoof down to the floor and turned around. “That ain’t no good. I’ll have Caramel bring ya some water.” He commented, walking out to the door.

“Who...are you?” Asked the tan pony, his voice cracking from the pain.

The pony with the Stetson stopped, craning his head back to the injured teen in the bed. “My name’s Braeburn. Yours?” He replied, smiling.

“T-Tenmei…” Answered the weakened pony. His throat felt dry and scarred, and it was painful for him to speak.

“A’ight. Holler if ya need anything else.” Braeburn said, smiling as he trotted out the door. He was then heard shouting for someone named Caramel, and something else about water.

After a few moments, a pony with a brown coat, darker mane, and blue eyes walked in the room, carrying a pail of water in his mouth. He walked over to Tenmei and nudged him gently with a hoof before noticing the cracked, lopsided glasses on his face. The blue-eyed pony quickly righted the glasses onto the muzzle of the injured pony.

Now, Tenmei could see properly despite the cracks in his glasses. Even so, his eyes were still fogged with sleepiness. He looked at the water bucket for a moment as if dumbstruck before leaning over and taking off his glasses with a shaky hoof. Placing the glasses on the bed, he then dunked his head into the bucket and drank to his heart’s content.

He drank half the bucket before he rose his head and shook off the excess water from it. He still felt woozy and overheated, but his recent drink made him feel just a little bit better as he put his glasses back on and his head on the pillow. Now, he was laying on his side.

The other pony gently hung the water bucket on a rack, rising on his hind legs to do so. Tenmei could see three blue horseshoes in a rounded triangle on his flank. The stallion then reverted to all fours and looked at the pony in bed.

“You feelin’ better?” He asked, concern lingering in his tone.

“Not much…” Tenmei answered, turning onto his backside. “Just...terrible…”

“Well, I hope ya get to feelin’ better soon. In all honesty, ya don’t look well at all.” Replied the other pony, taking his turn to trot out the door.

Once the blue-eyed pony left, Tenmei began to toss and turn. He kept trying to get comfortable, but his head was in pain, much like the rest of his body. Minutes passed, but they felt like hours. As they passed, he began to think a little straighter.

And then, something dreaded hit him harder than a brick. He realized he wasn’t with his friends. In fact, he didn’t know where they were; all he knew was that he was alone with these strangers. At least said strangers were treating him kindly; he didn’t even want to think what would happen if he wound up with terrible beings altogether.

But could the same be said about his companions? It was a thought that was beginning to gnaw away at him, and tears began clouding his sight further.

“I just hope they’re alright.” He thought, a tear streaking down his cheek and hitting the soft pillow. As Tenmei was lost in his thoughts, somepony entered the room and crept to the end of the bed.

“You alright there, Tenmei?” Asked a familiar voice. Tenmei hastily rose as if startled, only to find Braeburn looking at him from the end of the bed with concern.

“It’s just...I want to know where my friends are...I hope they’re safe.” Tenmei answered, looking down at the blanket with a forlorn look on his face.

“Oh, shoot. I didn’t know you had friends that came here as well!” Braeburn exclaimed, genuinely shocked. “Do you know where they are?”

“No, I don’t. I haven’t a clue, and that’s what worries me.” Tenmei replied, the forlorn look on his face unwavering. Another tear streaked its way down his cheek and hit the blanket.

“Darn.” Braeburn said, now sounding worried himself.

“If only I knew where they were, or if they’re even alive right now…” Tenmei sighed, looking at his forelegs pitifully. It was then something occurred to him. He looked up at Braeburn and said, “Wait, would I even be able to recognize my friends now? When we’re horses?”

“Ponies.” Braeburn corrected, a slight frown present on his muzzle. “I’d like to think that’s a possibility, but then again, I don’t know your pals like ya do.”

“You have a point, but…” Tenmei trailed off, another tear falling down his face.

“But what?” Braeburn inquired, a brow arched.

“It’s just...I’m not sure...I want to know where they are, and how they’re holding up…” Tenmei said, another tear still trickling down his face. His frown seemed to worsen as it did.

Braeburn walked to the side of the bed and put his hoof on the teen’s back. “I’m sure they’re doin’ fine. Heck, I’m willing to bet they’re also looking for you.” He said, a small smile on his face.

Tenmei looked at him, blinking a few times. “I suppose that’s true…”

“But ya need to stay put for a while. You’re in no condition to be walkin’ right yet. I’ll tell the rest of the ponies in ye ole Appleloosa to help ya whenever they can till the next train comes.” Braeburn said, smiling.

“And...where does the train go?” Tenmei asked, looking down at the blanket again.

“It goes to Ponyville. I have a mighty strong feelin’ you’ll find one of your friends there.” Braeburn said, still grinning.

“Really?” Tenmei asked, looking back at the pony.

“I can’t be too positive, but there’s always that chance it could happen.” Braeburn pointed out, patting his hoof gently on the teen’s back before placing it on the wood floor. “Who knows, maybe you’ll meet them all if you are really lucky. I’m sure they worry for ya too.”

Tenmei looked at him, the corners of his mouth twitching up and up until a smile appeared. “Thanks, Braeburn.” He said.

“Hey, don’t thank just me. Thank the whole town for finding you where ya were.” Braeburn replied, smiling. He then trotted to the door, but stopped to look back at Tenmei. “Ya sure ya don’t need anything else?”

“Not at the moment.” Tenmei replied, returning his head to his pillow and closing his eyes.

“Alrighty then.” Braeburn sighed, still smiling as he went out the door. Soon, the teen pony fell fast asleep.

Chapter II, Part II- Minecart Derailed!

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Chapter III- Ponyville's Waterfall

A quaint town with wood structures and roofs of straw, with some variations here and there like a house in a tree, another looking like it was made of candy, and a schoolhouse made entirely of wood, was relatively undisturbed...save for a group of ponies in a small hospital room surrounding a bed worriedly. The current occupant of this bed?

It was a light blue mare with an ocean-colored, frilled mane that looked like shrunk fairy’s wings on her back with the way she was currently laying. Her left foreleg was covered in bandages that were moderately soaked in blood, and held above her head thanks to another cloth tied around her body, and a few ropes attached to the ceiling. Her eyes were scrunched in pain, and there were IV tubes and blood bags attached to her body to keep her alive.

“Is she going to make it?” Asked one worried pony, ears flat on his skull.

“How can she, when we found a bloody knife jammed in her leg?” Inquired another, a brow arched.

“Who is she? We haven’t seen her before.” Stated another.

The door to the room opened, and in trotted a white pony with a pink mane done in a bun and light blue eyes. On her head was a nurse’s hat, and she stared at the crowd who now turned to her.

“Visiting hours are over.” She said rather bluntly, no discernible emotion on her face.

“But what of the mare?” Asked one of the ponies worriedly.

“I need to examine her to determine if she’ll undergo surgery. Sorry, hospital regulations.” The nurse answered with a sigh.

The crowd groaned in worried unison before they passed the nurse as they made their way out the door. Soon, only said nurse and the still-unconscious mare were in the room. The nurse trotted over to a nearby table and examined something the crowd had found with the patient: a purple boomerang with four blue teeth.

“Strange that she held it in her broken foreleg.” The nurse murmured before trotting over to the mare. She looked her over carefully before shaking her head. “Teens these days. Worse than foals sometimes, I swear…”

The mare looked pained as she slept, eyes scrunched as she was constantly murmuring something the nurse couldn't make out. All she could tell was that, as she stood long enough to listen carefully, the only word she could understand was ‘Quartet.’ But what did it mean? What semblance did it have? The nurse decided to work on that later and get the mare into the examination room as soon as possible, trotting back to the table that held the boomerang.

The doors opened again, and in walked a unicorn stallion with a golden brown pelt, dark brown mane, and blue-green eyes. Levitating next to him was a flat, black screen encased in a blue aura that corresponded with his horn.

“Oh, Doctor Stable. I never expected you to trot in here.” The nurse sighed rather sarcastically, looking back at the wounded mare.

“Whoo boy, the examination room’s filled up with other patients. I assume this is a bad case of injury?” Replied Stable, shaking his head sadly as he approached the blue mare.

“Very. The ponies who found her had also found a boomerang in her hurt foreleg.” The nurse replied, trotting over to the blue mare. “She’s constantly muttering something, but all I could get out of it was the word ‘quartet.’”

Doctor Stable hovered the black screen before the mare’s foreleg, only to gulp hard and let his ears flatten on his skull. The screen highlighted the bare outline of her foreleg past the bandages, and it also revealed a most horrific fracture whose bone was sticking out of the skin. “She will have to undergo immediate surgery--no ifs, ands, or buts.” He said, his voice grim.

Then, as if a spell had been broken, the wounded mare’s eyes fluttered open, revealing another hue of ocean blue making up her irises. “Where...am I?” She asked, sounding like a frog was lodged in her throat.

“You’re in the Ponyville Infirmary, dear. Don’t move; you’re in no condition to even be awake right now.” The nurse said, worry and some kind of sternness present in her tone. It was hard to tell which of the two was taking precedence, especially in regards to the fact she showed little emotion on her face.

“Who...are you?” The mare asked, wincing in pain as she moved a bit.

“I’m Nurse Redheart, assistant of Doctor Stable.” The nurse answered as she trotted towards a small table. She then got something and approached the blue mare...in her mouth was a needle filled with strange fluid.

The blue mare saw the needle and her eyes widened. “W-what is that?” She croaked.

The needle flew out of the nurse’s mouth, held in a blue aura that corresponded with the horn of Doctor Stable as he inspected it. “It’s a painkiller.” He answered.

“What is your name? We’ve never seen you around here.” Redheart remarked, sighing. “We have to have the names of all patients, sadly.”

“...Koto.” Answered the blue mare nervously.

A few hours had passed since Koto awoke from her sleep, but she was sedated to be prepped for surgery, so it felt like a good fifteen minutes at best during that time. The sight that first greeted her as she was aroused from her second trance was Nurse Redheart, who appeared to have been busy writing something...with the writing utensil in her mouth, oddly enough. At least, it was what Koto could make out--her vision was blurred in places, and other places looked fuzzy.

The nurse seemed to have finished writing just in time to notice the mare awakening from a drug-induced slumber. She trotted to the end of the bed she lay on and looked as though she had been fumbling with something in her hooves for a bit before finishing whatever it was she was doing.

“Oh my. That sedative hit you hard, didn't it?” Redheart remarked, her voice filled with tiny hints of worry.

“I feel soo messed up…” Koto replied, her voice slurred like a blithering drunk ninny with a horrendous hangover.

“It’ll wear off in a while. You still need to rest.” Redheart sighed, her voice now filled with a subtle happy tone in it. Koto couldn't tell whether or not she was smiling, but it didn't matter as sleep once again stowed her away in its grasp.

Dawn had arose, and with it came the sounds of hooves hitting a pristine tile floor of a hospital hallway as Nurse Redheart and Doctor Stable made their morning rounds to check on their patients. With them was another nurse, who was pushing along a food cart.

They stopped before a door, which was then encased in a blue aura and gently opened. Sitting in a bed still snoozing away was the blue mare with a horrendous leg injury. She looked peaceful as she slept, and her leg was held to her chest thanks to a cloth being wrapped around her body and holding it there.

“Should we wake her up? I can tell she hasn't eaten in two days.” Stable sighed, a frown on his muzzle.

“She’s slept for long enough.” Redheart replied quickly. “I think the sedative wore off sometime last night.”

“Alright, then.” Stable said, smiling as he crept his way up to Koto. He was careful to not make a sound as he approached her. Once he stood next to her, he rose his hoof and gently placed it on her shoulder and shook her just a little bit.

“Mmmm...what time is it?” Koto asked, eyes opening as she yawned groggily. She stretched her good leg as far as it could go before rubbing her eyes with a hoof. She blinked a few times before taking notice of a nurse pushing along a cart to her, and sat up quickly whilst wincing a little.

“It’s time for you to eat.” Doctor Stable answered, smiling. He levitated a tray down onto the bed, and the food onto it. It was a nice bowl of soup and a glass of water. Koto exercised her right foreleg a bit--wincing in pain if she tried moving her left--and scooped up the spoon in the crook of that foreleg before digging in. She ate greedily, her body renewing with energy as food was finally fueling her system. In a matter of fifteen minutes, the bowl was cleaned, and the contents of the water glass were drank as if they came from the fountain of youth.

“Goodness! I hope we don’t have to fetch another bowl!” Redheart exclaimed with wide eyes as Koto finished her meal.

“I think I’ll pass on seconds.” Koto replied, a content smile on her face. Her head returned to the soft pillow, and then it occurred to her that she had hooves for starters. She sat up quick as a whip, only to find out that one of her forelimbs was useless and cascaded in bandages.

“How am I going to use my boomerang now?” She asked, a worried look complete with a frown on her face.

Chapter IV- Hurricane in Canterlot

A pair of armored ponies trotted in the streets of a mountainside city overshadowed by a literal castle nearby. Between the two trotted a green stallion with emerald mane, eyes, tail, and hooves. His mane shrouded the right side of his face in a feathered half-crescent, and the left side was devoid of hair save for small bangs. The backside of his head had a thin streak of green mane before some of it fluffed out in a small tuft. The various ponies in the streets, many of whom had either been armored pegasi or wealthily dressed unicorns, eyed the one being ushered to the castle who lacked horn and wing.

The green stallion looked relatively bruised and battered, considering bandages on his legs and neck. He had a saddlebag that housed a green blade with a blue hilt, which also happened to have been his cutie mark.

“And why are we going to the castle?” Inquired the green stallion, looking relatively calm despite his ordeal. He did not even arch an eyebrow.

“We must report to the Princesses about the...thing we’ve seen you fight. I feel you are the only reliable witness.” Answered one of the armored pegasi.

“Princesses, huh? Did I land in some sort of monarchy?” He thought, still keeping his calm demeanor.

“It’s a pain since ya don’t have wings or a horn to teleport with, so we gotta take the long route.” Spoke the other guard, looking at the bandaged pony.

“I am perfectly fine with that. We all must take a long road sometimes.” The green stallion quickly pointed out, a small smile adorning his muzzle.

“He has a point. Let’s just keep going and avoid unneeded dillydallying.” Spoke the first guard as he and the other two trotted along their selected path. It was quite a lengthy walk just traversing through these pristine streets, but the guards seemed to have known where they were going, so the green battered pony followed them like a dog.

Eventually, he got a much closer glimpse of the mountainside castle firsthand in all its glory: it had pristine white walls, purple roofs and golden gates, elegant towers and graceful balconies. The gardens were absolutely breathtaking, and it sat next to an amazing waterfall to boot. Sure, the structure of the damn thing was a bit erratic, but that only served to enhance its overall beauty.

The trio crossed the relatively small drawbridge, but the guards did let their guest stop to marvel the outside beauty of the place for a few more moments. He did not seem too impressed if his currently-expressionless face was anything to go by, but he certainly couldn’t be denied this sight. For all he knew, it could’ve been a once-in-a-lifetime event. Afterwards, he followed his makeshift Sherpa guides down some vast hallways lined with marble pillars, stained glass depictions, and red carpets.

Another walk that lasted about thirty minutes or so had earned the trio the sight of grand double doors, which for some reason had been amethyst. The doors opened, and sitting in two thrones were alicorn mares, one being white with a mane the colors of the waking dawn and magenta eyes, and the other one night blue in wispy mane and solid body and eyes of turquoise. Aside from another few guards here and there already present, the alicorns and the trio who’d just entered were the only ones in the room. A golden aura closed the doors after the trio trotted in.

All three approached, and the guards quickly took their place before the green stallion and bowed in respect. The stallion, figuring it was the best thing to do, also bowed, but he was a bit of a klutz at it. He fell on his face and had to quickly right himself.

“We see thou hath brought us a visitor. What doth thou have to report about him?” The night-blue alicorn asked, looking at the guards as she spoke.

“Yep. It’s a monarchy...or diarchy, in this case.” The stallion thought, careful not to think aloud as a frown adorned his face.

“Well, Your Majesty, it’s kind of difficult to explain, which is why the visitor is here in the first place. We had seen him in the outskirts of town, looking like he was fired out of a cannon or something from the way he landed in the ground.” Answered one guard.

The other guard continued, “We were surprised he was even able to stand to begin with. At first, we thought he was a low-life scumbag since he still had a sword in his mouth, only for a...thing to show up and start wailing on him.”

“A...thing?” Asked the white alicorn mare, raising an eyebrow. “Do continue.”

The guards gulped, then the first one resumed, “What was phenomenal about it was, once we got a look at the thing, it was part pony and part carriage. When it was felled, it...vanished.”

The second guard then spoke up, “And our guest was standing on his hind legs, holding the sword in his front hooves!”

“He did? But that shouldn’t be possible--” Started the blue alicorn, only to now notice that the green stallion was indeed on his hind legs at this time, and he seemed to have had no trouble walking on them. It was as if he defied logic on purpose as he stretched his front legs as far as they could go. Her eyes widened and her jaw hung slightly ajar at the sight.

“Please, humble guest, return to four legs.” Spoke the white alicorn, quite shocked herself with widening eyes. It didn’t show as much as the blue alicorn, though. The guest quickly complied, making sure not to touch the guards who escorted him here in the process. The white alicorn then looked at said guards and nodded to each of them, and both trotted out of the room in short order.

“Tia, we’ve yet to hear of this stallion’s name.” Stated the blue alicorn, turning her head to the white alicorn briefly.

“And I’ve yet to hear of yours just the same. Then again, I never asked to begin with.” Spoke the stallion, nodding with closed eyes and a soft smile on his face. “So, before we carry on with our discussion, I’d like to know who introduces who first.”

The alicorns exchanged glances, then looked back at the stallion.

“If you happen to be wondering, I am not from around these parts. I’m not even sure I’m from this world.” Spoke the stallion, eyes opening. He fixated his partially-shrouded gaze towards the mares before him.

“I am Princess Celestia,” Spoke the white alicorn, “and I raise the sun.”

“I am Princess Luna,” Said the blue alicorn, “and the night is my domain.”

The stallion was silent for a few moments, as if to absorb the new information he’d just received. Then, his lips parted. “My name is Nagare.”

"Could you tell us about the...thing the guards mentioned earlier?" Celestia asked, looking at the green pony.

The doors to the throne room burst open, and in trotted a giant hourglass with metal legs and a head bearing a horn. The hourglass also had wings on its frame, and it soon roared at the lot of guards, the princesses, and the pony who had his back turned to it.

Nagare turned around, calm as ever while he stared at the hourglass who trapped the guards in some kind of strange bubble. “Talk about perfect timing, for I was just going to explain to you about these monstrosities, Princess.” He said, still grinning despite the situation.

Chapter V, Part I- Fire On The Other Side Of Town

“S-stay away!” Barked a stallion concealed by shadow who was surrounded by ponies in an alleyway. He was laying on his side kicking at them with one hind leg, the other limp and useless. The ponies who had him backed against a brick wall all had horns glowing with some strange aura and things like broken wine bottles in said aura.

“Or what, ya wimp?” Asked one of the unicorns, smiling wickedly as he let his piece of glass hover over to the neck of his soon-to-be victim.

The stallion raised one of his forelegs, pointing it at the unicorn. There was a strange contraption of some sort strapped to that foreleg.

Then, a gunshot rang out loud and clear, and so too did that of the unicorn screaming in shock as half of his horn flew clean off of his head and rolled to the opposing wall of the alley. The glass shard fell down and broke into many more pieces upon impact with the ground.

The other unicorns looked at their partially-dehorned comrade, then back to the stallion who was now trying to figure out who to shoot next.

“Fuck! We messed with the wrong pony?! Let’s run, boys!” Cried one of the unicorns before making a bolt to the outside area of the alley. The other unicorns quickly followed suit, figuring out it was best to live to fight another day, and preferably with a horn still on their heads.

And then, after a bit of shuffling and a few failed attempts to get up, the stallion soon made his way out of the shadows and into the light, revealing an orange pelt and scarlet hooves. The contraption strapped to one of the forelegs was a rectangle of some sort with two holes in the grey front. The thing was a quarter length of his foreleg, starting at where it bent as it rose and ending almost at ground level. It had a backside lever that was curved, and it was protruding out a bit.

On his head, he wore a blue hat. His disheveled red bangs hung sloppily against the sides of his head, with two between his scarlet eyes. The back portion of his mane reached a little way past his shoulders, though this was largely in part due to it having been tied back at the base with a white ribbon. His tail was the same way, except a good quarter of it was tied stiff in ribbon as well.

He sauntered out of the alley, only to find a bigger alley with streetlights. He looked both ways before taking a slow right, dragging his useless leg pitifully as he approached the end of the large alley. Many more bruises lined his body, making him look weak and pathetic as he pushed onwards.

After a good fifteen minutes or so, he found himself eyeing a vast city and many ponies merrily trotting within its streets, roads, and sidewalks without any care in the world. And here was the wounded stallion, ignored despite his ordeal. Nevertheless, he pushed on, taking another right and into the bustling streets he shambled. Some looked at him as an odd sort, but what was it that made it so?

His leg being dragged behind him, limp and useless as it was? His mane and tail being tied the way they were? The contraption on his leg, which matched his cutie mark? Or the hat on his head? He couldn’t tell, and could not give a flying hoot about it.

He looked determined to find something, but none of the ponies who looked at him could tell what. He shambled onwards before accidentally bumping into a grey unicorn clad in gold armor. Upon impact, he fell onto the ground, and the unicorn jumped.

Said unicorn turned around, revealing that he lacked a front leg. Where it should’ve been was a simple stick tied to the small, otherwise-unnoticeable stump. He looked calm, but only for a moment, before the pony who rebounded off of him scrambled to three of his hooves.

“Sorry for bumping into you, sir. I’m just lost and trying to find help.” Said the red-maned stallion, looking a bit nervous. Sweat started to form on his face, and his ears were flat on his skull.

“It’s quite alright. Ponies bump into me all the time.” Replied the unicorn with a smile, who then noticed that the one who bumped into him had a limp back leg. The smile turned into a frown. “Say, what happened to ya? You look like you were hounded.”

“Hostile...uh, unicorns found me in an alley with my back leg already like this. They tried hurting me, and I had no choice but to defend myself.” Answered the stallion before he sighed.

“Ah. Gangsters. I hate them with a passion, always making ponies suffer for their personal gain.” Hissed the unicorn. He looked over the red-maned stallion again before asking, “How in the hay did you defend yourself like this?”

“I have a thing called a cannon.” Replied the stallion, moving his head in quick jerks in the direction the contraption strapped to his leg was in.

The unicorn took notice of the head-jerking and looked at the foreleg, as well as the contraption strapped to it. It looked clunky, almost as if he had to rise on his hind legs to use it. But how could he do that when one back leg was in its current condition?

“I won’t question you much, kid, but you seem to be pretty darn tough to pull that off, especially considering ya look like you got your ass kicked in three different directions.” Commented the unicorn, eyes widening.

“Look, do you know where I can find help?” Asked the stallion, getting a bit antsy now.

“I suggest that you keep going to the police station, which is about thirty blocks down. After that, just keep going until you reach a hospital, and that’s a few buildings after the station. But I doubt you could get there alone with that leg, so I’m coming with ya, pal.” Said the unicorn, ears twitching. “Oh, I never got your name. I’m Paladin Blade, by the way.”

“Rekka.” Replied the red stallion, smiling. “Hey, uh, I got something to ask.”

“Sure thing.” Blade said, also smiling. “What is it?”

“How...did you lose your front leg?” Rekka asked, eyes widening and pupils shrinking to tiny dots. He was desperately hoping he didn’t offend Blade.

Blade’s smile faded, and he sighed. “I was out training with the other royal guards one day, just doing normal drills. Just a typical day for me, right? Well, I thought wrong.”

“Why say that?” Rekka inquired, brow arching as his curiosity aroused.

Blade was now frowning. “One of my colleagues came up to me after practice and sent me on a mission of sorts: find the leader of the Black Feathers mafia and have him arrested. Thing was, he was near the spot we’re standing at now, a couple of buildings away.”

“Black Feathers mafia? Sounds pretty bad.” Rekka commented, eyes slowly widening.

Blade nodded. “Oh, if only you’d heard about the things they did. Anyway, like the idiot I was, I kinda burst in and found the whole mob meeting. I couldn’t tell what happened next, except I apparently got the whoopin’ of my lifetime. I woke up a few months later, and the doctors told me I had lost a leg in that fight. The ironic thing? The mob boss was in fact the captain of my branch of guards.” He said, the frown more noticeable on his muzzle.

“Wait...so...the mob boss was your boss too?” Rekka asked, now frowning himself.

“Pretty much. I ended up being kicked out of the royal guard on account of trying to attack a captain, but Celestia excused me from a worse fate considering my injury. My fiance then ditched me for some other stallion who turned out to be a complete loon, and I’ve been homeless since. I keep thinking that I’m a useless unicorn.” Blade sighed, his ears flat on his skull.

“You’re not useless. Sure, we have our weaknesses, but can’t we just make the best of it?” Rekka asked before sighing.

“Easier said than done. Only reason I’m still in uniform is so the gangsters leave me alone. Besides, I’m still a laughing stock among many ponies in Equestria. I keep thinking to myself ‘I may as well end it all,’ y’know? I’m almost surprised you’re not already acting like the rest.” Blade said, still frowning..

Rekka was silent. “This guy just wants to die?” He thought as something else hit him.

“Something on your mind?” Blade asked, arching a brow.

A tear slid down the red stallion’s cheek, falling onto the sidewalk on which he stood. “I...I think...I think my friends are here too. But where?” He replied.

“Your friends?” Blade inquired, brow still arched.

“Yeah. Do you know where I could find them?” Rekka inquired, his ears twitching and then flattening on his head.

“Sorry, ain’t got a clue. I don’t even know them.” Blade pointed out quickly, brow lowering as he spoke.

“Dammit!” Rekka thought, another tear sliding down his face. “C-could you help me find them after we get to the hospital?” He asked, sounding as though he were pleading for something more.

“After we get to the hospital? That’s a nope, and I say this because I’m about at the end of my road. I’m old, worn, and can barely use magic now.” Blade answered, his voice as grim as his expression.

“He really doesn’t look that old.” Rekka thought as Blade sighed.

“Doesn’t mean I can’t try, though.” Blade said, turning around and starting to go down the sidewalk. Rekka began to follow, the unicorn’s words beginning to cause worry’s arousal in his mind.

After a while, perhaps thirty minutes on account of missing and/or broken limbs, they stopped because a crowd had gathered before they arrived. Something was roaring, and it was most definitely pissed off. Rekka tried going around the crowd, only to end up being blockaded further.

All it took was one glimpse of what looked like a lightpost rising up with a pony’s forelegs poised to strike something below to tell him that something was very wrong.

Chapter V, Part II- Likely Circumstances, Unlikely Timing

“The fuck? Is that what I think it is?” Rekka thought before hearing a masculine voice shouting.

“Freeze!” The voice cried, causing the lightpost to revert to all fours and turn.

“Ah, great. Just when my day couldn’t get better.” Rekka thought before trying to get past the crowd to see what was going on.

“What are these things?!” Cried another voice.

“I have no clue! Detain them, at once!” Yelled another.

“What of the mare?!” Hollered a third.

“Take her in for questioning, but only after we deal with these freaks!” Wailed a fourth.

“I am not a freak!” Objected another voice.

“Someone tell me what this world has come to, please?” Rekka thought, shaking his head sadly. Again, he tried pushing past the crowd and, to be blunt, failed for the third time. It was almost as if they were statues.

“What the?! How can something with two legs run so fast?!” Caterwauled another voice. A sort of clanking and snapping sound resonated through the area, though briefly.

“Last time I checked, everything ‘round here had four legs with rare exceptions present. What’s he on about?” The stallion thought, sighing as though he were about to give up on seeing the whatever-it-was that had been happening.

“I may be down, but I’m not out just yet!” Cried a feminine voice.

“That voice! It couldn’t be?!” Rekka thought, eyes wide in shock and mouth nearly dropping open.

“Get down! You have no idea what it is you’ve gotten yourself into!” Yelled a masculine voice.

“So says the know-it-all who’d seen a walking lightpost for the first time in his life.” Rekka thought before a grey hoof nudged him on the shoulder. He turned his head, broken out of his stupor, to find Paladin Blade looking at him with concern.

“You look like you’d seen a ghost. What’s the matter?” Blade asked before a pony clad in police uniform was sent into the crowd, knocking many on their bellies and stomachs. This made an opening for the two, and Rekka decided to take the opportunity to finally see what the flying hell was going on.

What a sight met him, for he was now seeing a purple mare dash around a lightpost-pony hybrid coiling a small string and what looked like a yoyo around at the hind legs of the beast. It tripped and tried to rise up on its front legs, only to wail in defeat once it had turned around to face the purple mare and vanish from the world.

Paladin approached Rekka again. He noticed the red stallion was eyeing the mare as she had a small chit-chat with the cops and led them to an alley.

“Why are you interested in that girl?” Blade asked, concern in his voice and a brow arched.

“That girl happens to be one of my friends. We have to follow her.” Rekka replied before going en-route to the alley the mare led the cops in. Paladin followed suit, and both stallions noticed the last cop taking a left. They followed as well, making sure to keep quiet to avoid suspicion.

Then, the cops were talking about something for a few moments before shouting “You’re under arrest!” Hooves beating against concrete resonated through the alleyway and quickly faded into an echo.

“I’m not sure what’s going on, but we need to follow them pronto.” Rekka hissed before following the sounds of hooves hitting against the concrete. Paladin followed, and both found a larger alleyway...with a white pegasus in gold armor strung up to a normal lightpost by chains, rotting away from the world as he hung.

“Shit.” Blade scowled, eyes narrowing at the sight of the pegasus. He approached the pegasus and sat on his rump before removing his helmet with his only front hoof. The unicorn was like that for a moment before replacing his helmet and rising up onto his three legs and makeshift cane. He turned around, only to find Rekka looking to his right.

Both stallions started moving that way, only to find the police ponies had already overpowered seven bald stallions with handcuffs and whatnot. Some of the officers who lacked horn and wing stayed close to the purple mare.

And then a building shoddily built rose up, growing two forelegs and a head with a horn. It had a cigar in its mouth and a felt-tip hat. It looked at the group in the alleyway and roared.

“Damn!” Rekka hissed as he kept approaching the group with the unicorn in tow. The purple mare was looking at the building intently, as if she noticed something odd about it.

The mare sighed and was just about ready to use her weapon once more when a hoof tapped her shoulder. She turned around to find a red stallion (who sat on his rump) and a grey unicorn looking at her.

“Rekka?” Asked the mare, eyes widening in shock.

“Who else would it be, Yuuki?” Asked the stallion before looking at the building with a pony’s head and forelegs.

“What in the name of the flying spaghetti monster did you do to your leg?!” Yuuki cried, bewildered once she had seen the damaged leg. Her pupils shrank to tiny dots. “We have to get you to a hospital!”

The monster’s horn began to glow, and the teens--as well as Blade--were hoisted up into the sky in an aura of crimson.

“I ain’t going to a hospital while this thing’s on the loose!” Rekka protested, flailing his good three legs briefly before noticing that there was a strange, orange pearl about the size of the end of the cigar sitting perfectly on top of the monster’s hat. He pointed his hoof at the beast and aimed the cannon carefully. Then, his other hoof moved and pulled the lever back.

A gunshot rang out right then and there, and the monster found itself recoiling in pain, its aura disappearing and causing the teens and unicorn to rocket down to the alleyway they were scooped up from.

One of the police unicorns saw this, and his own horn began glowing in response. Before the free-fallers could land to the ground, they were gripped in another aura that held them mere inches above the concrete.

The monster roared in pain and anger as its horn crackled to life once more, and this time its cigar flew out of its mouth encased in a crimson aura.

“Oh great, what’s he doing now?” Yuuki asked, looking at the cigar as it levitated over the group.

Then the cigar suddenly exploded into a thousand or so miniature copies before they rained down on the lot on the alley like arrows from Hell. Many of these cigars missed, but those that did hit the ponies had caused them to wind up with burn marks and screeching mouths. The unicorn police shielded themselves, the three-legged pony, and the criminals with magic barriers.

“Dono yō ni kare wa sore o shita ka?! [How'd he do that?!]” Yuuki cried as one hit her on the base of her tail.

“Fakku nan?! Bānzu wa, anata wa rokudenashida!! [What the fuck?! That burns, you bastard!]” Rekka yodeled as a few of the things hit him on his hurt leg. Pain rushed throughout his body, and his eyes widened in response.

Another cigar appeared straight out of nowhere and it was lit before being tucked into the corner of the monster’s mouth. Then, it pointed a hoof at them mockingly...before it morphed into a tommy gun.

“Ni kami Ohaio-shū!! [Oh god no!]" Yuuki and Rekka screeched in unison as the tommy gun began firing its rounds like a hailstorm. Many of these rounds, due to the gun constantly moving as it fired them, had missed. One, however, landed in Rekka’s hurt leg and made him screech in pain, and another barely grazed Yuuki’s left ear.

“Wa ̄ ! Sore wa hontōni kizutsukeru anata ga kirainahito!! [Ow! That really hurt, you asshole!!]” Rekka hissed, nearly collapsing from the overload of pain he was experiencing. He could barely stand now, and if there was any chance for him to use his weapon, then that opportunity simply flew out the window.

Yuuki looked up and saw flying shapes overhead, wheeling over the monster without even the monster itself realizing it. And those shapes appeared to be hauling what could best be described as airborne carriages.

“What in the world?” She asked, blinking a few times with an arched brow.

Author's Note

Brackets used for translation purposes.

Chapter V, Part III- The Bigger They Are...

The flying things overhead began firing what could best be described as balls of pure electricity at the monster, but they were hitting everything else the behemoth had to offer. The thing noticed the annoyances above and merely scoffed at their pitiful attempts to do damage. Its horn began glowing again, and it smiled wickedly.

“Ten thousand yen says whatever the fuck’s flying up there has no clue what they’re doing.” Yuuki remarked, eye twitching as she watched the sight.

“Koko, koko. [Here, here.]” Rekka agreed, nodding. A rising urge to punch himself in the face with his hoof was boiling over, only to diminish once he remembered the fact that one of his legs was useless. His eyes narrowed at that fact alone.

The flying things above were all stopped mid-air, held by a crimson glow corresponding to the horn of the monster.

“Hōn wa dono yō ni seikō o hataraite imasu ka?! Darekaga watashi ni itte ki ni?! [How the fuck do horns work?! Someone mind telling me!?]” Rekka yodeled, on the verge of gritting his teeth and carrying out with something revolving around curse words and his mouth. His eyes narrowed further.

The monster then threw the flying things into the alleyway, causing all to fall onto their bellies and backsides when said flying things, which were more armored white pegasi, grey unicorns and chariots made for aviation, collided with them.

“Fakkufakkufakkufakkufakku! [Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!]” Rekka hissed as he tried and failed to shove the armored pegasus who landed on him away. Sadly, his attempts to do so were futile, much more pitiful than moving a boulder with the very point of the ear alone. Whilst scuba diving.

Yuuki had a much easier time worming her way out of underneath a couple of pegasi, though she was now in quite a bit of pain considering one landed on her backside. Blade simply had to yank his supporting stick out of under another one, and the horned officers merely levitated the out-cold ponies to a small pile.

The red stallion was trying to stand up on his aching and wobbly legs, and began to panic when he noticed that his bullet wound was still bleeding, and his eyes widened instantly. Any words he could produce now were incoherent and slurred, almost as if he had gone mad or something.

The monster aimed its tommy gun at the lot in the alley, who now looked up at the sight and gulped hard.

“Yep, we’re definitely fucked.” Yuuki said, gulping hard again as her ears fell flat on her head. She failed to notice still more flying shapes overhead, once more circling the monster as if they were flies.

That was when another bolt of spherical electricity was fired from one of them. It hit the monster right on the pearl of its hat, causing it to roar in pain and recoil in shock. It even withdrew its tommy gun to use it as a makeshift flyswatter.

The things dodged, and another bolt was fired. Again, it hit the pearl and the monster roared in rising pain and boiling fury. It continued to swat at the things above its head, not knocking a single one down.

Then some more flying things showed up, also firing bolts of electricity as though it were nothing. The monster roared in pain as hit after hit began taking its toll.

“Nine...ten….eleven…” Blade counted aloud, watching the spectacle unfold. A few more bolts of fury were fired at the beast. “Fifteen...sixteen…”

The monster’s pearl began cracking. Another hit landed on it, and the crack grew larger. “Seventeen…”

Another hit, and all below the ground could see the widening crack. “Eighteen…”

Another sphere of fury landed, and the pearl looked about ready to collapse on itself at this point. “Nineteen…”

And another hit landed. This time, the pearl completely broke into a thousand or so pieces. The monster roared one last time before it began to fall towards the group in the alley. Before it could impact with anything, however, it vanished into thin air along with the pearl fragments scattered about. The unicorns in police uniform quickly trotted over to the red stallion who was now trying to stop the bleeding with his ribbons, letting his mane and tail descend in the process.

The ponies who were unconscious slowly woke up, finding themselves in a pile and sauntering their way out of it. They then saw the other group in the alleyway, and a few unicorns with glowing horns looking at the wounded stallion. The figures in the sky flew away, and so did the armored pegasi after they snapped out of their daze.

“We kinda need to head to the hospital right about now.” Yuuki pointed out, worry lingering in her voice. Her ears were still flat on her skull.

“No shit, Sherlock.” Replied a unicorn, his tone of voice lingering with hints of anger. He turned to his fellow officers. “Take the bald stallions for questioning, and immediately.”

The other officers immediately complied, with the unicorns levitating the bald ponies off the ground and taking them with as they walked out of the alleyway. Then, the last officer went with in a hurry, leaving the armored ponies, purple mare, three-legged unicorn, and injured red stallion alone.

Yuuki sighed as if annoyed. “That could’ve gone better.” She hissed, eyes narrowing.

“We’ll deal with them later.” Spoke one of the armored unicorns as he and his platoon of sorts approached the hurt stallion. “Right now, there’s a much more important matter to deal with.” With that, a horn lit up and very carefully lifted the stallion off of the ground with a light gold aura. Another gold aura encompassed Yuuki and Blade before a blinding light flashed in the eyes of all.

When it faded, all were now standing in front of a set double doors made from glass. Above it was a great red cross and the words “Manehatten Hospital.”

“Is this what we’re looking for? I cannot read what I think are words under the cross.” Yuuki said, sighing.

“It is indeed a hospital. We’ll tell the doctors it’s an emergency case.” Replied one of the guards as all proceeded to trot (or learn how to fly without wings, in Rekka’s case) into the area beyond the doors.

The doctors inside were bewildered when the ponies burst in, one of whom was being held off the ground by a golden aura.

“Treat this stallion immediately, he has a wound in his leg that is bleeding nonstop!” Bellowed one of the grey unicorns angrily, staring right at one of the doctors who also had a horn on his head.

The doctor who was currently being stared at looked towards a nurse. “Get me a gurney.” He said, and the nurse nodded before running off down a hallway. He then turned back and trotted up to the floating stallion. “And just where are you from? I could’ve sworn I've never seen a pony quite like you before.”

“I….uh….um…” Rekka stuttered, ears flat on his head and eyes wide as can be. He was sweating profusely at this point.

The doctor then noticed the makeshift wrappings on the wounded leg, and his horn lit up. The wrappings came off with ease, and a roll of fresh gauze floated to the wound before unraveling and wrapping itself around the leg.

“It hurts!” Rekka cried, eyes now scrunched shut from the pain. He forced himself to grit his teeth in order to avoid cursing.

“I know it does.” The doctor replied as the wrappings tightened around the wound.

Outside the building watching this unfold from a window, a unicorn with a golden orange pelt and short crimson mane witnessed the wounded pony as he was carefully loaded onto a gurney. The unicorn was cursing to his heart’s content under his breath, red eyes glinting maliciously as if plotting for something else.

Chapter VI, Part I- Tenmei Likes Trains!

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Chapter VI, Part II- Once In a Blue Moon

The train whistled loudly as its wheels began churning to life.

“Last opportunity to go to Ponyville!” Called out the pony in the blue uniform before boarding on himself. Quite a few ponies had boarded on and were already assigned seats in the various carts. Others chose to stay behind, and they began to return to life as normal: farming, drinking in saloons, and playing cards.

The train whistled again and it was off. The wheels begun churning faster and faster, gaining momentum to move away from the boarding dock. The sun was setting, and some ponies were eating. Others had been talking casually.

One pony was kind of multitasking, having been holding a soup-eating spoon in one crook of his foreleg and a set of cards in another. He was smiling as he finished a bowl of soup and moved the bowl into a stack of six others.

“Ya full yet? I couldn’t eat that many bowls of soup in one sitting.” Braeburn asked, eyes wide at the stack of bowls that a waiter pony took up and trotted off with.

Tenmei nodded, then burped rather loudly. “P-pardon me.” He said before chuckling.

“It’s alright.” Braeburn said, smiling. “Hey, ya got a king?”

Tenmei looked at his hand of cards. “Go fish.” He replied.

Braeburn drew a card from the deck. “We’re gonna be on this train a while.”

“Why say that?” Tenmei inquired.

“It’s gonna be a few hours from here to there.” Braeburn answered, frowning.

“Might as well kill the time. Got any two’s?” Tenmei said, also frowning in disappointment.

“Nah. Gofish.” Braeburn replied, watching as Tenmei drew a card from the deck.

The toll from the earlier battle was now taking its course on the tan-pelted stallion. In addition to a lot of food in his stomach, he began to feel really tired and dizzy.

“You alright?” Braeburn asked, now sounding worried.

“Just...exhausted. Is it alright if I took a nap?” Tenmei asked, heavy eyelids becoming harder to keep open by the passing second.

“Sure. If I fought a train like you did, I’m pretty sure I’d be tired too.” Braeburn answered smiling.

“Wake me up when we reach Ponyville.” Tenmei said, putting his cards down and laying down in the seat. Soon, sleep took him in its grasp, and it was aided by the soft moonlight and gentle bumping of the cart he was in as the train kept going towards its destination.

An orange hoof nudged the tan stallion on the shoulder, and he opened his clouded eyes before yawning. He forced himself into a sitting position with his front hooves. He rubbed his eyes lazily before looking out the window and seeing a town with houses that had straw roofs and many ponies trotting past, some with horns and wings and all with more colors than could be found in a rainbow.

“This is the place.” Braeburn said, smiling. “Nice, ain’t it?”

“Very.” Tenmei replied before yawning again. He quickly shook off what sleep clung to him and got off of his seat.

“Just follow me. I’ll show ya around.” Braeburn said, still smiling as he trotted away to join the other ponies who were getting off the train. Tenmei did as told, and spotted the orange stallion already going off somewhere without him. The tan stallion sighed and quickly caught up to him before noticing another orange pony, this one with a blond mane tied back, who was striking up a conversation with Braeburn.

Said mare noticed the tan stallion. “And who is he?” She asked.

“Applejack, I was just about to tell ya all about him.” Braeburn replied, wrapping a foreleg around Tenmei’s back with a big grin on his face. “This here’s Tenmei, and he’s somethin’ alright!”

“Ah see you’ve made a new friend.” Applejack said, smiling as she held out her hoof. Tenmei held out his hoof (the one without the crossbow strapped to it) nervously. Hooves touched and bobbed in unison as they were shaken up and down briefly before being returned to the ground. “And why do ya say he ‘is somethin’ alright’?” She asked.

“He’s mighty wicked with a crossbow. I’ve never seen somepony as good as him.” Braeburn said, still grinning. Tenmei now noticed he was sweating quite a bit and his eyes widened a bit.

“You better NOT tell her about the monster I fought yesterday.” Tenmei thought, sweat also forming on his face.

“Well, I’ll see y’all later. Gotta help my brother with the apple trees.” Applejack said before bounding off to who knows where in a hurry.

“That’s my cousin Applejack for ya. The apple orchards need tending to.” Braeburn said, patting Tenmei on the back before returning his hoof to the ground.

“Wait, she has an orchard?” Tenmei asked, eyebrow raised.

“Yep. She runs Sweet Apple Acres with her family. I’ll take ya there later. Main priority’s showing you round town since this is yer first day here.” Braeburn pointed out, smiling. He then began galloping off again, and Tenmei followed in haste. The orange stallion kept going straight ahead, but his companion didn’t falter once.

Braeburn took a left, and so did his friend. They passed by a rounded building that had a red roof on it before taking another right and finding a house that looked like it was made of gingerbread. In front of it were three ponies, one of whom was quite literally pink all over bouncing around a white mare with a soft pink mane tied in a bun.

The other one was blue all over, and one of her forelegs was held to her chest thanks to bandages and cloth. Poking out of a saddlebag strapped to her midsection was a blue boomerang with purple teeth.

“Wait a second….Koto?” Tenmei murmured, trying very hard to keep his jaw from dropping open.

“Who?” Braeburn asked, now noticing the blue mare was looking at him and his friend.

The pink mare noticed the two stallions and hopped to them as if she were made of rubber. She circled them whilst chanting something along the lines of “I’ll throw you a Welcome to Ponyville Party!”

The blue mare hobbled her way to the duo that was being circled, and so did the white mare. The blue mare’s face looked as though beaming with hope, a bright smile adorning her face despite her predicament.

The white pony, who was wearing a nurse hat, suddenly stepped in between the two. She looked at the blue mare with an annoyed look on her face. “I’m sorry, but you can’t talk to this pony.”

“B-but he’s my friend…” The mare replied, ears flat on her head and eyes watering already.

“Oh hell. Puppy eyes.” Tenmei thought, ears flat on his own head as a sense of dread overcame him.

“He is?” The nurse asked, disbelief in her voice. “My apologies.” She moved out of the way.

The pink pony then said something along the lines of “Does anypony want sweets? The bakery has lots of sweets!”

“Sweets?” Tenmei asked, eyebrow raised.

“Yes! There’s cookies and cupcakes and other pastries galore!” The pink pony answered, brimming with enthusiasm like none other. She stopped jumping around long enough to reveal a poofy mane, blue eyes, and three balloons for a cutie mark. "Come on inside already!"

"What do you say, Koto?" Tenmei asked.

"I haven't eaten since this morning. Why not?" Koto replied, her face once more brimming with a smile.

Chapter VII- What in Hell?

The monster with an hourglass for its body began flapping its wings whilst roaring at the green stallion who was as cool as a cucumber.

“What is this thing?!” Celestia shrieked, spreading her own wings with a horn crackling to life in a gold aura.

“Well...it’s an alicorn, and part hourglass…” Luna started, also with wings spread and horn lighting up in a blue aura.

“Aliglass-Q.” Nagare calmly stated, once more on his hind legs as he drew his sword.

“Say what?” Celestia and Luna asked in unison, both looking at him with confused looks on their faces.

“It’s part alicorn and part hourglass, and it was probably made by the bloody Frontier Quartet. Therefore, Aliglass-Q.” Nagare answered, agitation present in his voice but not so apparent with the look on his face.

“Who is this--” Celestia started, only to be cut off as the monster roared once more.

“No time to explain that! We have to take care of this thing NOW!” Nagare hissed, eyes now brimming with a sort of anger to them. He held his sword tightly in the grasp of his front hooves as the beast’s horn lit up and its body turned so that its head was facing the doors.

As soon as it flipped over, time seemed to slow down immensely for all present. It suddenly became harder to move any and all muscles. Adorning its back end was a great, dark blue pearl that everyone could see.

The monster moved on all four legs at a horrific speed towards the group before taking into the air and flapping its wings at the rate only a hummingbird could achieve. It scattered feathers everywhere that turned razor-sharp as they left their owner’s body. As if on a silent command, they homed onto the alicorns and their guest right as the monster flipped into proper position and making time return to normal.

Celestia quickly formed a dome from nowhere that matched the golden hue of her aura, and the feathers bounced off harmlessly as a result. The Aliglass-Q roared in anger, landing on its hooves before putting its muzzle mere centimeters from that of the dome.

The shield was dropped by the white alicorn. She was staring back at it, unfazed by its intimidation tactic. Nagare looked at the behemoth as well, but he could not tell if said behemoth was looking at him or Celestia. The Aliglass-Q may as well have had one eye on each of them.

Luna vanished in a blue flash of light, only to reappear behind the monster. Her horn was still flaring up and she fired a sphere of electricity at the pearl. The Aliglass-Q howled in surprise at its body suddenly began spinning like a boulder rolling down a hillside. It spun for a few seconds before its end was now hovering in front of the other alicorn and the guest who readied his sword.

The stallion then ran towards the pearl on his hind legs, positioning his sword as though a jousting lance. Right as the Aliglass-Q regained its senses, the sword was thrust into the pearl and a visible crack was formed. The monster roared in pain, its body turning to let its head face Celestia once more (and dragging Nagare with its rear in the process because his sword was jammed into the pearl and he would not let go.)

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” The stallion cursed as he put his hind hooves just underneath the pearl, forelegs gripping the sword handle tightly. He straightened his back and tried yanking out the stubborn blade, hind legs stretched full length to provide force.

A blue aura gripped both sword and owner and they were pried loose from the Aliglass-Q that once more roared in pain. Now Nagare was holding his sword in the crook of one foreleg and learning how to fly simultaneously.

The Aliglass-Q turned around, glaring at Luna as her aura gently set the stallion down onto his hind hooves. She glared back, her pelt turning black as shadow. Her pupils became slits, and her sclera a light blue.

“Thou hast angered us for long enough!” She bellowed, fangs gleaming as she spoke. Her mane and tail billowed out more viciously in a nonexistent breeze as more pelt turned pitch black. “Thou shalt feel the wrath of the moon!”

The Aliglass-Q flipped its body again, and time proceeded to slow. It then fired more feathers at Luna, this time hitting her and halting her transformation altogether. It flipped its body once more and watched as Luna began grunting in pain while fresh wounds began to ooze out red.

Then a dark blue aura encased the monster, causing it to vanish instantly. Both alicorns and Nagare were bewildered, eyes widening briefly. The guards who were trapped in bubbles were released, and some more hurriedly flew into the room from the doors.

Celestia looked at the guards who were flying about frantically.

“Settle down, at once!” Luna bellowed. The flying guards quickly landed, though awkwardly. The blue alicorn then looked at Nagare, who sheathed his blade and reverted to all fours.

Celestia also looked at Nagare. “Whom, may I ask, are the so-called ‘Frontier Quartet’?” She asked.

“To sum the whole thing up in a nutshell, there are three adult members and one supposed child member. The adults are the ones who conjure up the monsters that are fused with objects, like the Aliglass-Q that just left without a trace.” Nagare answered, eyes closed and a serene look on his face. “Said alleged child member has yet to be seen in person, though, from what I heard.”

“Given that the child is such, I can understand why.” Celestia replied, though her eyebrow was raised.

“But why would the Quartet conjure these monsters?” Luna asked, her curiosity aroused.

“To be brutally honest, I have no idea.” Nagare answered. Then, something occurred to him. He opened his eyes and looked at Celestia. “Could these guards do me a favor, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“A favor? It solely depends on my command.” Celestia replied, wings twitching a bit from unease. “What is it you seek with the aid of my guards?”

“A relatively simple task: to find my friends.” Nagare answered again, a look of determination on his face.

“But couldn’t you find them yourself?” Luna inquired, eyes widening.

Nagare stared Luna dead in the eyes and replied, “I would do so if the Quartet wasn’t running around causing hell like a bunch of headless chickens. Besides, I hardly know this nation. Do you expect me, someone not from this plane, to know the ups and downs in fifteen seconds?”

Luna was silent. She stood there registering the stallion’s rebuttal for a few moments. After a while, she merely shook her head and said, “No.”

“My point exactly. I kind of need...guides, if you will.” Nagare said, looking back at Celestia calm as ever.

“Your Highness?” Asked a guard, raising his hoof in the air.

Celestia turned to the guard. “You may speak. What is it you’d like to share with us?”

A grey unicorn appeared next to the guard. “One of our own has received wind of two ponies through telepathy.”

Celestia now looked at the grey unicorn. “And what is it that is to be relayed?”

“Your Majesty, there are two ponies who have contact with some of our members in Manehatten. They too report details revolving around an alleged ‘Frontier Quartet.’” Answered the unicorn quickly. “In addition, one has some kind of yoyo and the other uses what he keeps calling a cannon.”

Unknown to the lot, a blue-pelted unicorn with a bristled, dark blue mane and wonky thin mustache watched as the guards, princesses, and their guest talked. His horn was still glowing, and his eyes gleamed with ill intent as a smile crept on his face, fangs gleaming in the soft light.

Chapter VIII- Here It Be Decreed...

“Well, it seems like we already have someplace to start.” Nagare commented, looking at the guard who gave his leader the report. A smile adorned his face as usual, but his eyes had small glimmers of hope brimming within.

“Indeed it does.” Celestia agreed, turning her gaze to the white pegasi present briefly. She then turned her attention to the unicorn. “Is there anything else you’d like to share?”

“Well...uh..” The guard started, eyes widening a bit. He was sweating now, and his ears fell flat.

“No need to be nervous. Now, tell us what you’ve found out.” Celestia repeated, her voice still calm and soothing.

“The s-stallion w-with the cannon s-suffered from an i-injury.” The guard answered, shaking a bit. “He cannot move for a while.”

Nagare’s smile almost instantly faded. He looked at the guard, disbelief growing in his face. He slowly raised a hoof as if to either question or object to the words the guard had spoken, only to put it down when no words could be formed by his moving lips.

“What...sort of injury is he dealing with?” Luna asked, eyebrow raised.

“F-from what I was told, he received horrific wounds in one of his back legs from the gaskin down.” The guard answered. “They had the doctors in Manehatten repair the whole thing.”

“I once had an injury like that.” A pegasus said, looking at his fellow pony. “Took me weeks to recover from it.”

“Were they able to save his leg?” Luna asked, a stoic look on her face.

“They’ve been able to do so, but he’s staying put for a few days at least.” The unicorn answered again, this time sighing afterwards.

“And what of the mare with the alleged yoyo?” Celestia inquired, eyebrow arched upwards. She looked rather troubled by something.

“She insists on staying with him, and keeps telling the doctors over and over again that she’s from another world...or something.” The guard replied. “Nopony knows what to make of it, really. The doctors think she’s a loon.”

“I’ve stood idly by long enough.” Nagare said, hints of anger now present in his voice. His eyes glinted with rage as he stared at the guard and his ears were folded back on his skull. He then stomped one of his hooves, face darkening under the shadow of his hair as he did. “Would one of you please take me to them as soon as you can?!”

“Please, do calm down. I shall have the guards set them straight, hopefully with words.” Celestia stated as she turned to Nagare, a bit louder than normal herself. She returned her gaze to the guards and nodded. “Two of you, take this stallion to that hospital at once. Everyone else, return to your posts.”

Two pegasi stood in place as the others, including the grey unicorn, did as told. They trotted out of the room posthaste. Then, the last two guards and Nagare also left, leaving Celestia and Luna alone in the nearly empty throne room.

Celestia looked at Luna, horn lighting up in a golden glow. A quill and scroll appeared out of nowhere, and the quill begun jotting something down on the scroll.

“What are you doing?” Luna asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m going to be asking all of the citizens throughout Equestria to immediately report strange occurrences to the guard. Considering we were attacked a few moments ago, I feel as if I really don’t have much of a choice.” Celestia answered, watching as the quill was still jotting down things on the scroll.

“Why would you say that?” Luna inquired, putting a hoof to her chin.

“Taking into account our earlier guest of sorts, who’s to assume the Quartet isn’t making more monsters? Nopony knows their motives; Nagare said so himself. Even I couldn’t tell what it is they’re plotting.” Celestia replied, the quill near the bottom of the scroll.

“So, what you’re saying is it would be safe to assume the worst.” Luna stated as the quill was lifted from the scroll.

“Something to that degree.” Celestia said, reading what she had written on the scroll. Then, she showed it to Luna.

“Are you truly sure about this?” Luna asked as she read the document again with widening eyes. “What if we need to involve the Elements of Harmony? What if we need to form a temporary alliance just to--”

“I am truly sure about this, though I cannot be certain what will happen when the ponies of Equestria report the…” Celestia paused, walking past her sister with narrowed eyes, the quill and the scroll floating alongside her as she moved in sync. “...unusual occurrences to the royal guard. Or how the guard will react, for that matter.”

“I can only hope for the best, sister. However, I shall also prepare for the worst.” Luna said, looking at her sister.

Celestia turned around to look at her sibling. “There simply is no other course of action. I have a feeling all of Equestria is at stake.” She said.

Three cloaked figures, two of whom were limping, hid in the shadows of an alleyway. Shouting unicorns galloped past the alley as if their hooves were ablaze. One looked above to see a rising full moon, its light gracing her uncovered muzzle to reveal a hue of purple. She looked at the other two before removing her hood.

“You sure about this?” She asked, sighing in the process.

One of the other figures sat down on his haunches before using a hoof to remove his hood, revealing an orange pelt. “Positive, Yuuki. You saw how they snapped when Blade reminded them of what they thought he was.” He answered.

“I hope I don’t have to defend myself against them.” Yuuki sighed.

The third cloaked figure removed his hood, revealing a grey pelt and a horn on his forehead. “They’ll treat you as those who house fugitive criminals--not kindly.” He said, his voice stern.

“And why do they see you as a criminal?” Yuuki asked, raising an eyebrow.

“There’s no time for that. We have to get to the train station now.” The stallion replied, almost hissing as he spoke.

“You heard the unicorn.” Said the orange stallion, getting up onto his hooves.

“Don’t we need tickets?” Yuuki protested as she began to trot down the alley.

“I told you already; I found three of them recently.” Spoke the unicorn, limping behind the mare. The red stallion trudged alongside him.

“I sure hope they’re not expired!” Yuuki cut back, raising her voice in the process.

“If they are, we do the next best thing.” The unicorn replied as the mare took a right. He and the other stallion followed.

“Blade, I hope you’re not talking about my yoyo or Rekka’s cannon.” Yuuki sighed, an irritated tone in her voice.

The unicorn shook his head as he trudged along. They emerged from the alleyway and into a walkway with three railways on top of rocks below said walkway.

“Is this the place?” Yuuki asked, glancing around a bit.

“It would be the case.” Blade answered, finding a wooden bench and putting his whole body on it as though he were about to take a nap.

“Looks deserted…” Rekka commented before the sound of a train whistling in the distance hit his ears.

“Maybe not…” Yuuki sighed.

Chapter IX- A What Now?!

“So, what yer sayin’ is a bloody train grew more legs than a pack o’ timberwolves and would’ve destroyed Appleloosa had Tenmei not stopped it?” Applejack asked, eyes widening as she tried to wrap her brain around Braeburn’s rather absurd story.

“Pretty much. You know I wouldn’t lie about something that big a deal.” Braeburn replied. He and Applejack were trotting to a red barn that was bathed in the light of a full moon.

The duo entered the barn and found six ponies at a table, one being the nurse who had accompanied Koto, another being Tenmei (who currently had a smug look on his face), another being a yellow filly with a red mane, another still with red body and orange mane, and the last being an elderly green mare with a white mane.

The whole lot of ponies were playing cards, save for Koto, who was merely sitting back to watch.

“Big Mac, ya have a ten?” Asked the filly.

“Eenope.” Replied the red stallion.

The filly groaned, her hoof connecting with her face before she drew a card.

“Do you have a three, Applebloom?” Asked the nurse.

“Why does everypony always take the card I just drew??” Applebloom, the filly, complained as she handed the nurse a card.

The nurse looked at Tenmei. “You sure are smug. You have any five’s?”

“Gofish.” Tenmei replied, glasses glinting as the nurse drew her card. He turned to the elderly mare. “Miss Smith, do you have any seven’s?”

“No, I don’t.” Miss Smith, whose first name was Granny, answered. She watched as the teen stallion sighed and drew a card...before plumping two sevens down on the table.

“Welp, I made a match. I think that means I get another go.” Tenmei said, that smug look still on his face. “Redheart, you have any jacks?”

The nurse sighed and forked over the card. It was then she noticed Braeburn and Applejack trotting towards the table. Both ponies took chairs and sat at the table, and Applejack looked at Tenmei dead in the eyes. “Alright, I have never of a train growin’ legs and other pony parts that was hellbent on attackin’ things. Not once in a day of my life.” She said sternly.

“Ah, great. Here we go.” Tenmei thought, ears flat on his head and his smile fading.

“A train...growing legs? And hellbent on destruction? The only scenario I can see in which that WOULDN’T be preposterous would be Discord and his magic! That’s simply absurd!” Redheart declared, eyes wide in anger.

“Eeyup.” Big Mac agreed, nodding and not doing much else.

“And what if Discord didn’t do it?” Applebloom asked, raising a hoof only to find herself getting stared at by Koto, whose mouth happened to have nearly dropped open.

“That’s the thing--Braeburn didn’t see Discord do anything, let alone hear anything of the sort. I feel that only ONE pony round here has the answer.” Applejack said, still looking at Tenmei.

Koto then raised her good hoof before slamming it onto the table. “Actually, he’s not the only one who can answer that.” She said, eyes narrowed a bit. She looked relatively angry.

Applejack turned to her. “Why do you say that?” She asked.

Koto’s expression didn’t waver. “Let’s just say he and I came from the same place and have seen the same things.” She answered quickly.

“Alright, I can understand that. But, if the train really did grow that many legs, then how do you know what caused it to happen?” Applejack said, an eyebrow arching upwards.

“It’s not a what; it’s a who.” Koto replied, her expression still unchanging.

“Are you two seconds away from yakkin’ about them?” Tenmei asked, also looking at Koto.

“I see the two of you have entered a most peculiar discussion.” Said a masculine voice not belonging to any at the table, causing all faces present to suddenly twist in confusion.

Applejack turned around, only to see a white stallion with dark grey eyes and short, spiked mane. He wore glasses that were small and rectangular in shape. His hooves were also dark grey, and he had a friendly smile on his face.

All present also turned to look at him, though only Tenmei and Koto’s faces turned in wide-eyed shock. It was as though they instantly recognized this stallion as he pulled up a chair to the table and sat between Big Mac and Applebloom.

“Mister, who were you talking to?” Applebloom asked.

The stallion turned to the filly, the friendly smile still on his face. “Why, I was addressing Tenmei and Koto, dear.” He answered.

“Wait, you know them?” Braeburn asked, a hoof raised as if he were objecting to something beyond words.

“Why, I do indeed know them! Very well, in fact.” Answered the stallion, his face still brimming with the smile. “Consider me...one of their two legal guardians.”

“Are ya sayin’ they’re adopted?” Applejack asked, eyebrow still arched.

“Not necessarily me adopting them; I’ve been tasked to look after them and ensure they go to school and do other things a teenager needs to live.” The stallion answered again, still smiling.

“01, could you please for the love of all that is holy--” Tenmei started, only to stop as the stallion looked at him with a darkening face, tiny pupils, a twitching eyebrow and a lopsided smile on his muzzle.

“D-don’t you dare finish that sentence, young colt.” 01 said, the tone of his voice dark and angry despite his expression saying otherwise.

Tenmei gulped, ears flat on his head and sweat forming. “Y-yes, sir.” He muttered.

01 then turned back to Applejack, his friendly smile returning as if his expression never changed. “My apologies for that display. Like all teens, the lot I have tend to backtalk sometimes.”

“There’s something that’s been bothering me.” Redheart said, catching the stallion’s immediate attention.

01 turned to the nurse. “And what would that be?” He asked.

“What explains the crossbow and boomerang?” The nurse replied.

“Ah, those. It’s something that is a bit tricky to answer. All I can say is those who have the weapons have gained them through training.” 01 answered, still smiling.

“Training?” Braeburn inquired.

“We’re part of an agency called the Special Task Force. It’s...hard to explain.” 01 replied, now frowning. “What I can say is that we deal with monsters...made of objects that are, in a way, their own sentient beings.”

“Like that train I seen the other day. I swear to Celestia it had many legs and a horn. The only pony who dared take that thing was Tenmei. Let me tell ya, I hadn’t seen something quite like what he did.” Braeburn commented, a small smile on his face.

“I think you can see…” 01 paused, slowly turning his head in Koto’s direction. He took notice of her wounded foreleg cascaded in bandages, and his darkened face, tiny pupils, and lopsided smile returned almost immediately. “Just what in the name of all things holy did you do to your foreleg, young lady?”

The teen’s ears fell flat on her skull. “I-I honestly don’t know...I was unconscious…” She answered, her body and voice trembling a little bit in fright.

“I have no idea myself.” Redheart said, wrapping a foreleg around Koto as if to reassure her. “All I know is a bunch of ponies found her with her boomerang being held in her hurt foreleg...which happened to have a knife plunged in said leg that somehow fractured the bone, causing it to poke out of the skin. She had to undergo immediate surgery.”

“A-a KNIFE?! A-are you implying someone was trying to KILL her?!” 01 nearly shrieked, suddenly raising up on his hind legs and slamming his front hooves on the table.

“That’s my only guess, considering she was found on the outskirts of town.” Redheart replied, looking at the stallion with widening eyes.

Chapter X- Phantom Train

A train whistling in the distance resounded once more, the hollow echo that came afterwards putting the group of three at unease. All ears were perked to attention, and their owners frozen stiff for a few moments.

It whistled again, this time sounding much louder and clearer than before. The station began to rumble and tremble slightly as a large, circular light blinded the only three ponies who had set hoof into its dirty frame. The owner of said light then shot past the lot before quickly coming back and stopping to a dead halt, wheels loudly grating and screeching against the worn, rusted tracks as it did.

The strange thing was that the only light present was at the front of the damn thing, which was now quite a ways off. Yuuki narrowed her eyes, letting them adjust to the dark scenery and found that the cart that had stopped before her and her companions happened to have a ladder settled at the very back.

A door then opened, blotting out the lower part of the ladder with its frame. Yuuki then noticed that part of the rails had either been chewed off or sawed off long ago.

The two stallions shambled their way towards the anomaly, stopping when they stood by the purple mare. All three had raised eyebrows and slightly-tilted heads. The door on the back almost seemed as if it invited them in, but it felt ethereal. Almost...foreboding.

“You first, Yuuki.” Rekka said, ears now falling flat on his head.

The purple mare turned to him, eyes wide and mouth nearly dropping open. “W-why me?!” She asked, her voice cracking in shock.

“You’re the only one who can walk properly. Besides, it’s also for our own safety.” Blade answered for the red-maned pony, shaking his head and sighing.

The young mare took a moment or two to register the unicorn’s words, and then the fact that both stallions were crippled also hit her harder than a brick. She sighed and proceeded to board the train’s back entrance, then helped the other two goofballs onto the small walkway that led to the inviting door.

Beyond said door was a stagnant and horrifically stale air permeating the dark, dusty inside that looked as though untouched for at least a solid year. Any possible light sources had been crushed, snuffed out as if disregarded altogether.

“A-Am I dreaming?” Yuuki inquired, ears falling flat on her skull as a feeling of dread washed over her.

“If you are, then I am too.” Rekka commented, his tail twitching nervously.

“I don’t like the looks of this. Not one bit.” Blade hissed, his nose wrinkling as the stagnant air hit him.

The trio exchanged glances with one another before tentatively setting hoof within the darkness, old wood creaking to adjust to their weight. Only the soft light of the clouded full moon could let them see, and glass crunched noisily under hooves.

Then, as soon as all three were inside, the door slammed shut behind them before any could react. All eyes widened and ears were perked to attention as the sudden noise left as quick as it had come. The train whistled once more, and the wheels churned to life on their own accord, causing the cart to vibrate gently.

A masculine chuckle filled the darkness with a feeling of dread. Then, a crimson light began glowing, revealing a gold-coated unicorn stallion with a short red mane and glinting red eyes, standing on the other end of the cart. His ears were barely tufted, and a small but wicked smile adorned his face.

“To think that we’d meet once more, you insensitive brats.” He said, his smile widening as he spoke.

“And just who do you think you are?!” Blade nearly shouted, anger rising in his voice as he glared at the unicorn.

“My, my, you filthy brats have befriended one who knows not of my grandeur?” Replied the unicorn, shaking his head as if to pity the three-legged stallion. “Fortunately, I am feeling a bit generous today. I am Maki, one of two subordinates of Baki in an organization called the Frontier Quartet.”

Yuuki’s eyes narrowed, and she opened her mouth to speak, but she could not form any words at all. She took a step forward, her breathing ragged and heavy thanks to the stale air.

“You are tempting me, filly.” Maki said, his horn glowing brighter. A crimson aura then appeared, holding a wooden bench within its grasp. “And you do not want to tempt me.”

“How is she tempting you? And why do you hold a bench in your magic?” Blade inquired, stomping his front hoof angrily.

The other unicorn’s smile seemed to darken, eyes glinting with some kind of evil intent as his magic placed the bench before him. “Do you really wish to know?” He asked with an audible sigh. “I could do so much to all three of you, but she has so much more…all by herself.”

The sole mare took a deep breath. She shook her head sadly. Her eyes narrowed further. “You...you...UGH! You don’t deserve to be alive!” She hissed angrily.

“I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘pedophile.’” Rekka growled, his eyes burning with anger and his blood roiling with white-hot fire.

“Pshhhh. I am not a pedophile, I simply have taste in younger people...or ponies, in this case.” Maki cut back tauntingly, his sickening smile unwavering. The bench before him vanished into thin air. He took a step towards the group, and another. Yuuki and Rekka were particularly tense now, but held their ground nonetheless. “Just be glad I pity you for once.”

“If you have pity, then you aren’t showing it.” Blade swiftly pointed out, stomping his front hoof again.

The gold-coated pony stopped in his tracks...before letting out a small laugh as he shook his head at the remark. “Me, not showing pity? Good sir, what kind of delusion has befallen you?” His horn glowed brighter once more, and both stallions in the group suddenly found themselves being hoisted into the air and then slammed into decrepit seats whose use had long since passed into the ether. Both were knocked out cold on impact.

Yuuki’s body betrayed her, completely freezing stiff as a rock as the unicorn took another step forward with that damned horn still aglow. Her breathing was now frantic and her mind was thrown into a frenzy of panic. Her eyes widened in shock and terror as he took another step.

“Don’t be frightened, dear. It won’t hurt one little bit.” Maki said, his smile darkening as he took yet another step. He took another step, only to stop as the cart he and the others were in began shaking with enough force to make the mare lose her balance and fall onto her side.

“What is the meaning of this?” The smiling stallion hissed, glancing around briefly as his hooves nearly slipped out from beneath his frame. He quickly righted himself, however, and took two steps forward. Now, his target was practically inches from his front hooves. She was trying to scooch away from him, using her hooves to do so.

Maki’s horn lit up even brighter, and shackles appeared instantly around the mare’s hooves, holding them firmly in place. He took another step, the smile widening in a twisted way as he then forced his new catch to stand on her legs without using his hooves.

He then looked into her terrified eyes, malice glinting in his own. The train shook once more, this time knocking both predator and prey onto their sides. The stallion righted himself quickly, then proceeded to do the same with his catch. He trotted around her, only to be met with another frightened gaze.

Then, the train shook another time. It suddenly fell onto its side as its carts detached from one another quickly, causing those who were awake to black out as all the carts got off the rails and skid in the dirt towards a small town.

Chapter XI- I Was Lied To?!

“What do you mean they’re no longer here?!” Nagare barked, staring down a unicorn stallion who had told him something rather unsettling.

“They vanished. They are hiding a fugitive from the law.” Answered the unicorn quickly, his ears falling flat on his head.

“A fugitive...from the law? Who is this fugitive you speak of?” Asked a pegasus who had accompanied Nagare.

“Paladin Blade, a former member of the Black Feathers Mafia.” Answered the unicorn, ears perked upright again.

“You can’t mean the same Paladin Blade who lost one of his legs!” Shrieked the other pegasus guard, wings and eyes spread wide in shock.

“Sadly, it’s the same one alright. Not only that, but we heard of a train that came here from Appleloosa. We don’t know how valid that claim is.” Replied the unicorn once more. “We’ll keep searching Manehatten in the meantime.”

“So I just came all this way only to get thrown straight back to square one!?” Nagare thought, eyes narrowing as his anger built up to nearly uncontrollable levels.

“And where do we go?” Asked the first pegasus guard.

“I’d suggest going back to Canterlot.” Answered the unicorn.

“Who are these strangers, Nagare?” Asked a feminine voice, catching the attention of all present in the moonlit street. All turned around to see not one, not two, but three more ponies on the end of the road approaching the lot, two of which looked like foals. The full moon’s light illuminated all of their forms.

The first one, an older mare, had a pristine white coat and black horseshoes. She had brown bangs that were brushed aside, and her eyes were the color of the earth. The back part of her mane was merely a line of hair held together with clips.

The second, a wisteria-pelted filly with a light purple mane, had a puzzled look about her face as she looked every which way with her purple eyes. She soon set her eyes on the green stallion and smiled happily.

The third, a filly smaller than the second, had a pink coat and black, raven-cut mane. Her red-violet eyes were filled with life, and her ears were tufted. The odd thing about her was she had fairy’s wings adorning her frame, and they were closed neatly on her sides.

“Mimu? Mimi? Kaguya? W-what...h-how...W-WHY?!” Nagare nearly shrieked, eyes wide and ears on his skull.

Kaguya, the mare with the brown mane, scrunched her eyes shut and her eyebrows began twitching as a pink vein appeared on her head. “I don’t know how either.” She replied, the corners of her mouth twitching up as she spoke. “And I’ve given up asking the locals already.”

Mimu, the filly with pixie wings, simply sat on her rump with a grin still adorning her face. She giggled a bit. Mimi, the filly with the wisteria pelt, proceeded to mimic Mimu.

“Who are these ponies?” Asked a pegasus guard, staring at the trio of females down the road. Kaguya gently nudged the fillies with her hoof, and they got up and started trotting towards the group of males again.

“They happen to be my friends as well.” Nagare answered, a small smile present on his face once more. His ears were perked upright now.

“And what are you doing out here with these strangers?” Kaguya asked, the pink vein still present on her face as she and the other two now stood face to face with the group of stallions. She was glaring at Nagare.

“Trying to find the other dimwits.” Nagare answered swiftly, ears flat on his skull again. His anger had been aroused once more as he continued, “I hear that two of them are here in this town, only to hear that they already vanished--IN THE COURSE OF THE SAME DAY, NO LESS!”

“Could you say it without screaming?” Kaguya asked, a neutral look now on her face.

“S-sorry...it’s just that I’m really angry right now. I don’t know what to do…” Nagare replied, eyelids partially over his eyes and a frown on his face. He turned away to look at nothing in particular.

Mimi’s eyes became clouded with tears, and she looked at the stallion as if on the verge of crying. “Are they alright?!” She nearly shrieked as her ears fell flat on her skull.

“That, I really can’t say. All I know is Rekka had some kind of leg injury. I’m left in the dark otherwise.” Nagare replied, not making eye contact with anybody present. “And I have no idea what happened to Tenmei or Koto either.”

“How could that be so?” Kaguya thought, neutral expression unwavering. “Have you heard anything about 01?”

“Nada,” Nagare replied quickly, still not looking at anybody. “All I know is a monster kinda attacked me, then vanished for no reason at all.”

“Do you mean a monster...made by the Quartet?” Kaguya asked.

“It’s the only group I could trace said monster to. I wound up talking to the leaders of this place in person.” Nagare said, ears now perked up.

A tear slid down Mimi’s cheek. “Were the leaders...mean?” She asked.

“No, they weren’t at all.” Nagare answered, turning to Mimi. “Had that been the case, I would be dead by now.”

“Did you tell them about the Quartet?” Kaguya asked.

“I had to. It wasn’t like I had a say in the matter.” Nagare replied once more, looking away from everyone again.

“Princess Celestia’s a really nice mare. But like all rulers, she kinda has to know what goes on in Equestria.” Spoke a pegasus guard before sighing.

“You...do have a point.” Kaguya replied, expression unwavering. “Celestia?” She thought, ears twitching as that word ran through her mind.

“I heard of a nice place called Ponyville.” Mimu spoke, catching the attention of all present.

“Ponyville?” Nagare inquired, eyebrow raised. “What kind of name is that?” He thought, blinking afterwards.

“And why would we go there, Mimu?” Kaguya asked, the pink vein appearing on her face once more as she turned to look at the filly.

As if on cue, another pegasus guard landed on his hooves next to the white-pelted mare (nearly scaring the gee willikers out of her in the process), gasping as if out of breath.

“Well, we have more company. What’s this one got to say after he catches his breath?” Nagare asked, looking at the stallion who just landed. “Great goodness, his face is blue!”

The stallion heaved and wheezed, gasping for air frantically. He looked at his fellow guards and said, “A train was derailed near Ponyville.”

Author's Note

Sorry for the short chapter here. I hope to make it up in the next one.

Chapter XII, Part I- Tears of the Ocean

It was just barely dawn, and there was a gathered crowd of ponies near the site of a bunch of overturned train carts, all of whom had worried looks on their faces. There was all sorts of clamor going around, and many guesses revolving around how the train crashed and the carts separated. Practically every single being within and around Ponyville’s borders was present; not even Tenmei, Koto, and 01 could pass up this unusual and morbid sight.

All watched as a lone unicorn mare with a body of pale, light greyish-mulberry and mane of dark blue with a noticeable fuschia and royal purple streak parted from the crowd, horn aglow as she checked each cart of the train. She stopped when she reached the final cart that had an old ladder and broken safety rail.

“Somepony’s in this one!” She shrieked, causing the crowd to clamor worried whispers amongst one another. The mare’s horn glowed brighter, and the aura grasped the cart in its entirety before righting it the way it should’ve been. She then jumped behind the broken safety rail and rushed inside...before the crowd heard a ghastly shriek that could’ve only come from her.

The mare rushed out almost instantly, horn still glowing as behind her floated a total of three ponies. “Somepony get a doctor!” She wailed frantically, jumping past the railing and revealing to all what it was she had found.

Behind her, floating in the air thanks to her magic, were three ponies--one a stallion of scarlet hue with a noticeable hat on his head and a cannon on his foreleg, another a mare of lavender with a yoyo wrapped around her hoof, and the third a grey unicorn stallion whose horn had broken off at the base. All three suffered bruises and cuts, their manes disheveled in filth.

Doctor Stable emerged from the crowd that was still whispering, and his horn lit up. The ponies were immediately taken out of the mare’s magic, and he himself soon bolted past the crowd once more with a fire in his eyes, the ponies floating behind him as he went.

The crowd fell silent at that moment. Not a peep was heard amongst the lot.

“I’ll send a letter about this to Celestia! Everyone, just go about your daily business!” The unicorn shouted, her voice filled to the brim with worry.

It was then something hit her ears: the sound of a young mare sobbing. The unicorn quickly looked at the front of the crowd, swinging her head side to side, and found its source: a blue mare with a wounded foreleg sitting on her rump with her head hanging low. Standing next to her was a tan stallion, head also hanging low, and a white stallion whose face was contorted in a state of shock complete with a lopsided smile.

The unicorn trotted to them quickly, noticing the crowd still didn’t disperse. “H-hey...c-could you tell me what’s wrong?” She asked.

Koto looked up at the mare, face reddening from crying. Her blue eyes were getting bloodshot, and her ears were on her skull. “T-those...were...my friends…” She murmured, letting her head drop once more.

Tenmei sighed, a tear rolling down his cheek. “I’d like to keep praying that they’ll make it...but with this….it’s not likely for either of them to survive…” He said, his voice cracking with sobs as the words left his mouth.

01’s face was still contorted in that small-pupiled stated of blatant shock. His mouth worked up and down, but he was unable to speak.

The unicorn’s ears fell flat. “I’m...sorry to hear that.” She said. “If only I had arrived sooner…”

Koto looked at the unicorn, eyes narrowed as more tears fell from them. “So now you’re claiming some kind of ignorance?! Everypony else heard the train crash last night!” She shrieked.

The unicorn instantly fell on her rump. The crowd began to chatter once more, and all within had their attention turned to the blue mare who was still staring the unicorn down.

Tenmei turned to the unicorn, but he did not look angry. He then turned to Koto and gently nudged her shoulder with his hoof. The blue mare looked at him, but her eyes relaxed into the same sad look she had before. “Let’s go visit them.” He said, another tear falling off his face.

01’s face finally twisted to that of his fellow ponies: a somber look. “I agree. We need to check up on them as soon as possible.” He said, his voice also cracking.

Koto rose onto her three legs before turning around and hobbling her way through the crowd. Tenmei and 01 went with her, and the crowd finally dispersed. The purple unicorn sighed and went about her business.

“T-they’re just barely alive?!” 01 nearly yelled, pupils tiny dots once more. He was staring at Nurse Redheart.

“Yes. As for the unicorn who was with them, he…” Redheart trailed off, ears flat on her head as she spoke. “...he didn’t make it.”

“C-can we see them anyway?” Tenmei asked, ears flat on his head.

“Yes. Just...don’t overdo it.” Redheart answered as she opened the door to the room with a hoof. All three went inside, only to see that the red stallion had a hind leg bent horrifically wrong gaskin down, the purple mare’s face was covered in bandages stained with vivid crimson, and the third occupant completely covered in a white blanket head to hoof.

“S-stop…” Moaned the purple mare, her only visible eye scrunching shut in pain. “It hurts…”

“W...what’s happened to Yuuki?” Tenmei asked, half of his mind now screaming at him as if dreading the answer. He walked over to the mare who was mumbling to herself, and noticed a tear falling down her face.

“And what about Rekka?” Koto inquired as she hobbled over to the stallion, only to find him barely breathing.

“The train crash screwed his leg up, and there were shards of broken glass embedded in the mare’s face.” Nurse Redheart answered, taking a clipboard from the nearest table and jotting something on it with a quill. “They had to undergo immediate surgery.”

“IT HURTS!” Yuuki suddenly wailed in her sleep, trying to move her hooves and failing at it. Tenmei jumped in surprise, almost falling backwards in the process.

“We had to strap her down. She’s had very violent spasms since she arrived.” Redheart said, trotting over to the end of each bed and sticking a piece of paper onto the rails. “It’s all she ever says; I’m not sure what to make of it.”

“Make the pain stop…” Yuuki sobbed, eye still closed as she bobbed her head side to side. Her breathing was now ragged and sparse, racked to the core with her fitful sobs.

“Did...something else happen to her?” 01 asked, trotting over to the mare. Once at her side, he cautiously raised a hoof and stroked the part of her face not covered in bandages. The mare stopped moving her head as if to allow the touching of her face.

“I can’t be too sure. We’ll check her over again later today. She needs to rest.” Redheart answered, sighing.

Chapter XII, Part II- I Wish I Wasn't

A golden carriage being pulled along by pegasi in gold armor wheeled in the sky, wings beating at steady but impossible rates. Four ponies in said carriage merely sat back and awaited the moment the wheels and hooves would touch ground.

The pegasi pulled the carriage towards a small town--particularly, what could best be described as a tree that doubled as a house, complete with windows and a door at the trunk. The carriage landed gracefully a few feet from the treehouse.

“I suppose we can get out of this thing now?” Nagare inquired, scratching the back of his head with a hoof.

“Yes. Just don’t cause trouble.” Answered a pegasus guard, removing the harnesses which connected him to the carriage.

“I can’t exactly make a promise. But I will try.” Nagare replied, a small smile on his face.

The other pegasi removed their harnesses and quickly trotted off somewhere. The ponies in the carriage got out quickly before glancing around at the surroundings.

Nagare was quick to notice something odd about all the other ponies who were out and about: they all shared one look on their faces, one look that said something terrible had happened. But what was it that caused them to be this way? To whom did it happen, and who was responsible? Was there even a culprit or victim involved?

“It’s not just you. I see it too.” Kaguya sighed, sitting on her rump with her forelegs crossed together. “Something’s not right about this place.”

“And we were told it had a bunch of friendly ponies!” Mimi pouted as she too saw what it was Kaguya had addressed.

“Maybe they are friendly,” Nagare started, “but they could’ve been spooked something fierce.”

Kaguya registered Nagare’s words, then she remembered hearing something about a train wreck. She quickly connected the dots in her head. She rose onto all fours and exchanged glances with those she arrived with and nodded to each of them. She then spotted a cyan mare with a mane the colors of the rainbow. The mare had a pair of wings on her back, and she wasn’t somber like the other ponies out and about.

Said mare was also trotting towards the group, an eyebrow raised as she approached. Her eyes were the color of dark pink roses, and she had a white cloud with a tri-colored lightning bolt on her flank.

Once she was face to face with Kaguya, she asked, “Hey, do you know what happened? All I know is a train crashed in a way the carts kinda went everywhere.”

“We have no clue ourselves.” Nagare answered, eyes widening a little as he spoke. “We just got here, for starters.”

“Really?” Asked the rainbow-maned mare.

“Mhmm. Oh, we never got your name.” Nagare replied, smiling a bit.

“I’m Rainbow Dash, the fastest flyer in Equestria.” The mare answered, smiling as well. Her smile soon faded into a frown.

“Is something on your mind?” Kaguya inquired as soon as she noticed the sudden change in Rainbow’s expression.

“I just remembered something about the hospital getting three new patients…” Rainbow trailed off, her tone cracking as she spoke. Her ears fell flat on her skull.

“...Could you tell us about these patients?” Mimi asked, her own ears flat on her head. Her eyelids drooped in a sad look.

Rainbow sighed, ears perking upright again. “...One of them died. The other two are going to be out cold for a few days, and I heard one of the patients screams in her sleep.”

Nagare’s eyes widened as the mare’s answer flew from her mouth. Part of his mind screamed at him to simply deny her words, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, let alone speak about it.

Kaguya took a moment to register Rainbow’s words before they hit her harder than a brick. “There...was a...a casualty?!” She said, gulping hard. “W-who was killed?!”

“I...don’t know the details. I only heard something about a stallion being the one to die…” Rainbow answered, eyelids drooping well over her eyes.

Mimi’s eyes began welling with tears waiting for their release. She moved her mouth up and down, but could not speak beyond trembling huffs and gasps filled with sorrow.

“Did….you say something about a female patient?” Nagare asked, eyelids drooped as if he were bored. He was trying very hard to not let his emotions get the better of him.

“Yeah...I did. But I don’t know much about her either.” Rainbow answered, her somber look unwavering. “Listen, I can show you the way to the hospital, but after that I gotta visit my friend Twilight. I heard a blue mare said something harsh to her. Would that be okay?”

“Please do. At any rate, it’s better than standing here moping around.” Nagare answered, the bored look still on his face.

“But wouldn’t that cause more moping?” Kaguya inquired, glancing at the green stallion with a neutral look on her face.

“We don’t know who the patients are. And we won’t know until we get to the bloody hospital.” Nagare quickly pointed out, his bored expression unchanging.

Kaguya sighed, then turned to Rainbow who looked at her with more of a shocked expression than a sad one. The white mare nodded, and the rainbow-maned pegasus turned around and began trotting away.

“Their prognosis looks poor.” Nurse Redheart said, her voice as somber as one of her occupation could muster. “I’m not sure if either of them will live tomorrow.”

“B-but you’ll keep trying, right?” Koto inquired, ears flat on her head and tears beginning to twinkle in the corners of her eyes.

“Yes. It’s not a nurse’s job to abandon her patients even if the chances of them dying outweigh the chances of them living.” Redheart answered quickly, a small smile on her face.

“I think Mr. I-Will-Ask-The-Same-Question-Twenty-Damn-Times is about to speak again.” Tenmei sighed, pointing a hoof rather accusingly at 01.

01 turned to the teen with the lopsided grin once more adorning his face. He raised one of his hooves high above his head, about two seconds away from smacking the glasses (and some teeth out of) Tenmei’s face. “Say that again young colt, I dare you.”

“I’ve finally found something else wrong with Yuuki.” Redheart answered, her voice sounding very grim as she spoke. Both the stallions turned their gazes to her in that instant, and 01’s smile turned into a frown.

“That being?” Tenmei and 01 asked in unison, their voices filled with dread.

“I’m almost afraid to find out…” Koto murmured, ears still flat on her head.

“Doctor Stable has found a foreign substance in her body.” Redheart answered, eyebrow raised as she now noticed said doctor just down the hallway being asked questions by a group consisting of a white mare, a green stallion, and two fillies.

“Was it a drug?” Tenmei asked, raising his eyebrow as well.

Redheart returned her gaze to the tan stallion. “No. It was something...pardon me if you and your older friend get a few horrid images, since I will be very blunt here: it’s something only a stallion can produce, and it was found in her lower region.” She answered.

01 then looked at the nurse, pupils shrinking and face darkening. His lopsided smile made a comeback as he registered her words. “Y-you can’t be serious!”

“Frankly, I wish I wasn’t.” Redheart replied quickly. She returned her gaze to Doctor Stable, who was now trotting towards her with the group that had questioned him not too far behind.

Chapter XIII- A Triad(?) From Hell

Somewhere, in a very dark place echoing with falling drops of water into puddles and ponds and less discernable noises, a gleaming set of dark blue eyes made itself known to the world. Then, a jagged smile belonging to an insane psychopath came next. A sinister masculine chuckle permeated the darkness surrounding the apparent owner of the eyes and mouth.

Then, a set of sky blue eyes appeared, and they too shimmered in the dark, dank depths. Another set of crimson eyes followed suit, though this set also came with a fanged smile of its own.

A small fire appeared before the sets of eyes and mouths, revealing a trio of unicorn ponies. One had a gold pelt, one had a pelt of near white, and the last had a moderate blue about him with a dark blue mustache on his muzzle. The mare amongst them also had a sick smile on her face, though not as apparent as those of the stallions she had accompanied.

The blue stallion looked at aforementioned mare and the gold unicorn. His wicked smile thinned as he spoke, “Raki, Maki. What do you two have to report?”

“To be blunt, sir,” Raki, the blue unicorn, started with a visible pouty frown on her face, “the monster I called forth was bested...in around three shots of that damned crossbow.”

“And what monster did you summon?” The blue stallion asked, eyebrows twitching downwards as he turned to Raki.

The mare gulped hard. “It was a...the only words I can use to describe it would be ‘centipede train.’” She answered.

“And just how was ‘that damned crossbow’ able to best it in three shots, exactly?” The gold stallion asked, eyebrow raised.

“It...grew to the size of a house and the bolt was also affected by the growth…” Raki answered again, ears flat on her head. “I’m not sure how it happened, it just did.”

“Bah! To think they can still...URG!” The blue stallion complained, eyes narrowed low as he stomped a hoof in frustration. “The sheer thought of those weapons they have drives me bonkers! Maki, what do you have to say?!” He barked, now looking at the gold stallion.

“I have good news, and I have bad news. Which do you want to hear first?” Maki asked, a neutral look on his face as he spoke.

“The good news, obviously.” The blue stallion answered quickly.

“Well, I’ve seemed to have outdone myself here. One of the brats has a broken hind leg that will be utterly useless in the course of the next few months, give or take a few days with the nurses and such. Another had glass shards in her face, and was out cold just long enough for me to…” Maki paused, chuckling in a way that his voice reeked with pleasure in atrocity, “...have some fun with.”

“Hmm? You really seemed to be enjoying yourself lately, and now I understand why.” The blue stallion replied, a smile making a comeback on his face. “Do continue.”

“It gets better: another brat has a useless front leg, and the other two made a friend in a former mobster. Said mobster was the only casualty...so far.” Maki said, face beaming with another fanged smile.

“Excellent. Now, what’s the bad news?” The blue stallion inquired.

“I am not sure what happened on the train I had boarded, but it seemed to have lost control in a way the carts went everywhere. I teleported out, but was still unconscious myself for a few minutes or so. In addition, the train wreck had stirred up a lot of attention. I feel that the longer the brats and their guardians stay alive, the higher the chances of us getting found out happens.” Maki replied, sighing.

“If it makes you feel any better, one of the brats told the apparent leaders of this so-called Equestria--same one we happen to be standing in--about us. I had to recall my monster simply because it was three against one. Fortunately, he didn’t know very much about us--a plus on our part.” The blue stallion said, smiling.

“And the one I dealt with said almost nothing.” Raki said, also grinning.

“Perhaps we should lay low for a few days? The leader made a petition or something of the sort to report ‘unusual occurrences’ to what is pretty much her militia.” The blue stallion said, now frowning and with flattened ears on his head.

“You mean the royal guard nonsense, Baki?” Maki asked, eyebrow raised.

“I’d call them otherwise if they didn’t all look the same! I am beginning to think the leader is some kind of disguised Nazi!” Baki barked, glaring at his fellow pony for a brief moment or two.

“On second thought, you do raise a point.” Maki replied, sighing once more. “Hardly any variation in the branches apart from races.”

“Races? What do you mean?” Raki inquired, eyes widening a bit.

“We have horns. I’ve seen some ponies with wings, and others without either. That is what I mean by race: either unicorns like us, pegasus ponies of the militia, or earth-dwellers like those annoying pubescent brats we deal with.” Maki answered, sighing yet again. His head dropped, but only a little bit.

Raki processed his two cents for a few moments before it clicked in her head. “Oh, I see.” She said.

Maki raised his head, and he held his chin high with an almost ecstatic smile on his face. His eyes were nearly closed as if in a dream, and his horn crackled to life with very faint traces of magic. He even sighed contently in the process.

Baki turned to the gold-pelted stallion, a jagged smile on his face once more as his face darkened. “I assume we are fantasizing again?” He said almost tauntingly.

“Who wouldn’t?” Maki jabbed back, his grin slowly twisting to something from a nightmare as he spoke. “In fact, I wish my session was longer. Then, I could do so much more.”

“Now, now, let’s keep our sick little fantasies to ourselves and focus on the topic we got sidetracked from.” Baki said, his own twisted grin still plastered onto his face as if an addendum for a mausoleum.

“But that’s no fun!” Maki said, his voice holding an unusual mixture of sarcasm, happiness, and anger within. His smile faded just a little bit, but not enough for it to turn into a frown. “I didn’t even get started with my list of fetishes!”

“Oh, do silence yourself. We all have our fantasies--do you see Baki and I running around shooting our mouths off about X fetish and using Y object to apply to Z pony?” Raki asked, a sort of sadistic hue very heavy in her tone of voice. She rolled her eyes as if to further mock her fellow unicorn.

“She has a point. Now, where were we?” Baki asked, grin fading into a small smile as he spoke.

Chapter XIV- Damned

Nurse Redheart sighed as she looked outside a window, seeing the night grace the land once more with a glorious full moon. In the distance trotting towards the center of town was the plethora of guests she had received earlier in the day, half of which showed up uninvited. She sighed, starting a walk down the hallway nearest to the receptionist’s desk.

Much to her immediate shock, she saw a purple form down said hallway. This one had a disheveled purple mane and gauze taped to half her face. The exposed eye was bloodshot and the eyelid partially drooped over, indicating the owner was two seconds from falling fast asleep whilst standing.

By instinct, the nurse galloped to the mare quick as lightning before stopping mere inches short of her muzzle. “Why are you out here? You should be in bed! You’re in no condition to even be standing!” Redheart barked, snapping the purple mare out of her stupor.

The mare’s eye widened and her ears fell flat on her head. She then took on a frown, and her eyelid drooped again. “I tried to call for someone….nobody ever came. I was just seeing if this place had anybody present.” She said, her voice cracked and hoarse.

Nurse Redheart sighed and shook her head. “It’s because the rest of the staff are on closing hour that nobody ever came. I’m the only one that stays beyond during off hours to ensure everything is still running as smooth as can be.” She stated quickly, trying very hard to keep herself from glaring at the pony standing before her. “Just...go back to bed, Yuuki.”

“Can’t.” Yuuki replied swiftly, the despondent look still on her face. “Just...awful…”

“Hmm? What’s awful?” Redheart inquired, an eyebrow raised.

“It hurts...it hurts to sleep.” Yuuki answered, ears perking up momentarily before flattening themselves on her head.

“Just try to sleep.” Redheart said, this time her voice softer. “Please, Celestia, don’t tell me it’s what I think it is…” She thought with a shake of her head.

Yuuki began to cough, and covered her mouth with a hoof as she did. Her eye scrunched shut in pain before she stopped the fit. “I don’t feel so good…” She complained, her voice more akin to a dying rat now.

Redheart shook her head and sighed. “It’s from a lack of sleep, as well as your recent surgery.” She said.

“You don’t understand how bad it hurts!” Yuuki suddenly snapped, her voice loud enough to echo down the hallway. She turned away, eye scrunched shut again and teeth gritting. Without warning, she began to vomit on the pristine tile floor, a mixture of a dull translucent brown and deep blood red staining the white. All of it was liquid, indicating she had yet to eat anything.

“Great. I’ll probably have to drag her into bed, whether she likes it or not.” Redheart thought, shaking her head disapprovingly as the mare finished puking. “Listen, you need to rest.” She said sternly. Yuuki turned her whole body around and began sauntering her way back to the room she emerged from, dragging all four hooves pitifully along the tiled floor. The closed door opened with the aid of a trembling purple hoof before being closed again as the mare entered the room behind it.

Redheart sighed again for the fifth time that night as she trotted around the mess Yuuki had made in order to search for something to clean it with. She found a mop and began scrubbing the mess off of the floor. By the time she was finished the floor was sparkling white once more, almost as if no vomiting had taken place to begin with.

And then a stinging pain suddenly appeared in the back of the nurse’s head, and her vision went black as she landed face-first in the tile floor. The culprit, a gold-pelted unicorn who held a simple golf club with his magic, soon waltzed past the unconscious nurse and stopped before a peculiar door. He peered within, and grinned when he saw a purple mare tossing and turning in her bed.

Before the mare in the bed could notice him, he quickly teleported into the room and whacked her upside the head with his golf club to knock her out. Ensuring she was unconscious, his magic bathed her in a crimson aura and lifted her out of the bed before he teleported out of the place, stowing Yuuki away with him.

Yuuki groaned in pain, her exposed eye fluttering open and vision heavily blurred. She could make out faint veins of moonlight penetrating something, but couldn’t put her hoof on exactly what it was. She tried moving one of her forelegs to find that something was not only strapped to it, but it felt like it weighed a ton. It dawned on her that something was keeping her muzzle clamped as she tried to move it in order to speak.

She tried moving her rear legs. They wouldn’t budge an inch. A golden light that quickly turned crimson then appeared, and through her only eye the mare could see a gold-pelted stallion standing right in her face with a sinister grin plastered onto his own. The pupil and purple iris instantly shrunk to mere dots and the lavender ears fell flat on her head.

The stallion put a hoof under her chin to make her look into his eyes, and his horn flashed again. This caused an aura of magic to pry the contraption--a simple white cloth--off of her muzzle.

“So, little girl,” The stallion taunted, still grinning as he spoke, “riddle me this: just why are you so darned attractive?”

“J-just let me go…” Yuuki pleaded, trying her hardest to turn her other cheek on him.

“Come on, answer the question.” The stallion said in a more demanding voice, his smile beginning to diminish into a frown as he held the mare’s head in place.

“Maki, YOU ARE A FREAK!” Yuuki squealed, the sheer volume of her voice causing the stallion to back off a little bit. “YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A--”

In that instant, the mare found herself shrieking in pain as a hoof was quickly jammed into her gut, a few short-lived gasps of agony following afterwards. Her head dropped and her body tried recovering from the pain as the hoof was removed from her stomach. It was then she noticed she had been chained to a stone brick floor, hind legs held firmly and splayed just wide enough for more panic to force another shriek from her throat.

“Backtalk me again, bitch. See what happens.” Maki hissed, eyes narrowed dangerously low as he spoke. He sat down on his rump and held a hoof under her chin again, getting closer to her as he did. “Answer the question and it will be over soon.”

Yuuki scrunched her eye shut, and her body still shook with pain. All she could do was produce a few frantic whimpers.

“Suit yourself.” Maki said, eyes beaming with malicious intent as he moved his lower quarters and perched them an inch away from between the mare’s hind hooves. The chains undid themselves, and Yuuki found herself suddenly thrown into the floor face-first. She moved her face away from the stone bricks, only to find herself staring at a dark tan mass that eagerly bobbed before her muzzle. The thing had a decent girth, roughly the size of a hoof of the stallion it was attached to, and veins pulsed along the mass from base to head.

The mare quickly shrieked in surprise and disgust, scrambling to her hooves frantically before trying to run around the stallion. She was encased in a crimson aura and practically dragged kicking and screaming towards the deranged unicorn.

Author's Note

It begins again...

Chapter XV, Part I- Slate Walls...

It was barely mid-morning, and already there was clamor going on amongst a group that had seated itself (with table) in a red barn on a hill that overlooked apple trees galore.

“She...she disappeared?!” Kaguya wailed, a hoof raised from sheer shock reflex alone. Her eyes were wide and her ears paralyzed; even her tail stood straight on end like the hairs of a cat.

“It’s what Nurse Redheart told us. She also said feeling like something smacked her upside the head before falling asleep.” Nagare said, ears flat on his head. Despite the bored look on his face screaming otherwise, his anger was beginning to build up once more.

“I can’t help but feel that something about this incident is...off. I’d go as far to say it’s fishy.” Tenmei interjected, sitting on his rump with a cloth in one hoof and his glasses in the other.

“Has it been--” The white mare started, only to stop as Nagare raised his hoof as though he were in school.

“I’ve already told the guards who brought us here about it. The Princesses made a flyer or something telling the citizenry to report odd occurrences. We’re not citizens, but I reported anyway.” The green stallion spoke, the bored look still on his face.

“Aren’t we an odd occurrence?” The tan pony jabbed, putting his glasses on his face.

“Eh….in our own right, I suppose.” The green stallion answered, sighing afterwards.

“What of Rekka?” Kaguya asked, eyebrow raised.

“He’s still off in sleepyland.” Nagare answered, ears twitching. “Not gonna be awake for another few days at least.”

“We need to do something about this mess.” 01 said, trotting around Kaguya before sitting down.

“The question being what, exactly.” Koto agreed, stretching her good foreleg whilst sitting on her rump.

“She’s right; we can’t just expect to run around asking other ponies like headless chickens and somehow get a more-than-satisfactory result.” Tenmei stated, quickly covering his muzzle with a hoof before sneezing.

“Sadly, since we have no lead as to why she disappeared, that’s our best option.” The white mare interjected, sitting down herself.

“Either that or relying on the royal guards. They have wings and horns, and all we have are hooves and the weaponry we have.” 01 sighed, yawning and rubbing his hoof on the back of his head.

“While that is true, there’s two different branches of guard. Maybe three. They have a lot more ground to cover than we do, and thus more work.” Nagare replied, rolling his eyes in the process.

“But they’re country-wide security for Equestria. We’re just a group of outsiders with weapons, minus two.” Tenmei jabbed back, turning his gaze to the green pony.

“Yes, Mr. Nitpicky, you can stop pointing out the flaws of my argument now.” The green pony sighed, rolling his eyes again. He didn’t even bother making eye contact with the tan stallion.

“I am not nitpicky! I was only stating a fact, you lawn-fondler!” The tan stallion hissed, eyes narrowed dangerously low and ears flat on his head. He shook with anger.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, dirt-molester.” Nagare jabbed back, rolling his eyes a third time. Only difference now was that he was grinning.

“Now, now, children, play nice.” 01 said, standing on all fours as if literally about to step in between the teenagers. “We aren’t here to fight each other, after all.”

“He started it.” The green one stated, pointing a hoof at Tenmei without making eye contact with the accused.

“Did not!” The brown-maned stallion hissed, gritting his teeth soon afterwards.

“Do either of you want to continue with the charade?” 01 asked, his voice darkening alongside his face. The lopsided grin was about two seconds from framing itself upon his muzzle.

“No, sir.” Tenmei and Nagare said in unison, anger fading away altogether as their heads hung low.

“Alright, then.” 01 said, scratching the back of his head with a hoof and yawning simultaneously. “We don’t need any more unruly teenager shenanigans, especially when one of five has gone walkabout and another two are injured.”

“I was stabbed with a knife, or so I hear. What’s your excuse?” Koto interjected, her eyes narrowing a little bit. She was looking at the stallions who had come dangerously close to getting lectured, and her frown told all present that she was not amused.

“At least you and Rekka still have a chance of recovery.” Kaguya sighed, not showing any expression at all. “Can’t be too sure about Yuuki, though…”

“That’s true, since we don’t know where she went.” Koto agreed, nodding. Her face relaxed enough for a small smile to appear on her muzzle briefly.

The doors to the barn opened, and Braeburn immediately rushed to the group gasping for air and mane clinging to his frame.

“We have a problem--a bad one, too!” He shouted, his voice cracked and ragged.

“What sort of problem?” 01 inquired, noticing that the orange pony’s eyes were wide as can be.

“A...a jailhouse has grown legs...and I hear a mare screaming from inside it!” The stallion quickly exclaimed before turning tail and bolting out the door.

01 exchanged glances with Kaguya, and then Koto. “Both of you, stay put. Tell Mimi and Mimu that we have gone out to take care of something.” He said before following Braeburn. Tenmei and Nagare also went along, hooves hitting the ground as if a flood was about to happen. The mares who were left behind looked at each other and simply shrugged.

The group who had been following Braeburn had been met with a ghastly sight that was dangerously close to the train station: there was indeed a prison of slate grey bricks, complete with black pony legs, head, horn, and brick outer wall topped with barbed wire. Its four legs were on the bottom, and the head on top, making it look like a mutated crab.

A crowd of worried ponies had already gathered in the station, complete with an occasional royal guard here and there in the fray. The stallions who’d just arrived pushed through the crowd in an attempt to get to the other side of the station so as to deal with the monstrosity when all stopped as a most peculiar sound hit the ears of everyone present: a horrific shriek of pain.

All who heard the despondent wail, even the walkabout jailhouse, froze on the spot. Another shriek followed shortly after, sending chills down many spines. The screams sounded heavily feminine, but also forced out of a tired throat. The horn of the four-legged building began to radiate a crimson aura, and it seemed to have grunted in annoyance.

Another shriek, much more ghastly than the first two, resounded soon after that and died down as quick as it had started. The beast’s horn stopped glowing, and its gaze was now set upon the train station a few kilometers away.

“Yep, somepony’s definitely inside that thing.” Braeburn sighed, ears flat on his skull. His eyelids drooped over his eyes, as if he were about to cry.

The winged guards who were present in the crowd unfurled their wings and took off, spears at the ready to harm the beast who was inching its way towards the town. As if defying the laws of the universe, the wire topping the gates quickly uncoiled themselves and shot at the aerial nuisances like rockets. Some of the guards dodged in the nick of time, while others found themselves being slammed face first in the stone gate.

Another shriek resounded once more, and only then did the pupils of 01, Tenmei, and Nagare shrink to tiny dots. Only then did the very tone of the terrified screams ring true to their ears.

Someone they knew was trapped inside the beast.

Chapter XV, Part II- ...Iron Coils

The monster’s horn lit up again, and another annoyed grunt briefly permeated the air around its head. The guards who weren’t ensnared in barbed, iron vines flew around the beast, all with eyes looking and spears prodding at every block as though trying to find a weakness. The more unfortunate who either lacked speed or intellect found themselves tossed behind the stone wall surrounding the main building to which the beast’s head was attached.

Another woeful symphony of agonized, feminine shrieks resounded loud and clear, once more sending chills of terror down the spines of all who still stood in the train station.

“How do we get to the damn thing without being squished?!” Tenmei yelled at last, hooves on the sides of his head and teeth grating.

“I don’t know; all I know is we have no freakin’ wings!!” 01 shouted, a smile so wide his tongue lolled out as he spoke. His front hooves were before him, and sweat dotted his body all over. The elder stallion looked as though engaged for the occasion of a screaming fit.

Nagare sighed, scrunched his eyes shut, and proceed to let his hoof connect with his face. He put his hoof down and opened his eyes, only to notice a rainbow trail whizzing around the monster faster than any of the royal guards who were still airborne.

It was then the words of a pony he met yesterday flashed in his mind: namely, “the fastest flyer in Equestria.”

“Rainbow Dash...were you even boasting yesterday?” Nagare murmured, intently watching the rainbow-hued trail continually circle the jailhouse with legs.

The beast grunted again, the coils of iron that topped its outermost wall now stretching and tailing the rainbow trail as if a shark pumped with adrenalin on the hunt.

“Mā, kore wa tan'ni subarashīdesu! [Well, isn’t this just great?]” Tenmei hissed, eyelid twitching as he too watched the rainbow trail flee from the iron vines and circle around the beast.

“Watashi no kanjō o seikaku ni. [My sentiments exactly.]” 01 said, nodding as he also eyed the the spectacle before him.

The monster’s horn began to glow once more, and it opened its mouth wide enough to reveal a black mesh screen in the back of its throat. Without any other warning, a most dreadful cacophony comprised of an air raid siren and what sounded like school bells rang throughout the air.

All in the station and those flying around the beast stopped, even the owner of the rainbow trail--a cyan mare--was stalled into a standstill by the noise. Everyone covered their ears with their hooves, but even that failed to drown out the horrific tune that signaled a prisoner had broke loose.

The monster closed its mouth, and the noise receded from the world. The iron coils, also having stopped during the tune that made nails on a chalkboard sound like Mozart, resumed their course and homed in on those still airborne. The cyan mare, who recovered faster than the others, quickly went back to circling the beast in a vain attempt to figure out what was its problem or something.

The mare then decided to head to the train station upon seeing the rest of the guards get entangled in barbed wire and sent behind the stone wall of the monster.

Even more royal guards, some armed with chariots and unicorns sitting in said chariots, quickly flew in around the beast. The unicorns fired spherical bolts at the monster, and aside from sending the coils towards the annoyances that kept piling up, it looked relatively unfazed.

Another despondent, feminine wail resounded again, louder and clearer than what was yodeled prior. The monster’s horn was glowing once more, and another pained cry soon hit the ears of all again--this time, it sounded like “make the pain stop.”

Two pegasi pulling a chariot landed before the train station. One eyed the crowd intently while the other shouted, “We’re looking for a green pony, a pony with a weapon, and an older stallion.”

Nagare turned to Tenmei and 01 before nodding to both of them. All three bolted towards the chariot and quickly climbed inside before the pony-driven vehicle took to the skies and began its own course wheeling around the beast. The coils began to home on them, this time merging with one another to form a thick appendage that ended in what looked like a claw of some kind, only to get pinned on the outer wall thanks to a few well-timed crossbow bolts.

The stubborn iron claw, though, only pried itself off the wall and then did something unexpected: it retracted inwards behind the wall and fled into the main building that comprised roughly two-thirds of the beast’s body.

The circling chariots soon wheeled around the monster’s head, all pulling and riding them arching eyebrows in confusion.

The hand then pulled out a purple mare from the front door closed off by the outer walls, this one crudely bound by chains to a great, dark amethyst pearl. The mare was on the verge of wailing once more, only for her head to suddenly droop before she could. Her dark purple, matted mane obscured her face like a recently dirtied rag.

Tenmei’s eyes widened as he stared at the anomaly. So too did those of everybody else who had also witnessed the sight. He turned his head every which-way to find that unicorns were still charging magic in their horns, all poised by aim towards the pearl with the mare bound to it.

“DON’T HURT THE MARE!!” He cried desperately, pointing the hoof that didn’t have the crossbow strapped to it at said mare. The unicorns, despite hearing him loud and clear, paid no heed to his words and kept charging their magic anyway.

Nagare, who had a fire burning in his emerald eyes, stood up on his hind legs and drew his sword from the saddlebag sheath. He took a deep breath before shouting, “You hurt an innocent like her, and I swear I’ll rip those horns clean off of your skulls!”

01 also rose to his hind legs, and he yodeled, “She had nothing to do with this monster, why are you aiming at her like she has a target painted onto her stomach?!”

Chapter XV, Part III- Jailbreak!

“I don’t think they’re listening…” Tenmei grunted, loading another bolt into his crossbow. The unicorns were indeed fixed on the mare strapped to the pearl; fixed on her and nothing else.

“We have to disrupt them somehow, but I personally fear that the approach you’re about to take isn’t for the best interest of us all.” 01 commented rather dryly as he watched the teen slowly raise the foreleg with his weapon strapped to it.

“We can’t disrupt their magic. That’s just straight-out impossible.” Nagare hissed, brow furrowing as his scowl came into fruition.

“Yes we can.” Tenmei interjected, aiming his crossbow very carefully...towards the mare.

Nagare looked at his fellow stallion, and to whom the crossbow was directed at. “Seikō wa anata ga yatte iru! Anata mo kanojo o kizutsukeru kiken-sei ga arimasu! [The fuck are you doing?! You'll risk hurting her too!]" He shrieked.

01’s face darkened. “Right when I thought things couldn’t escalate on a bigger scale than they already are…” He murmured. “I do hope he knows what he’s doing….”

Tenmei’s eyes shifted to those of the unicorns who were charging their magic. Upon noticing the ever-growing aura the individual horns radiated, he very quickly realized that time was not on his side--the unicorns would fire sooner rather than later.

By instinct, he raised his other hoof and quickly pulled the lever with it, letting the bolt rush towards the mare at a very swift rate. The unicorns saw the bolt and almost immediately put their magic on hold, horns still glowing as shock grasped them.

The bolt landed square on one of the chains holding the mare’s left foreleg in place, effectively breaking one of its many links. The leg fell slack against the mare’s side as she stirred a little bit. Her head shakily rose, mane still obscuring her eyes, before she began to thrash about and scream once more.

The monster quickly used its iron claw to yank her back towards her confinement, but not before Tenmei fired another bolt aimed at her neck. The second bolt severed a hidden chain that clutched her by the throat, which in turn served for her to gain more lung power to scream efficiently.

“YOU DOLT! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL HER WITH THAT THING?!” Nagare shrieked, smacking Tenmei upside the back of his head using the dull side of his sword. The fire in his eyes burned brighter, and his hair served to darken his face to make it appear that his irises were glowing.

Tenmei loaded another bolt in his weapon before rubbing the back of his head with a hoof. “If I was, I would’ve gone straight for the headshot.” He answered swiftly. “Since she’s our friend, and was strapped to that...great ball, I had to find an alternative.”

“This is going to hell much too fast. We need to do something now.” 01 murmured, ears flat on his skull. Then, something hit him harder than a brick as he watched the unicorns unleash their magic that was now aimed at the outermost wall. He then looked down and saw an open gate that seemed to beckon him inside.

“01, what are you looking at?! Don’t just sit there, we have to get Yuuki the everloving fuck out of there!” Nagare shrieked, waving a hoof accusingly in the direction of the monster.

01 cleared his throat, ear twitching in annoyance. His gaze now turned to the guards who were about to resume pulling the chariot he and the other two were parked in. “Could you two do me a favor?” He called out.

“Yes? Make it quick!” Replied one of the guards.

“Take us into the jailhouse!” 01 called out.

“Are you serious?! We could get killed!” The guard cut back.

“We have no alternative, I’m afraid! Just do it so we can end this now!” 01 replied.

The guard grunted and shook his head, his companion mimicking him in perfect tempo. Both then pulled the chariot towards the area behind the outermost wall, and as they got closer, they too noticed the open gate 01 had spotted from afar. The other chariots still wheeled around the beast, hopelessly firing magic bolts at the wall in a vain attempt to break it.

The guards kicked their wings into top gear, preparing their hooves for a landing as they approached. A rainbow trail whizzed past them in an instant, and the cyan mare who created said trail landed seconds before the guards and chariot could.

Nagare and the other two stooges immediately got out of their vehicle and galloped to the gate. The cyan mare with a mane of rainbow looked at them with an eyebrow raised.

“There’s no time to talk, Rainbow Dash! We have to get the mare out of here!” Nagare wailed as he, Tenmei and 01 rushed past the cyan mare as if hooves were ablaze. As the trio found themselves in a hallway lined with empty, and rather pristine cells galore, a horrific wail resounded from above and echoed in the hallway.

“Just what the hell’s being done to Yuuki to make her scream like that?” Tenmei asked, ears flat on his skull.

“Let’s see: she was chained up and held here. Frankly, I’m almost afraid to find out.” Nagare answered, an eyelid twitching as he spoke.

The building shook, and the beast roared as the iron claw reached into the gate and swiveled to the left, barely avoiding the stallions who had dared set hoof within the eerie walls.

Tenmei sat on his rump, raising a hoof so his crossbow was poised to be fired. The iron arm began to retract, shaking the building once more as it dragged the great dark pearl to which Yuuki was strapped.

Deciding not to waste another second, Tenmei fired the bolt. Upon impact with the backside of the pearl, the monster wailed as the bolt lodged itself right under the iron hand which tugged the amethyst orb that soon shattered as though it were nothing. This also caused the remaining chains to dislodge themselves from their hapless victim. 01 and Nagare, both of whom were still slack-jawed, rushed to the trembling mare and hoisted her onto the back of the elder stallion.

All three then rushed out as the monster let off another roar, this one diminishing from its throat as it dragged on. By the time the beast had collapsed and vanished from the world, the chariot with the three stallions and sole mare--as well as Rainbow Dash--had already flown away.

Yuuki was on the floor of the chariot, exposed eye frozen open in terror as her breathing slowed to a steady rate. In spite of this look on her face, as well as a vast assortment of bruises dotting her body, she had passed out into a world of darkness.

Chapter XVII- Midnight Sorrow

“I...cannot say for certain. Hell, I don’t even know if we can go back--I’m not sure what landed us in this seemingly-peaceful world to begin with.” Kaguya replied, shrugging as she did.

For a fleeting moment, Koto recalled that weird thing that spoke of chaos. Its words rang true in her mind, yet she could not make any sense of them. In fact, the words blurred altogether; ‘chaos’ being the only discernable thing she thought it spoke. Then, when she thought it could not get any worse, the whole memory escaped her for reasons beyond her current grasp. Her eyelids were still drooped, and happened to be on the verge of scrunching shut.

The young teen then snapped back to her current reality, looking at Kaguya who in turn looked at her with an arched brow. “Something wrong?” Asked the elder mare.

“N-nothing. Just...I’m tired.” Koto said, rubbing her eyes with her good hoof. A yawn escaped her lips, and as it did, a feeling of exhaustion washed over her. The mare got up on her three legs and hobbled her way towards a set of sleeping bags, five of which already had occupants who snoozed away. Rekka had a stick that supported his hurt rear leg as he slept, and judging from his mumbling about ramen or something, didn’t seem all too bothered by it.

Koto claimed a sleeping bag in short order, and before she could finish covering up, sleep washed over her. She was out like a lightbulb.

Kaguya sighed, a small content smile on her muzzle, as she rose up and trotted to the younger mare to fully pull the blanket over her blue-pelted frame. The elder then turned to Tenmei, who had already covered himself up in another bag and was just about to place his glasses on a small tray that was next to the pillow.

“You going to sleep soon?” He asked, looking at Kaguya with eyelids partially draping his eyes.

“Not at the moment.” Kaguya answered, small grin still etched on her face.

“Alright. Goodnight.” Tenmei said, putting the glasses on a tray and turning on his side. Sleep had soon stowed him away in its grasp.

“Goodnight.” Kaguya replied, turning slowly to the barn doors. She crept very quietly to them, making sure her hooves made as minimal noise as she could manage. Raising a slow but steady hoof, she nudged the door and silently cursed as it creaked gently.

Tiptoeing outside, Kaguya looked up and saw that a crescent moon hung high in the sky, providing some light in the surrounding orchard. She returned her gaze to the immediate area and found that, sitting close to a nearby well was Yuuki, the moon’s light barely illuminating her form.

The elder mare closed the barn doors cautiously, then trotted to the younger mare and noticed much of her mane obscuring her face. She tapped Yuuki on her shoulder with a gentle hoof to get her attention.

“You need something?” Yuuki asked, ears flat on her skull. Her eyes averted away from the elder mare, and a barely-visible frown was etched on her muzzle.

“We need to talk...01 told me to ask you something. What happened?” Kaguya answered, noting the teen wasn’t even looking her in the eye. “Please, look at me. You did nothing wrong.” She added.

Yuuki did as told, and her eyes began to water. “Yes I did…” She mumbled.

“No, you didn’t. Now, please tell me everything--leave out no details.” Kaguya instructed, her brow on the verge of furrowing. “This isn’t like her; she rarely behaves this way.” She thought, worry already gnawing away at her being.

A tear slid down the purple mare’s cheek, glistening in the moonlight before it hit the ground. The mare lowered her head as if defeated. “B-but i-it’s my fault…” Yuuki mumbled, her voice cracking as she spoke.

“Listen, I heard all about the…” Kaguya trailed off, putting both hooves on Yuuki’s shoulders. “...substance they found in you. That’s all I know about aside from the scars on your face and bodily bruises. Please, tell me what’s wrong so I can help.”

“You...c-can’t…” Yuuki sniveled, voice racked with sobs. She rose her head to look Kaguya dead in the eyes. “You...you don’t understand…”

“Please, just tell me why you want to avoid stallions. What’s the reason behind it?” Kaguya asked, moving a hoof to wipe away Yuuki’s tears.

“W-well...you heard a-about the t-train wreck, r-right?” Yuuki stammered, more tears flowing out of her eyes.

Kaguya nodded. "Mhm."

“I-I woke up i-in the hospital...and then t-tried to find a n-nurse…” Yuuki started, sounding like a frog was in her throat.

“Did you find a nurse?” Kaguya asked.

“Y-yeah...she t-told me to go b-back to bed...I did that after p-puking...and then passed out a-after I felt something hit my head…” Yuuki continued, swallowing hard.

“What...happened when you woke up?” Kaguya asked, hints of worry lingering in her voice. “This is serious, but I still don’t know the full details yet…” She thought, ears flat on her skull.

“D-dark place...C-couldn’t tell where I w-was until…” Yuuki trailed off, the memory of staring into the eyes of a gold-pelted unicorn assaulting her mind.

“Until what?” Kaguya asked, unable to keep a frown from etching itself on her muzzle.

“He...he showed up, and…” Yuuki stammered, her lips quivering as another tear streaked its way down her face.

“Who is ‘he’?” Kaguya asked, eyebrow raised.

“Short, r-red mane...r-red eyes...name on t-tip of my tongue…” Yuuki stuttered, feeling a golf ball lodge itself in her throat. “H-he...was...a-a unicorn…”

“A short, red mane…and red eyes…?” Kaguya thought before the word ‘unicorn’ also registered in her mind. “What color was his pelt?” She asked.

“G-gold…” Yuuki answered, tears still falling off of her face. Her head lowered once more, mane obscuring much of her face yet again.

Then, and only then did the image of a man with a gold cape and short, scarlet hair flash in Kaguya’s mind. Her eyes instantly widened and her pupils shrunk to tiny dots. “Y-you can’t possibly mean…?!”

Yuuki slowly nodded, eyes still shrouded by her bangs. She then threw herself at Kaguya, clutching the elder mare with both forelegs like a child soon to be stowed away. She sobbed into her chest, unable to contain her emotions any longer as muffled screams escaped her throat. Any words she could produce were garbled beyond recognition, and all Kaguya could do in her wide-eyed state of shock was embrace the sobbing mare in a hug.

“There somethin’ wrong?” Asked a masculine voice. Kaguya turned her gaze away from the screeching mare she clutched in her forelegs and found Braeburn trotting towards her, eyebrows slanted on his face to indicate concern.

“Very.” Kaguya answered swiftly, stroking Yuuki’s mane with a gentle hoof as she continued to weep.

Braeburn turned his eyes to the emotional wreck of a mare Kaguya held as if for dear life. His ears fell flat on his skull. He opened his mouth to speak as he returned his gaze to Kaguya, only to close it as the elder mare shook her head.

“Well...I’ll be heading back inside. Holler if ya need anything.” Braeburn said at last before trotting away.

Kaguya watched as the stallion trotted away, eyebrows furrowing as anger boiled in her blood and threatened to skyrocket beyond controllable levels.

“That asshole will PAY.” She thought, still clutching the sobbing mare in her forelegs as her mouth curled into a snarl.

Chapter XVIII- Just a Chat

All night long the two mares sat on their rumps clutching each other in their forelegs, one crying her eyes out and the other keeping her seething anger at bay. Just as the moon was about to set, Yuuki fell asleep with her head resting on Kaguya’s chest and the two now sat in foreboding silence. Even a breeze that rolled past was deathly quiet, almost as if time froze right then and there.

Kaguya cautiously moved her head side to side, trying not to disturb the mare who was using her as a pillow. She turned her gaze to the setting crescent moon, noticing it seemed to have glowed brighter as it set--something she found rather odd, but soon shrugged off.

Yuuki shifted in her sleep, causing Kaguya to glance at her with widening eyes. The purple mare opened her eyes, but was straining to keep them closed.

“Having trouble sleeping?” Kaguya asked, her voice soothing and sweet as though she spoke to her own child.

“Mhm….” Yuuki groggily replied, nodding her head slowly.

“Let’s get you to bed. Morning’s almost here.” Kaguya said, breaking the embrace and standing up, helping the sleepy teen onto her hooves. The elder mare glanced at the sky once more and found winged ponies up above arranging clouds with their hooves. As the clouds over the barn got bigger thanks to many of the ponies forming it, it began to rain lightly. Wasting no time, she escorted the sleepy mare indoors to a warm sleeping bag.

Thunder clapped outside, and the rain began to pour. Kaguya trotted to the barn doors and closed them after realizing she left them open whilst bringing Yuuki inside. This didn’t drown out all of the noise, though much of it was dulled to mere echoes within the barn. The elder mare sighed and trotted to the table placed a few hooves away from the sleeping lot that had bags set upon the wooden frame, as well as a lantern that served as light.

The mare emptied the bags, one by one, to find herself with a pile of yellow coins that were about a quarter the size of her hoof. She then painstakingly counted these coins one by one, using a notepad and pencil to keep track of the exact number as she did. After that, she carefully put the coins back into the four bags as evenly as she could manage before turning off the lantern and going to her sleeping bag.

She lay there in the darkness, questions of her own being flung about in her skull. She thought about what Yuuki had relayed, and what little she had already known prior. Her eyes narrowed, and a scowl came upon her face once more as she lay there thinking. She couldn’t help but murmur as though from subconscious alone, “why?”

Thunder clapped outside once more, and as the rain pattered on, Kaguya’s own eyelids felt increasingly heavy. Before long, she too had fallen asleep in her makeshift bed.

Braeburn and Applejack trotted towards the barn, fresh puddles from the early morning rain rippling as hooves stepped in them. It was a somewhat cloudy afternoon, with rays of sunlight shining through holes in the clouds.

“She was cryin’?” Applejack inquired, eyebrow raised.

“Yeah. About what, I can’t say. Kaguya gave me the ‘stay out of this’ look.” Braeburn replied, barely noticing a cold shiver sent up his legs as his hooves stepped into another puddle.

“Sounds mighty serious.” Applejack commented as she and her cousin drew nearer and nearer to the barn, hooves soaked in mud and water without being their point of focus.

Raising a dirty hoof to open the door upon finding herself standing before the barn, Applejack peered inside and found 01 talking to the teen stallions and Koto; the others being sound asleep in sleeping bags.

The elder stallion was quick to take notice of the orange ponies as they casually trotted in with dirty hooves. “Why, hello there. I was in the middle of a discussion with the foals I wound up with.” He said, a smile on his face.

“I don’t think we’re kids anymore…” Rekka mumbled, an ear twitching in annoyance.

“We’re still such because he looks after us...at least, until we get our own place.” Koto jabbed back, a small grin etched on her muzzle.

“Alright you two, play nice.” 01 sighed, still smiling as he patted Rekka on the head with one hoof and ruffled Koto’s mane with the other.

“I see that. Breaburn told me somethin’ I find rather disturbin’.” Applejack said, looking at the elder stallion as she grabbed a towel and cleaned her hooves with it.

“I dunno the full story; all I know is Yuuki was cryin’ somethin’ fierce.” Braeburn spoke for Applejack, also cleaning his hooves.

01’s face darkened immediately, complete with lopsided grin. “I-I see…” He said, his mouth twitching as though he tried to keep the smile at bay.

“Want one of us to serve the role of translator?” Nagare asked, eyelids drooped to make it seem like he was bored.

“P-please do.” 01 answered, now breathing in and out frantically.

“From what I’ve heard, and from what I’ve seen as we took her to the hospital and away from that damn jailhouse with legs, she’d been...how shall I say...mistreated.” Nagare said, looking at Applejack as he spoke.

“Mistreated?” Applejack and Braeburn inquired in unison, both of whom had arched eyebrows.

“Allow me to recap,” Tenmei sighed, glasses glinting as he moved them with his hoof to a more proper position, “chained to a pearl, screeching until I was pretty sure her lungs would’ve exploded, bruises dotting her body, and let’s not forget that one side of her face was still recovering.”

“Did the doctors find anythin’ else?” Braeburn asked, eyes widening as Tenmei’s words hit him harder than a brick.

“...Yeah. From what I’ve gathered…” Tenmei took a deep breath, eyes narrowing low behind the lens of his glasses, “someone had the nerve to rape her.”

Applejack’s pupils shrank as she stared at the stallion with the glasses. It was as if she lost the ability to do anything else, as if Tenmei’s words petrified her in some indirect way.

Braeburn was also unable to believe the teen’s words. He too had been mesmerized, and not in a good way. He felt his gut twisting and turning from building anger.

“I can see why you two are still trying to make sense of the words I spoke.” Tenmei sighed, a frown on his face as his eyelids drooped.

“Kinda makes you want to rip off the culprit’s dong, right?” Nagare asked.

Braeburn’s lips parted, and a scowl came on his face as he spoke. “Now, I don’t know the culprit in person, nor do I know if he had partners in crime. That much about said culprit, I’ll say. But NOPONY should have to live with that...that...that kind of nightmare for the rest of their lives!”

“Here, here.” Applejack agreed, a scowl also on her face.

“Who’s on about what now?” Kaguya groaned as she got out of her sleeping bag, stretching her four legs as a yawn escaped her throat.

“Oh, just a discussion. That’s all. You’ve been asleep half the whole day, woman.” 01 commented, tilting his head slightly as he watched the mare trot to the table.

“Of course I’ve been asleep half the day, you dolt. I stayed up almost all night.” Kaguya jabbed back before yawning again, this time covering her mouth with a hoof.

“I...think I heard part of it…” Yuuki stated as she too rose from her bed, faint scarring apparent on the right side of her face. She also stretched her legs, and she had a terrible case of bedhead.

It was then Koto decided to speak up. “Actually, I think we all need to change the subject right about now.”

Chapter XIX- Triple the Shenanigans

A fire flickered and crackled weakly, just barely illuminating the forms of three unicorns that would’ve otherwise been obscured in the darkness. One of the ponies threw in some fresh sticks and logs, hoping to fuel what was left of the blaze.

The unicorn with the blue pelt looked towards the fellow with a gold pelt. “A few months ago, you kind of vanished for two days. What in the bloody hell kept you?” He asked, brow furrowing and scowl on his muzzle.

“The purple brat again.” Answered the gold-pelted stallion, rolling his eyes as though he were either being a delinquent or he was disapproving of something.

“Her again?” The white-pelted mare asked, eyes narrowed as she stared at the stallion.

“Yes, HER again.” Replied the gold-pelted unicorn, glaring at the mare intently.

“If it’s about your jailbait, I’d rather not know.” Hissed the blue unicorn, an eye twitching as he spoke.

“Speaking of jail, I summoned a jailhouse to attack the petty little town she was in.” Spoke the gold-pelted unicorn.

“You did what, Maki?” Asked the other two unicorns in unison, both of whom arching eyebrows upwards as they spoke.

“I literally brought forth a jailhouse, for the hard of hearing. Must I reiterate?” Maki answered, sitting on his rump and crossing his forelegs like a pouty toddler.

“Why a jailhouse? Those things are slower than snails, even with four legs and a horn!” The blue-pelted stallion hissed accusingly, pointing a hoof at his horn for emphasis.

“I found out it took the other brats longer to do something about it because the weak point was hidden...that, and when they saw said weak point, they found their little friend strapped to it. It put them off for a moment before they took action, though. Raki, I now share sentiments with you on that damned crossbow.” Maki answered, ears flat on his head.

“So, they still felled it?” Raki asked, rubbing her chin with a hoof.

“Pretty much. After that, town was tense for a while but it kinda relaxed itself.” Maki answered, nodding as he spoke.

“We need to put our investments elsewhere for the time being. Question being doing what, exactly.” Stated the blue-pelted stallion.

“Baki, aren’t you supposed to be the one to figure things out yourself?” Raki asked, glaring at her fellow unicorn.

“I am trying to do so, you prim-and-proper twat-shaker. Give me a minute.” Baki hissed, dark navy eyes burning with a fire as he looked at the female unicorn.

“E-excuse you? Me, a twat-shaker? Shouldn’t you be reprimanding the child rapist amongst us?!” Raki cut back, a fire burning in her own eyes.

“I would, but it’d fall on deaf ears.” Baki cut back, pointing a hoof accusingly at Maki. “Besides, the whole lot of brats are merely weeks away from being full-grown adults.”

“On the cusp of adulthood, you say?” Maki asked, arching an eyebrow. “And where did you get this information, may I ask?”

“I cannot remember the exact source for the life of me, nor where I got it from.” Baki answered, sighing.

“I’d like to think the world of ponies we’re standing in is screwing with our minds in some way.” Raki sighed, eyes scrunched shut and eyebrows twitching.

“It’s not screwing with us, Raki. I think we’re screwing each other over.” Maki said, smiling wickedly.

“Wait, what?” Raki asked, eyes widening. She blinked a few times.

“Hard of hearing: we’re fucking each other over!” Maki replied, smile widening until his teeth glinted with the soft embers of the flame.

A long, slender brush appeared next to Raki from flat-out nowhere. “Try me, see what happens.” She hissed, eyes burning once more as her horn glowed with magic encasing said brush.

“What’re you gonna do, shove that flimsy thing up your own ass?” Maki taunted, smiling wider as he then rolled his eyes.

The answer to Maki’s rather uncouth question came in the form of the brush suddenly being flung at him, whacking him square across the face with the end that had the actual brush part. The stallion yelped in pain, red now forming where the collision occurred.

“I’d suggest you quit shooting words out of your ass sometime now!” Raki barked, her own face reddening as blood boiled with anger.

“Or what, cut my dong off with your tight cunt?” Maki taunted again, shaking his head in a sad manner. Once more, he was smacked across the face with the brush, this time with enough force to knock him onto the ground.

Raki turned to the blue-pelted stallion, pointing the brush accusingly at Maki. “Do you not see what I spoke of now?! Must I hurt you too?!” She barked, eyes turning white from her anger reaching its pinnacle.

“Both of you, do shut up.” Baki hissed, eyebrows twitching as his hoof met with his face.

"But she just hit me!" The gold-pelted unicorn protested, scrambling to his hooves and pointing one of them at his attacker.

"I'll do it again if you make another rape-related remark!" The mare shrieked, waving her brush frantically, as though it were a sword.

"I'm surprised you didn't raise hell about it the first time, you hypocritical feminist!" Maki retorted, this remark earning him another whack across the face with the brush. He stumbled backwards, but managed to keep standing.

The blue-pelted stallion groaned, letting a hoof connect with his face at the display occurring before him. "I'm surrounded by idiots..." He mumbled.

"Excuse me, foalfucker, I'm not the one going after just-about-to-ascend-jailbait!" Raki shouted, her voice echoing off the walls.

"You didn't do anything about it the first time, lazy feminazi!" Maki retorted yet again, once more getting another brush-slap across the face. His cheek was now bruised because of the onslaught.

"ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU!" Baki shrieked, causing the two to look at him as he stomped a hoof inches from the dying blaze. "MUST I GET THE BEATING STICK?!"

The scrub brush vanished from thin air. "The beating stick just went walkabout." The sole mare replied, an eye twitching.

Author's Note

Sorry this chapter is short. I do hope there aren't too many short chapters in the future. :/

Chapter XX- This, I Like

The sun was setting, giving way to twilight and, ultimately, the night that would soon follow. Many ponies bustled about in an effort to get to some destination somewhere; this evening bustling including a group of seven ponies led by an older white-pelted duo that seemed to have known where they were going in spite of the bickering that ran rampant amongst the lot.

“Shut it, weed-whacker.” Yuuki hissed, glaring at Nagare in such a way her eyes seemed to glow under her bangs.

“It wasn’t me who said that, Miss Purple. It was Mister Suntan.” Nagare replied, faint smile present on his face as he rolled his eyes.

“Oh, nononono.” Yuuki snapped, shaking her head disapprovingly at the green stallion as she and the other teens followed the elder ponies. “I could’ve easily sworn that YOU said ‘curlycue!’ My mane is NOT curly!”

“‘My mane is not curly.’” Nagare imitated, smile widening as he said that. “Don’t get me wrong, Amethyst, there is indeed a little curl of hair sitting right on top of your head.”

“You do know how much I HATE the name ‘Amethyst,’ right?” Yuuki snarled, her face turning a dark red under her hair. A pink vein appeared on her cheek, and her mouth was twitching one corner as if about to be pulled straight off her muzzle by an invisible hand.

“What’re you going to do to me, Lavender?” Nagare taunted, stopping and sitting on his rump to place his front hooves on Yuuki’s cheeks so he could make her look as silly as can be. “Call me names?”

01 immediately stopped in his tracks, turned around, and then trotted to the arguing teens before literally pushing them apart with his hooves. “Enough, the both of you!” He snarled, his own face darkening as he spoke. “Must I reprimand you two? Because it sounds like a good idea to me at this moment!”

“No, sir.” Nagare and Yuuki answered in unison, ears flat on their heads and sweat beginning to form on their faces.

“Then behave. We’re almost to our new house anyway, so I better not hear any more bitching from either of you!” 01 replied, turning around and trotting to his place alongside Kaguya.

The elder mare groaned. “Again?” She asked, shaking her head as she swiveled her body to the left, and her eyebrows twitched in annoyance.

“Yes, again. Just how much more are they going to argue?” 01 answered, keeping up in perfect tempo with the mare all the while his ears were twitching as he spoke. “It’s the third time today.”

“I’m still wondering why Nagare threw accusations left and right before you broke up the verbal fights he was having with Yuuki.” Kaguya sighed, glancing behind her briefly to ensure that the teens and two fillies were keeping up. “Something’s definitely fishy; he’s usually not this uppity when speaking to anyone, let alone with Yuuki of all ponies.”

“Teens will be teens. I’m blaming hormones.” 01 replied as he and Kaguya stopped before a house with a straw roof, causing the rest of the group to stop as well. It was a fairly big house, with windows near the roof indicating that there was a second floor, and the woodwork looked fairly decent and polished up. There were also windows on either side of the sturdy wooden door, and they looked spic and span.

Instead of stairs that led to the aforementioned door, there was a well-slanted ramp that was lined with carpet. Not the best quality of carpet, considering it had an aged look as well as day-old hoofprints, but a carpet nonetheless.

The elder stallion groggily yawned and scratched his head with the back of his hoof. Kaguya sighed and sat on her rump, raising a hoof to reach into her saddlebag. She shuffled through what little contents were inside, which included an empty bag, a pencil and notepad, before pulling her hoof out and taking a key with.

“The ponies who sold this place to us even gave you the key?” 01 asked, still scratching his head with his hoof.

“I very politely asked them to.” Kaguya replied as she thrust the key into the lock and turned, a click signaling that the door was unlocked. She then raised her hoof to the knob and turned it, the door opening without so much as creaking hinges or other inanimate fuss a door could produce.

The white-pelted ponies trotted in, followed in short order by Rekka and Koto. The living room in which they now stood had a round table, just big enough for eight ponies. There was a couch in front of a nearby wall, and an entryway to the second floor: a normal flight of stairs that curved at a sharp 90-degree angle at the middle, providing a nice platform for a potential crowd should the need arise, and it also gave the living room more space. Part of this stairway was a ramp, much like the one before the front door, providing a means for the crippled to go upstairs if they wanted to do so.

In another room, this one also with a door that stood ajar for some reason, was a kitchen complete with fridge, stove, and cupboard. There was also a counter that had drawers for plates, bowls, and the like.

“Whoa,” Rekka sighed, glancing around before trotting towards the kitchen and then back to the elder ponies, who had noticed the rest of the group already trotted inside, “I like this.”

“I second that.” Tenmei commented, setting one of his hooves on the first step of the stairs.

“Here, here.” Koto chimed, a small grin on her face as she hobbled up the ramp part of the stairway. She soon stood on the second floor, which had a hallway with five doors (and a sixth she was standing next to that she failed to notice) on one side and four on the other, as well as another stairway at the end of the hall that had to have led into an attic.

Tenmei also rounded the platform as he ascended the stairs towards the second floor. Upon seeing the second set of stairs that led further up, he quickly galloped to them and shot up the small flight like a rocket, only to stop dead in his tracks as the top of his head suddenly met with a door built into the ceiling.

“No roughhousing up there!” 01 called from below.

“I found an attic door and accidentally hit my head on it!” Tenmei called back, rubbing his head with a hoof.

“Alright, just be careful!” Kaguya called.

“Okay!” Tenmei replied, opening the door with his other hoof and peering beyond the wooden, horizontal frame to find a small room that had some lingering dust which caused him to sneeze. Other than the dust and a window allowing sunlight to pass through and illuminate the polished wood floor that collected the aforementioned dust, the room contained nothing of interest. The teen sighed and trotted back to the second floor, making sure to close the door behind him and to look where he was going this time.

Koto was busy waltzing in and out of all the rooms the hallway had to offer, a small smile on her face as she did. Yuuki emerged from the stair that led to this hallway, eyebrow arched as if she were confused.

“The hell’re you doing?” Yuuki inquired as she watched the blue pony continue walking in and out of rooms like her life depended on it.

“I’m not sure which room to take; they’re all so nice!” Koto answered, her grin widening as she entered another room.

Mimu ascended the stairs, utilizing her pixie wings in the process, and found herself hovering over Yuuki as though she were an annoying fairy. “What’cha doin’?” She asked, poking Yuuki with a hoof to get her attention.

“Trying to comprehend what Koto is doing. Just look at her, going back and forth through all the rooms.” The purple mare answered, holding a hoof before her as the spectacle kept playing out.

“Sounds like fun!” Mimu cried as she proceeded to fly in and out of the rooms herself.

“Ehh?!” Yuuki wailed, an eyelid twitching and mouth hanging ajar as she watched the fairy-winged filly dart all over the place.

Mimi suddenly shot past the purple mare and she too joined in the going-in-and-out-of-rooms charade.

“Not you too….” Yuuki sighed, eyelid still twitching as she stood there watching. Her ears fell flat on her skull again, and sweat was beginning to form on her face.

Nagare trotted up the stairs, only to see what it was Yuuki had been looking at. He sighed, rolled his eyes and shook his head disapprovingly before trotting down to the fifth door on the left. He opened it, and ducked in the nick of time as Mimu whizzed overhead. He rushed into the room and closed the door behind him, shouting “I am claiming this room!”

Chapter XXI- Hallucination

Yuuki groaned in annoyance before deciding to trot back downstairs, passing Rekka as he made his way up on the ramp part. She found Kaguya and 01 looking at her as if they had expected her to show up for quite a while, and her hooves instantly froze on the spot, gluing her to the stairs before she could reach the final step. A lump lodged itself in her throat, and her pupils shrank to tiny dots in a second.

Kaguya sighed, closing her eyes and turning to 01. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it.

01 cleared his throat, looking at Yuuki without a discernable emotion taking precedence on his face. “You...still haven’t told Kaguya everything.” He said, trying to hide a lingering undertone of anxiety in his voice. “Come...to the kitchen so we can talk.”

Yuuki shuddered, her tail shifting between her hind legs as she struggled to move one of her front hooves. It felt as if it were an eternity since she last moved any of her limbs, and she felt panic spurring to life as her heartbeat increased.

The air hung heavy, not once easing as the shaky hoof touched the final step, followed by an even shakier back hoof touching the step behind it. Yuuki felt her whole body tense up, gasping shallow breaths for air as what felt like an invisible hand squeezed her chest as if a reticulated python powered by a hunger for flesh.

The world began to spin for the teen, starting off slow before picking up speed. She moved her ever-shaking legs to propel herself towards the elder ponies who were now looking at her with worry. She couldn’t see their faces clearly; everything was a rapidly spinning blur at this point. When the last hoof got off the stairs, she collapsed onto her side with a thud.

“YUUKI!” 01 and Kaguya cried in unison, at both sides of the now-unconscious mare in an instant, their own eyes wide from pure shock.

Those who were upstairs had stopped whatever it was they had been doing and immediately rushed down the stairs to see what the commotion was all about, all with concern dotting their faces. They saw the elder ponies carefully move Yuuki onto the couch, making sure to avoid laying her on her side or back.

Kaguya instantly shot a look at the others who were still on the stairs. “Just go back upstairs and claim rooms. I think she’s fine.” The mare said, the panic still lingering on her face telling the group otherwise.

The teens nodded and trotted back upstairs, immediately doing as they were told to.

01 shook his head and sighed. He just removed his hooves from the mare’s forehead and chin. “She’s not overheating.” He said, a frown on his face.

“Do you think…?” Kaguya started, only to stop as her ears fell flat.

“I can’t be too sure what it is myself. Could you stay here with her while I check on the other hooligans upstairs?” 01 asked, now noticing that the house had fallen eerily silent. Even the roughhousing above ceased to be; instead replaced with a complacent, solemn silence.

Kaguya nodded, eyes widening further as the same feeling of crushing constriction that Yuuki felt now latched itself onto her. She stood there with flattened ears as 01 rushed past her and ascended the stairs.

The mare turned to the door that led outside, seeing an envelope slide in from underneath and land on the wood floor. With a quaking body and equally hesitant movements, she moved towards the envelope that had been deposited at her door. It felt like a painstaking eternity had passed by her without so much as an afterthought as she slowly picked up the envelope and turned it over.

For a moment, she was petrified as she stared at the one thing the envelope had inscribed on it rectangular, flimsy frame. Her breathing was shallow, and her chest tightened as she stood there still as a rock just staring at the sole thing the envelope bore.

‘Frontier Quartet.’

Kaguya snapped out of her stupor, dropped the envelope, and immediately tried the knob on the door, causing it to swing open obediently. Outside, the world was dark and the sky obscured by clouds. From what she could tell, no other houses had their lights on. She shut the door quick as a whip, then ran to the table where she placed her saddlebag. She dug for a bit before pulling out the key and running back to the door, thrusting in the thin silver frame into the lock and turning it with hasty movements.

A click signaled that the lock was successful, and Kaguya removed the key instantly before letting it clatter to the floor. She was breathing in and out as if she had just hidden from a monster that was still prowling for her after she ran for ten straight minutes. Other than her breathing and the beating of her heart, the house was silent.

She looked to the envelope she had dropped, the words ‘Frontier Quartet’ still on it plain as day as if to mock her. She grabbed it with a swift hoof and quickly tore it open, pulling out the letter within to read it.

Her pupils shrank to tiny dots as her gaze went over each and every word of the first paragraph.

“Kaguya, you look like you’ve seen a ghost!” 01 cried, causing the elder mare to shriek in surprise as she turned around to see him standing behind her with flattened ears. “Are you alright?!”

The mare gulped hard, a golf ball lodged in her throat. Her breathing slowed a little bit, and her body relaxed. Slowly, she shook her head.

01 turned to the piece of paper in the mare’s hoof. “What is that?” He inquired, eyebrow raised.

Kaguya glanced at it again before reading it, finding that it was a mere blank sheet of paper. The first paragraph she thought she’d seen was also nonexistent. The envelope the paper came in had disappeared without a trace.

“I must be hallucinating.” She murmured, shaking her head as though excess water were on it.

01 picked up the key the mare dropped before trotting over to the table and placing it in her saddlebag. “We all do that sometimes, but you genuinely had me worried for a moment. Please, woman, keep your episodes of seeing or hearing whatever you’ve seen or heard under control next time.” He scolded as he trotted back to the mare.

“I’ll try. How are the others?” Kaguya asked, ears slowly rising up. She could still feel faint traces of her previous panic fleeting, slowly being replaced with complacency.

“They’re all in bed, snoozing away.” 01 answered, scratching one side of his head with a hoof.

Kaguya turned to Yuuki, who was still passed out on the couch. “Should we take her to her new room?” She inquired.

“Yeah. After that, we’re both going to sleep too. I’m…” 01 yawned mid sentence, still scratching his head with a hoof, “tired as hell.”

Chapter XXII- Early Morning Talk

A raging snowstorm howled all around as far as the eyes of one could see; it appeared there was no end to the thick white blanket for miles around. Houses were but mounds piled under the white, and unbearable cold made it very difficult for one to traverse in this frozen wonderland.

Trudging slowly against the odds were five ponies, all of whom had scarves wrapped around their necks and cloaks wrapped on their bodies. One with a tan pelt had a crossbow strapped to his foreleg, another of green had a sword partially hidden in a saddlebag, and a third marred in purple had a ball attached to her hoof via string. The other two--one with an orange pelt and the other with blue--followed close behind with an odd object on one and the other carrying a boomerang, scarves, cloaks and manes billowing as the shrieking cold snowstorm raged on full-force.

Cold nipping at hooves was not a concern for this lot, ice beginning to form on their legs as a result. They were somehow undeterred by the menacing weather; it was as if their lives depended on them approaching some unseen destination. The group stopped briefly, all exchanging glances with one another before they looked up.

Above them wheeled a chariot, pulled by pegasus ponies of purest white wearing scarves and cloaks that did not hinder flight. The chariot landed, and the ponies with weapons hopped on before it took off again. The ponies sitting in the golden carriage tried their best to pull the hoods of their cloaks over their faces, but it was difficult to manage with the snowstorm present around them.

A train whistled loud and clear, causing the mare with the ball and the stallion with the odd object to look at the white blanket below. The others inside soon mimicked those two, seeing a train of blackest hue shooting its way northward on tracks that were revealed thanks to the wheels, only to be obscured by the unforgiving snow once more.

“What’s that doing out here?” The mare with the boomerang asked, eyes wide in disbelief as she watched the train.

“I wish I knew, Koto!” Cried the purple mare, her hood falling off of her head. Her purple mane billowed in the snow wildly as the chariot went onwards.

“How’s that locomotive even able to be on frozen tracks?!” Yelled the tan stallion, glancing between the train that whistled once more and his fellow cloaked ponies.

“I think it’s best for us to not know, Tenmei!” Replied the orange stallion, long red tail billowing behind his frame.

“Let’s focus on the main task at hoof!” Wailed the green stallion as he too exchanged glances with the others.

“Nagare’s right! We can’t sit here expecting the answers to come to us!” Cried the purple mare, her eyes still set on the train.

“You all heard Yuuki!” Yelled the orange stallion.

“We can’t do anything while we’re in this bloody chariot, Rekka! We have no alternative as it currently stands!” Tenmei yodeled, staring at the train as it whistled once more before an amalgamation of auras--crimson, light blue, and navy--bathed the train’s entire exterior before its wheels were replaced with many a pony leg.

“Actually, I think we can!” Koto cried, pointing a hoof at the train as it metamorphosized further, growing a head with ears and a horn. It roared instead of whistling, its new appendage glowing a deep blue-violet in color as its first two sets of legs propelled its front cart off the tracks, followed immediately by the second and third.

“The hell’s it doing?!” Nagare hissed, watching the train’s multi-segmented body twist around in such a way it looked like a snake about to snatch a bird out of the air, mouth lined with fangs poised right at the chariot.

The pegasi pulling the carriage dodged the beast as it crashed into the snow, white cascading around its form as it pulled itself cart by cart off the tracks. This also caused all within the flying vehicle to fall onto their stomachs and backsides.

“Whatever it’s trying to pull, it sure ain’t happy!” Yuuki caterwauled, scrambling to her hooves awkwardly. The train roared as it rose up, multitudes of legs springing it into the air as it twisted its metallic body again, this time spouting claws and arms made of barbed iron from its maw. The claws succeeded in knocking the pegasi who pulled the chariot out of the air, causing the flying vehicle to spin in the air and fling the ponies inside out, making them roll in the snow as they landed.

The sight of all seven was obscured in darkness, the vicious snowstorm howling in their ears as the thick, white blanket of cold rapidly engulfed the lot and obscured them entirely. The train returned to its tracks and previous form as though nothing had transpired, wheels dragging it northwards towards some destination.

A cloaked stallion with a gold horn protruding from his hood trudged to where Yuuki had been buried by the snow. His horn glowed with a hue of crimson, and he brushed aside the snow to unearth the mare who was surely dazed and nearly frozen to death, grinning as she kicked weakly with her hooves.

He knelt down, putting his muzzle next to her ear, grin still plastered onto it. He whispered something as the snow piled another cold blanket onto the mare.

“AAAH!!” Yuuki cried, breathing frantically as her eyes splayed wide open. She found herself on a hard, shiny surface that was illuminated by the light of a very thin crescent moon that could be seen from the nearby window. The young mare got up onto her hooves before instantly freezing as she heard hoofbeats outside her current area.

She turned around slowly to find a door being splayed wide open, and trotting inside was Kaguya. Her mane was frazzled, and her eyelids hung heavy as though she had yet to get a wink of sleep in days. “What are you doing…” Kaguya started, yawning before she continued, “up? It’s three in the freaking morning…”

Yuuki shook her head. “I had...I had a bad dream...I think.” She answered, ears flat on her skull. “You?”

“I could not sleep for more than a minute…” Kaguya groaned, turning around and trotting into the hall. Yuuki sighed and followed the elder, tired mare and noticed she was going downstairs.

Kaguya already sat down on a chair at the table, groggy eyes watching intently as the purple mare made her way down the stairs and towards her. The younger mare sat next to the elder who continued to stare at her with bloodshot eyes.

“Want me to get you something?” Yuuki asked, putting her front hooves on the table.

Kaguya shook her head, placing one front hoof over Yuuki’s. “No, thank you very much.” She answered, her voice weak. “You’re...aware we still need to talk, right?”

Yuuki sighed as she stared rather blankly at the table. “I guess so.” She murmured.

“Where were we before you flipped? Something about a dark place and that….jerk?” Kaguya inquired, rubbing her eyes with the hoof that wasn’t touching Yuuki. She yawned again, ears twitching.

“He...asked me why I was pretty. When I failed to answer his question, he...he hit me in the gut.” Yuuki started, ears flat on her skull. She continued to stare blankly at the table.

“What happened after that?” Kaguya inquired. She yawned once more.

“He...even with his horn glowing, I couldn’t see too good...I think...he put something slimy in my mouth?” Yuuki continued, putting a hoof on her head and rubbing it vigorously before setting it down again.

“What...did it feel like, aside from slime?” Kaguya asked, an ear twitching.

“It...was kinda thick, like an apple and a half being shoved into my mouth at once...maybe two whole apples...it tasted bad too.” Yuuki sighed, still staring at the table. Slowly, it was coming back to the tired purple mare.

“What happened after that?” Kaguya asked, rubbing her eyes.

“A...sort of goo or something slid down my throat...after the thing left my mouth, I kinda threw up the...slime? I swear it was saltier than the ocean, and really bitter.” Yuuki stated, her ears perking up momentarily.

“I...I’ll be blunt: I’m starting to dread what happened next. Do continue.” Kaguya said, her mouth twitching into a visible frown.

“He...hit me again, and then threw me into a wall or three and started calling me a bitch. He also threw in ‘dirty’ and ‘worthless...’” Yuuki recalled, turning her head to look at the elder with eyelids slanted in a sad look. “Am I worthless?”

“No, you’re not. Do...continue.” Kaguya answered, gulping hard after yawning again. “Great heavens, what else did he call her?!” She thought, sighing.

“Anyway, he...put something in my rear...it felt like it was in my...uh...I forget what’s it’s called…” Yuuki sighed, turning her whole body in Kaguya’s direction. She slowly put a hoof between her hind legs. “Right here...I think…and it hurt a lot. It felt like I was being ripped apart.”

Kaguya’s eyes widened in an instant, and a very faint blush came on her face. “A-anything else n-noteworthy?” She stammered, ears flat on her skull as she quickly looked away.

“He...told me I was in something...heat, I think? He put a chain on my neck...to shut me up, and...I blacked out.” Yuuki said, staring at the table again as she turned her body away from the elder mare. “Nothing else happened...before I woke up in the hospital.”

“You were...wait, WHAT?!” Kaguya stammered, turning to Yuuki with shrunk pupils and mouth hanging ajar. “I-In...heat, you said? Did I hear right?”

“Y-Yeah...why?” Yuuki replied, looking at Kaguya as if about to say something along the lines of ‘I did nothing wrong.’

“We’re...we’re taking you to the doctor later today. I...I hope it’s not what I think it is.” Kaguya stammered, face unable to twist towards any other emotion she could muster.

Chapter XXIII- WHAT?!

A few hours passed, the night giving way to the soft purple and orange hues of a twilight’s dawn. Kaguya had since collapsed, and Yuuki had a very strenuous task of carrying her singlehandedly up the stairs upon her backside. The legs of the elder fell slack next to those of the younger, and hooves were lazily dragged as a result.

Upon reaching the platform at which the stairway turned sharply, Kaguya’s weight became too much for the teen to handle, but rather than crash right then and there, she slowly lowered her body down so as not to wake the elder mare she carried.

Kaguya mumbled something incoherently as she snoozed before moving her head a little bit.

“Next time, invest in some sleeping pills…” Yuuki mumbled to herself, turning her head to look upon the sleeping mare’s face. The elder seemed content, eyes staying closed as she continued to say whatever was happening in whatever world she was in right now.

Yuuki sighed before rising up again, the weight of the pony she carried once more threatening to make her legs slip out from under her frame. She turned to meet with the second half of the stairway, sighing once more as she slowly ascended them.

Upon entering the hallway (and letting herself fall again), she turned her head to the right and found 01 standing next to an open doon.

“Ah, great.” The stallion groaned. “She’s out of bed?”

“Yeah...and she kinda fell asleep…on the table.” Yuuki replied, ears flat on her skull.

01 trotted to the mares and laid down on all four of his legs, using his front hooves to gently move Kaguya off of Yuuki. “Be a dear and help me put Sleeping Beauty on my back, please.” He said.

Yuuki nodded, rising up onto her hooves and using them to maneuver the elder mare onto the stallion’s backside. After that was said and done, the stallion rose and trotted to the room with the open door, with Yuuki following close behind.

She watched as 01 slid Kaguya into the bed and covered her up with a blanket. Both ponies trotted out in short order, making sure to close the door behind them. The elder stallion yawned, scratching his head with a hoof afterwards.

“You going to bed anytime soon? It’s awfully early…” 01 said, rubbing his eyes with the same hoof with which he scratched his head.

“I had a bad dream, so it’s not likely.” Yuuki replied before yawning herself. “Geeze, these things are contagious.”

“You said it. I’ll go on ahead downstairs and make myself some coffee...maybe tea. Come to me if you need anything.” 01 sighed, yawning once more before making his way downstairs.

“Will do.” Yuuki sighed, trotting to the door opposite of the attic stairs. She opened the door slowly with her hoof and went in the room beyond (turning the light on in the process), finding a sink, a toilet, a bathtub, and some other things. In other words, she now stood in a bathroom.

She found herself looking into the reflective depths of the mirror above the sink, and her jaw dropped open at what it presented to her: her mane was beyond frazzled, and her tail was much the same. Her pelt looked as if it lost a small amount of color for some unexplained reason, and many strands of pelt stuck out of place on her body. Her eyes were a solid dark purple, almost as if she’d been hypnotized.

Then, she felt something boil in her stomach. It was searing hot, assaulting her nerves full-force. The mare grunted in pain, gritting her teeth as the cauldron within reached a new pinnacle of burning agony. She moved closer to the sink and turned on the faucet, the storm within settling down a little as she checked the water with her hoof.

A warm sensation hit her hoof as she held it under the running water for a moment before she turned off the faucet, dunking both front hooves into the controlled puddle within the sink before splashing some onto her rather pale face. She splashed some more onto her face, causing it to glisten with the clear, warm drops of liquid. The mare then shook her head free of the excess water before the cauldron inside began to boil once more, and this time she felt her throat burn hot as well.

She got away from the sink and trotted to the toilet, raising the lid with a quick hoof as she placed her other on its rim. She felt the burning sensation of the cauldron travel up her body, reaching all the way to her neck before it was expelled out of her mouth.

An acidic taste hit her tongue as the warm, yet boiling, liquid shot out the back of her throat, landing with a hefty dunk into the water of the toilet. She coughed, gasping for air before more of the burning, acidic liquid flew from her mouth and into the toilet. For a few more moments she was there, sitting on her rump vomiting into the toilet.

Once she emptied the internal cauldron, she sat there still gasping for air and coughing, the acidic taste and a slight burning pain still lingering as she did. She heaved, looking into the contents of the toilet and quickly let off a shrill shriek of surprise.

The liquid was mostly brown, save for faint lines of red permeating the whole of the contained mass. The stench was very faint but foul nonetheless, and as Yuuki stared into the brown and red, an aftertaste of iron hit her tongue.

Kaguya’s words quickly rang in the mare’s head. “I hope it’s not what I think it is.”

Yuuki’s eyes widened, iris and pupil shrinking to tiny dots as the words of the elder, coupled with the sight of the vomit and horrible memories of an event she wished to forget, hit her harder than a brick. Very, very slowly, she moved the hoof that was still on the rim of the toilet seat to her stomach, tears threatening to burst from her eyes.

“I’m….I’m…” She murmured, her voice cracking from pure shock and an aftertone of agony. She shook as she very lightly touched her stomach with her hoof, only for her breathing to turn ragged and sparse as she felt something she could’ve sworn wasn’t felt prior.

“N-No...I...I have to be dreaming…this isn’t happening…” The young mare murmured, feeling the invisible python coil and tighten around her chest as she trembled still. “I have to be dreaming…” She repeated, feeling the world around her freeze in that instant.

“Are you alright?” A masculine voice asked. Yuuki’s ears perked to attention, and she slowly turned to the door to find 01 standing there looking at her with eyelids partially drooping over his eyes.

“N-no...f-far from it.” Yuuki stammered, tears now flowing from her eyes. She lowered her head, looking despondently at the floor. She began to sob, though she struggled to keep her whimpers at bay.

The stallion trotted to her and sat on his rump before wrapping his forelegs around her. “W...what’s wrong?” 01 asked, entirely unaware of what the fuss was about.

“I….I….I….” Yuuki murmured, her sobs becoming more frantic as the seconds ticked on.

“You what?” 01 inquired.

“I don’t want to be….” Yuuki trailed off, still sobbing and shaking.

“Don’t want to be what? Tell me what it is, woman. I have no idea how to help you because you’re not telling me what’s wrong.” 01 pointed out, an eyebrow raised as he continued to clutch the mare.

“I don’t want to be carrying his child!!” Yuuki shrieked, her voice still racked with her sobs.

“You’re...you’re….YOU’RE PREGNANT?!” 01 wailed, his own pupils shrinking to tiny dots and his mouth hanging ajar. He could not believe the words Yuuki had spoken in her fit of pain, nor could he begin to even comprehend why. “W-who...who got you?! W-what happened?!”

Yuuki was unable to answer. She began to scream like a banshee as her body shook with her sorrow. This caused the rest of the household inhabitants to wake up from whatever dreams they may have been having and scramble out of bed (with Rekka forgetting to attach his set of wheels to his midsection in the process) and rush to the bathroom to figure out what was making that awful series of shrieks belonging to a cacophony. Even Kaguya had been aroused, and in spite of her recently-found knowledge, she was unable to keep her own jaw from physically dropping open like a trapdoor.

All seven stood huddled around the bathroom door, some with tears about to leak from their own eyes and others hiding anger behind apparent wide-eyed shock.

01 very, very slowly turned to the lot that stared at him as he clutched the shrieking wreck of a mare, his mouth still wide open. “Someone...someone…” He said, unable to say anything else with how much his body shook in shock.

Chapter XXIV- The Problems Keep Piling

Eight of the nine ponies who were awake sat at the table in the living room, all eyes hypnotized in silence, save for the two elders of the group who had tried their best to regain some semblance of composure. The ninth of the lot lay very still on the couch, staring blankly at the others with a face that was reddened from crying and screaming.

“So...er…” Koto started, her voice being the only thing breaking the petrifying silence of the house as she stared at 01, “you...uh...what was it that...er...made your eyes bulge out?”

The stallion’s face darkened, but his lopsided grin did not show. “The one...who isn’t sitting with us at this moment,” He paused, shooting Yuuki a quick glance before returning his gaze to Koto, “happens to be pregnant.”

Nagare scrunched his eyes shut and slammed one of his front hooves on the table. His face darkened as well, and a disapproving frown sprawled across his muzzle. “Who needs to die?” He asked, ears twitching in annoyance.

Kaguya sighed. She shook her head and groaned soon after. “Did anybody else bump into a gold-pelted stallion with a short, crimson mane? She said it was him.”

Rekka raised one of his front hooves. “I did. Bastard knocked me out soon after.” He said, sighing before recalling that Paladin Blade had also accompanied him and Yuuki on the train that wound up crashing. He opened his mouth to speak, only to stop as a brown hoof shook his shoulder to get his attention.

“Paladin died.” Tenmei said as the red-maned teen turned to him. “They...didn’t hold a funeral for him.”

Rekka’s pupils shrank to tiny dots. “He...what?!”

“The wreck killed him. They put him six feet under the day after he arrived at the hospital, and we don’t know where he’s buried.” Koto said, her ears flat on her head.

“I heard something about hiding a fugitive from the law.” 01 commented, staring at Rekka now.

“He told me a mare named Celestia spared him from a worse fate on account of losing a leg trying to fight a mob named Black Feathers or something.” Rekka replied, not even giving a glimpse of eye contact towards the white stallion.

“The royal guards I ran into said something different as I arrived in Ponyville.” Kaguya commented, sighing soon afterwards. “Frankly, I’m not sure who’s right in this instance.”

“I’m going to assume that neither is right until I have more sufficient evidence to work with. And Nagare,” 01 paused, turning his attention to the green stallion, “don’t kill anybody, no matter how much they might deserve it.”

“Fine. I won’t strangle anybody.” Nagare said, eyes still scrunched shut as can be. A vein appeared on his cheek as he moved his hoof off the table.

“Okay, I want to get all the facts we have so far straight.” Tenmei said, raising his hoof as he spoke.

“Go ahead. Nobody’s stopping you.” 01 replied, scratching his head with a hoof. He yawned for a minute.

“Koto’s got a broke foreleg and was told someone tried stabbing her, Rekka’s got--please pardon my French--a fucked up back leg that can be linked to the train wreck, and from what Kaguya was told, someone decided it was a fine idea to rape Yuuki left, right, and bloody sideways.” Tenmei stated, sighing afterwards.

“It’s a bloody conspiracy. Either that or the powers that dragged us here to begin with flat-out hate us. It has to be one or the other.” Nagare dryly remarked, eyebrows and ears twitching as he spoke.

“I wish I knew what it was that threw us here...so I can personally walk up to it and hit it upside the head with my boomerang...once my foreleg recovers.” Koto hissed, eyes narrowing as she recalled the hodgepodge thingamadoodle that spoke of chaos.

“I think everybody’s angry.” Mimu commented, her wings fluttering rapidly.

“No shit, Sherlock.” Rekka sighed, his eyes also narrowing low.

Kaguya shot a quick glance at Yuuki, who was now asleep on the couch. “Whatever you do, don’t bring up anything related to the rape or pregnancy around Yuuki. For the love of all that is holy, I don’t want her of all people hurting someone.” She said as she turned back to the group at the table.

“From us, that promise can be kept. Can’t say the same about literally everyone else in town, though. Sooner or later, someone’s gonna start prying, as much as I hate saying it.” Tenmei pointed out, removing his glasses to cleanse them with a cloth.

“He does have a solid argument. But, at the same time, we have a bit of an advantage--she doesn’t really look pregnant as of yet.” 01 also pointed out as he exchanged glances with Kaguya.

All eyes of those in the room, including the groggy set Yuuki possessed as she was rudely awakened from her nap, turned to the door as someone began to knock on it. Kaguya sighed, arching an eyebrow before she quickly trotted upstairs. “Just a minute, I am going to get the key!” She called out, hoping that whatever was beyond the door could hear her.

A few moments passed, and when Kaguya returned with the key in her mouth, she grunted as she found that the knocking persisted still. “I shaid I had to get the key!” She moaned, the key in her mouth being thrust into the lock before she removed her maw and turned the damn thing with her hoof.

She opened the door just wide enough to poke her head out. She met the gaze of a pale, light greyish-mulberry unicorn pony with magenta eyes and a dark blue mane that had a streak of fuchsia and royal purple present. She had a starburst on her flank, and sitting upon her backside was a purple lizard-like creature with green frills on its face, a green underbelly, green eyes, and green spikes that spanned head to tail end.

“And...who are you two, exactly?” Kaguya inquired.

“I’m Twilight Sparkle, and this is my assistant, Spike.” The unicorn answered, a faint smile on her face.

“Hi.” Spike said, also smiling as he waved a small hand whose digits ended in claws.

“Are you needing something? I was having a talk with the others who live with me about a...serious matter at hoof.” Kaguya said, arching an eyebrow.

“Well, Princess Celestia sent me a letter telling me to keep an eye out for strange occurrences, and also asked me to see a stallion named Nagare. Is he here?” Twilight asked, her tail twitching a little bit.

“Before I answer, I feel the need to ask: why would Celestia directly send a letter to you?” Kaguya asked, eyes widening in disbelief.

“I happen to be her personal student.” Twilight answered, a frown replacing her smile.

“I see. You wished to talk to Nagare, right?” Kaguya inquired.

“Yeah. Could you let me speak to him?” Twilight asked, smiling again.

“Come right in.” Kaguya said, opening the door fully and stepping aside to allow the unicorn and lizard to walk inside, with Spike hopping off Twilight’s back and landing on two clawed feet. Once the two were inside, the white-pelted mare shut the door and removed the key from it, trotting upstairs soon afterwards.

Twilight scanned the room briefly before turning to the group of ponies at the table. “Princess Celestia has requested me to see a stallion named Nagare.” She said, and in an instant, all hooves at the table pointed accusingly at the green stallion.

Nagare turned his head to let his gaze meet with that of the unicorn’s. “Yees?” He asked, ears twitching. “What do you want from me?”

“Well, Princess Celestia asked me to speak to you about something. The Frontier Quartet, I think?” Twilight said, an eyebrow arching.

“Please,” Yuuki huffed, her voice muffled as she moved her face to the arm of the couch and raised a hoof to signal that she was still awake, “don’t talk about those asshats.”

Nagare rose from his seat, then made his way to the stairs. He turned to Twilight and nodded his head but once. “Follow me, since I’m apparently the one who just had to have met the Princesses in person a few months ago.” He said nonchalantly before trotting to the second floor with the unicorn following close behind. Spike followed as well, both eyebrows raised as curiosity got the better of him.

The green stallion stopped in the middle of the hallway, turning to Twilight as she stopped in perfect tempo. His eyes looked at Spike, then back to the unicorn as a hoof pointed at the lizard. “How old is he?” Nagare inquired.

“Only ten years old...why do you ask?” Twilight answered, also looking at the lizard.

“Please, for the love of all that is holy, send him downstairs pronto. He doesn’t need to hear any...how shall you say, adult talk.” Nagare said, looking and sounding nonchalant as ever in spite of the harshness of his words.

Twilight sighed. “You heard him, Spike. I’ll call you if I need anything.” She said.

“Alright. In the meantime, I’ll chat with the others downstairs.” Spike said, frowning at first as he ran down the stairs on his two little legs.

Once he was sure that the lizard was indeed downstairs, Nagare turned his attention towards Twilight. “Did Celestia ask you to talk to me about anything else, disregarding the Frontier Quartet?” He asked, blinking a few times.

“Well, she said she and Luna were attacked by a walkabout hourglass that was part alicorn.” Twilight stated. She put a hoof on her chin and rubbed it a bit. “I can’t be too sure about it, though. The claim seems absurd, even coming from her.”

“I was there when it happened. I am a witness.” Nagare replied, tilting his head to the side.

“Wait...so the claim is valid?” Twilight inquired.

“One-hundred percent valid. I sincerely and with all my being wish I were making this up.” Nagare answered, now nodding a bit excessively.

“Could you tell me more about the Frontier Quartet?” Twilight asked, ears twitching.

“Not much is known about them. What is known, however, is that there are three adult members and a supposed child member who create monsters that could be best described as part object, part pony, like the hourglass that was part alicorn.” Nagare started, sitting on his rump and crossing his forelegs together.

“Is there anything about them that you didn’t want Spike to hear?” Twilight inquired, very quickly noticing the face of the stallion darkening, as well as a very visible frown on his muzzle.

“Two things: One, our friend Yuuki had seen one of the adult members who happened to be a unicorn, and two, said unicorn she’d seen was a bit of a pervert.” Nagare answered, his nonchalant tone replaced with subtle anger.

“A pervert? What do you--” Twilight started, only for Nagare to cut her off.

“Far simpler term: rapist.” The stallion answered, his anger becoming more apparent as his eyes burned with fire. “A very violent one, too.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. She stared at the stallion in complete disbelief. “Oh...oh my. I’m...I’m sorry to hear that.” She said.

“It’s worse: bastard managed to knock her up. Expect me to stab him in the face when his path crosses with mine--if that ever happens, that is.” Nagare said, his voice in a hushed yet still angry tone.

“I’m terribly sorry that...that happened to her. But I must ask, why did you say ‘if that ever happens’?” Twilight asked, her ears flattening on her skull for a moment before perking back up.

“I’m not sure what they’re doing at this point. Are they plotting? Are they hiding? Are they merely watching in the shadows, waiting for us to drop our guard before striking? Hell, did they even die yesterday?” Nagare stated, the fire in his eyes no longer burning, instead being replaced with a bored look. “It’s all I know about the Quartet and their half-object, half-pony shenanigans, I’m afraid.”

Chapter XXV- WTF?!

“Well, if that’s all you know, then I suppose I won’t waste anymore of your time asking about something you know little about.” Twilight sighed, eyelids slanted slightly.

“You didn’t waste my time at all. You merely did as your Princess had asked, and that I respect. Though, I must ask: how did you find out where I was?” Nagare inquired, one of his eyebrows arching.

“Well, my friend Applejack said your guardian or something bought this place the other day, and she said he showed her where exactly it was.” Twilight answered, her tail twitching again.

“Oooooh. That explains it.” Nagare said, a faint smile on his muzzle accompanied with a small nod of his head.

“Oi!” Called a feminine voice, causing both ponies to turn to the stairway. They witnessed Koto hobbling her way up the steps, as well as Kaguya trotting into the bathroom, then towards them with twitching ears.

“Hmm? What is it, Koto?” Nagare asked, rolling his eyes and sighing.

“I want to ask Twilight something.” Koto replied, eyes narrowed a little bit. A frown was on her muzzle, and her ears still twitched.

“Hmm?” Twilight hummed, her eyebrow arched.

“This...thing. It...had a horse foot, a dragon foot, a lion paw, and bird talon. And mismatched wings. Do you know where it is? I want to bash it for dragging me here and causing my leg to be this crippled, among other things.” Koto stated, her eyes narrowing further. A vein appeared on her cheek as her ears twitched still.

“Wait...are you talking about Discord?” Twilight asked, eyes widening as Koto’s words hit her.

“Is that what it’s called!? Can I bash it?!” Koto barked, her face darkening as she spoke.

Twilight groaned, then turned back to Nagare with both eyebrows raised. “What does she mean by ‘dragging me here’?” The unicorn inquired.

Nagare cleared his throat and sighed. “We...aren’t from this world.” He said, his tone not having any subtle hint of emotion. “Now that I dwell on it, I want to go back home too.”

Twilight sighed. “I’m starting to get confused.” She said, her ears flat on her skull.

“Why this ‘Discord’ threw us in here to begin with is beyond me as well.” Nagare replied, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders at the same time.

“I want to bash something!” Koto shrieked, her eyes burning so much her irises began to turn a hue of dark crimson. It was then that a very strange smell hit the noses of Twilight and Nagare, both of whom recoiled in surprise.

Kaguya trotted out of the bathroom, and her nose instantly curled up as the smell hit her too. Her face began to turn a light grey-blue in color, and her irises and pupils shrank to mere pinpricks. One eyebrow arched, and the other lowered. “Who...what is that smell?!” She said, her head twitching a bit alongside her throat. She grit her teeth, looking about ready to gag.

Nagare quickly clamped his hooves on his nostrils, scrunching his eyes shut as he did. “I’m not sure who it’s coming from, but good heavens is it bad!” He said, his ears flat on his skull.

Kaguya masked her muzzle with one hoof, her eyelids twitching as she moved a cursory gaze to Koto. Upon seeing that, when staring at the blue mare, the smell was strongest with her, she quickly grabbed her tail with her free hoof and yanked her into the bathroom before trotting in herself and closing the door soon afterwards.

The stallion removed his hooves from his face, finding that with each passing second the smell was going away. He breathed a sigh of relief through his nostrils.

Twilight also sighed. “Is it just me, or did she start a really bad cycle?” She inquired, arching an eyebrow.

“That may explain her grumpiness.” Nagare replied, his ears twitching. He shuddered a bit. “I hope it’s not one of those ‘give me chocolate or you’re all going to die!’ ones. Those are the worst kinds, especially when they hit older mares.”

“How do you know this?” Twilight asked, blinking a few times.

“I’ve been with Koto, Kaguya, and Yuuki long enough to see it for myself. Kaguya’s a freaking nightmare when her body starts its cycle…” Nagare murmured, shuddering a bit more as he spoke. “I simply tend to avoid them when it happens.”

The bathroom door swung open, and Kaguya was standing there staring at the green stallion with a darkened face of her own as well as glinting eyes. A fanged mouth befitting a great white shark was plastered on her muzzle. The eyes of the two ponies locked for a moment before Nagare got up, turned tail, and galloped to his room as if his hooves were covered in hellfire.

Another door opened and then slammed in the same second as the stallion entered the room beyond. This was promptly followed by Nagare shouting one thing and one thing only: “Nope!”

Kaguya turned her head to the unicorn, her darkened face and glinting eyes replaced with a serene look. “I’m probably going to talk to him later, when the cycle ends.” She said, her tone soothing and nonchalant.

Koto hobbled past Kaguya, her eyes still narrowed, though not as much as before she was dragged inside the bathroom. She said nothing as she descended down the stairs, her tail twitching a bit as she did. The elder mare followed in short order, and so did Twilight. Before the trio even reached the bottom of the stairs, they saw the other stallions looking at them with cautious gazes.

Another thing the descending triad of mares witnessed was Yuuki being up and about, pacing frantically in circles. She had her head hanging low the entire time, and her mane looked even more of a mess than it did minutes ago.

Kaguya shot a glance at 01, pointing a hoof at the circling mare. “What is it now?” She asked, an eyebrow twitching.

“I don’t know, and I’ve yet to ask.” The stallion replied, sweat forming on his face as he spoke.

The circling mare stopped, groaning in sheer annoyance. She let her rump fall to the floor and her front hooves hit her forehead. She removed her hooves from her face and snapped her head in the direction of those who still sat at the table, purple eyes narrowing upon seeing the lot.

The mare’s midsection began to twitch as she stared at the group. “Anyone have a spare hoof and set of eyes? My back’s feeling kinda funny.” She said, her midsection twitching more noticeably now. A few moments passed without an answer.

Koto sighed, shaking her head sadly. “I’ll do it since the guys are wussing out.” She said, her voice still having subtle tones of anger here and there. She descended down the stairs, her own forehead having a slight tingling sensation that she ignored as her three-legged form got closer to that of Yuuki.

When she was within hoof’s reach, Koto sat down herself before raising her good leg up. Her friend’s midsection seemed to ripple and resonate with something she could not identify; all she knew was that something had been wrong.

And when her blue-coated hoof connected with purple pelt, the reason why made itself apparent and caused her to recoil in such a way she landed flat on her backside. Everyone else present gasped in shock, eyes wide and jaws hanging ajar at the sight.

Koto scrambled to her three hooves, and her jaw fell open as well. Two appendages clad in dark purple feathers had suddenly sprouted from Yuuki’s backside, and they were spread as wide as can be. They twitched nonstop, making them appear all the more unnerving.

Everyone--save for Mimi, Spike, Twilight, and Mimu--then let one thing fly from their mouths right then and there.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!”

Chapter XXVI- Something Went Awry, Alright

Yuuki sat there, eyes wide and blank white as she stared at her new body parts. The strange feeling she felt prior went away, that much was true, but it did not register thanks to her blatant shock. She looked as though petrified by the prospect of suddenly growing wings, right on top of her ever-piling list of problems.

Slowly, Twilight walked to her with her horn glowing a soft hue the same color as her coat. A frown adorned her face, and her eyelids slanted--nothing short of a look of worry. When the unicorn was close enough, she moved her glowing horn over Yuuki almost as if scanning her.

“This is...unlike anything I’ve even heard of.” Twilight murmured, putting a hoof on her chin.

Yuuki twitched her ears, then shook her head quickly before looking at the unicorn. Her wings snapped shut as her eyes returned to normal. “Come again?” She asked, blinking a few times.

“This really is Discord’s work. I just don’t understand how his magic is still affecting you like this, though.” Twilight sighed, raising a hoof and tenderly touching a wing. Yuuki twitched and shifted nervously, the feeling of something caressing her new appendages being very odd to her.

“Koto, do put us down at once!” 01 cried, causing the attention of the unicorn to be diverted towards the stallions at the table. She found them floating up in the air close to the ceiling, all three of them wriggling their legs as a blue aura encased them.

“I’m trying! Give me a minute!” The mare objected, ears flat on her head which was now adorned with a glowing horn whose tip matched the color of her mane. She sat on her rump looking at the floating trio. “I just don’t know how this works!”

“Try harder! You know how much I don’t like being held in the air!” Tenmei wailed, beginning to do flips in the air as if his body defied him.

“Gah! This reminds me of that one building with the cigar! Put me down already!” Rekka exclaimed, his eyes scrunched shut and his tail tucked between his hind legs. His front hooves flailed about frantically.

Twilight groaned in annoyance. Her eyes narrowed as her horn flared up once more, the purple aura grabbing the stallions and very quickly cancelling out Koto’s newfound shenanigans. The trio were very carefully lowered back to the ground, and they stared at the blue mare as her horn stopped glowing altogether.

“Okay, this just got weirder. A LOT weirder.” Kaguya commented, trotting down the stairs with twitching ears.

Yuuki and Koto almost instantly shot glances at the elder mare. “You think?” They asked in unison, eyes narrowing once more in irritation.

“Someone mind explaining to me THESE?” Nagare shouted, running down the stairs with wings matching the color of his mane adorning his backside present, splayed wide alongside his eyes. His saddlebag, carrying his sword, was strapped to his body once more.

“Same thing happened to me, lawnmower.” Yuuki stated, shrugging as her wings twitched again. “I have no clue what’s going on.”

Koto’s horn began glowing again, and she winced in pain. She grit her teeth, and her ears fell flat as the same aura that matched her mane color grasped Nagare by the end of the tail and lifted him into the air like a pinata.

“REALLY?” The stallion asked, letting his hooves dangle in the air as he was lifted up. His new wings fell along with his legs, and his eyes scrunched shut. A vein appeared on his cheek.

“I-I can’t control it! Honest!” Koto protested, eyes widening and sweat forming as her front hoof quickly moved to her horn. She tried to conceal it, but to no avail as the stallion hung in the air doing nothing but glare at her.

Twilight’s horn glowed once more, and this time a circular band of metal appeared from flat-out nowhere and placed itself on Koto’s new appendage. Suddenly, the blue aura dissipated and Nagare still hung in the air for a few seconds before gravity kicked in and caused him to land with his head stuck in between the sofa cushions. He put his hooves on the cushions, trying to pull his head out to no avail.

A purple aura grasped the struggling stallion, yanking him out of the couch and gently placing him on his hooves before it dissipated.

“This is worse than I thought. I’m definitely going to have a talk with Discord.” Twilight said, shaking her head as if disappointed.

All eyes that didn’t widen had done so now as Nagare hastily drew his sword from its sheath with his mouth, slowly drawing the blade to the point where wing connected with body.

“You’re going to cut them off?!” Twilight shrieked, her horn flaring up once more before a white hoof suddenly cut in front of her.

“Let him. It’s his body.” Kaguya pointed out, shaking her head.

“But it could kill him! The magic affecting his body would become more unstable than it is now!” Twilight protested, ears flat on her skull. Her horn was still glowing.

“Hmm?” Nagare hummed, just barely stopping the point of his sword from connecting with his wing. His eyes averted to the unicorn, and the rest of him was still.

“Listen: we know little to nothing about how this world works, and the same could be said for magic. We’ve only stayed long enough to get the bare basics around here.” Kaguya pointed out, eyes narrowing as she stared at Twilight.

“Greeeeat. I’m stuck with wings.” Yuuki groaned, letting her hoof connect with her face. “May as well tie the damn things down and pretend they don’t exist.” She added as her hoof slid down to the point of her muzzle.

Koto looked up cross-eyed, trying to get a glimpse of her horn. “You’re saying I can’t saw this damn thing off?” She inquired, ears flat on her skull.

“Until I can figure out how to fix it, pretty much.” Twilight sighed, a quill and scroll appearing out of nowhere before her face.

Nagare groaned, sheathing his blade as he watched the unicorn intently. The quill began to write on the scroll hastily.

The quill stopped writing, and the scroll rolled itself up before it floated to Spike, who sat at the table. “Send it to the Princess.” Twilight sighed.

“Okay.” Spike said, throwing the scroll up in the air and taking in a deep breath. Before anyone could react, he literally exhaled green fire that engulfed the scroll and caused it to vanish. This caused the eyes of the inhabitants to widen again, and Rekka to land on his backside from recoiling a tad too much for his own good.

“HE’S A DRAGON?!” The red-maned stallion shrieked, flailing his three good legs about like he was a turtle. “I THOUGHT HE WAS AN OVERGROWN LIZARD!”

Spike groaned, and his little claw hit his forehead. Before he could mumble anything, though, a blue hoof nudged at his shoulder to get his attention.

“Um...did you hear a word Kaguya said? About us only being here long enough to know the basics? Said basics didn’t include dragons, sadly.” Koto said, ears twitching.

“I did, but I thought you guys were raised by gryphons or something.” Spike answered, shaking his head disapprovingly.

“Spike, they’re not even from this planet, going by what I was told.” Twilight replied, eyelids slanted again. “You can’t just know everything from the get-go about some other place when you land in it the first few days, right?”

Spike sighed, and his claw slid off his face. He looked at Twilight. “I do suppose you’re right about that. It’s just that being called a lizard of all things irks me.” He replied.

“You still look like one!” Rekka objected, finally turning himself over and getting onto his three hooves.

“I’d reprimand him right about now, but he does have a point, sadly.” 01 commented, scratching the back of his head with his hoof. “There’s not much I can do about it when he has a valid argument in the first place.”

Spike’s eyes widened, and his cheeks puffed up before he opened his mouth and belched, letting a scroll fall from his face and roll on the table. The scroll was encased in a purple aura before it flew to Twilight, who then unravelled it and read its contents.

"But lizards don’t breathe fire...or vomit scrolls.” Tenmei interjected, blinking a few times. He removed his glasses for a moment before placing them upon his face again.

“These feathers are annoying!” Yuuki complained, causing all to look at her again. She was furiously plucking out feathers by the dozens, yet her wings looked as if they remained oblivious to the assault as they simply grew back more feathers faster than she could move. Her face was blooming a hue of red, and so were her eyes as she kept yanking out piles of feathers at a time.

“Yeah, about that…” Twilight sighed, her magic gripping the winged mare and keeping her at a total standstill, “Celestia said you and Nagare need flying classes if you want help with your wings, and Koto needs help with her magic. I’m not going to force any of you to accept, though.”

“NO!” Yuuki objected, eyes narrowing low again. “I’m not going!”

Nagare sighed and shook his head, this being promptly followed with a roll of his eyes. “If I see this ‘Discord’ in person, I’ll walk to him with my wings tied down, thank you very much.” He said rather nonchalantly.

“I think this...whatever-it-is on my horn will suffice, apart from it being sawed off from my skull.” Koto sighed, eyelids slanted as she too shook her head.

“Uh, Twilight?” Rekka asked, causing the attention of the unicorn to be diverted to him. On his head an orange horn with a red tip sat as if to mock him, glowing with a red aura. “Can you put a metal thing on me like you did Koto, please?"

Chapter XXVII- Motionless

Twilight sighed, shaking her head as her hoof connected with her face. Her horn flared up, and from thin air came another metal band which then placed itself on the stallion’s horn. She removed her hoof from her face and found herself trotting towards Tenmei, who had been sitting in a chair at the table with wide eyes and jaw agape.

01 was also seated, the lopsided smile and shrunk pupils adorning his face once more. “I have lost the ability to even…” He trailed off, his body trembling.

“Comprehend what the fuck just happened in the last five minutes?” Nagare finished for him, his head hanging low as he spoke. His wings fell slack at his sides, the bare tips of emerald feathers just touching the floor.

“Something of the sort…” The elder stallion replied, his ears twitching.

“This could’ve gone a lot better.” Twilight murmured as her magic suddenly yanked Tenmei into the air, this time slowly spinning him around as though he were locked in a sphere of some kind.

“Watashi wa yori ōku o gōi shite iru koto ga dekimasendeshita. [I couldn’t have agreed more.]” Kaguya murmured, shaking her head as her eyebrows twitched. Her ears rested on her skull.

“Hmm?” Twilight asked, hearing the older mare’s remark.

“Nothing.” Kaguya lied, backing away slowly to the stairs. “Nothing at all.”

“Uh-huh.” Twilight said rather sarcastically with an arched brow. Once she saw nothing wrong with the tan stallion, she let her magic set him down.

“Um...still paralyzed, here?” Yuuki called out, still being held in a firm grip of magic. The unicorn nodded, and her aura left the young mare who then fell onto her stomach with her legs and wings splayed wide.

“How do we fix this problem without adding swords to the equation?” 01 asked at last, slowly turning his gaze to Nagare. The green stallion still let his head hang low, and he may as well have been a statue that acted as if he did not hear the remark.

“As it stands right now, I don’t think there’s a way to fix this.” Twilight answered, eyelids slanting. A frown was on her muzzle.

“But...can’t ‘Discord’ reverse this since it’s his fault to begin with?” Tenmei interjected, an eyebrow arched.

“He could, but it’s probably going to take a lot of convincing. He isn’t called the spirit of chaos without a reason, sadly.” Twilight answered, shaking her head.

Tenmei removed his glasses with a hoof, slowly handing them over to 01. The elder stallion took the pair of lens and watched as the teen’s face promptly hit the table. A muffled groan of annoyance resounded soon after, followed by two front hooves also slamming the table.

Mimu looked at the spectacle and watched as Tenmei rose his head, only to slam it once more. “Someone’s not a happy camper.” She commented, her ears twitching.

“I’m...uh, going back upstairs. You know where to find me.” Koto stated, getting off her rump and hobbling her way to the stairs.

Yuuki, at last, scrambled to her hooves, her own wings being allowed to droop. Her eyes were hidden under her messy bangs, and her ears flat on her skull. “I’m...also going upstairs.” She murmured, trudging her way to the stairs. She sauntered past Nagare and Kaguya, both of whom looked at her with arched brows.

Hours passed, and night fell once more. Only the very faint light of the stars illuminated Yuuki’s room. She laid on the floor, eyes locked in a hypnotized stare towards the window. The steady rising and falling of her chest was her only movement, with the occasional twitch of the ear or blinking of eyes.

She continued to stare blankly. The house was silent, but she did not take notice or even care. Her body began to ache, pain tingling throughout all her nerves, but she still did not move a muscle.

The soft clip-clop of hooves hitting the floor echoed in the hall beyond, and her ears twitched as they caught the sound. It ended on short notice before her door slowly creaked open, the hallway beyond so ill-lit one could very easily think it had merged with the darkness.

Hooves hitting the floor sounded once more, followed by the creaking of the door as it was shut.

All fell silent for a few moments, everything once more locked into a state of paralysis. Surely, it felt almost as if time had frozen still.

“Yuuki?” The intruder asked at last, the voice a masculine sort.

The mare’s ears twitched once more, and only then did she begin to stir. She rose onto her legs, still staring blankly at the window, her muscles screaming at her to stop, having been numbed all these hours just laying on the floor, but their owner failed to comply. Her wings still drooped as though broken and completely useless addendums on her body.

“Yuuki.” The intruder repeated, this time a bit louder. His voice, if his tone of voice was anything to base his gender on, was the only thing that dared break the serene silence of the house. The mare turned to the door as if she begrudged something, only to see a dark silhouette illuminated by the faint starlight beyond her window.

It was one she knew all too well, for nobody else she knew had half his mane concealing his right eye. “Nagare?” She asked, her voice hushed. It was as if she wanted to avoid speaking altogether.

“Yes.” The intruder answered, slowly walking until he was face to face with Yuuki in the near-bleak darkness of the room. “Who else would it be? I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Well, then spit it out.” Yuuki said, turning her head away from the stallion.

The stallion sighed, then sat on his rump. He kept his wings tucked neatly at his sides. “Look, I’m sorry for those accusations I threw at you a few days ago.” He said quickly, putting a hoof on the mare’s shoulder.

Yuuki failed to respond with words. She did turn her head back to him, however, and sat on her own rump.

The other hoof was placed on her corresponding shoulder. For a few moments more, a deathly silence had overtaken the duo.

Then, the stallion’s eyes widened as the mare inched closer to him. She was close enough for her breath to touch his pelt. Her forelegs soon grasped him at the waist, pulling him closer to her.

“W-what are you doing?” Nagare asked, inflection rising just a bit from shock.

Yuuki failed to answer with words once more, instead putting her head on his chest. It was as if the silence clutched her by the throat, rendering her vocal chords useless.

“Earth to Yuuki?? What are you doing?” Nagare repeated, his wings twitching nervously.

“I feel...like I can’t keep up.” The mare murmured at last, her head resting under the stallion’s chin.

“Hmm?” Nagare hummed, arching a brow. He noticed that the stars no longer glimmered in the sky, as if clouds had concealed their delicate, shimmering forms beyond the window's frame.

“All these problems. Every single one of them.” Yuuki replied, her wings slowly moving to her sides in a folding manner. “First, being a pony, then nearly losing both my freedom and my right eye, and then getting pregnant...and now these wings…”

Nagare closed his eyes, then moved his forelegs around the mare. He felt the mare inch so close to him full-on contact was inevitable at this point. And then the gut-wrenching sound of a soft, frantic sobbing hit his ears. A feeling of wetness hit his chest once the sound began.

“I just don’t know what to do…” Yuuki murmured, her voice shaken with sobs. Her wings fell limp once more as she continued to cry, and her ears fell flat against her skull.

Nagare kept his eyes closed, and he could feel tears of his own forming in their corners. As they swelled and threatened to trickle down his face, he wished there was something he could do to keep them at bay. He felt lost. He didn't know what to do aside from hold a wounded friend tightly in his forelegs and keep silent.

Anything would suffice at this point, and his mind scrambled for options, but in the end the tears had won. He too began to mourn, wrapped in a tight embrace with a sobbing friend. As he silently wept, his wings slowly spread wide before concealing much of Yuuki’s form like a feathery blanket in the darkness of the otherwise-still night.

Chapter XXVIII, Part I- Starlight

Author's Note

Edited this chapter's name and added some more words. Be happy.

~Dragon

Chapter XXVIII, Part I- Starlight

The two sat there still locked in an embrace, tears flooding out of closed eyes. One gasped in short, frequent bouts as she cried, the other merely clutching her in silence. The night almost seemed to slow itself down, letting the duo have a few more moments that felt like horribly long hours.

The pair of emerald wings that obscured one of them lifted like a veil of feathers before folding at the sides of the owner. Other than Yuuki’s hushed, muffled sobs, all was silent. Not even the tears that could fall to the floor made a sound.

Then, Yuuki’s sobs grew quieter as the minutes dragged on. Eventually, she fell completely silent, only the tears that still came from her eyes serving as testimony to her distress in the darkness.

Even so, the embrace she and Nagare shared was not broken for a single second.

Nagare opened his eyes to see the stars shining beyond the window again. “Yuuki?” He asked, his saddened voice kept to a whisper. He used his wings to wipe away his tears.

Yuuki shifted a bit, her head moving as she looked up. “Yes…?” She inquired, her voice still riddled with hints of sadness.

“There’s…” The stallion paused and gulped hard, like a golf ball somehow got stuck sideways in his throat. Something else churned in his mind and body, but he could not put his hoof on exactly what it was at the moment.

Yuuki’s wings twitched, and for a minute, they rose into the air before falling back down as limp as they had been prior. She then removed her forelegs off of the green stallion and backed away a little bit to give him some personal space, arching an eyebrow as she waited for him to speak, taking the time to wipe away whatever tears were still present on her face with a hoof.

Nagare flared his wings wide suddenly, the starlight barely illuminating his frame. His front hooves touched the floor, only for a second, before being raised like a dog begging for food. Again, the odd feeling within him churned, and this time he shuddered a little bit as the feeling died down.

“You...you had something to say, right?” Yuuki inquired, her own wings flaring wide as if in response. Her ears twitched briefly, then rose up straight.

“Yes...I do…” Nagare trailed off, his tail swishing back and forth behind him. He flapped his wings once, then twice. Thanks to the starlight, Yuuki caught a mere glimpse of the stallion as he shuddered again.

“Then why won’t--” Yuuki started, only to stop as the stallion got off his rump, walked to her, and pulled her in for another embrace with his forelegs and wings. This time, however, her eyes widened in pure shock as her lips were locked with his in a fraction of a second. She was completely paralyzed once more, her mind screaming at her to reject this advance.

All she could muster the strength to do, though, was put one of her front hooves on his chest and try to nudge him away. Nagare immediately took the hint and was quick to break the embrace of lips and bodies. Raging blushes overcame the faces of the two, and both sets of ears fell flat on skulls.

Yuuki shook, a mixture of shock and embarrassment plastered onto her face. “W-w-w-w-w-w…” She stuttered before blowing a raspberry at an inability to form any other coherent words and trying to speak clearly again, “what was that for??”

The stallion nervously rubbed a foreleg with the other hoof, his own eyes wide as he realized just what it was he had done. The odd feeling churned inside once more, and his wings snapped shut against his sides. His face was redder than that of the mare he embraced.

Again, he acted without answering, once more pulling her into a hug. This time, he held her tighter with his forelegs. He gulped hard again, and he blinked a few times. “I...I...I want you.” He said, and only then did his own words hit him harder than a freight train. His eyes returned to normal, except his eyelids slanted halfway over them. Now, he felt horrible as his wings fell to the floor.

“But...why would you want me? I’ve already been degraded…” Yuuki trailed off, tears threatening to well in her eyes again. “...and I’m pregnant.”

“That doesn’t matter. You could either get the pregnancy terminated, or give the kid up for adoption and never speak of it again.” Nagare quickly pointed out, a bout of pain making itself known in his gut. “When...when has that ever…” He trailed off, gulping hard as he struggled to find words that eluded him.

Yuuki let his words sink in for a moment or two. “I...guess you’re right about that.” She said, her ears perking up. “But...don’t we have to visit a doctor first?”

“I’ll take you there myself if I have to.” Nagare replied, his wings slowly closing again. He broke the embrace, then turned tail and crept to the door. He turned his head towards the mare before jerking it a little bit. Yuuki sighed and walked towards him, making sure her hooves did not make even the slightest sound.

The duo made their way down the stairs, and towards the door which was then opened after a key was thrust into a lock and turned. They quickly set hoof into the dimly-lit streets after shutting the door behind them and glanced around. From what they could tell, nobody else had been out and about. Only the stars illuminated their path, and they began to walk to the north of town.

Slowly, the two went to their destination in silence. Neither said a word to the other, at first.

"Will they be able to get rid of it?" Yuuki asked, eyes welling up with tears again.

"They should be able to. They have medicines for that type of thing...or, at least, I hope they do here." The stallion responded dejectedly, a frown adorning his muzzle.

"What if they don't have the medicine?" The mare asked, a single tear streaking down her cheek and landing on the cobblestone. "What if...they can't give it?"

Nagare hesitated, the words of his friend sinking in. What if her fears weren't unfounded? For all he knew, the hospital may not have had the needed medicine. "Then we'll just have to settle for giving it to an orphanage." He answered, finally.

"But, the Quartet's running around...and I need to fight..." The purple pegasus murmured, another tear falling from her face.

"And if you can't fight, then it's more likely we're goners." Nagare finished for her, cringing at the thought. "I can't begin to imagine what they'd do to innocent bystanders if they're willing to...to..." He paused, anger swelling in his rushing blood again. "Or to the others...for that matter."

Yuuki hastily glanced around the darkened town, another tear streaking her face. The image of the Quartet destroying many things, innocent ponies amongst those things, raced through her mind. Of all the damage they could cause. The terror, the pain, the suffering, the cries for help...she stopped in her tracks, the possible scenarios playing out in their worst fashion within the very fabric of her mental gears.

The stallion also stopped, turning to his friend with worry flashing in his eyes. "We mustn't stall." He said, causing her to look at him.

"I know..." Yuuki murmured, her voice once more riddled with sadness. Fear was swelling in her eyes, and even in the darkness barely touched by starlight, her fellow pegasus could see it.

"Let's gallop the rest of the way. Perhaps it could take your mind off of..." Nagare paused, searching for words, "whatever's bothering you now."

The purple pegasus nodded, and both ponies then broke out into a mad gallop towards the hospital. The teens stopped dead in their tracks as they were about to pass the street with the gingerbread house, though, when a bright crimson glow flared like a lantern before them, a gold-pelted unicorn stallion standing just beneath it with a scowl imbedded in his muzzle.

His crimson set of eyes stared right at the mare, and as they did, his scowl became a twisted smile. He sighed before he spoke. “Oh, shouldn’t you avoid just walking about in the dead of night?”

Yuuki’s wings snapped open from sheer impulse, and her eyes widened. The dark purple feathers almost made it seem like something else had been standing behind her. “I refuse to be your plaything!” She cried out.

The unicorn rose one foreleg in surprise. His eyes then narrowed low, the scowl once more adorning his face. His jaw worked up and down, yet he could not form words.

Nagare also spread his wings wide, a scowl present on his own face. “You are not laying a hoof on another hair on her body, Maki!” He declared, stomping one of his hooves into the ground.

“What is this…?” Maki said at last, lowering his raised foreleg into the dirt. “You...you are with someone else, you filthy harlot?!” He cried, his horn glowing brighter as if resonating with his tone of voice.

“She’s not your whore!” Nagare hissed, his wings spread as wide as they could go. "I'm not letting you take her through another night of hell!!"

The stallion’s horn flared brighter still, and a crimson aura cascaded much of the area behind him. He took the building that looked like it could house a merry-go-round in its frame (the town hall) and set it behind himself as it quickly grew legs, head and horn. “So be it!” He cried as his most recent monstrosity roared like a dragon.

Chapter XXVIII, Part II- A Displeasing Turn

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Chapter XXIX- Broken Glass

A good month and a half had passed since that day, and this time too went without even the slightest incident. The town was very much alive with busy ponies this day, some who toted things, some who sold products, and so forth. Two ponies, both unicorns, had also been present in this bustling, and they had been bickering to one another as they went about their business.

“It’s finally good to walk on four legs!” Rekka chimed, eyes closed and a great big grin on his muzzle. Indeed, his injured rear leg was no longer covered in bandages, and the contraption used to hold him upright was not present on his frame. In addition, said rear leg had been functioning as though never inflicted by trauma at all.

“You said it!” Koto replied, also smiling wide. As with her companion, her foreleg looked as though it were never broken. She and her friend then shared a hearty laughter that, though short-lived, only served as testament to how high their spirits were this day.

The two stopped in their tracks, however, as they witnessed a single feather of emerald hue land delicately on the tip of Koto’s muzzle. She looked at the anomaly cross-eyed for a moment before her nose wrinkled. “Ah...ah...ah…” She gasped in short bouts before quickly raising a hoof to cover her mouth and sneeze into it.

“Bless you!” Rekka said, eyes widening a bit as he watched the mare put her hoof back onto the walkway.

“Thanks.” Koto replied, sighing before she smiled.

“Hey! Look up here!” Cried a masculine voice. Both unicorns froze for a second before doing as they were told, only to see a green pegasus with darker-colored wings flying overhead. With this one had been another of purple hue flying along in the air, a dark purple feather falling off the frame of feather-clad wings.

The two pegasi then descended to the ground, both folding wings shut as they landed. They too smiled brightly, almost as if without a care in the world.

“Whoa! You two finally took those flying lessons?!” Rekka exclaimed, eyes widening further as he spoke.

“Yep. We didn’t falter once yet.” Nagare replied nonchalantly. He nodded his head in short order. “It actually feels pretty good to fly--heh, so good in fact we almost went overboard a few times.”

“I’d imagine!” Koto chimed, her grin widening. Her horn flared up in soft blue as she gripped her boomerang in her magic and pulled it from its saddlebag before lazily spinning it around a few times.

“Got your magic under control, I assume?” Yuuki asked, stretching her dark wings for a moment before folding them back onto her body. She tilted her head slightly at the sight.

“With some practice. Having a horn almost feels natural, in fact.” Rekka replied, his wide smile returning on his muzzle.

“I’ll bet. I’ve grown...attached to my wings.” Nagare sighed contently. His eyes were closed, and a small grin was on his face.

“I kinda want to fly.” Koto sighed, her smile fading into a small frown as she put her boomerang in her saddlebag.

“And I want to use magic.” Yuuki agreed, also frowning.

“I’m surprised Tenmei’s yet to grow either horn or wings. I’m sure he’s jealous of all four of us at this point.” Nagare stated, his smile widening. He chuckled to himself.

“You’re right about that.” Rekka agreed, nodding heartily.

“Who knows?” Koto inquired, shrugging her shoulders briefly. “Maybe even Kaguya’s jealous.”

“Eh, I dunno. Ponies keep asking me about my yo-yo.” Yuuki stated, stretching her wings again.

“Which one, the one on your hoof or the one on your hip?” Rekka inquired, arching a brow as he spoke.

“A bit of both, actually. It kinda gets a bit awkward from there.” Yuuki replied, sighing through her nostrils. A slight blush was on her face, and her ears twitched.

Koto’s eyes widened. She let off a nervous giggle. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but...what kind of awkward do you mean?” She said.

“The kind where stallions keep asking you out and…yeah, I think you get the idea now.” Yuuki answered, her blush visibly brightening as she frowned.

“Oh my.” Koto said, a blush on her own face. She blinked a few times.

“Some of them even asked her about any...ahem, sexual kinks. That was...well, where I had to step in and tell them to leave her alone.” Nagare added, a frown on his face.

“Yikes. That’s pretty bad by itself.” Rekka said, his jaw threatening to drop open. He visibly struggled to keep his muzzle shut.

“Trust me, the freaking flight captain had to step in since I apparently wasn’t clear enough to those morons. I kept saying over and over ‘she’s not interested, leave her alone,’ and it STILL went over their heads.” Nagare sighed, rolling his eyes afterwards. “And what do they do? They asked her if she liked it rough IN FRONT OF THE CAPTAIN.”

“Ouch! That’s even worse!” Rekka and Koto said in unison, both of whom had wide eyes and were slack-jawed.

“After the captain demoted the idiots to the lowest possible rank imaginable in a flight team specialized in training the newbies, she asked us for our side of the story and we told her the truth, and nothing but.” Nagare replied, sighing once more.

“And after that, training went pretty smoothly. I swear, though, the idiots looked at me like they had a grudge or something.” Yuuki added, sighing with closed eyes and eyebrows twitching.

“I’m thinking that either A) they were mad at you for failing to--pardon my words here--screw you sideways, or B) they were mad at you because you kinda got them demoted just by rejecting them and drawing a crowd.” Rekka said, his eyes still wide.

“I’m certain it’s both.” Koto stated, slowly turning her head to her fellow unicorn with a red face and shrunk pupils.

“Let’s head back home before it gets even more awkward. We can’t keep the others waiting.” Nagare said, rolling his eyes before sighing again.

“That sounds rather disastrous.” Kaguya said, eyelids closed and ears twitching. “At least those stallions got put in their place.” She added, turning her head to Rekka. “And what of magic school?”

“It went rather well. Ponies kept asking me why my horntip was red instead of full-fledged orange like the rest of my body.” Rekka answered, shrugging.

“That’s good to hear. What about you, Koto?” Kaguya asked, turning her close-eyed gaze to the blue mare.

“Good. Ponies kept asking why my cutie mark’s a boomerang.” Koto replied, a half-smile on her face.

“Hmm?” Kaguya hummed, opening her eyes. “Did anything happen after?”

“No, other than learning a spell...I forget what it was called…” Koto answered, frowning as she rubbed a hoof on her head a bit.

“Illumination.” Rekka stated, shooting the blue mare a glance.

“Yes, what he said.” Koto said, smiling.

“Ah. I see.” Kaguya said, smiling warmly. “Did anyone bring up anything else?”

“No, other than this one stallion asking me why I tie my mane and tail. I simply told him it’s a habit of mine.” Rekka answered, smiling wide.

“It’s getting pretty late.” Yuuki commented, looking out the window to see a world of black beyond, illuminated by the light of a rising half-moon. She trotted to the stairs. “I’m off to bed.”

Rekka sat on his rump and stretched his front limbs, letting his mouth open wide for a yawn to escape it. He then rose and also trotted to the stairs. “So am I.” He said.

Koto followed suit, letting a yawn out of the back of her throat as she ascended the flight. Her eyelids partially drooped. Then, Kaguya tagged along, yawning as well. Nagare also went with.

Lights went off and ponies crept into beds, curling up underneath blankets with sleep soon overtaking them. It did not last that long for Rekka and Koto, however, as they heard something sounding like glass shattering before getting out of bed and their rooms to meet up in the inky black hallway.

A blue glow made itself known as much of the darkness was cast away, just barely on the tip of Koto’s horn. Her eyes were wide and her pupils shrank. “W-what was that?” She asked, ears flattening on her skull.

“I’m not sure what it is. But I think we should check it out.” Rekka stated, his ears flattening on his head before they perked up as more shattered glass resounded from the first floor. It sounded like the glass was being stomped on by hooves, but with a tired mind, he couldn’t be too sure.

The sound resounded again, sending a chill running down the spines of the two. They shook as if in subconscious response, but only for a moment, before they slowly crept down the stairs, the blue glow casting away some more shadow and causing other shadows to roil about as she and Rekka descended.

As the tell-tale shattering occurred once more, the duo froze again. The sound had very clearly come from the living room, but as Koto began to sway her head in every direction, it became clear that there was no shattered glass to be had. No shining shards on the floor, no broken windows, nothing to indicate that something had happened. How, then, was the noise being made in the first place?

“I don’t like this.” Koto murmured, turning her gaze to the kitchen door. It looked like it had not been touched at all. Then, the shattering happened yet again right then and there, and this time it was so dreadfully close she jumped and turned her gaze to her companion, finding he lay on the floor with eyes closed tightly shut.

The mare looked past the red-maned unicorn, only to find another with a pelt of gold and two glass bottles held in his crimson magic, one of which was already broken to the point of near-uselessness. She turned tail and began galloping towards the kitchen before she felt something hit and then shatter on the back of her head, and as the bout of pain ran its course, she fell onto the floor with her vision turning as black as the shadows she casted away.

The gold-pelted stallion chuckled wryly, encasing both of the younger unicorns in his magic before vanishing in a flash of crimson light with the two.

Chapter XXX, Part I- Payback

Koto slowly opened her eyes, letting off a weak groan as she did. The world span round in circles, but eventually, it stopped. When the spinning stopped, she winced as she rose her head to look at her surroundings. From what she could see, which was very little thanks to the accursed darkness that surrounded her, she was simply not where she was when she was knocked out.

The floor she lay on felt cold and very hard, and as she moved one of her forelegs to start an attempt to stand, something clinked and rattled very noisily. Her ears twitched to catch the odd rattling sound, and she moved her other foreleg to find that the noise had occurred once more.

Her eyes widened. She tried to cast another illumination spell with her horn, only for a searing hot pain to assault the nerves in her head and cause her to yelp in pain and surprise. She quickly rose into a sitting position, more clinks and rattles resounding as she did.

A masculine groan sounded, and Koto swiveled her head side to side in an attempt to figure out where it was coming from. Then, rattles and clinks came forth once more as another form shifted about, the owner still groaning in pain.

“Who is that?” Koto asked, trying once more to get her horn to light up. All that came to her was another surge of pain, and she grit her teeth as a result.

“Koto...is that you?” Asked the other form. “Damn...it sure is dark here.”

“Rekka?” Koto inquired, her ears falling flat on her skull for a moment.

“Yeah...why?” The other form asked. He moved his head for a bit before he grunted in pain. “Ow...could’ve sworn my horn was working earlier today…”

“Same here…” Koto replied before freezing in place altogether as hooves beating on the cold, hard surface echoed faintly for a second. Then, a chuckle came soon after that, the tone nonchalant but lingering with subtle traces of some withheld emotion.

The hooves echoed again, this time just a little bit louder. They echoed once more, and so too did that unnerving laugh which sent another body-shaking chill down the spines of the two ponies.

A deathly silence overtook the whole area for a minute. Then, the hooves echoed yet again, and this time it sounded like someone had been trotting at a collective pace. A faint orange glow made itself apparent in the darkness, though not enough to show any silhouettes.

Then, the glow brightened, and as it did, it revealed a set of slender, metal bars lined both vertically and horizontally, thus forming a grid of steel that not many could hope to break.

Koto’s pupils instantly shrank at the ghastly sight, and her heart literally skipped a beat. As the glow continued to brighten and the hooves continued to get louder, she looked down at her hooves and grit her teeth in an attempt to choke back a scream of pure terror.

Thick metal bands linked by chains were clamped onto her hooves, and they were just a bit smaller than her forelimbs--meaning it would be a pain to remove them without a key.

The hooves got louder still, and she slowly looked back to the metal bars as the reason why stopped on the other side altogether. Her heart sank at the sight of Maki, whose horn was glowing a bright crimson in hue. He stared back at her with his crimson eyes, something flickering to life within the otherwise-dark voids.

“I see you two are awake.” He said nonchalantly. A grin came on his muzzle, partially obscured thanks to the metal bars he stood behind. He flung open the door and walked in, shutting it behind him soon after. His smile widened when he saw the younger orange unicorn stand up on his four legs with a scowl on his face.

“Why I oughta…!” Rekka hissed, galloping towards the stallion before the chains on his hind legs stopped him on terribly short notice. He did not get much further from the closest wall, and when he turned around, his pupils shrank upon seeing why he was unable to get any closer to Maki.

“Feisty one, and foolish as well. The more, the merrier.” Maki taunted, a sort of sleepy look on his face as he watched the spectacle. He turned his head slowly to Koto, who was now backing away into a corner. From thin air came two things that soon found themselves floating next to him: a switchblade knife, and a baseball bat.

The knife then shot towards the younger stallion like a speeding bullet, impaling itself into his left shoulder with a clean cut. Rekka quickly howled in pain as the knife withdrew from his flesh like it had been butter, and he turned his attention to the twisted elder stallion who was still standing there with a sick grin plastered onto his gold-colored muzzle. The knife plunged itself into flesh once more, this time in the lower half of the flank. The younger unicorn failed to contain another pained cry, rivers of red trickling down his wounded legs as the knife once more slid out.

Maki turned his gaze straight back in Koto’s direction, and he quickly grasped her in his magic and hoisted her in the air and brought her closer to him. As he did, his smile turned into a hideous scowl once the mare began flailing her chained legs about in a vain attempt to break free.

“W...why are you doing this?!” Rekka wailed, his eyes widening as the bat was raised next to Koto, the end next to her cheek in a position to strike. The bat withdrew and then swung, hitting the young mare right in the face as she was then dropped onto the floor. The injury swelled a bit, but not too much, and it began to turn a hue of crimson.

The bat and knife vanished without so much as a trace of them having existed, save for the wounds they had already inflicted, and he got just within hoof's reach of the two. “Why?” Maki repeated, his scowl once more turning into a sinister smile. Both unicorns were then hoisted up once more in his magic, and he dragged their chained forms to him, his smile never once faltering for even a second.

Chapter XXX, Part II- Stay Back!

“Why, you ask?” Maki repeated again as he placed both the younger ponies on their rumps before him. He then sat on his own and raised his right foreleg, very quickly smacking Rekka with his hoof across the face. He did the same to Koto, adding more pain to what they already had, before setting his hoof down again. He rose both forelegs and then onto his hind legs, and before either of the younger ponies could react, he had them pinned to the floor on their backside, one hoof on the chest of each.

Both of the younger unicorns looked up at him, one with a scrunched eye and the other already on the verge of producing tears. Maki turned his attention to Koto, who was looking at him with a frightened gaze. He amplified the pressure of his front hooves, making both her and Rekka yelp in pain as a result.

He lowered his head, making sure his muzzle was between their heads. “The stabbing and hitting was payback for earlier. And this…” He paused, averting his eyes to make sure the two were listening, “...is merely what I’ve always wanted to do to you brats.” He added more force to his front hooves, raising his head before either of the unicorns could smack him with their own, and he stood there watching them writhe in a vain attempt to push him away.

“You...sick bastard!” Rekka wheezed, his breath sparse as even more pressure clamped down on his chest.

“Hmm? What was that?” Maki asked, arching a brow as he swiveled his eyes towards the stallion he stabbed. Any sound he could make with his mouth was shallow and almost completely silent. “Having trouble breathing, are we?” He removed his front hooves off of the two unicorns, both of whom then coughed and gasped frantically. A crimson aura gripped them and lifted them off the ground before slamming them into opposing walls and keeping them in place. Because they were still trying to breathe, they only let off grunts of pain as a result.

The cruel unicorn hastily undid the binds of the duo with his magic, the crimson aura then casting them aside like useless twigs. They clinked and clacked as they hit the floor, a dull metal echo resounding a bit longer afterwards.

“S-stop…” Koto pleaded, eyes scrunched shut with tears threatening to leak out. She gasped in pain soon after, and she tried her best to get off the wall she was held against.

Maki turned to her, ears perked to attention. Seeing that her stomach was against the wall rather than her back, his magic flipped her round before slamming her into the wall again. He proceeded to do the same with Rekka, taking a moment to pause to see if he was out cold yet. Though he didn’t look it, the younger stallion was very much awake as evidenced by him raising his head with one eye still open.

The unicorn then began to walk towards Koto. The crimson aura around her dissipated, letting her blue form drop to the floor on her stomach as he approached. The mare looked up, still breathing weakly, to see the wretched grin on his face, the way his eyes flickered with something transcending evil. She raised one of her front hooves and placed it firmly on the cold ground, trying to force herself up. The pain in her chest, though, prevented her from moving too much.

Another aura of magic gripped the young and hapless mare, this one flipping her over onto her back before fading. She tried to force herself off the floor once more, only to have her front hooves pinned to it by Maki’s own. Then, Kaguya’s words rang in her mind.

“Did anybody else bump into a gold-pelted stallion with a short, crimson mane? She said it was him.”

Koto’s eyes widened again. Connecting the dots in her head faster than one could blink, she cringed in terror. She truly knew what Maki was now, and what he was about to do to her. She still had a chance to push him away, but time was fleeting. "I'm not letting him hurt me!" The unicorn thought, realizing he hadn't bothered to hold her back legs, and so readied them to lash out at him like a kangaroo. "Hasn't he done enough damage already?! I'm not letting him have his way with me--not a chance in hell!" A fire began to burn in her eyes as she felt her heart pounding in her chest.

The cruel stallion above began to lower his hind quarters slowly, readying himself to internally rip apart another mare. He lowered himself some more before his eyes widened, and he howled in pain as a rear hoof connected with his pelvis in an instant, having enough force to break the neck of another pony of similar size to the owner. By instinct, he jumped off of his would-be victim whilst still groaning in pain, using his magic to keep her pinned on the floor.

“S-Stay back, you freak!” Koto shrieked, forcing herself to sit upright despite the magic aura trying its best to keep her pinned. Something seemed to have granted her enough strength to pull this feat, but Maki wasn’t sure what it was. Had it been anger? An adrenaline rush, perhaps?

Despite the amount of pain lingering between his hind legs, Maki smiled just a little bit. He amplified more magic into keeping the unwilling mare pinned on her backside, bit his jaw soon dropped as she defied the extra force. Her own horn began to crackle to life, and whatever she was about to channel through it was not good on his part.

“You...you won’t hurt me like you did Yuuki! I refuse to allow it!” The blue unicorn cried, the fire burning in her eyes much more noticeable as her own horn glowed brighter and brighter still. Slowly, she rose onto all four shaking legs despite the red aura still clutching her like a snake.

“I...Impossible! How are you--?!” Maki started, his own horn starting to ache in pain. His eyes were wide, and he was slack-jawed. It should not have been possible for Koto to even fight back at this point, and yet, by some unexplained miracle, she was. Another, darker crimson glow emanated from behind him, and he turned round to see Rekka forcing himself to stand as well. His horn, too, glowed with an aura that defied that of the elder unicorn, who was now trying to keep himself from panicking.

Even so, the cruel older unicorn channeled still more magic to try to keep the duo contained, and his eyes scrunched shut as the pain in both horn and lower region caused him to wince. He turned his body to the metal grid and began to back into the opposite wall, his magic becoming more drained as he struggled to keep the young unicorns at bay. As he did, one of his back hooves touched the discarded shackles and a soft clank hit his ears.

And Maki smiled as soon as he heard that clank.

Chapter XXX, Part III- A Cheap Tactic

Maki hoisted the shackles into the air with his magic, and somehow, the same force that caused Koto and Rekka to repel him had bestowed him new strength with which he flung the annoying unicorns aside, causing them to hit their walls once more. Then, the shackles were re-applied to unwilling hooves, but the chains themselves vanished from thin air, just leaving the metal bands on the hooves alone.

The stallion turned to Koto, a devious grin plastered onto his face. “If you won’t allow me to take your flower…” He paused, making the unicorns he held in his magic fly towards one another like ragdolls. He forced them to embrace in a hug as if a demonic puppeteer, and only then did the chains appear, tying Rekka’s front hooves behind Koto, and Koto’s front and back hooves behind Rekka. “Then it shall be HE who does so in my place!”

The eyes of both young unicorns widened, and pupils shrank in a fraction of a second. “WHAT!?” They shrieked in unison from pure surprise alone, horns still aglow with magic.

Maki smiled wickedly, producing two small metal bands from thin air and placing them on the horns of the troublesome duo, and in an instant, their horns stopped glowing. His magic then made the two kiss, and both tried to pull away to no avail. He let the two descend to the floor, making sure Rekka was literally on top of the newly-made pile.

The orange-pelted pony still kept trying to pull himself free, but his chains and magic prison thwarted his attempts. Koto was trying to do likewise, but in addition to chains and magic, the floor itself was an obstacle that prevented her escape.

The elder stallion still smiled like a demon, letting his magic ease up on the two just enough for them to break lips and gasp for air. Then, from nowhere came yet more chains, this particular set shaped like horse tacks.

“I’d suggest breathing through your noses from here on out.” Maki said, letting his magic do the dirty work of attaching the tacks to the duo and then tightening the area that held the muzzle so much they literally could not open their mouths. The two still struggled to pull themselves apart from one another, and their attempts were in vain.

Maki then arched an eyebrow. Sure, the two were in the exact position he wanted them in, and it was true they were being held to one another, but something felt off about the situation. He walked over to them, laying the ponies on their sides with a hoof to figure out why the situation had felt off to begin with.

He looked towards their harnessed heads, only to see flattened ears, scrunched eyes, and shut traps. They did, however, breath through their nostrils and had even stopped struggling for a minute, likely to catch their breath.

“Good thing you two did as I asked, for once.” Maki said, a small smile on his face as he spoke. He looked towards their shoulders and found that his chains were effective as ever keeping hooves tied behind the backs of the other. Even so, something still didn’t quite sit right with this situation, so where was it that he had gone wrong?

Slowly, he crept to the midsections, and it was then the cause of his confusion had at last made itself apparent: quite simply, a lack of a visible dong sandwiched between the two. He looked towards Rekka, tapping his shoulder with a hoof to get his attention. The shackled stallion opened the eye that wasn’t facing the floor, letting his gaze direct itself to his current captor.

“Why in hell aren’t you aroused yet?” Maki asked, and in that instant, Rekka’s pupil shrunk again. Koto opened one eye as well, also with a shrunk pupil present. Once more, the two started to struggle frantically, and this time Rekka violently kicked his back legs every single opportunity he could, yet they could not find where he wanted to aim them.

The demented stallion put a hoof to his chin and rubbed it a bit, using his magic to hold down the set of rear legs that hadn’t been tied. Being as perverted as he was, Maki knew a vast array of tricks he could employ to arouse the stallion beneath him. But, with how much they were struggling, it would be difficult to employ those tricks. Despite this, the cruel, towering menace smiled as the attempts of escape grew weaker and weaker with each passing second.

The two ponies below had, at last, stopped struggling once more, and both scrunched their eyes shut tight. The demented freak who still loomed over them smiled widely, his sick efforts finally beginning to pay off. But, he was still weary--perhaps they merely pretended to stop, hoping he’d fall into the trap. Just to be certain, he knelt down and lowered his head, biting down firmly on Rekka’s ear. The younger stallion winced, but other than that, he showed no movement. Maki repeated this process with Koto, and she yielded the same result. For a few moments, all was death quiet.

“You’ve lost your strength already? Under normal circumstances, I’d say something along the lines of ‘pitiful,’ but today there is no need for that.” Maki said, his grin only widening as his horn glowed brighter.

He was not aware, though, that the two had been so drained already all they could do was black out. Irregardless, he then forced the two to achieve an unwanted union while they had been unconscious, taking off the chains afterwards. The only metal attire he left in the entirety of the cell as he himself walked out smiling like a fiend were the metal bands he placed on their horns.

And his smile only widened from ear to ear as he heard Koto wailing in agony later that night. The cry of anguish was nothing short of music to his ears.

Chapter XXXI, Part II- Standing, and Falling

Rekka let the words of his fellow victim sink in for a few moments. It did indeed hold true that he was only forced into a brief, unwanted union while he was out cold, but it did not change the fact that he was used by a stallion who ultimately wanted to hurt both him and his companion in the first place. Either way, Koto would’ve been hurt, and she was indeed hurt.

“He…” The stallion paused, scrunching his eyes shut as can be, “he still hurt...you.”

Koto closed her eyes, another tear falling from one. She rested her head on his shoulder. “You’re...right about that, but...not as much as he would’ve done...if he did it himself.” She whispered.

Rekka grit his teeth, though only for a moment. His red eyes slowly opened again before blinking. Koto had also raised a valid point; it would’ve been much more disastrous if Maki himself had her beneath him. The fact that he took her flower in spite of being used as a toy of flesh and bone soothed him somewhat, but it did not stop another tear from leaving the corner of his eye.

“You...forgive me?” He croaked, his ears slowly standing upright.

“Yes…” Koto answered, clutching him in her forelegs and shifting her head a bit. “I kinda overreacted earlier...I’m sorry for doing that.”

The young stallion was silent. Hesitantly, he raised his front legs and wrapped them around the mare who clutched him. “May as well return the favor…” He croaked, shutting his eyes again as he placed his head on Koto’s shoulder. Another tear fell from his eye, but as it did, his body relaxed and the pain was slowly numbed to an afterthought.

Then, the wailings above continued, and this time it was high-pitched and much more shrill than it had been prior, and the thumps were heavier, as if their owner had been hitting the floor harder. The hugging ponies jumped from surprise, breaking out of an embrace and standing on their four legs. If anything, whatever was going on above the two had just taken a turn for the worse, judging by the screams and thumps alone.

The hooves were pounding in the darkness, and it was accompanied by a shriek sounding like its owner had said, “Stay away!”

The two ponies in the cell were paralyzed, and their tails threatened to stand right on end. Slowly, they backpedaled to the wall opposite of the metal door, with Rekka turning around in the process.

The hooves got closer, once more accompanied with another shrill shriek. This time, said shriek was much louder and clearer, a brief cry of absolute bloody murder. Something was definitely wrong now, but neither Rekka nor Koto could tell who had invoked exactly what, or even why. All they knew was that the wailings were maddening, and they sat down to once more cover their aching ears.

Another form appeared, and another. The second form had pinned the first, crimson glow above the two illuminating, at last, what it was that had been happening. Maki had a scowl on his face, and he was shrieking in some kind of anger at Raki, whose face was red and marked with fresh tears.

Raki tried to call forth her magic, but all her horn could produce were faint sputters and brief sparks. She wailed once more, ears flat on her head as she was hoisted up in a crimson aura and literally tossed into the cell opposite of the young unicorns. Maki then walked in himself and closed the door behind him before the glow stopped altogether, once more covering all in darkness.

Even so, the ghastly wails continued, and it was like that for a good thirty minutes. The duo sat in the back of their cell, literally unable to hear anything but the shrieks no matter how hard they tried to drown them out. As the eerie caterwauling drew on, it slowly became quieter and softer until it was nothing short of frantic gasps and what was surely sobbing.

“And you’re staying here for the rest of the day, you lying bitch!” Maki barked, his horn lighting up again in vivid crimson as he walked out of the cell and shut the door. He shot a glare at the duo as they removed their hooves from their ears. “As for you two, you will be dealt with later tonight!” He shouted, a scowl most horrific on his face as he walked away.

Rekka waited until the hooves of the angry stallion faded into a soft echo, the only other sound being the frantic gasps and sobs coming from the other cell, before he spoke. “I’m actually afraid to get on his bad side myself now…”

Koto shuddered. “I hope he’s not one of those ‘don’t tell or I will kill you’ types…” She muttered, her ears flat on her head.

“As much as I hate saying it, if that was the case, then Yuuki would’ve been dead by now…” Rekka replied, his ears also flat on his skull.

“But...why was he allowed to do...that to her? And us? S-Shouldn’t his leader put him in his place?” Koto asked, glancing at Rekka with a frown on her face.

“T-The leader...he let it slide, I’m afraid.” Croaked a female voice that was still riddled with frantic gasps. The door of the opposite cell flung open, and a light blue glow made itself known. Then, the door that kept the duo inside also opened, and in sauntered a very wobbly and red-faced Raki. She shut both doors as she limped inside, and she appeared to be putting more pressure on one back leg than the other before she collapsed onto her side.

Both ponies shot a glance at the weakened unicorn as she tried to stand.

“Wait...you’re saying...he completely condoned this?” Rekka asked, slack-jawed. Raki nodded, falling to her side once again in a failed attempt to stand up.

Koto rose to her hooves, then walked to the weakened mare before sitting down at her side.

“Why...why would you sit next to me…?” Raki asked, raising her head and turning to the younger mare. “I...thought you didn’t like me.”

Koto turned to look the mare in the eye. “I still remember when you had Nagare crucified...before we even came here thanks to that...thing.” She paused, taking in a deep breath. “But...you really didn’t deserve to be hurt like that.”

Rekka got up and walked to Raki as well, taking his place on the side opposite of Koto. “She’s right. You’ve gone pretty low, but...that asshole is lower than you.” He said, sighing soon after. “I’m...starting to think you’ve been dragged into working with the asshat and the leader who let this fly in the first place.”

Raki’s eyes widened momentarily. She then closed them and sighed. “You...do raise a point.” She replied, opening her eyes. Only now did she notice the bands on the horns of the two unicorns. Her horn glowed brighter, and the bands were encased in soft light blue before they snapped, were released, fell off and clattered to the floor uselessly. “When did you two even grow horns to begin with?” She asked.

“A few weeks ago. Six weeks, I think?” Koto answered, rubbing the back of her head nervously.

“They just...kinda sprang up on our heads.” Rekka added, sighing afterwards.

Raki nodded as she rose onto her hooves, gritting her teeth as she did. She was still as wobbly as ever, but it didn’t seem to stop her from trying. She fell again, only to attempt to stand once more. Some sort of fire had been sparked in her eyes as she fell yet again. She rose, and she did it quickly. It was the same as she fell for the upteenth time--done swiftly.

“I...will not...stay down!” She declared, once more trying to stand. The fire in her eyes burned brighter; she was very much determined. This time, she did not fall in spite of her legs threatening to slip out from under her frame, and a soft light blue aura encased the two young unicorns. “I’ve about had it up to here with that bastard’s nonsense!” She said before all three vanished in a bright white light.

Chapter XXXII- Monkey Business

A bright, short-lived light flashed upon an open dirt trail leading to Ponyville, and when it vanished, the trio of unicorns stood. There were cuts on Rekka’s shoulder and lower flank, and dried blood adorning the areas below. Koto had a bruise on her face, and Raki had several bruises lining her body. There was also some dirt on her white pelt in splotches, and her mane and tail hung as though rags.

Raki grunted and grit her teeth before collapsing once again, her glowing horn sputtering with faint sparks before the glow ceased. She tried standing yet again, only to shriek horrifically and fall back to the ground. She scrunched her eyes shut.

“I think…” She gasped, keeping her eyes closed shut, “I think the prick broke something!” She tried to stand yet again, and she fell--this time with a sickening snap and another pained cry escaping her throat.

“It sounded broken that time.” Rekka replied, eyes wide and pupils shrunk. “I’m starting to think he just sprained...whatever it was that snapped.”

“Yeah...you kinda don’t need to be out here…” Koto murmured, looking at the mare with flattened ears.

“I...think I can manage…” Raki said, trying yet again to get up. Another sickening snap resounded, and she screamed once more before falling.

“That kinda tells us otherwise…” Rekka stated, blinking a few times as his ears fell flat. His horn lit up in scarlet, its aura encasing the white mare. She was slowly lifted into the air, but as she was, the stallion scrunched his eyes shut and grit his teeth. Without warning, the aura vanished, and Raki fell to the ground once more screaming like a siren.

“Let me try to pick her up…” Koto sighed, her hoof connecting with her face.

“Try...not to break me!” Raki wailed, her ears flat on her head.

“That’s not quite a guarantee…but I’ll try.” Koto replied, removing her hoof from her face as her own horn flared up. A blue aura encased the battered mare, and she was slowly hoisted up. After a bit, the aura vanished and basically yielded the result Rekka had gotten when he tried.

“This looks a bit difficult…” Rekka sighed, eyes narrowing as he spoke.

“No shit, Sherlock.” Koto hissed, a vein appearing on her cheek.

“Let’s try this again. At the same time.” Rekka said, his ears perking up. His horn began glowing again. Koto nodded, her horn aglow as well. Both auras bathed the wounded mare and hoisted her up with ease, and they held her in the air for a few seconds longer than either of the two could do alone. Eventually, though, they had to put Raki on the ground, but this time they did it gently. As they did, one back leg bent at a wrong angle than what was natural, so they took extra care to avoid letting that touch ground first.

“Did he use a baseball bat or something? Your leg shouldn’t be bending like that.” Koto sighed, her eyes widening.

“No...just his hooves...and something else.” Raki groaned, gritting her teeth again. She shifted her forelegs in quick, jerky movements and took heavy, ragged breaths.

“Just where were you two?!” Cried a feminine voice. All three unicorns froze, eyes wide open for a moment. They glanced around, only to find nothing that could have shouted in such a clear way.

“Up here, you numbnuts!” The voice called again. Rekka and Koto looked up to see a purple form flying overhead, a dark purple feather drifting down gently before landing on the end of Raki’s muzzle and causing her to sneeze. The two watched intently as the form descended, folding her wings as she let her hooves touch ground.

“We...ran into a complication…” Rekka answered, his ears flat on his head again.

“What was the complication? Spit it out already.” Yuuki sighed, her eyes narrowing low.

“Crimson mane, gold pelt...he even attacked his...er, colleague here. We saw him do it.” Koto answered, pupils shrinking.

Yuuki turned her gaze to Raki. Upon seeing her battered form, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped open. “You have GOT to be fucking kidding me!” She exclaimed, her wings snapping open as if from impulse.

“Yeah...we can’t even hold her up for half a minute with our magic, and she needs help pronto.” Rekka said, sighing. “She has a really bad back leg.”

“You’re shitting me, right?” Yuuki asked, arching a brow.

Raki raised one front hoof. “I wish he was exaggerating…” She replied, a frown on her face.

Yuuki sighed. “Pick her up, I’ll be the toting platform.” She said, folding her wings shut.

“I’ve about had it with Maki’s shit. I refuse to associate myself with him if he’s going to be a sick bastard.” Raki stated, her eyes narrowing. “And considering the fact that Baki refuses to do anything about it, it’s a safe bet he’s a pervert too!”

Hues of red and blue aura encased the mare, and she was hoisted for a fourth time. This time, though, Yuuki trotted beneath her bruised frame and turned around to make sure she was facing the town. Raki was then lowered onto the purple frame who then stretched her wings to make sure she didn’t fall over. The three then walked to the town, keeping their pace slow to avoid damaging Raki by any further accident.

“So...you’re not going to be in the Frontier Monkey Business anymore?” Yuuki asked, eyes wide and blinking as she walked. Some of the weight of the elder mare was on her body, but not all of it thanks to the magical support of the two unicorns who walked alongside her.

“Nope. At first, I honestly thought he was joking around with the whole molestation shenanigans, mainly because I've never seen him do it. But this morning was where I got proven wrong. I’m not going near him ever again unless it’s to personally rip that dong off and shove it up his own ass for him to see how I felt.” Raki answered, a vein appearing on her cheek.

“I know how you feel. Trust me, Nagare still wants to kill something.” Yuuki replied, the memories of her torment flashing briefly in her mind. Her ears flattened as they did.

“Don’t get me started on what happened last night...Kaguya’s going to lose her shit when she hears it.” Rekka sighed, his eyes narrowing. He noticed that he was very close to the town; in fact, he and his group were already passing Sweet Apple Acres.

Yuuki turned her head to the young stallion, not stopping her walk even once, and her eyes widened as she noticed the scars on his shoulder and lower flank. “Great country of Japan, you need to get cleaned up as soon as possible!” She cried.

“I’ll do that later.” Rekka replied, not stopping his pace of walk. “We kinda need to get to the infirmary right away.” He added.

Chapter XXXIII- Sleepyhead

“She’s not going to be moving a few hours or so.” Nurse Redheart said, her eyes wide and ears flat. She turned to Rekka, whose injuries were cascaded with a moderate amount of bandages. “As for the stab wounds, they’re not too bad. With proper care and cleaning, they should finish healing in a few weeks.”

“So, how often do I change the bandages?” Rekka asked, looking at his wrapped shoulder.

“For the first two weeks, change them every day. After the third week, change them every other day, and always clean them every change.” Redheart replied, a small grin on her face.

“Alrighty then. I can manage that. But do I have to come here to change my bandages every so often?” Rekka asked, rubbing his chin with a hoof.

“No, the bandages are washable and can be reused.” Redheart answered, her grin not wavering once.

“Fair enough.” Rekka said, smiling himself.

Kaguya paced in circles in the living room. She grit her teeth, and her eyes narrowed. Her mane was a mess, strands sticking out in places. Sitting at the nearby table were Mimu and Mimi, both of whom had flattened ears as they watched the elder mare make circles as she walked.

The door opened, and the pacing mare stopped in her tracks and turned her head to the anomaly. Standing beyond were Yuuki, Rekka, and Koto who for some reason had a bruise on her face. They trotted in quickly, closing the door behind them. She shot a glance at both of the unicorns. “The two of you must talk to me upstairs. Immediately.”

The unicorns sighed, quickly trotting upstairs in short order. Kaguya followed, stopping halfway up to glance at Yuuki.

“I’ll fetch the others right away.” Said the pegasus, who then turned around to open the door, trot out, and shut it. The flapping of wings resounded soon after, and faded away after a few seconds. Kaguya resumed her course to find the young adults waiting for her in the hallway. She almost seemed to glare at them with how narrowed her eyes were.

“What the flying fuck happened last night?” She asked.

“We got hit with something after hearing breaking glass, but not actually SEEING said breaking glass.” Rekka said, his ears flat on his skull.

“I saw broken bottles...and a unicorn somehow got into the house…” Koto added, her ears flat as well.

Kaguya turned to Koto. “What happened after that?” She inquired, her ears twitching.

“When we woke up, we were in chains...and the unicorn who hit us tried raping me, but…” Koto trailed off, looking at the floor for a brief moment.

“And?”

“He failed to actually do her, so to speak. We kinda passed out. All I know is when I woke up after that….I...uh…” Rekka also trailed off, his jaw beginning to shake a bit.

“Hmm?” Kaguya hummed, arching an eyebrow.

“The unicorn….” Koto trailed off again, slowly raising her left hoof and pointing it at Rekka, “kinda put him inside me, and I flipped...and then the same one hurt one of his colleagues, and she broke us out of wherever we were at.”

In that instant, more brown strands of mane stuck out of place on their own accord. “HE DID WHAT?” Kaguya asked, her jaw dropping open and eyes widening.

“Also, the bastard kinda stabbed me.” Rekka sighed, his mouth still twitching.

“What of the colleague he attacked?” Kaguya asked, her eyes narrowing again.

“We kinda took her to the hospital. She was beat up pretty bad. We had to repay her somehow for getting us out of that hellhole, and she said she wasn’t going to talk to him anymore unless she were to basically maul him.” Rekka answered, his ears slowly returning upright.

“And who was it that did all of those things?” Kaguya asked, even more strands of mane sticking out of place.

“Uh...he had a gold pelt and short crimson mane.” Koto answered, a frown on her face.

“Same one that hurt Yuuki twice and knocked her up?” Kaguya asked. Both unicorns nodded in unison. The white mare’s hoof then connected with her face before sliding off and returning to the floor. “When I thought it couldn’t get any worse…” She mumbled, a vein appearing on her cheek. Only now did the duo notice that fairly heavy bags hung under the elder mare’s eyes, and they were already on the brink of darkening.

The mare then fell onto her side, eyes closed and form barely stirring afterwards. Some drool crept out of the corners of her open mouth, but she seemed little fazed by it.

“She didn’t sleep again?” Rekka asked, arching a brow at the anomaly.

“Seems to be the case.” Koto replied, sweat beginning to form. Her horn lit up in soft blue. “Let’s put her in bed.”

“Yeah. Last thing we need is her waking up to body pain because she slept in the wrong position or something.” Rekka agreed, his horn also aglow. A mixture of red and blue auras soon bathed the sleeping mare and lifted her gently into the air, and the two ponies didn’t stall in trotting into her room, placing her onto her bed, and covering her up with a blanket. They then crept out of her room and closed the door behind them, hearing the sound of another door opening from below.

That was followed by more hooves resounding, and then the sound of a door closing. The two unicorns quickly went to the stairs, then down them, to see exactly why. Now in the living room were 01, Tenmei, Nagare, and Yuuki looking at them as they descended the small flight. The two stallions who still lacked horn and wing for some unexplained reason had messy manes and sweat clinging to their frames, complete with ragged breaths and red faces.

“Yuuki...told us everything. I’m...still dumbfounded myself.” 01 said in between breaths. He sat down on his rump and wiped some sweat off his forehead with a hoof.

“We ran around like...raging lunatics looking...for you two.” Tenmei added, proceeding to mimic the elder stallion.

Nagare stretched his wings briefly. “The more I hear about the prick, the more I want to personally hunt him down and strangle him with his own gonads. I really need to invest in a punching bag.” He murmured, eyes narrowing.

“At least they’re alive. They do need to get cleaned up, though.” 01 replied, pointing a hoof at the two unicorns.

“There’s that.” Nagare agreed, nodding his head.

“Where’s Kaguya?” Tenmei asked, arching a brow.

“She kinda went kerplunk. We put her in bed.” Rekka answered, ears flat on his skull.

“Ah. As long as we know where she’s at, everything’s fine.” 01 said, stretching his forelegs into the air. He then set his hooves down and stood up. “Same goes for everybody else.”

“But you can’t know where we are 24/7. Suppose I went to Sweet Apple Acres and got kidnapped on the way, right? You only know where it was I had intended to go, not where I had been stowed away to.” Tenmei pointed out, looking at the elder stallion with narrowed eyes hidden behind glinting lens.

“You do have a valid point, I suppose. Maybe all the running around today is already wearing on my brain.” 01 replied, closing his eyes and sighing.

“I heard that unicorns could do something that would enable them to go to any place they wanted, but it would drain their magic in an instant...I forget what it was called…” Rekka added, putting a hoof on his chin.

“Teleportation, I think?” Koto inquired, a brow raised as she turned to look at her fellow unicorn.

“Sounds about right.” Rekka replied, putting his hoof down. “But I also heard not many could even do it properly. It’s one of those spells that’s reserved for the higher-ups.”

“Isn’t that what Raki did when she got you out of that hellhole you told me about as I basically took you back to Kaguya?” Yuuki inquired, head hanging low as she sighed.

Chapter XXXIV- Skyward Complication

A few hours dragged on that day, with everyone getting cleaned up and having food. Nothing really happened otherwise, and the hours ticked by. The day had just begun to recede into the twilight hour that would ultimately give way to the night.

“You two going out again?” 01 asked, watching with partially draped eyes as the two pegasi of the household were about to open the door and trot out.

“Yes. We’re going up to Cloudsdale.” Nagare replied, sighing and shifting his wings a bit. His sword was in a saddlebag strapped to his body.

“And why are you taking your weapons with you?” 01 inquired, blinking a few times.

“It’s in case we need to defend ourselves from something. It’s better to have my sword and not need it than for me to need it and not have it.” The young stallion replied, sighing again. “Last time that happened, it was nearly a disaster.”

Yuuki raised her right foreleg for a moment, which had her yoyo strapped to it. She set it down and sighed herself. “We’re probably going to be gone a while. Flight captain wanted to talk with us about something.” She said.

“Alright. Just stay out of trouble as best you can.” 01 said, closing his eyes and opening his mouth to yawn.

“Okay.” The two said as the door was opened with a green hoof. They trotted out in short order, closing the door as they went. Nagare craned his head sharply in the direction of Canterlot, then looked up to see a faint silhouette of clouds hovering well above the mountain castle. He flared his wings and quickly rose into the air with Yuuki following close behind.

Twilight was quickly fleeting, the bare top of the vivid orange sun already about to set. The last rays of light were going with that which produced them, and stars were very much beginning to twinkle in the other side of the darkening sky. The two pegasi ascended higher and higher, wings continually flapping and occasionally lodging a feather loose from their frames.

The wind blew in their ears as they ascended higher still, but it did not deter them as they approached the solitary cloud--more like an amalgamation of a bunch of clouds made to look like houses and the like--lazily floating above Canterlot. The night had emerged at last, and with it came a slowly-rising half moon that illuminated the sky with its own silvery light.

The two got closer to the cloud city, and as they did, Yuuki swiveled her head left and right. She saw more darkened silhouettes also flying to the city, their forms barely discernable from the deep navy blue of the night. Nagare also darted his head left and right, and he was seeing more flying ponies than he had wished to.

“Are they also going to talk to Spitfire?” Yuuki asked, glancing around once more. Cloudsdale was within mere yards now.

“I’m not sure. But we’re not stopping to ask.” Nagare replied, his eyes narrowing as he and his fellow pegasus came even closer to the city. He flapped his wings harder and faster, as if he were readying himself for a race. Yuuki proceeded to do the same, and as she took another cursory glance from side to side, it became apparent that the silhouettes had done this as well.

What’s more was that the silhouettes got closer to the duo, bit by bit. As they did, the moonlight made their forms clearer. One had a dark brown pelt, and another had a coat of light grey that could have been mistaken for white thanks to the glow of the moon. A third had pale yellow.

Nagare glanced around, turning his body so that his stomach faced the sky as he flew. He saw the ponies inching their way to him and Yuuki, all of which were stallions. “Fucking hell, we’re being tailed?!” He cried, positioning himself in an upright stance and still flying, though he stopped his original course entirely. As he did, a fourth pony of dark grey and with a mane with two tones of light blue showed up behind the first three.

Yuuki also turned around, positioning herself upright as well. The group of stallions had stopped likewise. The yellow stallion, who had red mane and green eyes, snorted a bit. The light grey one, who had a two-toned purple mane that seemed to wave about in a breeze, chuckled a bit. The brown one, two-toned yellow mane styled like that of the light grey pony, merely smirked.

“What do you want?” Nagare asked, poising one front hoof to draw his sword.

“Ey, Starburst. Ain’t that one of the two who got us demoted?” Asked the light grey stallion. He was grinning as he spoke.

Starburst, the yellow pony with the red mane, snorted. “Yep, he is, Sightseer.”

“Cloud Chaser, how are we going to pay them back for all the trouble they put us through?” Asked the brown stallion.

Cloud, the pony with two-toned blue mane, sighed. “Compass Star, we outnumber them. It’s two against four.” He answered, a grin already widening on his muzzle.

“That doesn’t answer my question!” Compass nearly shrieked, his eyes narrowing as he turned to his fellow pegasus. His smile turned into a frown.

“I say two of us take the green one, and the other two go after the mare.” Cloud answered, blue eyes brimming in the light of the moon.

In that instant, Nagare unsheathed his sword, the blue and green metal reflecting the moon’s light. He clutched it in his hooves, his mouth curling into a snarl as he kept flapping his wings in a stationary position. He could already tell that the situation was about to get much uglier in the course of a few moments, and at that fact alone his eyes narrowed.

Yuuki also narrowed her eyes, poising her weapon in her hooves. She coiled the string around one of them tightly, and held the yoyo itself in her other. The pegasi who had tailed her and her companion split in two groups, Starburst and Compass making one and Cloud and Sightseer the other.

Starburst and Compass then rushed at Yuuki with front hooves outstretched before their bodies, wings propelling them forward much, much faster than she had predicted. As a result, she kicked her own wings into gear and descended beneath them before their hooves could connect with her body. She swiveled around in a half-circle, readying her weapon for throwing.

The yoyo flew from her hoof, speeding like a rocket before it collided with the back of Compass Star’s head. He yelped in pain before turning around, Starburst doing the same minus the cry of pain. They rushed at Yuuki again, and she dodged the assault, this time flying overhead of the two.

Sightseer and Cloud, though, had a great deal of trouble with Nagare. They kept trying to hit him with their front hooves, only to be met with resistance in the form of the flat of his blade. He moved as fast as the would-be punches had come. No matter how low the punches went, the sword kept up in perfect tempo, blocking the hits with ease. The sword-wielder made it more irksome for the aggressive ponies by backing the flat of his weapon with his own hoof.

The two ponies who tried and failed to wail on the green stallion quickly backed off.

“It’s no wonder his cutie mark’s a damn sword! He’s real good with the damn thing!” Sightseer cried, his eyes narrowing low as he spoke.

“Too good. Never seen one quite skilled with that thing.” Cloud agreed, nodding with a scowl on his face. He looked towards Starburst and Compass, both of whom failed to land a hit on Yuuki. The mare was dodging left and right, occasionally throwing her weapon to land a hit on her pursuers before hastily retracting it.

“Break it up!” Cried a female voice, causing all to freeze for a second or so. A light yellow pegasus with a two-toned orange mane and matching golden orange eyes was flying right at the fighting group of ponies, two of which were armed with weaponry. She had a drill officer uniform on her body, front hooves outstretched before her moonlit frame. Nagare and Yuuki were quick to move away from the other four ponies, rapidly beating their wings to propel themselves and sheathing their weapons. The four pegasus stallions, though, only continued to fly towards the fleeing duo, eyes lit up by both the moon and anger.

“I said break it up!” The orange-maned pegasus yelled once more, her own eyes narrowing as she continued to fly towards the group. More pegasus ponies flew not too far behind her, and there was a good ten or so.

The stallions still didn’t heed the orange-maned mare’s words, almost as if she were but a figment of their imaginations. They still chased Yuuki and Nagare, who had completely turned tail at this point and rushed towards Cloudsdale like their lives depended on it. Only then did the stallions who followed them stop as the ponies who followed the orange mare surround them in a perfect circle.

“Take those bozos to my office pronto! I’ll have a chat with the other two.” The orange mare called out, turning her attention to Yuuki and Nagare, who had already set hoof on the streets of the cloud city. She flew to them, folding her wings shut as she set her hooves onto the streets herself. The pegasi who went with her had no trouble escorting the stallions towards a building in the city, right on the corner of the street she was on.

The mare snapped her head towards the two ponies who had weapons, both of whom panted for breath. “Who started what?” She asked.

Yuuki turned to her, ears flat on her head for a moment. “They did. We were only protecting ourselves.” She answered. “You remember how they acted in front of you to earn that demotion? It was about three times worse this time around.”

“I’ll talk to them about that later.” The orange mare replied, sighing afterwards.

“You wanted to talk to us about something, Spitfire?” Nagare asked, his wings twitching.

“Well, ponies in this town reported strange things walking around in the streets, but I’ve yet to see any of it. I dunno what they’re on about, but they’re swearing left right and sideways the things are part object, part pony. That’s where you two come in. Word sprang up from Ponyville that you two and a few others dealt with a walkabout jailhouse or something. I’m not sure how valid that claim is, but could you do me a favor and look into the matter as soon as you can?” Spitfire replied, an eyebrow arched the whole time she spoke.

“So, I want to get this straight: you caught wind of what happened a few months ago, and coupled with the recent rumors flying by here, you enlisted us to deal with it since we’re the only ones in the group you have heard of that happen to have wings?” Nagare inquired, one of his own brows arched.

“Pretty much. You two look tired, though. I’ll get you a room in the Wonderbolts Academy you can stay in for the night.” Spitfire replied with a nod.

“Seems legit. That fight kinda drained me. We’ll look into it after we sleep.” Yuuki said, a faint smile on her muzzle.

Chapter XXXV, Part II- The Night Drags On

Author's Note

Clop inbound. Don't expect too much of it, though. I seem to be rather awkward at it for some reason.

~Dragon

Chapter XXXV, Part II- The Night Drags On

The water had been turned off, but the two ponies still sat in the tub with glistening bodies still covered in droplets of water. They were still very much locked in an embrace of forelegs, and their dampened wings had concealed the back of the other like a shimmering set of veils of amethyst and emerald hues. For the moment, Yuuki had her head resting beneath Nagare’s chin as she snuggled him, a blush present on her face that had receded a bit.

The place held a sort of silence now; nary a thing was heard in the adjoining bedroom or, indeed, the hallway beyond save for the still-running shower. But this was not an eerie silence, it was one that seemed to resonate with the glowing half moon and twinkling stars in the deep navy sky; one that allowed a sense of calm to permeate the area as it were.

Indeed, neither of the embracing ponies moved a hare save for breathing slowly through nostrils. There had been no reason to do so. The chill of water as it evaporated from their bodies, though, did cause them to shift a bit.

Nagare shuddered a bit, and then he broke the silence at last. “I’m getting cold. Maybe we should dry off.”

Yuuki was also shuddering. “Y-Yeah.” She said, breaking the embrace and looking to a rack that hung next to the sink and above the toilet. It held just one perfectly dry towel. “Guess we’ll have to share.”

“I don’t mind sharing a towel. It serves us the same purpose.” Nagare replied, a faint smile on his muzzle. He and Yuuki got out of the tub and walked to the single towel and pried it off its rack before drying themselves with it. A few minutes passed, and by then both ponies had slightly ruffled manes like they were afflicted with bedhead.

The two chuckled a bit as they trotted back to the bedroom, making sure to turn off the bathroom light and showerhead and close the door. The moon had since passed the window, probably sitting in the middle of the sky somewhere, leaving just the starlight to illuminate the room. The streets of the cloud city, though, were still basking in silver light wrought by the celestial body above and other, meager lights brought by the cosmos beyond.

The two sighed contently as they stared out the window. It would seem that here, Spitfire’s words about not seeing anything wrong rang true. Nothing even looked out of place in the cloud streets, buildings, and whatnot. Truly, it was a spectacle to behold in the night.

“It’s very gorgeous.” Yuuki murmured, giggling a bit afterwards. She turned to the stallion and suddenly found herself embraced in green forelegs once more, as well as her back meeting with the soft edge of a nearby mattress.

Nagare smiled at her, staring into her eyes with a content look on his face. “Not as much as you.” He said softly. Before Yuuki could respond, he closed his eyes and kissed her on the lips, and this time she didn’t flinch. They held the kiss for a few moments, breathing through their nostrils silently as they did, with Yuuki embracing the stallion in her forelegs during the process.

The kiss was broken after a bit, and Yuuki felt something rather slick poke her just a little bit on the stomach. “What is that?” She asked, blinking a bit.

“Hmm?” Nagare hummed, arching a brow. He felt something belonging on him poking the mare he embraced, but didn’t know what it was. It certainly wasn’t his hooves or wings, that much he knew. He leaned back a bit, brow still arched, and he felt the thing attached to him poke Yuuki again. The stallion looked down and blushed immediately, for it was his member protruding out and bobbing a bit, poking the mare again in the process. “Oh dear.” He murmured.

“What is it?” Yuuki repeated, once more being poked with the damn thing. One of her brows was arched.

The stallion looked at her and sighed, his member twitching a bit as if impatient. “My little friend decided it had a mind of its own.” He said, moving one of his front hooves away so he could point at the anomaly with it. Yuuki looked down, and blushed herself upon seeing the shaft poke her again as if trying to greet her.

The mare looked at him, a faint twitching smile on her reddened face. “Oh dear indeed.” She said.

Nagare sighed, ears twitching as his member poked the mare yet again. His whole body burned slightly, as if his nerves agreed with the new phenomenon that was happening to him at this moment. He sighed again. “Can...we?” He asked.

“Will you...be gentle?” Yuuki inquired, her ears falling flat. She shook a bit as the member poked her once more.

“I won’t hurt you. I’ll go slow.” Nagare answered, smiling again.

“Promise?” Yuuki asked, eyes widening.

“Promise.” Nagare replied, still smiling.

The two then clambered onto the bed, with Yuuki being the one underneath. She shook, ears still flat on her head and wings splayed open against the bed, and her hooves twitched a bit. Her nerves felt hot, especially in her lower region, and she gulped hard.

Nagare saw this, his own wings twitching as he did. He lowered his head and gently nuzzled the mare on her neck, as if to soothe her a bit. The stallion slid his tongue slowly on her neck, making her shudder a bit as it went. Her wings fluttered lightly, and she closed her eyes in a serene look. Her lover kept licking her neck, keeping his movements slow and soft, causing her to moan a bit.

He slid his tongue onto her chest, moving his body back as he did, and she shuddered again. Her ears slowly stood upright, and her wings remained still.

“What...are you doing?” Yuuki asked, shuddering once more as her lover move his tongue onto her stomach and moved his body further back. A sort of sleepy look, still plastered with a blush, adorned her face.

Nagare stopped licking, a smile on his face. “Relieving you, m’dear.” He answered before resuming his session. He went a bit lower, feeling soft folds greet his mouth, and he heard a gasp from the mare he was touching with his tongue. He stopped for a moment, closing his eyes and sighing, before giving another lick.

Yuuki nearly jumped, a jolt running its way throughout her entire body. She gasped again, her face reddening again as she felt the tongue touch her once more. Another jolt ran its marathon across each and every nerve like a rippling wave, but it felt oddly good. She couldn’t help but pant softly. Her eyelids partially drooped, and she felt soft tingles run rampant through her lower region as her lover started exploring her inner walls with his tongue.

Another jolt hit her, and her eyes fully opened as it did. She gasped again, her wings fluttering lightly in impulsive response. She moved her forelegs to the sides of the bed, and she slowly sat up as yet another jolt hit her. This time, she squealed from a mixture of shock and relief, and she shuddered slightly afterwards. Her body felt as if on the verge of exploding in some way at this point, and she let her backside greet the mattress again, her hooves starting to shake so much they could not hold her up any longer.

She closed her eyes, front legs still twitching, and then she lay there for a minute or so that went without her feeling anything in her lower region at all, apart from a sense of wetness and lingering tingle. Nagare moved himself so he could nuzzle her neck, and much of his face was covered in saliva and what appeared to have been a clear liquid.

“Why’d…” Yuuki moaned, still panting slightly, “you stop?”

The stallion stopped nuzzling her, a smile still very much present on his face. He wiped his muzzle with a hoof before he answered, “Well, your stress has been...how shall you say, coaxed out.”

Yuuki smiled, wrapping her front hooves around the neck of her lover. “May as well repay you.” She murmured. “But...I don’t like being beneath…” She added, her smile turning into a faint frown.

“It’s alright. We can make arrangements.” Nagare said, still grinning himself. He broke the embrace, then rolled lazily over on his backside, keeping one of his front hooves tucked in and the other motioning for the mare to get closer to him. She inched closer to him, and closer, until she stood over him the same way he stood over her, with her front hooves inches from his shoulders. The stallion placed his hooves on her midsection, being careful to avoid her wings.

“H-How does this work, exactly?” Yuuki inquired, chuckling nervously. Her lover only gave her another small smirk as he gently pushed her lower body down with his front hooves. She felt something just barely touch her folds, blinking a few times afterwards. She was then lowered still, and that something slid inside her with surprising ease. She gasped in shock, her hips now fully connected with those of Nagare.

“How...how does it feel?” The stallion inquired, eyes closed. His wings were now splayed wide upon the bed.

“W-Weird...in a good way.” Yuuki sighed, closing her own eyes and letting her wings spread briefly.

“Good. I...don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. Just let me know if it starts feeling bad, alright?” Nagare said, his eyes still closed.

“O-Okay…” Yuuki replied, her wings spreading again. She shuddered as she was gently pushed up until the head of her lover’s member was the only part still lodged inside of her. The hooves pulled her down again, and a jolt ran its course through her once more. A gasp emerged from her mouth, followed by a soft moan that could’ve been mistaken for a low hum or groan.

She was slowly raised and pulled in again, and another jolt ran up and down her body. The process was repeated a few more times, and by then, she knew what to do. Even so, her pace was slow and steady, and each time she brought her hips down, another jolt assaulted her nerves. The mare struggled to keep any hushed moans at bay, and she panted between the sounds.

Yuuki paused for a bit, pants and moans starting to intermingle into one series of sounds. Her body shook, and she opened one eye and then the other. She met the gaze of her lover, who was beginning to sweat lightly, particularly around the forehead and shoulders. “I...I can’t take much more,” She said, wings fluttering briefly.

“I’m getting to that point myself.” Nagare replied, moving his front legs to place themselves on her shoulders.

“T-Take over...I’m starting to get lightheaded…” Yuuki said, front hooves slipping from beneath her frame, which then caused her to fall swiftly onto her lover. Her tail swished and swashed, but only for a moment before it hung lazily to one side.

Nagare was more than happy to oblige. Quickly, he turned over and made sure Yuuki did the same. He was on top again, and he took a moment or so to kiss her lips. He then broke away, and gently flipped the mare with his front hooves so she was once more on her stomach. The stallion slid his member back in, and he shuddered slightly as it went in. He grunted and grit his teeth for a second, every inch of him being taken inside without even a hint of resistance.

“Could...you go harder?” Yuuki asked, eyelids partially drooped. Her body shook and her wings refused to close, nearing her body one moment only to spread the next.

The stallion frowned for a second before abiding by the request, starting thrusts slow before increasing in speed and force. This caused him to grunt more frequently, and more sweat to form on his frame. Jolts ran rampant through his body with each thrust, and with Yuuki it had been much the same. The young mare let off a few moans and pleading whimpers as she was hammered.

Nagare slowed his pace for a few moments, his body shaking as if in an earthquake as he did. He looked at Yuuki and noticed she gasped and panted, her body also glistening with sweat. She tugged at one of his front legs with one of her own rather hastily. “Don’t slow, dammit…” She murmured, wings so close to closing on her sides only to snap open again.

The stallion sighed, then grasped her hind quarters with his front legs. He smirked, quickly picking up speed. The jolts once more greeted his nerves, and it wouldn’t be long before he collapsed. His grunts became louder, and he slowed for a moment or so again--but no more than that.

As Nagare picked up his pace again, Yuuki folded her wings shut at last, feeling her muscles clench a little around his member. She scrunched her eyes and let off a loud, drawn-out moan as her muscles clenched further before relaxing as her juices were finally released, spilling and pooling behind her and wetting a portion of her back legs. She lay there, panting and shuddering, hearing her lover let off a much louder moan--one almost akin to a roar--as she felt the member spasm and twitch and seed fill her like a water hose.

The stallion pulled out slowly, his member falling limp and lifeless once it was out.He fell onto the mare, then lazily rolled off onto the other side of the bed, laying on his back whilst panting himself. Silence clutched the two for a few moments, and so did stillness, save for the member retracting in its sheath and the occasional twitch of limbs.

Afterwards, Yuuki inched closer to Nagare, and closer, before embracing him in a hug. “That was amazing…” She whispered, eyes remaining closed and a smile on her face. She was sound asleep.

Nagare wrapped his front hooves around her, and he smiled as well. “Sure...was.” He agreed before he closed his eyes and dozed off himself.

Chapter XXXVI- Infested Street

Spitfire trotted down the hall, eyelids slanted and a frown adorning her face. Her ears were flat on her skull, and so were those of two ponies clad in striking blue and yellow jumpsuits that followed her. She stopped before a door, turning her body to enter the room beyond as she opened said door. On one bed, the two ponies she escorted here were sound asleep and apparently locked in an embrace of forelegs. Apart from that and a slight musky smell, the room looked as though it was not disturbed at all.

The mare groaned and trotted to the two ponies who shared one bed. Their eyes were closed, and they looked like they were at peace as they dozed. Spitfire placed a hoof on Yuuki’s shoulder and started shaking her, hoping to arouse her from sleep. All the purple pegasus did, though, was shift a bit and mumble in her sleep. Spitfire shook her again, this time more vigorously. The purple mare shifted again, though she didn’t mumble this time.

Spitfire groaned in annoyance, moving her hoof to shake Nagare. He basically yielded the same result. The mare turned to the pegasi who had accompanied her down the hall. “Bring me a bucket.” She said. One of the ponies in jumpsuits nodded, and trotted away posthaste.

The other stayed put. “Did they…?” He started, only to fall silent.

“Probably. Just look at them, they’re both happy campers. Heck, I never expected to walk in with them like this.” Spitfire replied, noticing that the two snoozing ponies shuddered a bit and let their wings flutter like those of birds in a bath. She saw the second pegasus trot in, holding a bucket in his mouth by the handle. But the odd thing about this one was it had a pony’s face, and all four limbs, the upper ones poised on the sides of the rounded mass and awkwardly crossed before it.

“And why did you bring this one, exactly?” Spitfire asked, eyes widening as she stared at the bucket, who mumbled and grumbled to itself incoherently.

“It was the only one the closet had.” The pony answered, handing Spitfire the bucket. She trotted into the bathroom and turned on the tub’s faucet. Water was pouring out, ice cold at first, before producing steam that was the tell-tale trademark of heated liquid. She put the bucket under the flow of liquid, and only then did it start to protest.

“HEY! What do you think yer doing!? I don’t like being filled up like this!” The bucket shrieked, its voice distinctly masculine. It began flailing its meager limbs frantically, but to no avail.

Spitfire rolled her eyes and groaned again, waiting until the bucket was three-quarters full of piping hot water. She turned the faucet off, and carefully made her way back to the dozing duo. She stood on her hind legs, holding the frowning and grouchy bucket in her front hooves, poising his frame above the two and slowly tipping said frame forward.

And then she let the water crash onto the two, soaking them thoroughly and giving them a nice jolt temperature-wise.

“WHAT THE?!” Nagare nearly shrieked, eyes wide as he sat up in the bed. His wings spread wide from shock alone, and then he saw Spitfire as she returned to all fours and placed the bucket on her backside.

Yuuki yelped, and tumbled clumsily out of the bed. Spitfire back away quickly, watching as the mare quickly shook her head free of the water. “For a moment, I thought hell froze over.” She remarked, standing up on all fours.

“This could’ve gone better.” Spitfire mumbled, shaking her head sadly. The bucket on her backside continued to grumble to itself, but she paid it no heed at the moment. She watched as the stallion clambered out of the bed looking like a soaked wreck. “You two take a quick bath and meet me outside the academy.” She said before trotting out in short order.

The two ponies looked at one another before obliging by the request. The bath didn’t last long, no more than fifteen minutes for either, since they quickly washed themselves with quick but thorough movements. Drying themselves with the towel and putting weapons on hoof and midsection via saddlebag didn’t last long either. Both ponies then rushed out the room, down the hall and down another after taking a sharp left.

A sharp right in short order brought them to doors that led to the outermost part of the campus, and thus, the rest of Cloudsdale. There in the nearby street stood Spitfire, whom both ponies noticed was facing to their right as if a statue. They trotted to her and turned their heads to where she was staring at, only to be rendered speechless at the sight the world had to throw at them.

There were many lightposts lining both sides of the street. They could’ve easily passed off as such had visible hind legs and forelegs poised like a dog begging for food not been present. They also had frail wings, sickly thin as the legs themselves, folded against their metallic bodies. Heads hung at an angle, ears poking out the top and the faces aligned to stare at the cloudcrete.

“Lightpost...pegasus ponies? Really?” Nagare asked at last, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the sight.

“Who created these...and the bucket on my back...exactly?” Spitfire asked, a brow arched. She scratched her head with a hoof.

“Something’s up. These weren’t here last night.” Yuuki pointed out, stretching her wings briefly as she sighed.

“No shit.” Nagare replied, a frown on his face. “I think the Quartet’s up to something again.”

“Who?” Spitfire asked, glancing at the stallion. Her brow was still arched.

“It’s a long story. But we have to deal with the lightposts first.” Nagare replied, spreading his wings and flapping them to get himself a few inches off of the street. Yuuki did the same, and both flew at a rather slow speed towards the lightposts. They flew to one, and Nagare tapped it on the head lightly with a hoof.

The lightpost moved, raising its head to direct its face at the stallion who disturbed it. It roared, flaring thin wings wide and taking to the air with surprisingly little effort. The other lightposts followed suit, and even more flew in, thus creating a swarm of metal. Spitfire’s eyes widened further as the lightposts roared in unison and viciously attacked the ponies who disturbed them, forcing them to fight with their weapons. From the looks of it, though, the battle was in favor of the swarming lightposts.

One lightpost had the yoyo coiled around its neck, but it also had the owner of said yoyo pinned to the cloudcrete. Yuuki kicked wildly and flapped her wings rapidly, trying to lodge herself free from the iron hooves that had her back to the street, but to no avail. Nagare was being overwhelmed, dodging like there was no tomorrow and occasionally slashing at his enemies with little success. The lightposts were much too quick for him, their speed akin to annoying insects.

Eventually, one lightpost knocked the pegasus onto the cloudcrete and held him there with all its might. The other lightposts still flew in the air, circling their companions who had the ponies pinned and struggling. Neither of the two could free themselves, and the lightposts moved their front legs to their throats and began applying pressure.

“Stop, in the name of Celestia!” A myriad of voices cried, all masculine and sounding much the same in tone. All at once, the lightposts that still flitted about like mosquitoes on a hot summer day stopped in the air before landing. The two that hat Yuuki and Nagare pinned down rose their heads, hooves still pinned on the throats of the ponies they held.

For an uncomfortable moment, all was silent. Even Spitfire, who still stood watching the sight of the lightposts, and the bucket on her back, made not a sound. And then, the source of the chorus made itself known: around two dozen or so white pegasus ponies, clad in gold armor and donning spears and swords, charging head on at the crowd of lightposts and flapping their wings nonstop.

The lightposts roared in unison, flapping their own wings and flying towards the royal guards. Even the two who had Nagare and Yuuki pinned flew towards the armored ponies, leaving the two pegasi struggling to get onto their hooves. Both had faces on the brink of turning blue from a lack of oxygen, and they coughed and gasped for air frantically. Eventually, both were standing but still gasping for breath lightly.

Yuuki looked at her forelegs, then back to the swarm of lightposts, then back to her forelegs. “Oh great, one of the pricks hijacked my yoyo!” She cried, eyes wide as she then glanced back at the swarm who duked it out with the royal guards. The mare flapped her wings, readying herself to fly right into the battle and take back what was hers. She took off, Nagare following close behind with his sword at the ready.

The lightposts, for some reason, went for defensive tactics, blocking the spears and swords wielded by the armored ponies with the backs of their heads. This made it difficult to detect exactly which one in question had the yoyo, and with the blades flying about as they hit the posts, the task was even more irksome.

Then one of the guards that donned a spear lead the the culprit away from the back, but he didn’t do much considering he was still being blocked by a metallic head. The yoyo swung to and fro, as if threatening to drop to the earth below. Quickly, Yuuki flew in and took back her weapon, receiving a cut across her chest from the spear as it was deflected with a metal head in the process. She moved out of the battle immediately, being thankful that the cut wasn’t more than three inches deep at worst.

“They seem to be handling these things pretty well. We kinda needed the backup.” Nagare remarked, flying just out of the margins of the fight. Yuuki suddenly flew next to him, blood trickling out of her wound. He turned to her, eyes narrowing in annoyance. “Why’d you do that?! You could’ve been impaled!”

“I know that, but I didn’t want to get chewed out by Kaguya!” Yuuki protested, a vein appearing on her cheek. “You remember when Tenmei lost his crossbow that one time? How he nearly had his head ripped off??”

“On second thought, you do have a point. I’d rather not trigger that pissy wrath myself.” The stallion agreed, glancing back at the battle between flying guards and lightposts. It seemed that the lightposts were now on the losing end of the battle as guards either made lucky slashes with their weapons or took the far simpler approach of whirling behind the posts and taking them out individually. They plummeted to the ground, but not for long, before vanishing altogether.

The two stray pegasi moved away from the battle altogether, landing back in the streets of Cloudsdale. They turned around and watched as more and more lightposts were felled and winked out of existence. Eventually, the last one dropped, and the guards flew above the city for a few moments before landing in the street.

The exact same one Yuuki and Nagare had watched them from.

Chapter XXXVII, Part I- Hell's Chariot Beckons Thee

Yuuki winced, then sat on her rump to further inspect her recent injury. The wound, still plastered alongside a small portion of her chest in crimson, had scabbed over already. She’d need to get cleaned up later, and so sighed. She looked back at the guards, only to find the vast majority of them scattered about trotting and flying every which-way they could. They seemed to have been inspecting every single inch of the city, and that included the buildings whose owners politely let them inside after they knocked and gave them the scoop.

Spitfire, who was reasonably still dumbstruck and wide-eyed, trotted to the duo. The bucket on her back was now mumbling something along the lines of gibberish, forelegs still crossed under its head awkwardly. She tapped the two with the tips of her wings, causing them to look at her with arched brows.

“Yeah...even we kind of run into problems sometimes. I honestly didn’t expect getting swarmed in three seconds.” Nagare sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. He quickly sheathed his sword in its saddlebag, then stretched his wings briefly.

“Neither did I.” Yuuki agreed with a hearty nod. She too stretched her wings briefly.

“So...who created the grumpy bucket on my back?” Spitfire asked, sighing.

“In a nutshell,” Nagare started, sitting on his rump and holding his front hooves very close together, but not so close they could touch, “the Frontier Quartet is a supposed four-member group that are unicorns. Their horns grant them the ability to turn objects into sentient beings, like Mr. Grumpy Pants on your back, and all they need is a pre-existing object to do so.”

“I’m not grumpy, I just hate everybody!” The bucket protested, standing on Spitfire’s back via two legs and pointing a hoof accusingly at the green pegasus who only scoffed back afterwards. “And that goes for you too, weed whacker!” He added, his little legs and face turning from grey to blue.

“Whatever you say, you small metallic dwarf.” Nagare taunted, crudely smiling and rolling his eyes at the bucket.

“Actually, no, you meant a metallic smurf.” Yuuki pointed out, putting a hoof to her muzzle in an attempt to mask a snicker.

The bucket turned around to face the mare who made the remark, its face reddening from fury. The accusing hoof was pointing in her direction now. “I AM NOT A SMURF!” It cried, veins appearing on its body rather than its face. Yuuki only continued to sneer at it, covering her muzzle and snickering into it.

“Anyway, why’d you say ‘supposed’?” Spitfire asked, a brow arching.

“Well, one of the supposed members was a child that I’ve never seen in person. That, and from what I heard yesterday, one of the members kinda left.” Nagare answered, his grin fading into a small frown.

“So...more like the Frontier Duet?” Spitfire sighed, eyes wide again.

“As ridiculous as that sounds, that seems to be the case.” Nagare replied, nodding his head.

A single royal guard who held his spear in his wing trotted to the group of four, eyes looking directly at Spitfire. “I commend you for reporting the rumors to us yesterday. Had we not arrived to investigate when that swarm hit, Cloudsdale would’ve been finished.” He said, turning his head to exchange glances with Yuuki, then Nagare. “Hey...weren’t you the stallion who battled that mutant carriage?” He asked.

“It’s been a while since we last talked.” Nagare replied, nodding.

“And...why do you have wings?” The guard asked, arching a brow.

“Some freak magic’s been messing with me. I heard it came from a thing called Discord.” Nagare answered, sighing and twitching his wings. “How else would I be here?”

“Eugh. We’re gonna have to find Discord now, and bring him before the princesses. Did his magic affect anypony else?” The guard asked, sighing afterwards.

“Yeah...it kinda gave me wings too.” Yuuki answered, looking down at her injury again. She sighed as she looked back to the guard. “And also gave two of our friends horns.”

“Oh? How are they holding up?” The guard inquired, tilting his head slightly.

“They’re doing fine.” Yuuki answered, a small grin on her face.

“Alright. I’ll ask my fellow guards if they found anything else.” The current guard said, ears perking as he heard the faint sound of wings beating. But the sound didn’t come from the three ponies he’d just spoken to; aside from the occasional twitch, their wings remained folded at their sides. Could it have been some other pegasus guard, or perhaps a city occupant? He looked around, only to see that nothing else was flying in such a way to produce that distinct sound; so what, then, was responsible?

The sound grew louder, though it still seemed far-off. Perhaps it was just his imagination? “Um...do you guys hear that?” He asked, eyelids slanted a bit and a frown on his face.

“Now that you mention it, I thought I was just hearing things too.” Nagare replied, ears twitching as he tried to catch that faint sound.

“What is it?” Yuuki inquired, her ears also moving to zero in on that sound. It grew louder still, just enough to feel as if very close to the city. But where was it coming from, and who or what made the noise to begin with?

“I’m not sure.” Spitfire remarked, her eyes narrowing. A feeling of unease began stirring in her gut, and her wings spread in response. “But, whatever it is, I don’t like it.”

The four looked beyond the boundary of the street, and their eyes widened at the sight the world threw at them. A carriage about half the size of the academy alone was fast approaching, a pony’s head adorned with a horn at the front, complete with harnesses on its neck and face. Its legs, bearing golden armor, hung from the underside of the flat, and from the eyes of the wheels grand white wings sprouted, holding the entire thing aloft. In place of the passenger’s seat sat a great violet orb, streaks of navy and crimson flowing and swirling about like fickle winds. Encasing the orb, though, was a barrier brought to life thanks to the monster’s horn.

In the instant the beast roared, its cry sounding like that of a fearsome dragon, the rest of the guards instantly stopped what they had been doing and rushed towards the source of the cry. Nagare and Yuuki brandished their weapons again and began to flap their own wings to take off.

“What is that thing?!” Cried one guard, brandishing the spear which had caused Yuuki’s recent wound. It was tipped with some of her blood.

“I don’t know, but it’s charging something through its horn!” Shouted another who held a sword. He was right, the beast roared once more as its horn flared up brighter, crimson and navy streaks dancing round it in small ribbons.

“Sayonara!” Cried a masculine voice not belonging to any present. All heads that didn’t belong to the monster turned to the academy, and standing on its roof were two unicorn stallions held aloft in their own magic. In a bright flash of light, they vanished instantly before any could get a good look at them.

Nagare grit his teeth, clutching his sword in his hooves tightly. He turned his head to face the beast before the city, the ribbons of blue and red highlights glowing even brighter around its horn.

Yuuki turned behind her to face the guards. “Could some of you bring unicorns please? We kinda need help!” She cried.

“But what about you guys!?” Yelled one in response.

“We’ll hold it off, just get the backup!” Yuuki replied, taking flight and positioning herself so she was above everyone else. She held her weapon in one hoof, the string coiled around the other. The monster instantly turned its head to face her, and it roared again. This time, the air reverberated around its head violently, and it sent her back a bit. Then, it channeled scorching flames and vibrant electricity rushing in unison towards her.

The mare’s eyes widened, and her pupils shrunk at the sight of flame and shock rushing towards her, threatening to consume her and send her to the bleak darkness that was death. She maneuvered herself beneath the blast, only to rise higher in the air as it arced and homed in on her like a madman’s boomerang.

Nagare took to the air immediately, his sword glinting in the sunlight. He rushed right towards the magical energy that Yuuki just barely managed to evade, readying himself to attack the energy. It then turned to him and lunged like a snake with such speed he could do nothing but block with his sword and avoid harm.

The guards who stayed behind took to the air as well, pointing their blades right at the beast as they rushed towards it like a living, breathing tsunami of white and gold. They went right at the head of the beast, only for an even bigger barrier to surround it and deflect them as though it were nothing. Nagare and Yuuki saw the barrier, and they noticed something odd about the beast: the orb had turned stark red, no longer its original violet hue.

Chapter XXXVII, Part II- Backup

The barrier held strong as the guards kept wailing on it. The now-scarlet orb seemed to glow even brighter than the energy still surrounding the horn. If anything, the navy hues faded from it altogether at this point, leaving just the stark red. Nagare and Yuuki arched a brow at the sight, trying to figure out what the monster was trying to pull. The guards continued their onslaught, and the barrier refused to waver.

And then the guards were sent right back into the street as a wave of magic hit every one of them square in the chest, rebounding off once before smacking them into the street and weapons made useless as they plummeted to the earth below, released from pained hooves. The behemoth then turned its attention back to the duo who held back their attacks and roared, the barrier turning a stark navy alongside the orb. The barrier faded from existence, but the monster’s horn crackled with electricity.

“We’ve stalled long enough…” Nagare growled, rushing at the beast himself, sword poised like a jousting lance. The beast saw him and responded accordingly, shooting bolts of lightning at the pegasus who encroached it. He dodged quickly, wings propelling him forward. He was near the orb now, and positioned himself to stab it when the beast fired another bolt that grazed his left wing and sent small shocks of pain throughout the rest of him. He shrieked, swerving out of the way of the beast entirely, and crashed into one of the guards who had managed to get himself to stand.

Yuuki descended posthaste, and her eyes widened in horror as the sword was pried from the hooves by the beast’s magic and then plunged into one of Nagare’s wings. The stallion howled in pain, eyes scrunched shut in response. The guard the pony landed on crawled out from below and scrambled to his hooves, turning to the stallion and eyes widening a little at the sight of an impaled wing.

The guard looked at Yuuki. “That thing’s too strong. You were right about needing some unicorns.” He sighed, a frown on his face.

Nagare rose to his hooves, making sure to remove his sword from his wing. The appendage fell limp at his side, staining emerald feathers in crimson red that welled in the wound. He winced, his sword glistening in his own blood.

The guard turned to him. “Looks like you’re not flying for a while, pal.” He said, shaking his head sadly. The monster roared again, and all three turned their attention to it. The beast seemed to grin in a demented manner as it stared at the trio.

The orb became a deep violet again, and the monster was charging another attack through its horn. Just then, something whizzed towards it and hit it right on the center of the horn, rebounding off before going back from whence it came. The monster roared, throwing its head back as the barrier around the orb vanished.

A gunshot soon rang out after that, and a visible crack was now in the orb itself. The monster thrashed its head and legs wildly about as another cry escaped its throat, wings scattering feathers like no tomorrow. Yuuki glanced around quickly, only to see the guards returning with chariots that held unicorns with charing horns. Two unicorns in particular, though, brandished a cannon and a boomerang.

“Wait a minute...Rekka? Koto? How’d they hitch a ride?!” Yuuki asked right as the chariot that had said unicorns in it flew past. Her eyes were wide as the unicorns used their weapons and hit the beast on the orb again, making it roar out another pained cry.

“Just in time, too…” Nagare grunted, eyes still shut in pain. He tried folding his injured wing shut, only to wince a bit as it sent pain through his nerves. “We would’ve been screwed over otherwise…”

The beast was now flinging electric bolts and roiling flames like the end of the world was coming, its barrier cast around its frame once more and crackling with navy-colored volts. The guards and the chariots they pulled circled the beast as if they were its predators, the unicorns within waiting for their chance to strike, horns aglow but not firing off magical energies.

Likewise, Rekka and Koto waited for their chance to use their weapons. The guards pulling their carriage kept wheeling around the beast, dragging them with. The barrier didn’t waver, and neither did the flames and bolts the beast fired left and right.

“C’mon...drop the shield so I can bash that jewel…” Koto murmured, eyes narrowed as she stared at the beast. “It’d be better if you had two jewels…I want to kill something right about now.”

“Koto?” Rekka inquired, eyebrow arched as he turned to his fellow unicorn. “Are you okay? You’ve been grouchy since last night…”

The mare scowled. “No, I’m not okay.” She answered, a vein appearing on her cheek as she turned to look at him. “I want to hurt something.”

“Jeez, no need to get snappy, especially when we’re dealing with monsters like this.” Rekka sighed, glancing back at the monster. It had dropped the shield again, and he quickly fired another round from his cannon. The bullet hit the orb, and the beast was sent into another pained tantrum.

“If you don’t shut up, I’ll shove my boomerang so far up your ass it lodges sideways in your stomach! You hear me?!” Koto shrieked, her face turning bright red from her anger. Steam was also blowing out her ears.

Rekka rolled his eyes and sighed. He watched as the monster set up another barrier with the other unicorns slamming magic bolt after magic bolt into it. The beast couldn’t hold it up for much longer, and so dropped the barrier to initiate a flaming and electric full-out magical offensive of its own.

“DID YOU EVEN LISTEN TO A WORD I SAID?!” Koto yelled at the top of her lungs, steam now blowing out her nostrils.

“Yes, I heard you the first time.” Rekka replied, eyes still poised on the monster as it set up another barrier. “No need to yell to the whole world.”

“Then answer next time!” Koto barked, her entire pelt crimson from raw fury that had yet to be channeled.

“Okay, just quit trying to bite my head off.” Rekka replied, sweat beginning to form on his face. The monster dropped the barrier once more, and he fired off another round that hit it in the orb. This time, the monster stopped using magic altogether, rendering it completely defenseless against the onslaught of the other unicorns. The orb shattered after a dozen hits, and the being roared one last time before winking out of existence.

Koto sat there still blowing steam out of her nostrils and ears until her pelt returned to its normal light blue shade. A vein was still on her cheek, and her eyes remained narrowed. “I’m gonna do more than bite your head off later.” She murmured.

The chariots then pulled into the street where the guards who had tried and failed to land a hit on the beast were recuperating. Rekka noticed that, amongst them, were Yuuki and Nagare, the latter receiving bandages and a washcloth. As soon as the chariot he and Koto were in had landed, the mare trotted up to them with flattened ears.

“And why are you down?” Rekka inquired, arching a brow.

“The monster cheap-shoted Nagare. He’s having his hurt wing looked at right now.” Yuuki answered with a sigh and shake of her head.

“How did he get cheap-shoted, exactly?” Koto asked, the vein on her cheek disappearing.

“Simple: monster hijacked his sword for a minute with its magic.” Yuuki answered again, sighing afterwards.

“Yikes. Will he be able to fly for a while?” Rekka asked, tilting his head a bit.

“Probably not for a good two weeks. It fell limp after he removed the sword and stood up.” Yuuki replied, sighing for the third time. It was then she noticed that Koto had narrowed eyes. “Please, tell me she didn’t…” She murmured, shaking her head and lowering it.

“You know why she’s cranky?” Rekka asked.

“Ask that again, and I will rip your horn off!” Koto barked, the vein coming back on her cheek.

“She did...we’re going to die.” Yuuki murmured, still shaking her head.

Chapter XXXVIII, Part I- In Need of Bashing

A few hours passed since then, and the four ponies were back home. Rekka just finished changing his bandages, and helped Nagare to do the same with his recent wing injury. Spitfire told him and Yuuki that, until he healed enough to fly again, they simply had to stay put. Thankfully, Nurse Redheart and Doctor Stable confirmed that the winged stallion suffered no broken bones; only a flesh wound, which would make the recovery easier on him if he was careful.

The young unicorn and pegasus trotted out of the bathroom after tending to their wounds, letting Yuuki in to tend to her injury, which had also been encased in white cloth wrapping. They stopped momentarily, letting 01 trot into his room. The elder stallion hummed a merry tune as he went, and his smile only served as testament to his being happy.

The two young stallions then went to their rooms and crawled into bed, covering up to sleep and prepare for the next day, as did everyone else--save for one. Koto sat in her room, eyes still narrowed all this time, mumbling and grumbling to herself about wanting to bash things until their faces caved in or something. She felt excruciatingly hot all over, and sweat made itself present on her body, which only served to make her even more irate.

“Goddammit,” she mumbled, ears twitching in annoyance, “why’d I have to go into heat last night?” She rose onto her hooves and began to pace in circles, looking angrily down at the floor as if its presence offended her. “I want to hurt something, but at the same time, I want to be rutted senseless. WHY?!”

As she mumbled and grumbled to herself with the occasional yell, she turned to her dresser drawer. Atop its wooden frame, sticking out of the saddlebag, was her boomerang. She looked at it for a moment or two before shaking her head and turning back to the floor. “No, that wouldn’t do, as far as getting laid goes.” She sighed disapprovingly, resuming her pacing about in circles. Her anger was building, and so was the urge to have something shoved up in her and fill her with warmth--but, with this duality present, she couldn’t sate just one side; she had to do both at the same time.

But how? All ideas that flocked to her as she stewed and complained and screeched were scratched out--they only filled one desire, not both, and that only added to her frustration. In fact, she compiled a list of all the ideas she had already scratched out, and the reason why written next to each individual idea. She levitated it and a quill with her magic, and very neatly added her own weapon to the growing list, as well as the reason why.

She went over the list. Hooves, teeth, horn, dishes...by the time she finished adding her weapon to the list, the front side of the paper had been filled up, line by line, marked neatly in her native language. It was going to be a while before she could come to a decision; her first heat in this world lasted a good eighteen days and six hours. She counted.

Koto sighed in annoyance. Would this heat be longer than the last? Would she have to suffer more from the sweltering, pestering temperature that came with it? She looked over the list again, gritting her teeth not from anger, but to keep a gasp at bay as her nethers shot a jolt throughout her nerves, begging to be attended to.

The mare set the list and quill down, a small but devious grin plastered onto her face. “Just maybe…” She murmured, grasping her boomerang in her magic and levitating it to her, holding it at her side as she crept to the door and opened the wooden frame. The darkness of the silent hallway greeted her, but she didn’t mind. She knew the house well enough to walk in the dark with touch alone, avoiding illumination unless she heard something that didn’t belong to her body or spells.

She closed the door, turning sharply to the left, glancing at the stairs that led to the attic. Koto crept to those stairs, careful to avoid shouting and using up more magic than needed. She then ascended the stairs slowly, making sure to open the trapdoor beforehand. The attic was empty, save for a bed that held a sleeping white form that also had a horn. After leaving the hospital, Raki basically moved in the night Yuuki and Nagare took off to Cloudsdale. The elder mare was right at home here, and her broken hind leg was held by ropes and cascaded in cloth.

Raki slept peacefully, a small smile on her face as she experienced la-la land. Her front hooves were raised to her chest, holding the blanket to her frame. Koto needed something to whack and quell her near-insatiable lust here and now, but she ran low on options at this point--she needed the former Quartet member’s help.

She then heard something calling her name. The young mare’s ears perked and twitched to catch it. It sounded like Rekka. “What does he want now…?” Koto murmured, keeping her voice to a whisper so as to not arouse Raki too soon.

Rekka continued to call out for Koto in the hallway. The mare froze in place for a moment, hearing his hooves echo into the attic as he trotted about. The young mare snarled and quickly hid under Raki’s bed, not leaving anything exposed. She wasn’t leaving things to chance now. Not here, not this night.

The stallion had stopped his caterwauling, the only thing breaking the silence now being the sound of his hooves as he ascended the stairs. His horn glowed vibrant crimson, causing roiling shadows to move and vanish as he arrived. He darted his head to and fro, a brow arched as he continued his trot towards Raki’s bed.

“Koto? You in here?” Rekka asked, still darting his head every which-way he could manage. He stood at the end of the single bed that happened to lean against the wall, his back turned to the mare he searched for as she silently crawled out from under the bed.

Only when the stallion turned around did he see the young mare. Before he could utter a word, he landed on his backside with her boomerang pinning him by the neck. His eyes widened in surprise, and a most peculiar aroma hit his nose as he stared at the unicorn who soon moved over him and lowered her head to look him dead in the eye.

“I told you I’d bite your head off later,” She whispered, a wicked grin on her muzzle. Her eyes burned bright with anger, and her pelt was on the brink of turning red again. “I’m feeling a little mean tonight.”

Rekka raised a front hoof, as if saying ‘wait, hold up’ in sign language. “Before you do that, can I ask something right quick?” He inquired.

“Make it fast.” Koto replied, her smile fading into a frown.

“What is that smell? It’s...odd.” Rekka asked, his ears flattening on his skull.

Koto groaned and rolled her eyes, shaking her head disapprovingly. “Long story short, I’m in heat, I feel like I’m in a planet’s core, and my horn won’t stop tingling.” She hissed, making up the last part off the top of her head.

“That explains everything.” Rekka remarked rather dryly, a nervous chuckle resounding from his mouth soon after. “But...why me? Hell, I heard that a mare usually saves that kind of remark for a stallion she really likes.”

Koto’s eyes widened in an instant. “C-Come again?” She asked, eyes narrowing once more.

“You said you were in heat, right? And your horn was tingling?” Rekka countered, another nervous chuckle resounding soon after.

“Yes.” Koto answered. “What’s this have to do with anything?”

“A mare only blatantly says she’s in heat to a stallion she happens to like. I mean like like. And since you said that to my face, I think you can see where I’m going with this.” Rekka retorted, unable to contain another nervous chuckle.

Koto connected the dots in her head for a few moments, and then a blush came onto her face. She raised one front hoof and quickly slapped the stallion across the face with it. “You dolt! You’re implying that I am sexually attracted to you?!” She cried, her own ears flat on her head.

“Says the one who announced to me she was in season.” Rekka taunted, rubbing the hit cheek with one of his own hooves. This earned him another slap as soon as his hoof parted with his face.

“UGH. I shouldn’t have answered.” Koto snarled, her face reddening in fury and embarrassment.

“So, how’re you going to ‘bite my head off,’ exactly?” Rekka teased, a wry smile present on his face as well as a simpering twist of words.

Koto scrunched her eyes shut for a moment. As she did, she felt four hooves pushing on her underside.

“Answer the question, and maybe I’ll be your punching bag.” Rekka taunted again, his horn glowing brighter. His magic embraced the boomerang, and he withdrew his hooves slowly, as if a living catapult preparing to throw a rock at a castle’s wall.

Koto was struggling to form an answer, for words completely eluded her at this point. Anger and confusion intermingled in her head, and it was about to burst out of her like a geyser. She shook greatly, the heat also rising to an intolerable level. Taking into account Rekka’s earlier remarks, one could very easily think she was going rabid right about now.

The stallion launched his hooves forward, causing the mare to shriek in surprise as she stumbled back on her hind legs for a bit before landing on her rump with her forelegs behind her flanks, back hooves wide open as she sat there in her daze. Her boomerang was then launched at her, and smacked her right under the horn and forced her onto her back.

“If you two are going to have rough sex, do it somewhere else.” Raki groaned, slowly rising until she sat upright. She had her eyes dead set on the two ponies who disturbed her sleep, and it had been a miracle she wasn’t awake until now. “I’m trying to sleep here.”

“But you don’t understand!” Rekka protested, pointing a hoof at Koto as he sat up himself. “I didn’t ask for this!”

Raki arched a brow. “So...she tried raping you?” She asked.

“More like caving my skull in first.” Rekka replied, a nervous chuckle escaping his mouth again. “She’s kinda pissy.”

“Am not!” Koto protested, snapping out of her daze. She sat up, then moved onto her hooves and reclaimed her boomerang.

“I’ll believe the ‘am not’ for around two seconds.” Raki sighed, one front hoof connecting with her face. “Is she in heat?”

“She told me so. Right to my face.” Rekka answered, getting up onto his hooves.

“Sounds serious.” Raki sighed, letting her hoof go back to the blanket. Her eyes were scrunched shut, she was very much annoyed right about now.

“Did not!” Koto lied, her pelt starting to turn red as she shook with anger.

Raki raised her hoof again and hit her face with it once more. “The aroma I’m smelling tells me otherwise.” She grumbled, shaking her head and keeping her hoof on her face.

Chapter XXXVIII, Part II- A Helping Hoof

Author's Note

More clop. I outdid myself here...it'll have to be in three parts, sorry. I'd rather not break the pacing too much...oi. The next part of this chapter should hopefully come very soon.

~Dragon

Chapter XXXVIII, Part II- A Helping Hoof

“So, how do we go about this, exactly?” Rekka asked at last, sweat still forming on his face. He was on the bed in the attic, and so was Koto, with Raki perched between them and a hoof wrapped around both.

“Give me a moment,” Raki replied, eyes narrowed. “I’m trying to think of something.”

“I still want to hurt something…” Koto grumbled, her ears still flat on her skull.

Raki sighed, and then her horn flickered to life with magic. From nowhere came a styrofoam box that had the legs on one side and the head atop the other. It fell, then sat, next to the bed. She then removed her leg from Koto. “Go beat that up.” She said.

“Why, the thing you summoned didn’t do anything to--” Rekka started, only to stop as the monster jumped up and whacked Koto across the face before she could even finish climbing out of the bed.

“Oh, you’ve asked for it now!” Koto cried, grasping her boomerang in her magic with haste. She began to wail on the styrofoam box with it, hitting it over and over again. It began to protest to no avail, eventually being attacked by both hooves and boomerang because one simply wasn’t enough, oh no. The young mare was filled with some kind of demented bloodlust, her fury being channeled through the pounding she gave the monster.

After a while, Koto fell to the floor gasping for breath. The styrofoam box was crushed, ripped, wrecked, all-around screwed any way one could slice it. It could move no more, and so vanished from the world.

“You done?” Raki asked, eyes wide in surprise. She waited until Koto could stand again, noting the mare still breathed hard and ragged.

“Yeah…” Koto replied, no longer feeling any traces of anger. She didn’t bother picking up her boomerang; there simply was no need for it now. Her eyelids then slanted over her eyes, and a pitiful frown made itself known on her muzzle.

Raki sighed and let her magic levitate the younger mare onto the bed. Koto was still breathing raggedly, but her breathing was returning to normal. She waited until the younger mare’s breathing was completely normal before using her hoof to make the young mare look her in the eye.

“You were two seconds away from doing what someone else did to you and your friend? You ought to be ashamed of yourself, young lady.” Raki said, her eyes narrowing low as she spoke.

Koto couldn’t deny the elder mare’s words. Her ears instantly flattened on her head. “So I did…” She murmured, sighing despondently.

“But, I can understand why. You’ve been driven bonkers. We’re all in the same boat, the three of us.” Raki continued, her stern gaze unwavering. “So much has happened, and it’s been a helluva ride, no pun intended.” She added, letting go and allowing her gaze wander to the ceiling. “I’ve been tempted to go to bars many times just to get hammered and drown my sorrows, y’know? I’m amazed I didn’t do that yet.”

“Really?” Rekka inquired, arching a brow.

“Yep. I’m pretty damn sure you two and your friend has been tempted to do much the same a few times.” Raki answered, sighing as if content.

“Trust me, you’ve hardly any idea.” Rekka shook his head as if disappointed.

“Rekka?” Koto cooed, ears still flat on her skull.

“Hmm?” The stallion hummed, eyebrow arched again.

“Um...I’m sorry for…er, what I did--no, tried to do…” Koto sighed, her body shaking a little bit. “And for yelling...at you earlier…”

“Guess that makes us even, then. I’m equally sorry for kicking you and hitting you with your boomerang.” Rekka replied, sighing.

“Does that mean you...accept?” Koto asked, ears perking upright in a heartbeat.

“Yep. You?” Rekka replied, a faint smile on his muzzle.

“Mhmm.” Koto responded, a faint smile on her own muzzle.

“Alrighty then.” Raki commented, causing the two young unicorns to look at her with arched brows. The elder mare put her front hooves together as if in prayer, tilting her head to the side with a small smile of her own on her face. “I think we can safely address problem numero dos now.”

In that instant, Rekka and Koto blushed brightly. They chuckled in nervous unison. “Oh my,” They said quickly.

“Indeed!” Raki agreed, still smiling like a perfect little angel. Her horn flared up again, and this time came a small square that had foil on one side and a circle protruding from the other.

The stallion felt something poke out and grow longer between his hind legs as he saw that little, foiled-on-one-side square. “Is...that what I think it is?” He asked, his face bright red at this point.

Raki turned to Koto. “We don’t want to get her pregnant, right?” She asked, smiling.

Koto’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped open. She chuckled nervously again, shaking her head as she did.

“Uh...no. I’ve heard enough horror stories involving kids--too much for my liking.” Rekka answered, his ears flat on his skull.

“Now that we have that sorted out,” Raki started, still smiling, “I think we’re all set.”

“Wait...we?” Koto asked, pupils shrinking as she heard the elder mare’s words.

“I’d like to repay you two for helping me after I helped you.” Raki replied, her smile unwavering. She herself was now blushing, though nowhere near that of Rekka and Koto combined.

“B-But your leg!” Koto protested, pointing a hoof and waving it at the broken appendage.

“I’m a unicorn, I can get around that obstruction.” Raki retorted, still smiling. She did raise a valid point on her part. The elder mare’s horn flared up, and Koto was immediately encased in its grasp, hoisting her up and gently placing her on the body of the elder. Raki then locked lips with Koto in an instant, closing her eyes in doing so.

Rekka’s eyes widened, and his pupils shrank at the sight. He hadn’t seen this before. He smiled a little bit, feeling his member become stiff as if in response to what his eyes beheld unto him. He decided to keep still and continue watching, though, to see where things would go from here.

Koto had, at first, tried to pull away to no avail as forelegs were wrapped around her and held her in place. Once she noticed the elder mare did nothing else but kiss, she stopped and sighed through her nostrils. The elder mare broke the kiss and smiled.

“Awkward, isn’t it?” Raki asked. All Koto could do was nod and chuckle nervously. “Never had a girl kiss you like that before?”

“N-No...I haven’t.” Koto answered, still blushing. “It’s...unusual for me.”

“It’s my first time too. Looks like we’re both on the same page.” Raki replied, still grinning. She sat up, lowering her wrapped leg gently as she did, before laying back down. She had been careful to not drop Koto during her temporary rise. Her horn started to glow again, and the magic raised Koto’s tail upright, stiff as a flagpole, before it let go and caused the mass to hang lazily at one side after dropping.

Koto arched a brow. She had no idea why the elder mare raised her tail like that for a brief moment. A gasp escaped her mouth as she felt a hoof very tenderly poke its bare tip on the outer margins of her nethers. She felt it slide deeper and shuddered in response, eyelids drooped partially over her eyes. The young mare still needed to sate her lust, after all, and that was something the elder was going to help her with.

The stallion who still sat at the side of the bed sighed, then sat up and placed himself next to the mares, putting one foreleg on Koto and the other on Raki. This caused both to look at him.

“So, where do I come into the equation?” He asked, blinking a few times. He was still very much blushing.

Raki’s eyes widened. She removed her hoof from Koto’s lower region and sighed, moving the young mare back until her hips were placed between her hind legs. “Well, now. Thanks for reminding me. Go on, place yourself behind her.” Raki instructed, pointing the wet hoof at Koto for reference.

Rekka did as instructed, being careful to avoid the elder mare’s hurt and wrapped leg in the process. “What now?” He inquired.

“Put the rod between us.” Raki answered, smiling. The stallion put his front hooves on Koto’s back, very close to her flanks, his movements very slow. It were as if he tried to hesitate, but couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Koto giggled a little bit, her horn aglow as her laughter hit the ears of the stallion behind her. Her magic embraced him and, without warning, shoved his entire length between herself and Raki, shuddering as it went. The member very easily slid between both mares’ entrances, sending a jolt through them both.

“Someone’s impatient!” Raki exclaimed, eyes widening for a moment as the collision occurred. She too shuddered a bit after, her wide-eyed state of shock melting into a sleepy look with a faint grin on her muzzle.

Rekka grunted, his eyes wide for a moment before closing. He nodded in agreement, his member tightly clamped between the two mares like it was trapped in a vice. In spite of how easily it slid in, he was very much certain it would refuse to budge, and so stayed still.

Chapter XXXVIII, Part III- Seeing Stars

“Do it again.” Koto murmured, letting her head rest on Raki’s midsection. Her front hooves dropped lazily at the elder mare’s sides, and a smile came onto her face. The stallion obliged, slowly sliding all but the head of his length out before jamming it back in between the mares that sandwiched it. Both mares shuddered as he did this once more.

“Mind going a little harder, if you please?” Raki asked, placing her front hooves on Koto’s shoulders as she made the request.

“I don’t think I can. But I’ll sure as hell try.” Rekka replied with a rather cocky grin, sliding out and jamming his member back between the mares, shuddering himself as he did. It started to feel good, the soft jolts running through his body as he proceeded to repeat the action serving as testament to that fact. He kept ramming the two at once, grunts unable to be kept lodged at the back of his throat, his movements no longer hesitant but methodical like clockwork.

Koto felt her nethers get very wet and slick, which served to aid the stallion as he rammed his member between her and Raki. She closed her eyes, and began to pant softly, jolts of pure bliss running rampant through her body; slowly, an urge to just explode in a good way made itself known. The same could safely be said for Raki at this point in time except she moaned lightly.

The young stallion stopped after going back and forth a few more times.

“Could y-you not s-stop, p-please?” Koto pleaded, her body shaking as she spoke. She felt so damned close to bursting, and she didn’t want him to stop now.

“My-My sentiments e-exactly.” Raki agreed, eyes closed tight as could be. Her body didn’t shake as much, but she was also nearing climax.

Rekka smirked, but in a friendly way. His horn lit up, and it grasped the little square package Raki had called forth earlier ago. It opened, and the circle within was extended until it was pretty much a yellow, rubber, and thin flat tube sealed off at one end.

“What are you doing?” Raki inquired, opening her eyes just in time to see the tube fully unravel itself. She arched a brow in response to the sight.

The stallion chuckled a little bit, pulling his member fully out from between the mares before encasing it in the tube. The rubber felt a little strange, but he wasn’t fazed by it. “I have an idea.” He responded, horn still aglow for some reason.

“What sort of--” Koto started, only to shriek in surprise as she was flipped over onto her back in the course of a single heartbeat, red magic being to blame here.

“Raki, can ya scoot back a bit, and maybe sit up, please?” Rekka asked, horn still glowing in red.

“Only if I can get off too.” The mare replied, complying with the request. She used the bedpost to support herself, hind legs splayed rather awkwardly. Koto soon found herself between the two, back on the soft mattress which was a bit wet at this point. She shuddered, feeling the spot cooling even beneath her frame.

Her eyes widened as she was turned over back onto her stomach, muzzle pointed right at the elder mare’s wet entrance, but a few inches away. The stallion behind her pushed her closer to the elder with his magic before repositioning himself behind her.

The elder put a gentle hoof on the top of Koto’s head and ruffled her mane some with it. She then pressed down a little bit, then forward. This put the younger mare’s muzzle just millimeters within her entrance.

Before Koto could react, she felt the encased member slide into her lower region and it parted her inner walls; this time with some difficulty. It felt very strange, if not slightly uncomfortable. She scrunched her eyes in response, feeling the hoof on her head push her muzzle deeper between the elder’s hind legs.

“This feels strange…” The stallion complained, feeling the rubber encasing his member tighten a bit.

“And now you see why not many wear the damn things.” Raki replied, gasping afterwards as she felt a tongue touch her folds.

Rekka only chuckled at the remark. He slid out as best as he could manage, just leaving the head still trapped within Koto’s walls. Again, the rubber encasing his member gave him some grief as he slid it back in--he had to almost force it inside, causing Koto to stop licking long enough to let off a groan of discomfort.

The young mare’s horn began glowing again, as if in response to her discomfort. Before her magic could do anything, though, a horn band was placed on her glowing appendage, which caused the glow to cease.

“It hurts?” Raki asked, panting. Koto nodded a bit, ears on her skull as the encased member slid in and out at a slow pace. She redirected her attention towards Rekka. “You could remove the condom, if you want…”

“I don’t want to knock her up, though.” Rekka protested, quickening his pace a bit. “She’s in heat, remember?”

Koto let off another soft groan, and she shuddered a little. She then resumed licking, which caused the elder mare who was helping her gasp.

“You...have a point.” Raki groaned, scrunching her eyes shut as she spoke. She shook greatly, and even moved her hoof off of Koto’s head. “Does...it still hurt?” She asked, panting. Koto stopped licking again, and she shook her head to answer, before resuming her pace.

“I’m starting to see stars…” Rekka groaned, stopping his movements altogether for a moment. He slumped for a bit, panting as though desperate for air.

“I’m not sure...if that’s good or bad…” Raki replied. She shook again, having a front hoof near her mouth.

Koto groaned, ears quickly shifting upright and then flat for a second. She got her muzzle out of the elder’s folds and rested her head just above them, moving a front hoof in place of her tongue. The stallion behind her sighed, and resumed his pace without stalling. He found that the tight vice of discomfort had loosened somewhat, enabling him to slide in and out with less resistance. The mare he was rutting nearly shrieked in surprise, holding it in at the last possible moment before it could escape her tired, soaked mouth.

Raki panted as the front hoof moved up and down, occasionally side to side, her lower region. She shook constantly at the touch, putting her front hoof onto the bed. The mare felt her body reach its limit, and she threw her head high. A moan, this one mixed with a shriek of surprise, escaped her lips as she experienced release, which soaked the leg of the mare before her.

Koto sighed contently, moving her hoof away. She trembled herself now, and was just content to let Rekka more or less have his way with her. She no longer felt the discomfort her body felt prior, only a methodical ramming in its place. The young mare quietly removed her horn band with a wet hoof, pants of her own escaping her lips.

“Seeing...stars again…” Rekka murmured, moving his front hooves until they were pinned firmly on Koto’s shoulders.

“Shut up...and rut me!” Koto demanded, shaking very badly now.

The stallion groaned and quickened his pace, as if to make up for lost time. Briefly, he looked towards Raki, and her head hung low as if in defeat. She was still breathing, though, and one of her front hooves rested on her good hind leg’s flank. He could feel his encased member twitch and spasm little by little as he continued to ram Koto senseless.

Rekka began to feel light-headed, his own body shaking to its core as he continued his onslaught. He kept grunting, body still shaking, before pausing for only a second to steady himself. As soon as he was steady again, Koto let off a surprised moan of her own, but she quickly silenced it. Her horn began to glow again, and there was no stopping her magic this time. The aura encased the stallion’s hips, and his eyes went wide as the mare below him quickened his pace before he could.

“K-Koto!” Rekka cried out, his front legs moving off her back to grasp the mare’s hips in response to being grasped by magic. “W-What are you doing?!”

Before Koto could answer, another cry escaped her throat, this one unable to be held back. Her muscles clenched, then relaxed, as her own climax shook her so thoroughly she could’ve easily sworn her legs went numb for a few seconds. Even her horn ceased using its magic after that, and said magic released its grip on the stallion.

Rekka took a moment to calm down, his mind still reeling with what had just transpired. His breaths came quickly and in short bouts, as if the air had been knocked clean out of his lungs by an invisible punch to the chest.

“Your...turn…” Koto murmured, her voice nearly a whisper. She was still trembling, and her breath too came in short bouts.

“Just...keep rutting, right?” The stallion inquired. Koto rose her head to nod, though weakly, before setting it back down again. Almost immediately, he complied, resuming his pace as though nothing happened, but for him, it didn’t last long. He too howled in ecstasy as his body finally gave in to his own release, and as it did, he felt increasingly tired. He could’ve sworn he heard something snap, but he shrugged it off as he slid his member out and fell off Koto rather clumsily.

As sleep encased the two, he felt his form shift. So did Koto, for that matter. The elder mare who helped them repositioned herself so her back was on the soaked mattress, and hung her bad leg onto the support rope before embracing the younger ponies in both forelegs and drifting off to sleep herself.

Chapter XXXIX- Break

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Chapter XL- Two Issues At Once

The attic was illuminated by the sunlight shining through the window, and in the bed lay three unicorns all snoozing away, the middle one holding the other two in her front legs. Rekka groaned as he slept, then turned so his back faced Raki. He opened his eyes slowly, only to scrunch them shut as the sunlight hit them full-force, effectively blinding him for a moment.

He pulled a hoof over his face, and groaned as though his mother pestered him to get out of bed and go to school. The stallion didn’t want to get out of bed. He felt the foreleg that grasped him pry itself away from him, its owner mumbling in her sleep.

Rekka turned again, his face embedded into the mattress. One of his back legs dangled at the side of the bed, but he paid it no heed. The stallion tried to doze off again, and right when he attained that blissful state between waking and sleeping, he rolled off the bed and landed on his side.

“Ow…” The stallion murmured, sitting up on the floor after his collision. He shifted his legs so he could stand, shooting the bed who he was certain was mocking him a glance. Not far from where he lay had been last night’s condom, flattened and wrinkled, having served its purpose. A smile came onto his muzzle as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

His horn lit up, and the mass of rubber was encased in his magic. It levitated to him obediently, though he instantly noticed that, curiously, it was empty and hollow. He arched a brow at the anomaly. Shouldn’t there have been at least something inside of it? Rekka was certain he used it last night, unless pretty much everything was a vivid hallucination for him, which was a possibility. That in itself could very well explain it all, from his current form to his growing of a horn.

Rekka sighed, remembering he needed to change his bandages. Sure, they weren’t soaked in blood, but the wounds still needed to be cleaned to avoid infection. That, and the bandages were most likely soaked from the threesome last night, so they needed washing as soon as possible. Slowly, he made his way to the attic door, which had still stood open for some reason. The stallion kept his movements slow, hoping to avoid making any unneeded noises which could arouse the others in the house.

He sauntered down the stairs, stopping after the third step to look in the hallway. Much to his surprise, Kaguya had already been awake. She stood in the middle of the hall, before the fourth door to what would be his right if he finished the flight of stairs. That door had led into Tenmei’s room, and it stood ajar.

The white-pelted mare instantly noticed the stallion trying his best to creep down the stairs. Rekka hid the used condom behind his body, not wanting to cause trouble.

“And you were upstairs why?” Kaguya asked, bags hanging under her bloodshot eyes. Her mane was more or less a mass of hair that looked like a bird nested in it at some point sitting on the top of her head.

“I...uh…” Rekka stuttered, beginning to sweat a little bit. He was not sure what to tell the elder mare, especially considering that her appearance screamed ‘I failed to sleep last night.’

“Well?” Kaguya asked, eyes narrowing.

“I think I was sleepwalking last night…” Rekka said at last, blinking a few times.

“...Fair enough. Could you find Tenmei for me? He’s not in his room either.” Kaguya sighed, shambling to her room slower than a zombie that was missing a few legs. Her door closed, and then silence took precedence in the house.

“Tenmei’s...not in his room?” Rekka murmured, letting Kaguya’s request sink in for a moment or two. He finished descending the stairs, making his way towards the room of his aforementioned friend.

Sure enough, the room lacked Tenmei. His sheets were thrown off the bed, and his glasses and crossbow were perched on his side table. They hadn’t been disturbed at all; only the bed itself was a bit of a mess. Rekka couldn’t help but feel something was wrong with the entire scenario, but he had other matters to attend to for the moment. Perhaps Tenmei had slept-walked to the couch or table last night?

The young stallion let off another sigh and made his way to the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind him after entering. He changed his bandages swiftly, using his magic to do the work. It would’ve been more irksome for him to use his hooves. After that, he brushed his mane and tail, and then another smirk made itself known on his muzzle as he eyed the sink’s faucet.

He held the end of the condom to the faucet, though not close enough for the rubber to touch the metal. One knob was grasped in magic and turned, letting water fill the thing like a balloon.

However, something very quickly made itself apparent as the condom swelled with water: namely, a small stream of water shooting out the side, near where the head of a dong would be, like someone was spitting it out of their mouth in a style akin to the archer fish, albeit in a slim stream.

The faucet was turned off quickly, and all but a trace of the water drained out through that same stream from that one spot. Essentially, the would-be water balloon was empty again, just as it had been when the one who used it had hoisted it into the air.

Rekka’s eyes widened at the sight. He turned on the faucet again, this time manually. He waited until the yellow mass of rubber was swollen again before the faucet went off.

This yielded the same result as the first time he tried filling the damn thing up.

“Fucking hell…” Rekka murmured, sweat forming on his face as he stared at the rubber he was certain had mocked him at this point. He heard hoofsteps echo in the hall, and quickly reacted accordingly: he used his magic to wrap the mass of rubber in some toilet paper and threw it in the trash right as someone began to knock on the door.

“Anyone in there? I need to change my wrappings and preen my wings.” Said a masculine voice on the other side.

Rekka unlocked the door with his magic as soon as the voice finished speaking. “It’s open.” He answered, and the door flung open and Nagare walked right in, looking like he just woke up ill. He looked rather pale, and he too had bags under his eyes. Even some wing feathers stuck out of alignment here and there on his good wing, which was flared out a hefty bit.

“Okay,” The green stallion started, staring Rekka straight in the eye, “you look like you just woke up seeing a guard pointing a spear right in your face. Are you alright?”

“I am alright.” Rekka quickly lied, having calmed down enough to wipe the sweat from his brow with a hoof. “Just woke up to a cold sweat is all.”

Nagare almost immediately arched a brow. “Are you positive of that? I’m starting to think something’s afoot here.” He replied.

“Yeah. I’m positive.” Rekka said, nodding quickly.

“You done in here?” Nagare asked, brow still arched.

“Just about.” Rekka answered, quickly making his way out of the bathroom. He trotted downstairs and looked in the kitchen and living room, only to find that there was still no sign of Tenmei having been anywhere else. The dishes were undisturbed, nothing was taken from the fridge, even the cushions of the couch remained unfazed.

“And just how in hell am I gonna explain this to Kaguya, and the broken condom to Koto, exactly…?” Rekka murmured, keeping his voice low enough to avoid letting anyone else hear his words. His ears fell flat on his skull, and he shook in horror.

Chapter XLI- Horrific Pain

Tenmei lay on the floor, all legs splayed wide and bound in chains. He shook, his body aching--no, burning--with pain. His eyes were closed tight, another series of tears leaking from them. All he could do was groan in agony at this point.

His body was bruised, as though beaten by hooves for five straight minutes. There were cuts here and there, the blood that had leaked from them dried and further staining his pelt along with a sickly crusted white splotch here and there. The blood leaking from his nose also dried, and his eyes were marred by thick rings of bruises. His tail had much of the hair torn clean out, and only meager strands remained. His captors, looming over him with wicked grins and limp dicks that were retracting, still stood proud and tall like the cocky bastards they were.

“Looks like he couldn’t take much today. Little wretch really was fragile today.” Baki taunted, a chuckle that sounded like it should’ve come from a demon’s throat escaping his lips soon after he made the remark.

“They never do, which is a pity. Oh well, we could try again in a few hours. I'm starting to miss the purple brat; she lasted a good while.” Maki agreed, turning away and making his way to the cell door. His leader followed, and the two stepped out and simply trotted away, leaving just the battered prisoner in the darkness.

Tenmei tried to raise his head, only for it to defy him and land on the floor after mere inches. Another grunt of pain came soon after, more tears still trickling down his face. He tried to rise his head again, and it yielded the same result as the first attempt.

“Why…?” He murmured, his voice nothing but a sob-racked whisper. His body soon became numb after all the pain he had taken today, and each time he tried to move, an electrical impulse would run through whatever limb he wanted to shift. It didn’t hurt on its own, but the bruises and cuts did. It was especially worse for his back legs, as the feeling of being stretched like a tiny rubber band accompanied the anguish from the other wounds whilst amplifying them.

The stallion lay there in the darkness, eyes still closed tight. A sleep filled with agony and nightmares clutched him in its invisible claw, and there was no stopping it.

There were demons surrounding him in the shape of ponies, and they were quite literally everywhere. In the air, in the floor, in the bloody walls; not one nook or cranny went unmolested by the fiends.

They jeered at him, much like the beasts from Hell, mocking him for failing to defend himself at this hour. All sorts of insults--weak, dirty, filthy, repulsive colt--were thrown all over the place, the owners shouting in such a way it sounded as though the insults came from but one voice. He couldn't keep track of how many times they chanted their slurs; his mind was still racing from the recent trauma.

The fiends pawed at him nonstop, a few holding his legs apart in firm grasps to keep him from struggling. They slowly, surely, began to rip chunks of flesh from his body, their teeth hot as branding irons, and he howled and screeched in unbearable agony. His cries only encouraged the foul-mouthed fiends to rip him apart further.

Tenmei awoke, very much shrieking, only to find himself still laying on the floor, chained like a beast. His heart beat rapidly, as if threatening to jump out his mouth, and his lungs burned in a pain akin to fire. His eyes opened, and with a shaky head, he glanced around.

The room he was in was unchanged, at least for the moment. He sighed weakly, then laid his head back down like an obedient dog. His ears fell flat, and he tried tugging his limbs free of the accursed bonds again.

No dice. The metal held firm as ever.

The lone stallion sighed again, ears perking upright to catch the sound of hooves hitting something above his current prison. Whatever it was, and who or what may have been causing it, though, was of no concern to him at this time. His ears fell flat again, the silence once more taking precedence in the area.

“No wonder Yuuki had screamed--” Tenmei murmured, and he stopped himself before finishing that sentence. A pang of guilt made itself known at his half-finished remark, his gut twisting and causing jolts of pain to run rampant as if agreeing with the guilt.

Irregardless, he fully understood the magnitude of his friend's suffering when she found herself in more or less of the same predicament. Something in the back of his mind screamed, wishing he didn’t understand.

Like he had a choice at this point. He sighed once more, head still on the cold floor, and much of his body went numb again.

For a few hours, he lay there in the bleak black room, doing nothing but attempt to sleep and occasionally either think aloud or try to jerk his limbs again. It was beginning to drive him mad, but there wasn’t much he could do about it other than fling curse words at nothing in particular.

Every attempt to sleep seemed to have summoned forth those wretched demon-ponies, which would wake him up after he screamed in protest to their tortuous methods. He always woke up shrieking louder than a banshee, and so sleep lasted what he could've sworn was only a few moments at best.

In this darkness, in his current condition, he felt like he was losing himself. If anything, he was broken at this point; anything beyond what had transpired this morning would not only do greater damage to his physical form, but also his very mind, on account of how sleep-deprived he was.

Something greatly bugged him about one of his captors’ earlier remarks, and his lips parted to think aloud once more: “had this been what they meant when they said they would break me?”

Author's Note

Another short chapter. Hope it doesn't break pacing too much.

~Dragon

Chapter XLII, Part II- Rarity

“That I most certainly do.” The white mare confirmed with a nod, her own eyes starting to narrow. “Why don’t you just leave him and the mare he’s with alone? Equestria would be much better off with one less dragged-on fight.”

“Felix, what do you say?” Asked the blue-maned stallion.

Felix, the grey pony who was still holding the shears, sighed. “Twilight Sky, we lop it off anyway.” He said quickly. “Pony Moore, Cherry Fizzy, Baritone, you agree?”

“Sir Pony Moore to you,” Hissed the one with the tie, “but I agree nonetheless the mane and tail must be shortened.”

Cherry, the brown-pelted pony, merely nodded. Baritone also nodded in agreement.

“You shorten my mane and tail,” Rekka started at last, eyes narrowing as he began overcoming his shock, “I’ll file a harassment and assault lawsuit.”

“Like that will get through.” Moore said, smiling darkly. “I have more than enough money with my business to topple it in moments. Watch me.”

Rekka sat on his rump and crossed his forelegs, brow arching as he did. “Reeally? Can you prove it?” He asked.

“Most certainly in court.” Moore replied, his smile unwavering.

Twilight Sky then lunged at the stallion, but before his body could crash into that of Rekka’s, an aura of light grey grasped him and stopped him entirely, holding him in the air effortlessly. “What the?!” He cried, flailing his limbs about to no avail. The aura still held him strong as ever.

Felix groaned in annoyance, and then he too lunged towards the stallion with shears held in his mouth. Another aura the same color as the one holding Sky grasped him, keeping him perfectly still.

“It seems we have company.” Moore remarked dryly, sitting down on his rump and watching as Cherry also made the lunge that, once again, was stopped by a grey aura. He glanced around, and found a good half-dozen or so royal guards of the unicorn variety approaching the would-be mess in a collective, unified trot.

“Why does the guard have to screw things up now?!” Baritone shrieked, eyes narrowed as he hissed. “We could’ve had him, cut his mane and tail, and have his supposed girlfriend before his very eyes!”

Koto let her horn cease glowing, but not before she sheathed her weapon. She quickly backed off--she wanted to avoid drawing the ire of the guards in her direction.

“Pony Moore, you are under arrest for tax evasion and plotting to partake in aggravated assault! Cherry Fizzy, you’re under arrest for theft and attempted aggravated assault!” The guards barked in unison, turning their attention to Felix. “Felix, you are under arrest for attempted aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and robbery! Baritone, you are under arrest attempted aggravated assault and attempted kidnapping of a foal! Twilight Sky, you are under arrest for attempted aggravated assault and murder of three ponies!”

With that, Moore and Baritone were also encased in magic, but before the guards could trot away with the group of stallions, Koto went up to one of them and tapped his shoulder with a hoof to get his attention. The guard she poked looked at her. “What is it that troubles you?” He asked.

“How do you know what these stallions did, apart from trying to jump my friend?” Koto answered quickly.

“We were tipped off by a hefty few ponies about these guys who acted as a group to carry out their attempted crimes, if that answers your question.” The guard replied, sighing.

“So….these guys caused trouble for the past few days, and you were simply tailing them because of the trouble being reported?” Rekka asked, though his remark sounded more like a statement. One of his brows was arched, and he was still very much sitting on his rump with his front legs crossed together.

“That’s about the whole mess with these guys in a nutshell.” The guard answered again, shooting the red-maned stallion a glance as he spoke.

“Hey, did you see one of my friends?” Koto asked, causing the guard to glance at her again.

“What does he look like?” The guard inquired, a brow arched.

“Short brown mane, tan pelt, crossbow cutie mark?” Koto stated, one of her own brows arched.

“Nope, I didn’t see the pony. Did you look for him?” The guard replied, shaking his head.

“Everywhere in Ponyville, yes. Couldn’t find him.” Koto answered again, this time sighing afterwards. “I’m afraid we can’t hitch a train to go somewhere else and search for him in places like Manehatten.” She added.

The guard stood there, as did his fellow armored ponies, for a few moments more as they processed her words, magic still holding the troublesome stallions firmly. By now, the group had ceased struggling, and resorted to cursing everything out under their breath. Then, he spoke. “Very well. I shall inform the rest of the guard and establish a missing pony’s report and search as soon as I am able.” With that, he and his colleagues began trotting away with the soon-to-be prisoners.

And now the two unicorns, with the third who was uninvited, stood there as though still registering what had just transpired.

“That...certainly could’ve gone better, if I do say so myself.” The white unicorn spoke at last, causing Rekka and Koto to look at her.

“I assume you haven’t seen our friend either?” Rekka sighed, as if he knew full well the answer to his question if he dared ask it.

“I have not seen him once today.” The white mare replied quickly.

“Figures…” The stallion murmured, letting his head drop low as if in defeat, though only for a moment.

“Wait a minute,” The white mare stated, causing the two to look at her again, “I think I’ve heard about you two somewhere…”

Rekka and Koto exchanged a glance with one another, then looked back to the mare with arched brows.

“Oh, yes, I remember now.” The white mare spoke again, this time smiling faintly. “A mare named Kaguya told me a few months ago she had friends who were injured as she helped me design some dresses. But...I don’t recall her saying anything about them having horns…” As she spoke, her smile faded into a frown. “Speaking of horns, how did you two get them?”

“Well...some freak magic’s been affecting me and my friend, and two more have grown wings because of it...something about Discord, I think.” Koto answered, rubbing the back of her head nervously with a hoof.

“Well, I’ve never heard of Discord granting ponies horns or wings. I’ve met him in person before he was reformed, and he took my horn away because his game had a ‘no magic, no wings’ rule or something of the sort.” The mare commented dryly, a brow arched.

“Well, it seems to be possible. How else would I have my horn?” Koto countered, looking up cross-eyed at her pointy appendage.

“Wait...you said Discord and something about him being reformed?” Rekka asked, ears perked to attention. “I also heard Kaguya mention something about the Elements of...Harmony, I think?”

“Oh, yes.” The white mare confirmed with a nod. “Long story short, Discord won his little game, and would’ve caused chaos the world over had my friend Twilight not made us see through his illusion and use the Elements of Harmony to turn him to stone for his wicked ways. A few months later, we turned him back to normal, and we were able to turn him from evil to good...for the most part. He’s still mischievous sometimes, but I guess it’s simply one of his old habits.” She said, smiling faintly as she finished.

“That sounds...rather disastrous. Being turned to stone by the Elements of Harmony sounds like a nightmare...something bugs me about it, actually.” Rekka started, beginning to shake in anxiety.

“What is it?” The mare asked, brow arched once more.

“Are the Elements supposed to do good if they….petrify things?” Rekka asked, ears flat on his skull.

“Yes, actually. The only thing they’ve petrified when used correctly, from my understanding of them at any rate, is Discord himself. Nightmare Moon was banished to the moon with them for a thousand years, so I simply guess it varies from individual to individual the Elements are used on.” The mare answered.

“Banished...to the moon?” Koto asked, ears twitching. “Did I hear that right?”

“Yes, you did. Luna became Nightmare Moon when ponies back then didn’t appreciate her night, so she tried to bathe Equestria in night eternal. Celestia stopped this by banishing her, but she came back on the day of the Summer Sun Celebration. She tried to bathe Equestria in night again, but long story short, ended up having her plans thwarted again. Luna can still become Nightmare Moon, but she only uses it on Nightmare Night nowadays.” The mare answered again, smiling faintly.

Koto and Rekka exchanged another quick glance, then returned their attention to the mare. “Yikes.” They said in unison.

“So, did you want to speak to me about anything else?” The mare asked.

“No, actually. We were just about to trot home to tell Kaguya the bad news.” Rekka answered, sighing.

“Well, given the circumstances of earlier, and being the generous mare I am, I think I’ll accompany you home.” The mare said, smiling faintly.

“We never did get your name.” Koto pointed out, sitting on her rump to stretch her front legs a bit afterwards.

“My name is Rarity, dear.” The mare replied, still smiling faintly.

Chapter XLIII- Time Flies

A few days had passed since the missing pony’s report had been officially filed, and during that time, no leads sprang up as to where Tenmei had gone off to.

Until a most dreary morning, that is. Everyone sat at the table, with a spare chair for Raki. The group was talking like the half-asleep ponies they were when someone began to knock on the door. Koto went to answer it, and upon opening the door, she was greeted by a royal guard of the pegasus variety.

“We just found the missing pony in the Everfree Forest near-dead.” He said, and in that same moment, all jaws went agape and their owners wide-eyed.

Kaguya slammed her front hooves on the table. “N-near-dead?!” She cried, ears flat on her skull.

“Yes, I’m afraid. He’s being taken to the hospital immediately.” The guard replied, quickly going about his business. Koto closed the door after he left, turning back to her companions slowly.

01’s face had darkened. He gulped hard. “We...we should visit him later today.” He murmured. Indeed, the group did later pay the young stallion a visit, and what a sight greeted them as they opened the door that led to his temporary room: he was covered in bandages, and the exposed bits of pelt had visible bruising on their frames. One of his front legs was held to his chest, much like that of Koto when her left foreleg had been broken.

Much of the bandages on his body had already been bloodied, and he lay on the bed with eyes scrunched shut. His breathing was slow but shallow, as if life was escaping him still.

Nurse Redheart trotted into the room, eyelids slanted in worry as she entered. Tenmei’s group of visitors looked at her.

“He’ll have to stay put for a month. There were many broken bones in his body, and cuts on his legs. Even his tail had been ripped off--I’m not sure how he’ll act once he awakens, if he wakes up at all…” She said, blinking a few times.

“Do...do you know what got him?” Yuuki asked, wings shifting in unsease. She looked back to her friend.

“He was very clearly abused, but by what I can’t say. All I know is a group of royal guards found him in the Everfree, about to be attacked by timberwolves.” Redheart answered, shaking her head. “He’ll have another surgery tomorrow; his body couldn’t take much. I’m afraid the problems don’t end with the broken bones or torn tail.” She added.

“Whatever it was, it clearly caused him a lot of pain.” Nagare sighed, turning his attention to the bedridden stallion. Tenmei began moving his head back and forth, groaning weakly as he did. “I just hope he can pull through…” He added, watching the pitiful, sluggish movements of the weakened pony.

Koto noticed four IV bags, and an additional five blood bags hanging on racks, all attached to Tenmei. She then looked back at Redheart as if demanding another answer without words.

“He’s lost too much blood during the operation after he arrived. His temperature was also dangerously low.” Redheart sighed, nodding once. Doctor Stable then trotted in, a worried look of his own upon his face.

“I’m afraid the whole medical team will have to help tomorrow. There won’t be visiting hours then; I hope you all understand.” Stable said, eyelids slanted as if he were going to cry.

“If it’ll save his life, we understand.” Kaguya replied with a nod, glancing back at Tenmei who still fidgeted about in his sleep. “I just hope he makes it.”

“The chances are slim to none. Even so, we’ll do our best for him.” Redheart sighed, nodding once more.

Another month or so had passed since that day. Tenmei underwent three more surgeries during that time, but he didn’t seem to respond to the treatment. He lay there in the bed groaning and moving his head sluggishly, and did little else. It was almost as if a spell had bound him so, and nopony knew just how to break its grip upon him.

Until, that is, the very end of that month, and during hospital staff off-hours.

He slowly opened his eyes, finding himself in a void of pitch-black darkness. Almost immediately, his entire body began to hurt at once, and he winced as a result. Then, it suddenly got much too bright for him, and he nearly closed his eyes shut in response. As the bright dulled and his eyes got less strained, he noticed bright patches along with light grey blurs that were barely discernable from said patches.

“Where...am I?” He asked, hearing the sound of hooves hitting a floor getting louder before stopping abruptly. The stallion could now see in the corner of his eye a white splotch with a pink blur atop its supposed, fuzzy frame.

“Ponyville Infirmary. You were in critical condition.” Responded a feminine voice as the stallion felt something slide onto his face. Now, he could see a tiled ceiling, and Nurse Redheart standing next to him. “One of your friends brought me your glasses earlier today.” She added, watching as the bedridden pony turned his head weakly in her direction.

“It hurts…” Tenmei moaned, closing his eyes again.

“Your surgeries were only weeks ago--you shouldn’t be in pain still. The whole team fixed you up good as new.” Redheart sighed, eyelids slanted in worry.

“Surgeries…?” Tenmei asked, opening his eyes once more. He looked towards his body, and found much of it covered with a white blanket.

“Yes. You had a total of four to fix up your many problems.” Redheart confirmed, this time with a nod. “We thought you’d never make it--I was expecting you to be dead about now, actually. You pulled through, though, and for that, I am glad.” She added, smiling faintly. She then frowned suddenly. “Just...what in Equestria happened to you?”

Tenmei scrunched his eyes shut instantly. “I...I don’t want to talk about it.” He sighed.

Chapter XLIV- Worry

The next morning, Nurse Redheart escorted the stallion home. Accompanying them was a royal guard, the same one who had reported finding the wreck of a pony in the Everfree Forest a month or so ago. Some ponies who were out and about would stare at the odd trio for maybe a moment, perhaps two, before going about their business.

During the whole trip, Tenmei said nothing. Not one word escaped his lips in so much as a whisper. When he entered the house, he was met with Kaguya’s forelegs wrapping around him in a tight hug, pulling him close to her. He heard her sob softly.

“We...we thought…” She trailed off, her body shaking as she held him close. Tenmei couldn’t recall the last time he had seen or heard Kaguya cry like this, but she was sad now. The elder mare, usually calm or angry, was crying; shaken up. “We thought you’d die…” She murmured, still embracing the stallion.

01 trotted to the two, then sat down next to both and he hugged them as well. “It was...horrific. We all feared the worst had happened…” He murmured. “And...it nearly did.” He added with a soft sigh.

Tenmei shifted a bit. He knew full well what the elder stallion spoke of. Even so, he said nothing about it.

“At least...at least you’ve pulled through.” 01 sighed, a tear streaking his cheek as he finished speaking.

Tenmei still didn’t speak. He did, however, nod in response.

The trio broke the group hug, and Kaguya wiped her remaining tears away with a hoof. Her face was red, though it clearly wasn’t from her anger. 01 did much the same with a hoof of his own. Both noticed, only now, that the young stallion hadn’t said anything since he came back.

“Are...are you alright?” Kaguya asked, blinking as Tenmei looked up at her.

“Yeah, just...haven’t been feeling like talking lately…” The stallion answered, ears flat on his skull.

Rekka and Koto were trotting along towards Twilight’s house, the great big treehouse on the west side of town. Between them, not uttering a single word, was Tenmei, who currently had no discernable emotion present on his face. Not too far behind were Nagare and Yuuki, the latter of whom was airborne, but flying low. The lack of words from the stallion with glasses didn’t slip by so easily with his other friends, and they were going to find a way to address the matter.

Once they reached the treehouse, Rekka stopped before the door and began to knock on it with his hoof. Yuuki let her hooves touch the ground, and she and the others eyed the sight patiently.

After a bit, the door opened, and Spike was behind it. “Hey.” He said. “What’re you guys doing here?”

“Tenmei’s...well, we’re all starting to think he’s going mute, and we don’t know why. Can we see Twilight?” Rekka asked, sighing afterwards.

“Mute?” Spike asked, a brow arched.

“Ergo, he’s kinda not talking much. Said he didn’t feel like it.” Koto translated, glancing at Tenmei. “It’s...not like him.”

“I’d say don’t pry too much. Maybe he’s just not comfy talking today. His throat could be sore.” Spike proposed, pointing a claw at the brown-maned pony of the lot.

Koto blinked. Spike could have raised a valid point. “Is your throat hurting?” She asked.

Tenmei shook his head. “I feel fine.” He said quickly.

“There went that theory.” Yuuki dryly remarked, ears twitching as she spoke.

“So...uh, yeah. Could you get Twilight, please?” Rekka reiterated, looking at Spike as he said this.

“Come right in. Just don’t make a ruckus or anything like that. Fluttershy’s...well, she doesn’t quite know you guys yet.” Spike warned, running back inside on his two little legs and allowing the group to follow. Nagare closed the door once everyone else was settled in the library, which had doubled as an impromptu living room.

Near a small round table was Twilight Sparkle, who was very much occupied chatting with a butter yellow pegasus mare with a long, flowing pink mane that swirled at the end, and eyes of teal. Her cutie mark, three teal-bodied, pink-winged butterflies, sat perfectly on her flank in a manner which would very much reflect their delicate flight patterns.

The two mares noticed the five who just waltzed right in, and the pegasus gave a startled “Eep!” and cowered behind her forelegs and mane. At this display, the group of five went silent and wide-eyed for a moment before remembering that, as Spike said, she simply didn’t know them right yet. They shared a collective, calm sigh at that fact.

Twilight seemed to have grimaced as she saw the ponies. Spike went up to her and tugged her foreleg to divert her attention towards him.

“They said Tenmei’s falling quiet lately.” Spike said quickly. “I suggested he had a sore throat, but he actually proved otherwise.”

Twilight nodded, then looked to the pony with glasses. “Are you okay?” She asked.

“I am. I just don’t feel like talking.” Tenmei replied, subtle bitter tones resonating in his voice, though he certainly didn’t look bitter. He didn’t have narrowed eyes, flattened ears, or even a tail between his hind legs, so to speak. (As a matter of fact, his tail was still growing back.)

“Uh-huh,” Twilight replied with a slow, almost weary nod. She turned to the pegasus mare. “It’s alright, Fluttershy. These ponies are good ponies.” She said.

Fluttershy removed her face from her forelegs and mane, looking at the purple unicorn with worry in her eyes. “R-Really?” She asked.

Twilight nodded. “Though, they can get a bit rowdy sometimes. Personally, I blame fatigue on that one.” She remarked, chuckling lightly at the loud thought.

Nagare raised a hoof to object to that remark, and his mouth worked up and down, but he could not form words. He set his hoof down in short order.

“And a side of roughhousing.” The unicorn added, grinning lightly.

Fluttershy nodded, then turned to face the five ponies. The five spread out a bit so she could see their individual features without the lot being bunched up together. She found that, much to her shock, at least three of the five cutie marks were weapons. Rekka’s cutie mark she found a little confusing, and Yuuki’s looked like a simple toy. An odd-looking toy, but a toy nonetheless.

“How...how did you get those cutie marks? I-If you don’t mind me asking…” Fluttershy murmured, blinking as she further inspected the cutie marks.

“I’d give a demonstration, but today’s simply not the day.” Rekka replied quickly. The heads of the other four ponies who were visiting nodded in unison.

“I showed my skill with swords to a few troublesome stallions a month or so ago. ‘Offense is the best defense,’ so they say.” Nagare remarked calmly, a small smile on his muzzle as he remembered that event. “Hopefully, they won’t bother me and Yuuki again.” He added nonchalantly, an image of Spitfire chewing out that lot of morons playing out in his mind.

“That sounds worrying.” Twilight commented with a sigh.

“It does, but it was taken care of with no injuries whatsoever.” Nagare replied, calm as ever. “Flight captain probably reminded them all night long of how...dense they were.”

“Did you face the captain’s ire too?” Twilight asked, brow arched.

“No, though we did tell her our side of the story.” Nagare replied, eyes closed in a serene look.

Fluttershy looked over Koto’s cutie mark for the third time. “N-No offense, but I haven’t seen any unicorn with a cutie mark like that…” She murmured.

“None taken.” Koto replied, smiling faintly. “I keep seeing a minty green mare with a lyre for her cutie mark. She’s been playing the lyre a lot lately, from what I’ve seen of her. It sounded really pretty.”

Yuuki spread her wings a bit before she closed them again, sighing softly as the feathers lay neatly against her sides. Her dark purple feathers looked a bit messy, but otherwise as they should. She shot a glance at Tenmei, who had sat on his rump to clean his glasses.

The mare rose a hoof and gently poked the stallion in the shoulder with it. He shot a glance at her, putting his glasses back on afterwards. Yuuki then gestured with her hoof in Fluttershy’s direction, causing the stallion to look at the aforementioned yellow pegasus. “She’s looking at ya, Tenmei.” Yuuki pointed out quickly.

“I-I hope you don’t mind me asking this,” Fluttershy started, her voice nearly a whisper, “but why are you going mute?”

Tenmei’s ears immediately fell flat on his skull. He pursed his lips together, unsure of how to respond to that question. He shifted his forelegs nervously, gulping hard.

“I have some books that could explain why he’s going mute.” Twilight interjected, causing Fluttershy and Tenmei’s friends to glance at her. Her horn lit up in purple, and some books flew off the shelves to her. They practically circled her as she seemed to read their contents faster than any have seen before.

Eventually, she found the one she was searching for, signaling this with a quick “Aha! I found it!” before putting all other books back on the shelves. She held the book before her, wide open like the others before they returned to their proper place, and she was sifting through the pages with ease.

“What’s the book saying?” Rekka inquired, brow arched as he watched the purple unicorn sift through the pages as she searched through its contents.

“Give me a minute,” Twilight replied, not once looking away from the book until she stopped sifting through the pages. “Okay, I found the page I was looking for...let’s see...temporary or permanent muteness in a pony can be caused by several factors, ranging from simple sore throats--which we already ruled out--to extensive, psychological trauma.” She said, pausing for a moment before continuing, “I’m not quite sure what could be causing his muteness, but at least it’s not full-on muteness, so we do have a plus on that part.”

“So…” Yuuki started, mentally piecing Twilight’s words together in her head, “his muteness is temporary?”

“From what I can divulge, it’s either that or selective muteness--that is, he only talks when needed.” Twilight replied with a nod, still reading the book as if engrossed in it. “There are still several possible factors we need to take into account, though. Do any of you know what made him silent for the most part?”

“Well, from what I heard,” Nagare started, rolling his eyes and sighing as if bored, “he had four surgeries in the course of a month after royal guards found him near-dead in the Everfree Forest. He was already surrounded by timberwolves to boot when they got there.”

Twilight pried her head from the book, and she looked at the green pegasus with widening eyes. “Oh my Celestia! Are you serious?!” She asked, blinking a few times.

“Yes. I wish I lied. When we first saw him in that bed, he was wrapped nearly head to hoof in bandages.” Nagare answered, nodding as he spoke.

“And he had five blood bags and four IV bags attached to him. Nurse Redheart said he suffered too much blood loss during the first surgery, and that his temperature was much too low for comfort.” Rekka added, shaking just a little bit at the thought.

“That...sounds a lot like psychological, and physical, trauma to me.” Twilight stated, eyelids slanting in worry.

“We kept thinking he wouldn’t pull through. Kaguya broke down a few times at the mere thought of it.” Koto stated, ears flat on her skull now.

“As in...broke down crying?” Twilight inquired. Koto merely nodded quickly. “I never knew it was that serious. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” She added quickly.

“Well, you never asked.” Nagare jabbed back with another sigh, “That, and since we have a small dragon and a pegasus who just barely knows of our very existence, I was starting to figure the two were better off not knowing about it, but that’s just me.”

“Anyway, this is starting to sound more and more like he’d been traumatized to me.” Twilight sighed, then she continued, “It’ll be very hard to get him to speak about it if that’s the case.”

“You’ve no idea how many times we asked him about it since Kaguya noticed. He just tenses up and won’t answer.” Yuuki sighed, closing her eyes and shaking her head as if defeated.

“Could...could you tell me what happened? For them?” Fluttershy asked, putting a hoof on the silent stallion’s shoulder as if to reassure him.

“It’s...it’s that I won’t tell you,” Tenmei spoke at last, his voice as shaken as he appeared, “it’s that I can’t tell you.”

Chapter XLV- Royal Intervention

Later that night, Tenmei lay in his bed. The blanket shrouded his form entirely, and he had his eyes shut tight. His friends did have reason to still hold a great amount of concern for him; that much he couldn't deny. Twilight went and sent Celestia a letter explaining his little mess to her (against his wishes to boot), with the details Rekka and Nagare had relayed.

A familiar, horrid image soon played out in his mind: he lay on the forest floor, broken and battered, his body numb. He had bouts of shifting between being awake and being asleep. Beasts that looked like wolves amassed of twigs, half-logs, and leaves surrounded him, sniffed him, growled at him constantly. Green-gold eyes glowed like fireflies in the night sky, and some even put their impromptu paws on his body as if to assess the damage done, yet it was all but a blur for him.

Why, then, hadn’t they ended him then and there? The opportunity had been present, that much was true, but it was like the timberwolves, so they were called, thought him an inanimate object. Snarling ferociously as they were, and drooling as much as they had, he had assumed they were hungry.

The poor stallion closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate. Then he heard the voices of shouting stallions. It all went black afterwards.

He sighed softly, keeping his eyes closed. The stallion could hear those wretched demons now, taunting him incessantly about this and that. If anything, all he had to do was ignore those insulting bastards and they’d go away to pester him another day. Tenmei’s mind drifted off somewhere else, and as it did, he fell fast asleep.

The blackness of sleep greeted him with open arms, as if it waited for his presence to make itself known here. The demons were far away; they couldn’t get him where he currently stood.

Wait. He was standing?

“This isn’t right…” Tenmei mumbled, glancing around his bleak surroundings. Black was here, there, everywhere; it expanded to the vastness beyond, if there was any vastness at all. He was indeed standing up as well, on all four legs. His glasses were also on his face, enabling him to see clearly--like it mattered thanks to the accursed darkness.

Must’ve been the laws of the dream world at play.

Then, a blue alicorn with a wispy, dotted mane suddenly appeared before him, eyes of turquoise staring into his own. They radiated warmth, but also concern. Tenmei backed off quickly, ears flat on his skull.

“Please,” The alicorn started calmly, “don’t fear me. You did not earn my ire, nor that of my sister’s.”

“A-Are you Luna?” Tenmei croaked, beginning to shake.

“Yes, I am. The night is my domain, and that by extension means dreams as well.” Luna replied with a nod.

Tenmei gulped hard. He continued to shake, ears perking up as he trembled.

Luna continued, “I’ve seen your dreams as you remained in that hospital. Most terrible dreams indeed. Please, tell me what it was that caused you to have those nightmares.”

A lump lodged itself in his throat. He scrunched his eyes shut, pursing his lips together, and let his ears fall flat on his head again. He had already told his friends he didn’t wish to speak of whatever had made him silent--what, then, would make him speak about it to Luna herself?

The princess was quick to notice his silence. “You do not wish to speak?” She asked.

Tenmei swiftly shook his head, quiet as ever.

Luna sighed, but it remained as calm as she appeared moments ago. She approached him, wings spreading as she drew nearer and nearer to the stallion.

Tenmei stood still, shaking very much, and his eyes widened as the princess sat before him and embraced him in her wings.

“I had seen the dreams of three of your friends. They too had been awful--no, horrendous to watch. Yours are no different.” Luna paused, another sigh escaping her lips. “They told me why those nightmares haunt them every night…”

Tenmei shook, tears beginning to escape his eyes and streaking down his cheeks. “I...I told them...I couldn’t tell them…” He murmured.

“Why...is that?” Luna inquired, ears perked to attention as she heard him begin to cry.

“I...can’t tell anyone…” Tenmei murmured, voice shaken as his body. “I’m...afraid…”

“Afraid?” Luna asked, blinking. “Of what?”

"I am afraid...for my friends…” Tenmei answered, looking up into the princess’s eyes. Tears continued to streak down his face, and his ears still remained flat on his head.

“Why...is that?” Luna inquired, blinking once more.

“If I told anyone, he’d...he’d kill my friends…” Tenmei uttered, lowering his head and closing his eyes. He shook even more now, and before long, he was whimpering in his sobs.

“Hmm?” Luna hummed, arching a brow. Who would want to kill Tenmei’s friends if he said anything about...whatever it was that had tormented him so?

Tenmei continued to cry, his body shaking with his sobs. Luna could sense his distress, and by instinct, wrapped him with her forelegs.

To her immediate surprise, the stallion then tried to jerk himself free of her grasp. He was still crying, that much was true, but it became very clear he was fearing her more than the death of his friends. He planted his front hooves on her chest and tried pushing her away, rear legs trying to scoot him in the opposite direction.

Something was dreadfully wrong, and it made itself more apparent with the passing second. Luna’s horn glowed on its own, and the light blue aura encased itself around Tenmei, thus keeping him very still. She pulled herself away, just enough to avoid further intruding in his personal space, and then looked into his tear-riddled eyes.

The glistening voids were filled with fear.

The alicorn then approached him once more, and this time she wiped a tear away with her hoof. Tenmei still trembled, but his eyes relaxed as the tear was gently wiped off his face, as if he knew now Luna had meant well.

“Are you...sure you cannot tell me what is wrong?” Luna asked, her voice soft and hushed.

“I...I can’t…” Tenmei answered weakly, another tear streaking down his face and hitting the darkness that made up the supposed platform he stood on.

“I...see.” Luna hesitated for a moment. “I shall...look into your memories now.”

Tenmei’s heart sank immediately. “DON’T!!” He protested, his voice echoing afterwards.

Luna stepped back a bit, eyes wide in shock. She had not expected this outburst. “How about this?” She started, wiping another tear off of the stallion’s cheek.

Tenmei’s ears perked to attention. He seemed to be waiting for her next choice of words.

“I look into your memories, and tell not a soul of what it is I see. Are you...alright with that?” Luna asked, her voice still soft.

“Who...would you tell...if you had to break that promise?” Tenmei inquired, ears flat on his skull again.

Luna paused for a moment, letting the question sink into her mind. “Only my sister, Celestia.” The princess answered at last. “Nopony else would know about what I’ve seen.”

“A...Alright…” Tenmei relented, scrunching his eyes and expecting the worst to happen. All he felt, though, was the bare tip of Luna’s horn touching his forehead after a hoof brushed his bangs aside.

Blurred images greeted the princess as she scanned the memories. Blue, red, gold, navy being most prominent. Masculine, sinister voices constantly shouted insults and talked to one another, the only other sound that could effectively be made out was--from what Luna could tell, at any rate--Tenmei’s wails of pain.

The pain the stallion felt in those memories was effectively felt by the princess, and she scrunched her eyes and grit her teeth as she continued to search in his mind.

Darkness.

Demon-like ponies.

The princess’s horn stopped glowing, and she moved it away from Tenmei’s forehead.

“I…” Luna hesitated, trying her best to shake off what the memories presented before her, “I...I had no idea it was that horrendous.”

Chapter XLVI- Documents of Nightmares

Luna sat in her room at the palace, light of the waking dawn shining through very large open windows. Before her was a simple oak desk, atop it was a half-melted candle still lit aglow by a soft blue flame, and an inkwell whose liquid was of the finest quality.

The door opened, and the princess turned to glance at it. Standing beyond was another white guard, looking at her whilst blinking.

“Do you need anything, Your Majesty?” The guard asked.

Luna sighed contently. “Could you get me a few pieces of blank paper, if you please?”

“Right away, Your Majesty.” The guard replied before closing the door and taking off to get the requested item.

For a few moments, all was silent. Luna waited very patiently for the guard to return with the papers, and when he came back, she thanked him for the paper, sat them on the desk between the candle and inkwell, and sent him back to his post.

She pulled out a drawer of the desk with her magic, and within the confines was a hefty assortment of quills. One was lifted out of the drawer which was then closed, and held above the inkwell via magic.

The quill was dipped, and the tip was now coated in ink. Four pieces of the paper were spread out, and the rest of the stack placed neatly in the corner.

Luna furrowed her brow and sighed. The quill was moved over one piece of paper, and it was about to inscribe something when the door was opened yet again. The princess put the quill in the inkwell and glanced at the door, quickly donning a mask of emotionlessness in the process, and found Celestia looking at her this time.

“You saw more nightmares this time, am I correct?” Celestia inquired, blinking.

“I always do every night. Our little ponies--as well as the outsiders--cannot all have good dreams at once, no matter how hard I wish they did.” Luna pointed out, nodding as she spoke. “You know that as much as I do, sister.”

Celestia nodded back. “By ‘outsiders,’ do you mean…” The white alicorn paused, trying very hard to remember the name of the stallion who had given her what little he could of the Frontier Quartet. So much had happened in the last few weeks her memory didn’t quite function like she had hoped.

So much for politics.

“Yes, I mean Nagare and his friends. And, by extension, the Quartet as well, though they do not dream as much as the others.” Luna answered before Celestia could finish her question, sighing afterwards.

“Luna, you sound...troubled lately.” Celestia said quickly, catching her sister entirely off-guard with her remark.

Luna’s eyes widened briefly, before her face reverted to that mask of emotionlessness it had prior. No matter how hard she wanted to, she couldn’t deny her sister’s words, and the truth ringing within those words.

“That...I do indeed.” Luna admitted hesitantly. She turned her attention back to the paper, levitating the quill and letting the excess ink drip down back into the well. “One set of nightmares from a particular stallion were...troubling. So were those of his friends.”

“‘Troubling?’” Celestia inquired, curiosity aroused.

“Could you...give me some time alone, sister? I need to do something important.” Luna sighed, jotting down four names--one on each of the papers spread out in front of her.

“Very well. I shall have a little talk with Discord in the meantime, if he is able to come today.” Celestia sighed, closing the door after exchanging another glance with her sister and going about her business.

Luna looked to the paper on her immediate leftmost side, marked very neatly with the name of the red-maned unicorn stallion of one of the households she payed a visit to last night. Next to that, very neatly written, were the words ‘what his nightmares depict.’

From this stallion, she had surprisingly very few nightmares. But what the nightmares lacked in number, they more than made up for in causing him to shriek in the mornings when they did transpire.

She wrote quickly, but neatly, and once her handiwork had been done, she looked over the list to make sure she didn’t miss anything or add anything that didn’t belong.

Name of recipient of nightmares: Rekka
Species: Unicorn
Gender: Stallion

What his nightmares depict: Usually being overpowered by a large pony (about the size of an Ursa Major) with a deep, booming voice. Before waking up, he often hears a mare shrieking as she is swiftly killed. Sometimes, he is bound in chains above spikes or boiling lava, usually by the same ‘titan pony,’ or so he calls it.

Cause of nightmares: According to the recipient, the nightmares began sometime after he and a fellow captive had escaped from some unknown place with the help of a fellow third prisoner.

“Alright, time to document the next one…” Luna murmured to herself, once more moving the quill on the second piece of paper. Once finished, the paper looked something like this:

Name of recipient of nightmares: Koto
Species: Unicorn
Gender: Mare

What her nightmares depict: Usually wakes up in a dark place, her magic often failing to work. ‘When the lights come on,’ so to speak, she is stabbed and beaten with what appears to be a knife and baseball bat. In the event her magic does work, her horn is removed with a sledgehammer. Sometimes, she also dreams of the ‘titan pony,’ albeit it is Rekka who is killed before waking up.

Cause of nightmares: Nightmares reportedly began sometime after she and her fellow captive, Rekka, had escaped some unknown place. According to her, the place looked and even had the feel of a dungeon.

Luna double-checked the two documents she’d already created, making sure things added up. After that, she moved to the third piece of paper, and the following had been the result.

Name of recipient of nightmares: Yuuki
Species: Pegasus
Gender: Mare

What her nightmares depict: Usually either one of two things; the first being her travelling in a winter wonderland with her friends. A monster appears and overpowers the group, and before she wakes up, a stallion whispers into her ear. The other ‘normal’ circumstance is being horrifically abused by a tall, gold-pelted unicorn stallion.

Cause of nightmares: Reportedly, the nightmares began after she was placed in the hospital to have glass removed from the right side of her face, which transpired with her being involved in a trainwreck as a mere passerby. She vividly recalls being tortured on at least one occasion, perhaps twice. The abuse revolved heavily around physical and sexual assault, to the point she went comatose for two months.

Luna sighed, reading the document over again. “Nopony should have to suffer that kind of treatment…” She murmured, brow furrowing again as she neared the bottom of the document. “At least her friends had helped her to cope rather well…” The princess sighed, remembering how the young pegasus acted after they had first met in person. Despite her ordeal, the purple mare almost acted as if nothing happened, but could never deny what had transpired.

The princess, to be blunt, was told everything, and in such vivid detail she couldn’t help but see the very image of that atrocity playing out in her head. It was very disturbing indeed.

Luna sighed once more, and closed her eyes momentarily. Then, she went about making the fourth document with the scanned memories of the ‘particular’ stallion from whom she received them.

Name of recipient of nightmares: Tenmei
Species: Earth pony
Gender: Stallion

What his nightmares depict: Demon-like ponies insulting him as they rip him apart limb by limb. It almost seems he isn’t allowed to wake up until the bitter end.

Cause of nightmares: Currently to be determined from his memories alone; it is to be noted he has the inability to speak of what had happened to cause the nightmares. From what his friends say, he was comatose in critical condition for a month, during which time he was under extensive care for serious injuries whose source remains unknown. It is also noted he fears for his friends, saying that if he uttered a word of whatever had happened, what harmed him would kill them.

Luna shook her head, vividly recalling the blurs and shouts and whatnot from last night’s trip to the dream world. She lifted another piece of paper, and began to jot on it with her quill after dipping it in more ink.

Today was going to be a long day for the princess of the night.

Chapter XLVII-A Simple Argument

Tenmei awoke that same day, and after getting out of bed and putting his glasses on, he found that something rather smooth softly hit his stomach once as he trotted to the door to open it.

“Last time I checked, I went to bed without the kitchen sink…” He mumbled, trotting to his dresser drawer and sitting before it. He then looked down, and found a dark mass protruding just between his forelegs, bobbing up and down like it was a stick being waved at something.

“What the…?” Tenmei inquired, grabbing a cloth to clean his glasses. Before putting them back on, he rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times. After putting his glasses back on and looking down again, he found that the thing had not vanished from between his forelegs.

A red blush immediately came onto his face, and his eyes widened. Instantly, he put his glasses back on the drawer and jumped into the bed, making sure to cover up whilst laying on his side.

“I’m not walking out there with a piece of wood dangling between my legs…” Tenmei mumbled to himself, his face reddening still. “Just gonna stay here and hope it goes away…”

As soon as he finished mumbling, someone began knocking on his door. A voice called out from the other side, “Tenmei? You awake?”

“Yeah, just feeling like I’m about to puke!” Tenmei lied, raising his head with his gaze directed at the door should someone decide to come waltzing in.

The door opened. In peeked 01, though he didn’t fully enter the room. “Alright, just get some rest, and come up for breakfast if you feel better.” He said before closing the door and trotting away.

Tenmei lay his head on the pillow again. He was still blushing red as a tomato, and his member didn't slide back into its sheath as he hoped.

Someone began knocking on the door again. Tenmei rose his head, and this time the door opened before Koto stepped in.

“What now?” The stallion asked, ears flattening on his skull.

“Get out of bed. Nurse Redheart’s gotta do an evaluation on you.” Koto sighed before she walked out of the room and closed the door.

Tenmei lay back down, this time covering his head with the blanket. The thought of the nurse of all ponies checking up on him now made his stomach do flips and his mind scramble. As an extra measure, he grabbed his pillow and held it before his body tightly (after shifting his little friend so it was right in front of his stomach), hoping it would cover the problem until it went away.

The door opened a third time. The pony who opened the door then spoke. “Sorry, doctor’s orders. Get up and we’ll go and do some tests to ensure your bones are working correctly.”

Tenmei’s heart sank again, and his pupils shrank.

“Get up.” The pony repeated, and when the stallion didn’t oblige, it trotted to him and the next thing he knew was the blanket flew off his body in a second. Nurse Redheart loomed over him, brow furrowed at his reluctance to get out of bed already.

Tenmei damn near had a heart attack. His body was paralyzed, and his jaw hung wide open in horror.

“Remove the pillow. Quit acting like a foal.” Redheart groaned, raising her front hooves to remove the pillow if he didn’t comply.

That, needless to say, was what exactly had happened. Before she could react, he rolled onto his stomach.

Redheart’s hoof connected with her face, and she groaned in annoyance. She then placed her hooves on his left side and began to pull. She pulled hard enough for the stallion to literally roll off the bed and onto her.

Tenmei quickly scrambled to his hooves, looking down at the nurse to see if she was alright. She was looking back at him, and found the reason for his reluctance pointing right at her face.

“What was--” A voice started, but suddenly fell silent. Both ponies looked to the door, only to find Nagare staring back at them with wide eyes.

An awkward silence hung in the room at that moment. It lasted for another two minutes.

“Okay….then…” Nagare stated, walking away from the door after shutting it.

“That...was awkward…” Nurse Redheart murmured, a furious blush of her own on her face. Quickly, she pushed Tenmei with her hooves, then scrambled until she was standing. She looked the stallion dead in the eye. “We’ll do the evaluation later today.” She sighed, making her way out of the room quickly.

Tenmei put his glasses back on just long enough to put the pillow and blanket back on the bed before removing them and hiding again.

“I hope that never happens another time…” He murmured, this time trembling at the thought. Given the look on Nagare’s face when he came upon the sight, it was little wonder what had been running through the pegasus’s mind at that moment. Though, after that unsightly display, he felt his little friend finally relent and retreat back into its sheath.

The hours flew by after that, and the evaluation went smoothly. Tenmei was trotting his way back home, a huge smile on his face. He passed the evaluation with flying colors, and Nurse Redheart didn’t acknowledge the awkward ordeal this morning, which made him all the more happier.

Upon opening the door and trotting into the living room, he immediately noticed that something didn’t sit quite right: namely, Nagare looking at him with a smug grin on his face as he sat at the table.

“Did you have fun?” The pegasus asked, still grinning as Tenmei closed the door behind him.

Tenmei arched a brow. “The evaluation went smoothly.” He replied.

Nagare rolled his eyes, still smiling. “Really?” He inquired. “So...what did you do?”

“I did the exercises Doctor Stable kinda threw at me. He said he needed to make sure my bones were working properly.” Tenmei answered, brow still arched.

“Ah.” The stallion seemed to understand where Tenmei had been coming from with the reply. He nodded once, and stared at him nonchalantly. “Tapping of the knee bones and whatnot?”

“Yes.” Tenmei sighed, brow furrowing. The pegasus was beginning to annoy him, and it didn’t help that Yuuki, Rekka, and Koto were at the table as well, and they were watching him intently.

Nagare’s smirk only grew wider. His face darkened under his hair as it did, and a fire sparked in his eyes. “Did you have fun with the nurse?” He asked.

Almost immediately, the other three spectators looked at the pegasus with widening eyes. Tenmei’s eyes had widened as well, and a blush came onto his face.

“I-uh...WHAT?” The earth pony asked, comepletely dumbstruck by the remark.

Rekka slammed his front hooves on the table, and he rose onto his hind legs whilst using said table to support himself. “You’re saying he fucked the nurse?!” He cried, his pupils shrinking.

Nagare merely nodded, that damned smirk still not leaving his face.

“DID NOT!” Tenmei protested, his outburst once more garnering the attention of the spectators who only looked at him in utter disbelief. His face was completely flushed in red now, and his ears had flattened.

“Really?” Asked the green pegasus as if he were about to counter those two words. “Then what explains your little friend sticking out this morning? With the nurse beneath you no less?”

“He...did what?” Koto asked, her jaw physically dropping open.

Yuuki was silent. She pursed her lips together to begin speaking, only to stop when her jaw worked up and down, but words failed to form.

“For the love of…” Tenmei mumbled in a whisper, taking in a deep breath afterwards. “I tried hiding it, but she pulled me off the bed and I was trying to hide again.” He answered.

“Didn’t hide fast enough.” Nagare jabbed back, grinning still. Tenmei winced as if stung by a bee at his remark.

The earth pony huffed. “Ugh!” He hissed, his hoof connecting with his red face before he shook his head.

“Looks like that argument’s over.” Remarked a feminine voice. Everyone glanced to the stairs and found Kaguya looking at them from the square platform that marked the halfway point of the flight.

The elder mare had her eyes set on Nagare, one brow arched and the other lowered. “Please, don’t spark anymore verbal fights. Especially in regards to anything revolving around reproduction.”

“Alright.” The pegasus relented, his smirk fading into a frown at last.

Author's Note

Awkward intensifies.

~Dragon

Chapter XLVIII- Hell's Bells Chime in Chaos

Someone began knocking on the door, breaking all out of their stupor (though Tenmei was still blushing.) Yuuki got up and trotted to the door before opening it. What stood behind it made her eyes widen and a gasp of shock escape from her lips.

There, just outside, stood the fabled Discord himself. The one who started this whole mess, and pretty much all the messes that transpired since then.

Everyone else at the table quickly rushed upstairs at the sight, and so did Tenmei after he turned around to see why.

“Just a moment, please. Gotta get something.” Yuuki sighed before bolting the stairs herself quick as lightning.

Discord stood there, using his lion paw to rub his chin a little. Next thing he knew, the ponies who ran upstairs came back with their respective weaponry held in saddlebags and attached to forelegs.

“Oh my, getting a bit agitated, are we?” The chimera asked, flashing the group a toothy grin.

“How can we not?” Koto swiftly countered, eyes narrowing low. She pointed the accusing hoof at the chimera. “You dragged us here and started a great big mess for us to clean up!”

Discord kept grinning, putting the digits of his mismatched hands together like a scheming madman. “So I did.” He replied.

“Before we continue,” Nagare interjected, raising a front hoof briefly, “how did you find us?”

“Well,” Discord started, grin widening, “Celestia sent me here to find you. I simply asked Twilight for directions after that, and here I am.”

“Seems reasonably legit.” Yuuki sighed, shaking her head afterwards. “But it doesn’t excuse you taking us from our world and throwing us here in bodies we weren’t familiar with at the time to boot!”

The heads of the others nodded in agreement at that point.

“If that’s how it must be,” Discord began again, eyes glinting maliciously, “then we will fight.”

“One problem: where?” The group of five asked in unison, almost as if they’d been five personalities of a single entity.

“I can make us a platform to fight on, if it suits your needs. I’ve taken on multiple ponies a hefty few times; what’s stopping me now?” Discord asked, the tuft of fur on his tail snapping like swift fingers. Before any could react, they vanished along with him.

The quintuplet found themselves on a great big platform, perhaps three times the size of Ponyville, and well on the other side stood Discord.

“Quite impressive, no?” Discord asked, still smiling.

“Eh, it’ll do.” Nagare sighed, flaring his wings wide.

“Well, there’s five of you, so...a total of five weapons, right?” The chimera asked.

“Duh. Did you lose your eyeballs or something?” Rekka countered, a brow arched.

Discord, as if to respond, yanked his eyeballs out of his head and shook them like dice before tossing them aside over his shoulder. They then returned into their sockets as if never taken out at all. He flared his own wings wide, and cleared his throat.

All was silent for a moment. The quintuplet then broke apart, and Discord took to the air, making sure to stay only a few inches above ground. He was amazed that Nagare got onto his hind legs and was running upright towards him, sword in front hooves poised like a lance.

Discord then looked to his right, moving his head out of the way of Koto’s incoming boomerang. He blew a raspberry to taunt the unicorn as her weapon then returned to her waiting magical grip.

The chimera quickly swiveled around, nearly getting hit by Yuuki’s weapon in the process, and witnessed Tenmei rise onto his hind legs, crossbow aimed at him. A bolt was fired, only for Discord to snap his fingers and cause an anvil to land on it from straight-up nowhere before it could collide with his body.

“What the…?” Tenmei inquired, blinking at the anomaly. He reverted to all fours. Glancing up, his eyes widened as another anvil threatened to drop upon his head, and he quickly moved out of the way.

Nagare then began flying, rushing at the chimera with his blade still poised to strike. Yuuki did this as well, only she climbed high into the air before descending whilst spinning, her yoyo spinning around her as she went. The mare looked like a drill doing this, and the air currents she seemed to generate as she spun faster and faster only made it appear even more like that.

Discord held his lion paw to his mouth and yawned into it, using his bird-hand to grab onto Nagare’s sword, the sharp side in his claw as a result. Using all his might, he then hurled the stallion away from him, snapping his tuft-fingers to make ropes hold his wings as he careened away.

The chimera looked up and stepped aside, letting Yuuki collide face-first with the platform. There were visible cracks made from the impact. He deftly dodged the boomerang and another crossbow bolt, only to feel a form jump onto his back and finding two orange forelegs grasping him by the throat.

“Surprise!” Rekka cried, wrapping his hind legs around the thing’s chest. He held a surprisingly tight grip, and for some reason, Discord noticed his weapon wasn’t attached to his foreleg anymore. The chimera reached around and yanked the stallion by his long mane, forcing him to let go before he found himself thrown over his adversary’s shoulder.

Koto rushed towards Discord, spinning her boomerang in her magic. Discord yawned again and moved out of the way before then flying around her and going so fast she was turning her body in a vain attempt to hit him.

Once the chimera rushed at Nagare, who had stood up on his back legs with wings still tied, Koto was sitting on her rump holding her head with a hoof. Her eyes were spinning in their sockets.

Nagare hissed, raising his sword in a defensive stance, waiting for the chimera to stop before him. Discord instead swiveled around and began swiping at the pegasus from behind with his mismatched appendages, forcing him to fall back.

Yuuki removed her face from the platform, and she shook her head afterwards. She coiled her weapon back around her foreleg and noticed that Nagare was having a bit of trouble keeping the claws away from him. In fact, he had scratches on his midsection and one of his back legs. The mare took off, hooves outstretched before her as wings drove her onwards, hoping to stop Discord’s attack.

Before she could, though, an anvil landed on her head and she fell to the ground. It disappeared before it could crush her, though she herself was now locked in a daze of dizzy like Koto.

Rekka and Tenmei stood next to one another, a good ways away from the fight.

“This is a problem.” Tenmei murmured, watching Nagare get careened away again as Discord smacked him with his tail.

“Yeah.” Rekka agreed, holding his cannon next to him in his magic. His brow was furrowing. Both ponies then broke into a gallop, charging right at Discord in unison.

Discord saw them getting closer. He grinned again, readying his mismatched arms to grasp the two before finding a pair of hooves cover his eyes. He felt back legs wrap around his throat, and something thin whack his head over and over again.

The chimera then stood on all fours, yanking the intruder away with his tail. Once sight had been unveiled, he shot a glance at who was hitting him still. It was Koto, and she was struggling to break free.

Needless to say, she was thrown elsewhere, her boomerang flying with her as she went and skid upon the platform after landing on her side.

Discord stood upright again, just in time to grab the two stallions before they could land a hit on him. He held Rekka by the horn, and Tenmei by the mane. His tail grabbed Nagare, who had also charged back into battle on his two hind legs, and wrapped around his still-tied midsection.

Yuuki was charging as well, this time by hoof. A great big bruise was on her forehead, and she was shrieking in a mixture of pain and anger at this point. Tears leaked from her eyes as she galloped like a rabid dog, teeth bared as if preparing to bite down.

Next thing she knew was a cage appeared around her, and its metal bars soon grasped her form, tying her wings to her midsection as well.

Koto rose up, shaking her head for a moment, before her eyes widened at the sight the world presented to her. Before she could react, a lasso appeared from nowhere and grabbed her by the neck lickety-split. She and Yuuki were then dragged to Discord, who was now grinning again.

What he didn’t count on was Rekka’s cannon suddenly increasing in size, to the point it was about five times the size of he. It was still grasped in his magic, despite his horn being held firmly by a lion’s paw. The hole the bullets would come out of began emitting a fiery glow, white-hot dead center.

Discord moved out of the way, making sure to yank his adversaries with, before the resulting laser could hit him. After the laser was finished being fired, the entire area it had hit was naught but a smouldering scorch mark. The weapon reverted to normal size, returning to its owner’s foreleg afterwards.

“How...did you do that?” Discord asked, raising Rekka to eye level as he spoke. His eyes were wide with wonder.

“It seems to happen at random…” The stallion answered, ears on his skull.

“Well, that was very chaotic--not in a good way, mind you--of you to do that.” Discord sighed, smiling again. “But, you five still aren’t strong enough to tackle me. See me again if you’ve still a bone to pick with me in the future.”

Author's Note

Well, that was quite the asskicking.

~Dragon

Chapter XLIX- Snow in November

The sun had set at last, giving way to the night. The unicorn who was still being held by the horn groaned, crossing his forelegs and letting a scowl adorn his face. “Oh, you’ve yet to hear the end of it.” He murmured, a vein appearing on his cheek as his eyes narrowed low.

“Hm?” Discord hummed, a brow arched.

“I want to punch you.” Rekka sighed, pointing the accusing hoof right in Discord’s face. It was mere inches from the tip of his nose.

“As do I.” Nagare agreed, raising a foreleg as he spoke.

“Ditto.” Tenmei stated, huffing like a bull.

“Can I go first?” Yuuki asked, ears flat on her skull.

Discord’s eyes widened. “Why is that?” He asked, brow still arched.

Koto groaned in annoyance, a vein now adorning her cheek too. “He’s STILL not aware of all the messes he’s caused by dragging us here?” She asked, an eyelid twitching.

“Seems to be the case, sadly.” Nagare answered, his face darkening. “So...who gets to shoot their mouth off first?”

“I’m not gonna.” Tenmei stated, crossing his forelegs now.

A boomerang hit Discord on the face. He turned to glance at Koto.

“Oi, you. Mare in the cage has a few words to say to you.” Koto said, pointing a hoof at Yuuki for emphasis.

Yuuki’s eyes narrowed very low at the chimera once he looked at her.

“How much do you have to say?” Discord asked, brow still arched.

“A lot,” Yuuki started, still glaring at the opponent who defeated her and her companions, “in a nutshell.”

“Well, then spit it out. I haven’t all day, woman.” Discord pointed out, grinning again.

Yuuki groaned in annoyance. “Got raped two, maybe three, times by the same stallion and had to get an abortion afterwards.” She said quickly.

Discord blinked. That series of images playing out in his mind were rather worrisome.

“You should’ve seen the looks on our faces when she told us she was pregnant.” Nagare confirmed, his blood beginning to boil over again.

“Oh dear.” The chimera said, turning his attention to Koto. “What do you have to say?”

“Me and Rekka--stallion you still have by the bloody horn--were jailed and forced to screw each other out cold.” Koto said quickly, her face starting to turn red.

“In fucking chains too.” The stallion added, his face also turning red.

Discord blinked again. “Oh dear.” He repeated, now frowning. “And...all of you are pointing hooves at me? Surely, you must be barking up the wrong tree.” He added.

“We aren’t barking up the wrong tree, pal.” Rekka sighed, eyes still narrowed.

“Well, the messes you’ve found yourselves in after I came along and brought you here aren’t my fault.” Discord quickly pointed out. He did in fact have a solid alibi on his part.

“Can we punch you just for dragging us here then?” Nagare asked, his eyes gleaming in a sparked fire.

Discord thought it over for a moment. “Sure, but don’t bruise me too much. Fluttershy would throw a fit if she saw the injuries.” He said.

“Why would Fluttershy...care about you?” Tenmei asked, brow arched. The sheer concept of that shy pegasus caring for the chimera who started all of this completely baffled him.

“I was about to ask the same thing.” Yuuki commented dryly, a brow of her own also arched.

“She became my friend after my reformation, simply put.” Discord answered. “She would not like to see her friends hurt, would she?”

“I can see the logic in that. Fair enough.” Nagare sighed, eyes closing as he spoke. He did have to admit the chimera had brought up yet another valid point, as if he were throwing alibis right into his face in physical form.

“Ahem,” Tenmei started, catching Discord’s attention, “You’re still holding me by the hair...can I be put down now?”

Discord sighed, and he begrudgingly released the lot from his claws, tail, and makeshift extra arms. They landed on their hooves, save Yuuki, who lay on her stomach because her legs fell asleep, and Koto, who was already on her hooves to begin with.

The purple pegasus waited for her legs to get much-needed circulation back, and when she was able to stand at last, she sighed in annoyance.

And then, a total of five times, Discord got punched by each of his adversaries. Two landed in his gut and three hit him in the back, but he seemed little fazed by it. That brown coat of feathers he had on his body appeared to have cushioned the blows delivered by the ponies.

“It takes a lot to simply get me on my knees. Being a draconequus has its advantages.” Discord said, once more grinning.

“Dracone-what?” Koto asked, brow arched. She thought for a mere moment Discord spoke gibberish.

“My species, dear. Draconequus.” Discord reiterated, still smiling. “Now, I shall take you all home, but please work on your coordination. Even the Element bearers did a lot more better than you could, and with so little to boot.”

With that, Discord snapped his fingers, and before they knew it, a bright flash occurred. When it faded, the group found themselves back in their living room. Kaguya was at the table, slowly bringing a foreleg down from her face.

“Did you manage to beat the chimera?” The elder mare asked.

“No. Quite the opposite, actually.” Nagare sighed. “He said we needed to better our teamwork.”

“I see.” Kaguya said, blinking a few times.

Yuuki rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. “I think I need a painkiller.” She said.

“Hmm?” Kaguya hummed, brow arched.

“I flew face-first into the ground, and then got an anvil dropped on me. I’m amazed I’m still alive.” Yuuki answered, still rubbing the back of her head with her hoof.

“You’re jesting, right?” Kaguya asked again, eyes widening. She’d never heard of an anvil being dropped upon someone, and that same someone living afterwards.

“I saw the anvil vanish before it could kill her.” Rekka confirmed with a nod.

That explained why Yuuki was still amongst the living. Kaguya nodded again, as if she understood the whole thing. “Ah. Well, I’m about to hit the bed.” She said, getting up and trotting to the stairs.

“Why? It’s not even sunset yet...is it?” Tenmei asked, brow arched.

“While you guys were gone, a little something called daylight savings time ended, and night came round.” Kaguya replied quickly.

“Wait...what day is it?” Rekka asked, eyes widening.

“I think we arrived...sometime in mid-July…” Nagare murmured, his eyes also widening.

“Right now, it’s early November. The second, I believe.” Kaguya sighed. “If you want, I can show you guys the bloody calendar.”

Koto took the opportunity to look outside. The world was dark, but not so dark she couldn’t see the houses and trees beyond the one in which she stood. Little white specks danced outside the window, and a thin blanket of the stuff had already covered the ground.

“Why’s it snowing in November?” Koto asked, blinking.

“I’m not sure.” Kaguya replied.

“I hope Discord didn’t fuck with the time…” Nagare sighed, crossing his forelegs together. “As for the snow, I blame Cloudsdale.”

“The time didn’t get screwed up. I think the battle is getting to your heads.” Kaguya replied again, this time sighing once more. She then finished trotting up the stairs and went to her room. Everyone else, save Rekka and Koto, followed suit.

Silence had overtaken the house, but only for a moment.

“Koto,” Rekka started, ears flat on his skull, “we need to talk.”

“Hmm?” Koto hummed, brow arched. She turned from the window and to the stallion, tilting her head slightly afterwards. “About what?”

“Could you follow me into the kitchen? I’m starting to get paranoid.” Rekka stated, turning around and making his way to the door beyond the table. Koto obliged, brow still arched, wondering what it was he wanted to discuss with her.

The door opened, and the two strolled inside. The door was closed in short order, and the stallion turned to face the mare.

“Um...what did you want to talk about, exactly?” Koto asked, now genuinely confused.

Rekka sat on his rump, rubbing the back of his head with a hoof. A light sweat made itself known on his frame. “You remember that night, right?” He asked.

Koto nodded, a faint blush quickly adorning her face in a second. “Yeah?”

“I don’t know how exactly to tell you this, but…” Rekka trailed off, biting his lip nervously. “That condom...kinda broke.”

Five seconds of silence passed. Then ten. Fifteen. It felt as if time suddenly froze on the spot. Koto stood there, registering the words of her boyfriend.

“It...did what?” She asked finally, eyes widening in surprise. She sat on her rump as well.

“It broke.” Rekka repeated, eyelids slanting as if he were ashamed. “Go ahead and hit me now for not telling you about it.”

Another few seconds of silence passed, time feeling frozen once more.

“Are...you serious?” Koto asked, unable to keep her mouth closed after. It hung ajar as she continued to stare at the stallion in growing disbelief.

“Yes. I took the thing to the bathroom faucet, and found it had a leak.” Rekka answered once more, biting his lip again.

More silent seconds passed, then they turned into minutes.

Koto spoke again, her voice breaking the silence, “I’m...not going to hit you because it broke.”

“Come again?” Rekka asked, brow arched.

“If it broke, then it was beyond your control.” Koto replied with a soft sigh. “It would be irrational of me to hit you for something you couldn’t help.”

Rekka’s eyes widened. He was very much expecting Koto to hit him with all her might and start yelling at him, and had instead received the complete opposite.

And then she smacked him across the face with a hoof anyway.

“That was for not telling me sooner.” Koto remarked, eyes narrowing briefly. She sighed afterwards, letting her eyes relax until she had a mask of emotionlessness on her face. “I’ll visit the doctor sometime next week and have them run a test on me, and we’ll take it from there. Sounds like a plan?”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Rekka agreed, rubbing his cheek with a hoof of his own.

Chapter L- Royal Orders

Luna let off a shriek of pure anger, eyes narrowed low and pupils meager slits. She rushed out of her room, the stack of papers she’d attended to filled to the brim with documents about nightmares, who had experienced them, and even why the nightmares occurred to begin with.

“CELESTIA!” Luna shrieked, making her way to the throne room quick as a whip. She found her sister on her respective throne, eyes wide and a brow arched as her sister barged in so suddenly.

“What is it, sister?” Celestia asked, caught off-guard by her sister’s sudden outburst.

Some parts of Luna’s pelt began turning black as shadow. “The Quartet has gone much too far!” She answered, wings flaring wide.

Celestia still had a brow arched. “‘Too far?’” She inquired. “What is it that makes you say that?”

Luna’s pelt continued to turn black at a hastening rate. Before she could finish transforming, though, Celestia stood up and walked to her.

The pelt of the night princess returned to normal, as did her eyes. She lowered her head and sighed afterwards.

“Well? What makes you say the Quartet’s gone too far?” Celestia repeated, blinking a few times.

Luna rose her head and met with her sister’s eyes. “It’s...quite complicated.” She said, taking in some much-needed deep breaths afterwards. “I...need to show you something. It’s...one of those things you need to see with your own eyes.”

Celestia immediately arched a brow again. “Did you document more nightmares?” She asked.

“I did, and...just come with me, sister.” Luna answered, turning around and making her way to her room. Celestia followed, still confused. The two reached the bedchambers, and the younger princess made her way to the oak desk which still had the stack of documents on its frame.

“Luna, what do the documents have to do with this?” Celestia inquired, watching as her sister trotted to the desk and sifted madly through the documents until she found what she’d been searching for.

“Read this one.” Luna stated, using her magic to drag the document to her sister. Celestia quickly read through it once, then twice, perhaps even three times simply to confirm what it was she’d been reading.

“So...they’ve seem to have taken rather drastic and...horrific measures.” Celestia murmured, reading through the document once more. “How long did you spend on this one?”

“I skipped that one until I had all the other nightmares and their causes documented, sister. I then pieced together what happened--painstakingly, may I add--and that was what nearly sent me over the edge. Forgive me for my outburst, but those horrid images…” Luna trailed off, turning away to look at nothing in particular.

“Were too much for even you to handle accordingly?” Celestia finished for her, looking over the document yet again. “With every single atrocity listed here that has happened to this poor stallion, I can understand fully the magnitude of your pent-up rage. I can only imagine what he goes through, with the pain of such things forevermore haunting him.”

“Yes.” Luna sighed, glancing back at her sister who set the document amidst the others. “I pieced together three others as well.”

“Three others?” Celestia inquired, brow arching as she looked at Luna.

“Yes.” Luna confirmed with a hasty nod. “Three friends of that poor stallion had also suffered at the hooves of the Quartet, as did a fifth pony whom two would not mention otherwise.”

“Something doesn’t sit quite right with this...set of circumstances.” Celestia sighed, blinking again. “Why would the Quartet only attack a select group of ponies? It hardly makes sense.”

“Perhaps we should have the guards bring Nagare here. He may have gotten more information on the lot.” Luna proposed, spreading her wings before closing them again.

“It has been a good three months since or so I sent a letter to Twilight instructing her to find him. She got nothing except--” Celestia stopped herself immediately, eyes widening and blinking.

“Except what?” Luna inquired, taking a step back from her sister.

Celestia’s eyes narrowed, and she turned to the window. “We must act, sister. Summon all the guards, from Vanhoover to Manehatten.” The white alicorn said, a frown now etched onto her muzzle.

Luna nodded, and the two made their way to the throne room again. Her horn was glowing, and with her magic, she sent telepathic messages to the unicorn guards, and letters to the pegasi and earth guards through those very unicorns throughout Equestria.

The throne room was quiet, but only for a few moments as guards came rushing in like a tsunami. Some were being dragged along in carriages, whilst others either flew in or made their way by hoof. Some of the guards even had bat-like wings and ears, grey pelts and purple manes.

Before long, the entire throne room was flooded with guards, all staring intently at their princesses, and still more were coming. Apart from the flapping of wings and beating of hooves from those who still arrived, the place was deathly quiet.

“Royal guards of Equestria!” Celestia bellowed, catching the immediate attention of the crowd. “We have found a most horrific series of activities done by a group of ponies who are called the Frontier Quartet! These activities bring nothing but fear, worry, and torment for our little ponies! While they aren’t harassing a select few, they relentlessly attack cities even when we watch those cities through your eyes! We are aware of what has transpired in Manehatten, Ponyville, and Cloudsdale--to this, we say no more to the Quartet’s tomfoolery!”

Celestia paused for a moment, eying the guards to ensure they listened to her speech. “So, I ask of you, if you see any member of the Quartet in person, bring them to the dungeon at once! In all other circumstances, carry out as you always do--this goes for both guards of the Solar and Lunar divisions!”

“Yes, Your Majesties!” The guards replied, very quickly leaving the room in collective unison.

“I don’t think they’re going to come quietly, sister.” Luna sighed, glancing at Celestia.

“Nor do I. But I do not know what else to do.” Celestia replied, blinking once more.

Raki, Nagare, and Tenmei were trotting along the next morning, and they were wearing scarves around their necks. The snow piled thickly at their hooves, and it didn’t seem like the powdery stuff would stop falling anytime soon. Ponies were busy brushing it off of roofs, and out of the roads. There were some royal guards trotting along, but they were probably patrolling the town anyway.

Raki whistled, eyes wide at all the activity going on today.

Nagare sighed. He flared his wings wide. “I’ll ask the other pegasi how long the snow’s supposed to last.” With that, he took off to the sky, wings propelling him forward.

“Just how do pegasi control the weather?” Tenmei asked, looking at Raki. “Unicorn magic I can understand, but the pegasi just baffle me.”

“I find myself asking the same thing, to be honest.” Raki replied, shrugging her shoulders as she spoke. “Perhaps they have their own innate magic?”

“If it’s also what makes them be able to fly, then that’s a good enough explanation for me.” Tenmei sighed, faintly smiling. Just then, something white and powdery hit him on the top of his head.

He glanced up, only to find Nagare sneering at him. Attached to his midsection via strap was a bucket, and it was filled with snow. In his front hooves, he was molding a snowball to prepare another throw.

“Now that’s cheating!” Tenmei cried, pointing the accusing hoof at the pegasus.

“I’m not cheating, I’m simply using my wings to my advantage!” Nagare jabbed back, now noticing something big and clunky floating next to Raki, and she was aiming it at him.

“Who’s cheatin’ now?” The unicorn cried, a happy grin on her face. Snow shot forth from the device, forming into legions of balls flying at the pegasus. Nagare struggled to dodge, hurling snowballs like a madman as he darted about.

“AND YOU JUST HAD TO GET A SNOWBLOWER?!” Nagare cried, the pelting force of Raki’s impromptu weapon forcing him to land. Once he did land, he was completely covered in snow by the device. The stallion pulled himself out of the snow, much of his mane obscured by a makeshift hat of the stuff as a result.

Raki approached the stallion, and brushed some of the snow aside. She chuckled daintily. “Being a former member of the Quartet has its advantages, and I used them.” She said.

“Excuse me, miss?” Spoke a voice. Raki turned her head, and quickly met the gaze of a royal guard. “I’m afraid I’ll have to take you to Canterlot on Celestia’s orders.”

“Before you do, though, let me put away my toy.” Raki replied, her horn glowing. In an instant, the snowblower vanished.

“I thought I heard the word ‘former’ somewhere in that sentence.” Nagare pointed out, brow arched.

“I still have to take her to Canterlot.” The guard replied.

“On one condition, if you are able to hear me out.” Raki spoke, a sigh escaping her lips.

“That being?” The guard inquired, brow arching.

“Since I left the Quartet, could you take me straight to Celestia, please?” Raki asked, a frown on her muzzle.

Chapter LI- Guest of Honor

“Your Majesty, you have a visitor.” Spoke a guard. He stood in the throne room with the alicorn sisters, who glanced at one another for a moment before turning back to the guard.

“And who, may we ask, is this visitor?” Luna asked, brow arched.

“A former member of the Quartet who wished to see you in person.” The guard answered quickly.

The eyes of the princesses widened. They glanced at one another again before turning back to the guard. “Very well. Let the visitor in.” Celestia spoke with a nod. The guard nodded back, and the closed doors of the throne room burst open with an aura of blue. In strode a mare with a white pelt and mane of wavy light blue, accompanied by two guards, one at either side of her.

“Put a magic limiter on--” Luna started, only for the guest to raise her hoof and shake her head before the princess could finish speaking.

“Pardon me for being rude, but I do not wish to conjure a monster to harm anyone.” Raki said, a soft sigh escaping her lips. “In fact, I’ll refrain from using magic during my stay here.”

“Very well, then.” Celestia replied with a sigh of her own. “But, why, may I ask, did you come all the way here to see me in person? I’ve ordered you and your colleagues to be placed in the dungeon.”

“So I was told by the guard who so kindly escorted me here.” Raki sighed. “I’d like to speak to you and your sister in private, if you don’t mind.”

The sisters exchanged another glance, then Luna turned to look at the visiting mare. “If that is what you wish, that we can provide.” She said. “Guards, leave this room and close the door.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” The guards replied, quickly trotting out of the room and going about their business as the doors closed behind them.

Both alicorns looked at the lone unicorn, who trotted to them until she was within hoof-shaking distance of the two.

“What is it that is so imperative that made you want to speak to us in private?” Celestia asked, brow arched.

“Before we get into that topic, I must ask: what made it so paramount to imprison me and my former colleagues? Them I don’t mind being jailed; especially in regards to atrocities they’ve done.” Raki sighed, closing her eyes for a moment.

“Those very atrocities were what drove us to that decision.” Luna answered. “I documented nightmares yesterday and found some disturbing things about the Quartet in the process, so disturbing in fact we felt it had to be addressed immediately.”

“I see.” Raki replied, opening her eyes and blinking afterwards. She sat on her rump before the sisters and sighed again. Celestia opened her mouth to speak, only to watch the unicorn raise her hoof to signal she wasn’t done speaking. “Those same atrocities drove me to...how shall you say, distance myself from the Quartet.”

“I guess we’ve similar motivations, then.” Luna remarked, shifting her wings a bit. “Now, what did you wish to speak to us about?”

“My dimwitted, perverted, should-be-hornless-at-this-point-but-aren’t ex-colleagues happen to be constructing something. What that is, I know not. Since I’ve broken away from them and their shenanigans, how am I supposed to know what the finished product will be?” Raki said, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

“Do you know what they intend to do with this ‘something?’” Celestia inquired, brow arched.

“I do not have an inkling of an idea. All they told me before I decided enough was enough was that the ‘something’ in question would be immensely powerful. If I had a scale on how powerful I think it may be when it is complete, I’d have to measure it by how that ‘something’ performs.” Raki answered, shaking her head again. “Would it rival you two? Would it send this world into a black hole? Nobody knows yet--not even me.”

Celestia and Luna shared another quick glance with each other.

“That sounds rather worrisome.” Luna remarked dryly before glancing at the unicorn again. “Why would they tell you so little?”

“I think it had something to do with my calling out of their misdeeds.” Raki replied quickly, rubbing a foreleg with a hoof.

“You...called them out on it?” Luna inquired.

“One of them always shot his mouth off after doing something particularly awful. Had a thing for a purple mare whom I’ve since befriended after my departure from that monkey business. And when I say ‘thing,’ I mean he went to radical lengths just to bed her.” Raki sighed. “The more I think about it, the more I want to rip his horn off with my bare hooves and ram it into his throat before jamming his head between his shoulders.”

“You mean...he spoke of the misdeeds as though it were nothing?” Celestia inquired, blinking a few times.

“Yes--once that mare got someone else, or so he ranted, he went and took two of her friends and tortured them before I got the brunt of what seething rage he had left.” Raki answered yet again, this time nodding.

“Sounds like his mind’s not in the right place.” Luna remarked.

“Seems to be the case, sadly. I helped the other two escape, and then what happens? Another one vanished, only to re-appear six days later near dead. I feel Maki had something to do with it, but I could not do anything after I helped the first two.” Raki sighed.

“Why is that?” Celestia asked, brow arched again.

“Simple: He broke one of my hind legs, and the doctors to whom I was taken told me to refrain from doing anything magic-related no more than once per week until I fully recovered. I only got out of the cast three days ago.” Raki answered, shaking her head again.

“At least you made the right choice. I shall spare you from the dungeons on the grounds you don’t cause trouble. I will order the guards to leave you be, and return you to wherever it was you were taken from. Are we clear?” Celestia stated, staring at the unicorn.

“We are clear.” Raki replied with a nod.

“Before you go,” Luna started, causing the unicorn to look at her with an arched brow, “do you know a stallion named Tenmei?”

“I know him. Went mute for a day, and then he’s suddenly back to his old self.” Raki answered.

“Could you give him my regards? And the other three victims who were terrorized at the hooves of your ex-colleagues?” Luna asked.

“That I can certainly do.” Raki answered, smiling faintly. She nodded and got off her rump, turning around and going towards the doors without hesitating. The doors opened, grasped in auras of gold, allowing the unicorn to walk out. The guards who had accompanied her took their place at either side of her, accompanying her back to Ponyville every step of the way.

Chapter LII, Part I- Snowballs...

Raki returned to Ponyville, and the first thing she noticed was a great big snowball fight unfolding before her eyes. There were three fillies, one a pegasus, one a unicorn, and the last lacking horn and wing, and they were throwing snowballs willy-nilly. On the other side was Nagare, who was hurling snowballs like his forelegs were made of elastic rubber or something, and he was doing this whilst flying.

Not too far behind was Yuuki, who was trying to pelt the green pegasus with her own assault of snowballs. Rekka and Koto were trying to fling snowballs at her, and she shielded herself with her wings before retaliating. Tenmei was slinging snowballs as well.

All stopped when they noticed the elder unicorn, but only for a moment, before they began flinging snowballs in her direction. The unicorn grinned warmly, quickly calling forth her snowblower once more and galloping towards them whilst flinging her own legion of snowballs every which-way she could.

Before long, all nine participants were laughing heartily as they pelted one another with snowballs, some shouts of “Cheater!” and “That’s not fair!” going around, though only for a moment, before laughter replaced the accusations. It was all in good fun anyway, so why not?

Applebloom looked at her flank, and she sighed in disappointment. “Drat! I didn’t get my cutie mark in snowball fighting!”

The pegasus filly, orange pelt with magenta mane and light lavender eyes, also groaned as she looked at her flank. “Same here!”

The unicorn filly, light grey pelt with two-toned pink and purple mane and green eyes, bemoaned the same exact thing.

Raki let her snowblower vanish into thin air again as the young ponies stopped flinging snow at each other. The orange filly trotted to Koto, and pointed at her cutie mark. “How’d you get a boomerang as your cutie mark?”

Koto giggled, a smile on her face. “It’s a long story.” She answered.

“It’s just a boomerang--all it does is return to you after ya throw it.” Applebloom remarked. “I don’t see nothing special about it, other than it kinda looks like no other boomerang I’ve seen.”

The filly did have a valid point on her part. Nonetheless, Koto’s eyes widened as she turned to stare at the filly. “Do you want me to explain how I got this cutie mark?” She asked, an ear twitching.

“One of these days, that could be your cutie mark.” Rekka dryly remarked, poking the yellow-pelted filly with his hoof.

“Nuh-uh,” The filly jabbed back.

“He’s got a point, Applebloom. Maybe we should get boomerang throwing cutie marks?” The unicorn filly proposed, a small smile on her face.

“But there hardly are any boomerangs in Ponyville!” Applebloom snapped, only for a blue hoof to pat her on the head. She turned to look at Koto, who was smiling again.

“You just haven’t seen any boomerangs here. Perhaps the majority of boomerangs are collector’s items?” Koto proposed, a faint smile on her face.

The orange filly trotted to Nagare, and rose a hoof to point at his cutie mark. “Why’s your cutie mark a sword?” She asked.

“Same reason Koto’s is a boomerang: long story.” Nagare replied with a smile. “I’m good at using one for both offense and defense.”

“So...you’re a warrior pony or something?” The unicorn filly inquired, brow arched.

“Something of the sort, minus the armor.” Nagare replied, still smiling.

“Wouldn’t that make me an archer of some sort?” Tenmei inquired, a great big grin on his face. Another hearty, unified laugh ran amongst the group at the mere prospect of the earth pony being an archer (even though he did technically raise a point.)

“Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo,” Applebloom started, glancing between her fellow fillies, “I think we should get sword-wielding cutie marks!”

That very statement made Nagare’s eyes damn near bulge out of their sockets. He glanced at the trio of fillies before clearing his throat and saying, “Swords are very dangerous weapons! I honestly don’t see any of you three effectively using one and not suffering a single cut within the first minute! What makes you think you can harness a weapon that can cause serious injury if mishandled?!”

“How do you know?” Sweetie Belle, the unicorn filly, inquired.

Nagare sighed and rubbed his foreleg. Beyond the green pelt, the fillies could barely make out some kind of scar on that leg where he had rubbed it. “Simple: I had to train. I honestly thought the same thing would happen to me--that is, not mishandling the weapon without getting an injury in the process. I very nearly lost this leg.” He answered, recalling the lectures that had happened after his hand slipped and he accidentally cut himself where the scar was today. The wound was deep enough to render that arm useless for a good two weeks after the incident.

“Yeah, he’s really lucky.” Yuuki confirmed with a nod. “I was there, and whoo boy did he get the chewing out of his life then!”

“You serious?!” Scootaloo, the orange pegasus, asked. Her jaw was agape, and her eyes wide.

“Yep.” Yuuki answered with another quick nod. “The ponies who trained us took it deathly serious. You screwed up even just a little bit, and you’d find a hoof down on your head faster than you could blink.”

“I don’t blame them--we were given deadly weapons, for crying out loud.” Tenmei remarked, sitting on his rump and cleaning his glasses again. “You practically held life and death with what we were bestowed.”

Sweetie Belle pointed a hoof at Yuuki’s cutie mark. “It looks like a toy.” She said.

“It does indeed--but it isn’t, in most cases. Not how I use it.” Yuuki swiftly replied.

“So...it can be used like a toy?” Scootaloo asked, brow arched.

“You can say it would be, I’ll admit.” Yuuki answered, a faint smile on her face. “Though it’s usually used like that in cases of boredom.”

“Why would they give you weapons? It doesn’t make sense!” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle said in unison.

“It’s...hard to explain.” Rekka sighed at last, shaking his head sadly.

Chapter LII, Part II- ...And Hot Chocolate

The three small fillies took off faster than lightning in unison, shouting something about getting sword-wielding cutie marks anyway. Nagare lowered his head and shook it before sighing in disappointment.

“They’re really hellbent on getting those cutie marks, aren’t they?” Koto remarked, also shaking her head at the display.

“Seems like.” Yuuki replied, sighing as well. “I just hope to the powers that be they don’t get hurt…”

Nagare looked back at Raki, who was staring off into the distance where the three fillies took off to. He approached her and tapped her on the shoulder with a hoof to get her attention. “So, how did your visit in Canterlot go?” He asked.

“It was hunky-dory. I promised the princesses I’d stay out of trouble, and they excused me from the dungeons.” She replied, smiling nonchalantly.

“Ah. I see.” Nagare said, smiling himself. A snowball hit him in the back of the head, and he turned around to find Yuuki moulding another in her hooves. The mare was sneering.

“Don’t let your guard down next time!” She said, about to throw her second snowball at him before Raki’s horn began glowing. The unicorn’s magic molded another snowball that soon found itself careening away from its creator and landing smack in Yuuki’s face soon after.

“Don’t let your enemy’s weakness get the better of you.” Raki commented dryly, still smiling as she formed another snowball quick as a whip. Before long, the snowball fight resumed, and everyone had been hit with at least three at some point.

After that was said and done, the six returned home laughing heartily. Snow lingered heavily on their backsides, though it was soon shaken off with ease as they went.

The front door to the house opened, and the group made their entry into the living room. They noticed Kaguya and 01 at the table, as well as Rarity, and they were chatting a storm when they turned their attention to the door as it was closed behind shivering forms.

“I assume the snow was quite lovely.” 01 commented with a friendly smile as he saw the six ponies grab blankets and wrap them around their bodies in an attempt to warm up after removing their scarves.

“Very.” Nagare replied with a smile on his face, but the smile quickly faded. “But a few fillies worried me earlier.”

“Why say that?” Kaguya asked, brow arched.

“They wanted sword-wielding cutie marks, and I told them a piece of my mind. What do they do? They run off still hellbent on getting sword-wielding cutie marks.” Nagare answered, a sigh escaping his lips soon after.

“That’s...worrying.” Rarity remarked, a sigh of her own parting ways with her mouth. “I”ll have to reprimand Sweetie Belle later, and send Applebloom to her big sister.”

“Applebloom I can understand, but why would you reprimand Sweetie?” Koto asked, brow arched.

“She’s my little sister.” Rarity answered quickly. “Mom and dad tasked me with looking after her. I just hope she doesn’t lay her hooves on an actual sword.”

“As do I. The prospect of one as little as she is even holding a real one is unnerving.” Nagare agreed, sighing again.

“I can only imagine the lectures she will endure when she gets her hooves on one…” Yuuki remarked, looking up cross-eyed at nothing in particular as that very image played out in her mind.

“Sweetie and her friends usually do brash things.” Rarity commented, shaking her head. “It’s almost like she never learns, and I dare say the same could be said for her friends.”

“So...she and her friends have been doing outlandish things even before we showed up?” Rekka inquired, a brow arched.

“Oh, yes. I keep on telling them to not do anything outlandish, and the next thing I know is the three of them are sharing a set of helmets and goodness knows what.” Rarity sighed with a nod. “One time, Applebloom somehow got the Cutie Pox, and it was very nearly a disaster. Zecora intervened, though, and everything was back to normal.” She added.

“Cutie Pox?” Yuuki asked, brow arched.

“Zecora?” Tenmei wondered aloud, blinking a few times.

“Yes. Cutie Pox is...well, put it like this: those who have it get random cutie marks, and they do everything those cutie marks depict. It gets hectic after a few cutie marks suddenly appear on your body.” Rarity started, shaking her head again. “As for Zecora, she’s a zebra who lives in the Everfree Forest, but does show up here from time to time to get herbs and other plants.”

“So...she’s an herbalist?” Koto inquired, tilting her head slightly.

“Basically, though she talks in rhymes. She’s really good-natured.” Rarity answered again with a quick nod and serene smile on her face.

Someone began knocking on the door. “I’ll get it.” Koto said, trotting to the door whilst keeping the blanket on her frame. Her horn glowed, magic grasping the knob of the door and pulling it open.

Beyond the door, in the still-snowing outside, stood a blue-eyed zebra who had a black-and-white mohawk on its head. Much of the body was grey with darker stripes, and the hooves were tipped with black. A spiral sun cutie mark was present on the frame, and the tail was black and grey, a good quarter of it bald.

There was a golden bangle on the left foreleg, as well as a golden necklace and earrings in their proper places.

“Speak of the devil, and the devil shall appear.” Nagare remarked, watching as Koto stepped aside to let the guest trot into the room. The door was closed quickly. The zebra looked at him, brow arched.

“Oh, Zecora, I was merely telling the ponies here about you.” Rarity said, chuckling lightly.

“That, dear friend, I can understand.” Zecora began, faint smile on her own face. “It seems there are new ponies here to keep things from going bland.”

“Shall I make the hot chocolate?” Kaguya asked, also grinning. “We have two guests here already.”

“May as well make all of it. There’s a full house going on.” 01 answered, nodding a bit.

Kaguya nodded back and quickly rose before trotting into the kitchen.

Zecora eyed 01 and the other ponies in the house for a moment or two. She then said, “Where is it you ponies hail from? Your appearances strike as odd to at least some.”

Silence took precedence in the house almost immediately. The five young adults glanced at each other with wide eyes, as if asking each other for an answer quietly. Raki’s eyes averted away, and she sighed afterwards.

“You need not tell me if you don’t feel comfortable.” Zecora said, smiling lightly. “In fact, I’ll let you formulate a response most acceptable.”

The six ponies breathed a collective sigh of relief after that.

“It’s a bit of a long story, Zecora. And somewhat...unpleasant to speak of, actually.” 01 stated, scratching the back of his head with a hoof.

“Ah, I see.” Zecora replied, looking at the elder stallion with a nod. “Surely, such a long tale can enlighten me. But, I’ll be kind and ask for that another day, since my question surely caused your companions to fall silent in an unsettling way.”

Kaguya returned, this time balancing a tray with coffee mugs on her back. Steam emanated from the tops of the mugs, and sure enough the room was filled with a faint chocolate aroma. There were twelve mugs, enough for all the guests and inhabitants.

Ten mugs were removed, and Rarity let her horn come to life with magic, enabling the tray to levitate off of Kaguya’s back and onto the table.

“Mimi! Mimu!” 01 called out as loud as he could. “Come downstairs, or you’re going to miss some hot chocolate!”

In that instant, the two fillies rushed down the stairs as if summoned by a dinner bell. They took their respective mugs after perching themselves at the table.

Rarity smiled, noticing Mimu’s folded fairy wings. “Those wings are spectacular! They could use some cleaning, though I wouldn’t do that much, given how delicate they are.”

Mimu looked at the unicorn, and she smiled back. “I can fly with them too, but not too high.” She replied.

“I’d understand why, taking into account your small frame. I hope you grow up to be a big mare, soaring as high as your wings can take you.” Rarity replied, her smile radiating warmth.

Those who weren’t at the table downed their hot chocolate fairly quickly, wiping their muzzles soon after with quick hooves.

“Shall I make more?” Kaguya asked, watching the empty mugs get placed onto the tray.

“We’re good. Thanks for the offer, though.” Rekka replied, smiling.

“The hot chocolate is simply superb!” Rarity chimed, grinning. “I’d like some more, please.”

Chapter LIII, Part I- Invitation

The rest of November, and an additional three months, passed by without incident. The royal guards patrolled every which-way Equestria itself had to offer, but so far they had nothing of note to report to the princesses, save the occasional troublemaker they found to be dungeon-worthy. It snowed every now and again, usually just enough for the foals to be entertained and whatnot.

During that time, Koto went and took the test, and the results had turned up negative. She didn’t show any of the symptoms related to pregnancy at all, and she had slept easier knowing that fact.

Spring was just a day away, but even so, it was snowing. The group of ten was at the table, and they were talking when someone began knocking on the door before depositing an envelope under the door.

“A letter?” Kaguya inquired, trotting to the anomaly with a brow arched. She picked it up with her mouth, then returned to her seat before dropping it on the woodwork.

“What’s it say?” Mimu asked, staring at the envelope.

“Give me a moment. I need to open it.” Kaguya pointed out before prying the envelope apart. She then pulled out the letter within and read it aloud:

To our humble and unusual guests,

We here at Canterlot Castle invite you to the Grand Galloping Gala, where you will meet with Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, the Wonderbolts, and other ponies of high importance whilst having a good time. This celebration is to welcome spring, and say farewell to winter so the crops can grow in warm conditions.

You do not have to come, of course, but it would be preferable that you do so. The Princesses would very much welcome your presence at the Gala.

“A celebration?” 01 inquired, a brow arched.

“Seems like.” Kaguya replied with a nod as she set the letter down on the table.

“Excuse me?” Nagare stated, raising a hoof to draw attention to himself.

“Yes? What is it?” Raki asked, being the first to glance at the pegasus.

“Can I speak to Rekka...in private?” Nagare asked, causing the unicorn whose name he spoke to arch a brow at him.

“Why...do you want to talk to me in private?” Rekka asked, ears twitching. His curiosity had been aroused, and he blinked a few times.

“The matter’s a bit personal. I’d prefer it not being within earshot of everybody else present.” Nagare replied, a sigh escaping his lips soon after.

“Very well, then. Go on upstairs and have your discussion.” Kaguya said with a nod, and both ponies parted from the table and trotted upstairs. They went all they way to the end of the hall before Nagare suddenly stopped and turned to his fellow stallion.

“What did you want to see me in private about?” Rekka inquired, brow still arched.

Nagare cleared his throat for a moment. He then inquired, “Remember that morning when I saw you honestly looking scared shitless for some reason?”

“Yes.” Rekka replied with a quick nod of his head.

“After changing my bandages that morning, I found something...odd in the trash can.” Nagare stated, his face having no discernable emotion present.

“What...what is that ‘something odd’ you speak of?” Rekka inquired again, a sweat instantly breaking out on his forehead. Some of the beads trickled down his face.

Nagare saw those beads of sweat, and only then did he show emotion in the form of a sly grin. He trotted to the unicorn and leaned his face in close to his ear. “A used condom, wadded up and crammed in some toilet paper.” He answered, his voice naught but a whisper.

In that instant, Rekka’s eyes went wide and his pupils shrank. He was sweating more profusely at this point.

Nagare quickly backed away, just out of reach of his friend’s hooves. He was being wary, knowing full well he pushed one of the unicorn’s triggers. His grin did not once leave his face at all.

“So…” The green pegasus started, “with whom did you share the sausage?”

Rekka’s face turned as red as his eyes in a fraction of a second. He bit his lip nervously.

“Come on. Answer the question. We haven’t all day.” The pegasus taunted, still grinning slyly.

The unicorn quickly wiped the sweat that had accumulated on his face with a hoof. His eyes relaxed as he took in deep breaths to compose himself. “We’ll revisit this discussion later.” Rekka stated at last, turning away and trotting to the stairs. As he did, his blush went away.

“Fair enough.” Nagare replied, still grinning as he too made his way to, then down, the stairs. Everyone was looking at them as they made their descent, and they took their respective seats.

“I assume you two are done?” Kaguya asked, and the reply she got from both stallions was a simple nod.

01 scratched the back of his head with a hoof, yawning with a wide mouth in doing so. “I wonder who gets to go to the Gala.” He said afterwards, blinking harshly.

Kaguya shrugged her shoulders. “Can’t trust Mimi and Mimu to go alone, so that gets them off the list…” She started.

The two young fillies instantly frowned, and shouted “Aww!” in unison.

“No ifs, ands, or buts. We don’t want you two to get hurt. It’s bad enough Nagare and his friends get to go out by themselves, and sometimes come back with bandages on their heads and whatnot!” 01 quickly scorned, narrowing his eyes into a glare at the two fillies. “We’ve all seen their injuries, and we will not let the same happen to you two!”

“That also leaves me out of the list.” Raki stated, drawing attention to her. “My ex-colleagues are probably preparing to hunt me down and deliver a slow and painful death once they catch me. If I attend, I’d only raise the risks of that happening.” She added with a sigh.

“I’m also exempt.” Kaguya stated, causing all eyes to look at her. “My...ahem, mare-related problems as of late might get me in trouble. I may snap at someone and rip their heads off with my bare hooves--I don’t want that happening.”

“So...just me and the others who aren’t off the list?” Nagare inquired, brow arched.

“Pretty much. Take your weapons just in case. And try for the love of all things holy avoid getting injured. We’d seen too much already.” 01 replied quickly with a nod.

“Alright. Though, you aren’t going as you are. I suggest you pay the Boutique a visit.” Kaguya added. “It’s a celebration hosted by the Princesses, or so it seems, so you may as well appear your very best.”

The group of five sighed, and trotted upstairs in unison to retrieve their weaponry and saddlebags. After that, they went out the door into the still-cold outside and closed the door behind them.

Chapter LIII, Part II- Fabric and Sketches

Author's Note

Gonna probably divie this into four parts overall. Maybe five. Pacing issues...oi. Nonetheless, it's a good start though, specially for something like this.

~Dragon

Chapter LIII, Part II- Fabric and Sketches

Rarity hummed, having just (politely) sent off a satisfied customer who was wearing her latest work. The unicorn sighed contently, recalling the customer thanking her for her services, and wishing her luck in future designs.

The pristine, elegant unicorn was just about to trot upstairs when she heard a series of knocks on her door. She turned around and quickly approached it, opening the door to find five ponies waiting beyond, and her eyes widened upon seeing that they were armed. Before she could scream, the purple pegasus rose a hoof and shook her head.

“We don’t mean harm. We only take out weapons in cases which we need to defend ourselves. It’s alright.” Yuuki stated quickly.

Rarity sighed in relief. She collected herself before looking at her guests. “I must ask: why did you come knocking on my door in this weather?”

“We’re heading to the Grand Galloping...something.” Tenmei answered.

“Gala.” Nagare corrected, poking the earth pony with his hoof. “We were told to pay you a visit first, though.”

“But you cannot go to the Gala as you are!” Rarity protested, eyes widening again.

“That’s kinda the point of us being here.” Koto replied with a sigh. “May as well look our best.”

“You have two ears, woman. Did you not hear me?” Nagare groaned, a hoof connecting with his face. Before he could react further, a tan foreleg wrapped around his neck, and as his hoof was removed from his face, he found himself eye to eye with Tenmei.

“Don’t talk to her like that! Alright!?” Tenmei hissed, eyes narrowing low. “We’re here to get suited up, not argue with her!”

Before both stallions could continue with the charade, an aura of blue yanked them apart.

“Can it, you two.” Koto sighed, shaking her head at the display. Her horn had been glowing, though it stopped after she pried them away from each other.

Rekka was still facing Rarity. “Don’t mind them. Nagare’s developed a quirk for starting fights. I think he’s just cranky this evening.” The red unicorn said with a sigh.

Rarity chuckled. “Oh, I understand completely. We all fight with even our best friends sometimes. I should know from experience.” She said, grinning. She turned round and trotted inside, allowing the five to follow suit.

Koto’s horn lit up, and her magic closed the door. Rarity then turned back to the five and trotted to each of them, eying them head to hoof.

“I have a shower and a tub you could use, since this is a great night to be had.” Rarity commented. “After that, I’ll take measurements and get to stitching the outfits.”

“Sounds like a plan, but I do have a question.” Yuuki started, wings shifting a bit.

“And what would that be, dear?” Rarity asked, brow arched.

“How many ponies can the shower and tub hold? Back home, we only have one tub that can fit two at most at a time--trust me, it’s a hassle getting everyone clean.” The pegasus answered with a sigh escaping her lips.

“My shower can hold up to three. As for the tub, it is big enough that it can hold four.” Rarity answered, smiling lightly. “The size of both is imperative should I have more guests than I usually get at once. Sorry for prying, but do you all bathe one after the other?”

“Oh, no. We usually bathe at different times as the schedule allows it. It’s a lot less...hectic that way.” Tenmei answered with a nod accompanying his words.

“I see. Whatever works best for the household.” Rarity replied, her smile fading. “But...why aren’t the fillies at your house outside most of the time?”

Yuuki rose a hoof, motioning for Rarity to come closer to her with it, and Rarity came closer. Once they were inches apart, the pegasus leaned in and cupped that same hoof outside the ear before whispering a hefty bit into it. As she did, the unicorn’s eyes widened and her pupils shrank to meager pinpricks.

The pegasus then broke from the unicorn, who was only able to utter “Oh my Celestia…” at what she’d been told. “That’s...dreadful. Why hadn’t Kaguya told me of these...ahem, events?” She added, eyes still wide.

“Considering we were still strangers at the time and we hardly knew the locals...yeah, I think you can make the connection.” Yuuki sighed, lowering her head and shaking it sadly afterwards.

“Oh, I can certainly understand avoiding the newspapers and all the shenanigans they tend to entail for...ponies who suffered as you did. I’ve been on the paper myself numerous times simply because I’m the Element of Generosity.” Rarity started, her face relaxing but with the frown still plastered on her muzzle. She shook her head sadly for a bit before continuing, “I look like I enjoy being the face of the article while it’s in the making, but deep down, I struggle to keep a professional appearance myself.”

Yuuki rose her head, a false smile on her face that quickly faded. “I’d...prefer it if we never spoke of...that series of incidents again.” She murmured, cringing at the very thought of it. “But...that’s just me.”

“Most certainly. I wouldn’t dream of telling any other what happened to you. I can fully understand Kaguya’s decision to keep the fillies where she can watch them and feel relatively safe about it most of the time, now that I have the knowledge of why. Poor dear must be growing increasingly paranoid, and I wouldn’t blame her for it.” Rarity sighed with a quick nod of her head.

“And it’s also why we’re armed most of the time. Just in case those...loons decide to drop by and screw everything up with their shenanigans. If they showed up right now, their horns would fly off in a heartbeat if they didn’t cast barriers or summon things that are slowly looking more and more like Lovecraftian horrors.” Nagare remarked, shaking his head.

“I can’t hold that against you either. You’re just being safe, not harming anypony with your weapons of choice--bit odd if I do say so myself, but whatever floats your boat--and being cautious overall.” Rarity replied quickly, sighing again afterwards. “Now, let’s push that aside. We’ve chatted long enough, and you five are in a bit of a hurry, so go ahead and take the showers or baths however you see fit, then see me when you’re done so I can take all the measurements.”

The group of five nodded and trotted in unison up the stairs, though they did take the time to remove their weapons and saddlebags and place them on the nearby coffee table beforehand.

“The bathroom is the second door to the right.” Rarity said, before the last of the group ascended fully onto the second floor. Being a bit slower than the others, Koto nodded back before her voice was heard informing her friends of the location of the needed cleaning station.

The sounds of running water resounded from upstairs soon after that, and Rarity’s horn lit up in magic, grasping papers and quills. She needed something to take her mind off of what Yuuki had relayed, and she decided to pass the time by sketching each of the individual weapons in question. She got each drawing down to the last miniscule detail, an almost exact replica of the deadly objects, as well as some little side-drawings of how those objects worked based on how they looked.

Already, the unicorn’s gears were turning. She was developing ideas for the outfits; all she’d needed were the measurements and everything was a cakewalk from there...before a bit of a problem quickly made itself apparent.

All five clients involved were literally one color scheme each, as monochrome as each individual color of the rainbow as they could come (the only one who came close to breaking that pattern was Tenmei). She had no problem with Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie; but these ponies were a very different deck of cards, and three were stallions to boot.

Another issue made itself known as she dwelled on it: Rekka’s tied mane and tail. True, she liked them being tied, but her mind was fussing over how he let his hair flow freely after the ribbon’s margins. Her brain had been crying for something more exotic, more dashing for him. Another piece of paper was grasped in her magic, and she quickly made a list of the problems she’d encountered, though only the monochrome and mane-tail issues had been listed so far.

Rarity set the list and quill to one side, and she sighed. She let her magic open a closet door before it grabbed five mannequins in the shape and pose of jumping ponies about to land and pulled them out of that closet, making sure to dust them off a bit afterwards. She set those to one side as well, putting on red-framed and thick glasses and wrapping a simple blue measuring tape around her neck.

Just as she was about to look at the sketches she had done, all five clients came trotting down the stairs looking a bit cleaner than they did when they arrived. They had also brushed and washed their manes and tails thoroughly as evidenced by a straighter appearance and more of a shine in the colors.

“I assume you’re all prepared?” Rarity asked, quickly donning a small smile as she saw the ponies.

“About as ready as can be.” Tenmei answered, glancing at his friends. “But who gets measured first?” He asked, brow arched.

“I have no pecking order when it comes to measurements, except making sure it always matches to the corresponding client.” Rarity answered, still smiling as she took measurements of each pony, right down to hoof width and mane-tail length (without ribbons getting in the way, of course).

Afterwards, she listed each pony and their individual measurements with a swift quill. “Well, I’ve encountered a bit of a slight problem for the dresses, but I think I know how to fix it.” Rarity said, the gears in her head once more churning.

“That being?” The two mares of the group asked in unison, both of whom had arched brows.

“I was thinking of doing colors that could compliment your manes and eyes.” Rarity answered quickly. This caused Yuuki and Koto to exchange a quick glance before they both turned to her whilst nodding.

The unicorn turned to the stallions. “But, we still have the boys to deal with. Pray tell, what do the three of you want? I can make any outfit you’d like.” She said.

“Kimono. Where we’re from, stallions tend to have dull colors in their outfits, usually for formal attire.” Nagare stated quickly. “Though, bright colors could also suffice, if they are complimentary of our pelts and whatnot.” He added, smiling faintly.

“Could one of you draw it out for me? It’d help greatly to have a reference.” Rarity replied with a nod.

“I’ll do it, but...I’m not very good at drawing.” Koto said, grinning rather sheepishly.

“It’s alright. Just draw as best you can.” Rarity stated, trotting to her fellow unicorn and patting her on the shoulder with a hoof. Koto nodded, still grinning sheepishly, and she quickly obliged by the request.

For a first effort with memory alone, she pulled it off pretty good. Rarity nodded and kept the sketch on hoof as she took notes on it while Koto explained the individual parts to the best of her ability.

Rarity now had an idea of how to start. She then sent the clients upstairs to begin work, pulling out quite a hefty bit of rolled-up fabrics and spools of thread. A white, fluffy, and rather short-legged Persian cat sat by, looking at Rarity with big green eyes. The cat had a purple bow on her head, and an opal-studded purple collar adorning her neck. She meowed once, catching the unicorn’s attention.

“Oh, Opalescence, you want to help me with dressmaking?” Rarity asked, smiling at the cat.

Opalescence, as if to respond, meowed once. She seemed to smile back as best she could.

Rarity did quick rough sketches of her clients after that, but before she started, she glanced back to her earlier sketches of the weaponry.

And then the fabrics and spools of thread were put to use, gears once more a-churning in the unicorn’s brain as she set to work making the outfits at last.

Chapter LIII, Part III- In The Same Boat

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Chapter LIII, Part IV- Something New

Author's Note

Gonna call it a day here and make the next chapter a full-fledged chapter instead of another part to this one.

~Dragon

Chapter LIII, Part IV- Something New

Rarity marveled at her latest outfits, which now adorned the bodies of the five clients involved, with holes through which wings could fit through and enable flight.

Koto had a dress which covered her entire front section, while it kept her forelegs relatively uncovered. Around her neck was a blue collar, attached to the dress itself, and it was studded with rhombus-shaped amethysts cut to wicked perfection. The rest of the dress had a vast array of colors that blended in to create a blurred effect, making it look like a vivid sunset of yellow and crimson before fading into a dark blue that had a grey, snow-dotted bottom.

The young unicorn also had shoes that extended to her front knees, and they were a dark blue that ended in the same snow-dotted pattern as her dress. Her mane had also been braided at the back, held in place by a simple green bauble at the end.

Yuuki had a dress with a collar and it covered much of her front quarters, silver rings at the sides just wide enough for her to fit her wings through and not be uncomfortable about it. The collar, a color somewhere between yellow and off-white, seemed to add further compliment to the blues and greens adorning her midsection. The dress had a blended effect as well, only it consisted of blues, yellows, and subtle hints of magenta. They swirled about meticulously, somehow giving the dress a vibrant shine.

Adorning her front hooves were horseshoes that had a silvery sheen, and her mane had been held up in a high ponytail by a crimson bauble.

Tenmei had a simple kimono, dull sea green with a dark purple obi. He had horseshoes of a golden color, and a simple copper chain had been added to his glasses, attached directly to the outfit should they fall off his face suddenly.

Nagare had an obi of shimmering sunset gold, his kimono a blurred mix of cyan and navy with some noticeable tints of violet here and there in the form of autumn leaves. His tail poked out at the end, but it had been tied into a few small braids here and there. His horseshoes were a light sea green in color.

Rekka had an obi somewhere between cyan and blue, a dull color to compliment a brighter shade of yellow-green that had a bottom patterned with fire-like colors. His horseshoes were a color between orange and vermillion. His mane (save the bangs) and tail were braided to the end, baubles of blue holding the hair together.

Each pony had their respective weapons, but Rarity had added magically-enchanted gemstones to the outfits so as to render the weapons invisible until absolutely needed. This made them pass off as mere passerby that were suited up to attend the Gala.

“Now, I’d normally charge a hefty few bits for custom designs, but since this is a prestigious event, I’ll be generous and give the outfits free.” Rarity stated, smiling faintly. Her mane was losing its curl, favoring a more wavy look, but that was only because she’d been stressed. “The first time I attended the Gala, it was nothing like I’d expected. I do hope the same doesn’t happen to you.”

The group nodded, but Koto had an arched brow upon hearing the words ‘nothing like I’d expected’ fly out of Rarity’s mouth.

The white unicorn saw the arched brow. “I tried impressing Prince Blueblood, thinking he was sweet as can be, and...he’s the exact opposite of what I’d dreamed of. If you can, avoid him, but that’s merely my two cents.” She replied, getting an understanding nod from Koto.

“What’s he look like?” Nagare asked, a brow of his own arched. “We can’t avoid him if we don’t know what he looks like.”

“White coat, blond sleek mane, blue eyes. He’s a unicorn.” Rarity answered quickly.

“Alright.” Nagare replied with a nod of his own. The group then smiled and thanked Rarity for providing them her dressmaking services before trotting out the door and entering the snow-covered world. The five made their way to Canterlot, with the help of a royal guard carriage line that was gathering ponies to take to the castle.

They were dropped off at the drawbridge, and everyone stood glancing at everything the castle had to offer with widening eyes (with Nagare as the sole exception).

“Nobody told me it’d be this...this…” Yuuki trailed off, awe-stricken by the sight presented before her.

“I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘spectacular’?” Nagare chimed, smiling warmly. Yuuki hastily nodded in response before shooting the green pegasus a wide-eyed look.

“Wait...since this is a castle...I assume Celestia and Luna are here?” Koto inquired, blinking.

“Yes. There’s even a throne room for them.” Nagare answered again, still smiling faintly.

“Where should we go first?” Rekka asked, brow arched. He was looking at the green pegasus as if he knew everything.

“I only know the way to the throne room, and I’m pretty sure it’s off limits tonight.” Nagare replied quickly, sighing afterwards.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s try to find the princesses!” Tenmei chimed, smiling wide. This was when a royal guard or two approached them, though neither had spears or swords present anywhere near them.

“The princesses have been expecting you five. Follow us.” The guards said in unison, turning around and trotting away. The group exchanged brief glances amongst themselves before obeying the guards, trotting to the identical duo in sync.

“I’m starting to think they personally sent that invitation to us…” Yuuki whispered in Koto’s ear as they continued to trot for what seemed like forever after the guards. The blue unicorn nodded back.

“‘Humble and unusual’...I guess they weren’t trying to sound offensive.” Koto whispered back.

The group stopped, since their impromptu guides had done the same. The identical duo then parted to let the five trot beyond the door they stood at the sides of.

This room had a great sparkling golden chandelier, and it was large enough to hold three entire galleries oft found in theaters and whatnot. There were grand stairs to one side, and they ended before two grand chairs where the princesses sat observing the ongoings below.

On the ground that unfurled at the beginning of the long flight were dozens upon dozens of unicorn ponies, some dressed well and others having saddles on their backs for whatever reason. There were some pegasi in striking blue and yellow jumpsuits here and there, one of which had a familiar two-toned orange mane that served as a dead giveaway to her identity.

The makeshift hallway the group stood in was parted from the floor below via rails. The carpets were cobalt and gold, patterned with suns and moons and constellations. There was a similar hall on the other side of the room, and as they rounded the corners and neared the great big flight of stairs, they curved sharply downwards to basically merge into the flight of stairs.

“Ponies of Equestria!” Bellowed Celestia, her voice hushing all of the ongoing clamor of the crowd going on below in an instant. Everyone, save Luna and the guards present, looked at her intently. “I thank you all for attending the Grand Galloping Gala to celebrate spring’s arrival. Please, enjoy yourselves, enjoy this last night of winter as it melts into spring, and enjoy the company in which you have in this castle and beyond.”

With that, the crowd erupted into a brief but loud cheer of joyous unison before resuming their clamoring.

Rekka leaned close to Tenmei, nudging him with a hoof to get his attention. “She sure makes a helluva impression.” He whispered.

“She rules the whole country with her sister. That’s a must for those with her position of power.” Tenmei whispered back.

“I think I see an alicorn in the crowd.” Koto stated, looking down at the crowd. The group looked at the crowd as well, and by golly, the mare was right--there was indeed an alicorn amongst the lot. She had a bright pink body, wings fading into lavender at the tips, and a curled mane sporting a darker pink, purple, and a striking shade of yellow. Her eye color and cutie mark, though, were too far away to see properly.

This makeshift black sheep was making her way to the princesses, and the nobles let her through without so much as a fuss. The group of five watched intently, unsure of who this alicorn was, or what she could do.

“Princess Cadance? What brings you here to the Gala?” Luna asked once the pink alicorn stopped in front of the two.

“Well, I rarely get to spend time with my aunties. Since this is the Grand Galloping Gala, I figured ‘why not?’ I also brought Shiney here for the same reason.” Cadance, the pink alicorn, explained. Trotting up the stairs was a white unicorn stallion, blue mane in two distinct tones, and his hooves had ended in blue. Like Cadence, his eyes and cutie mark were too far away to be discerned properly.

“A third princess...and niece of Celestia and Luna?” Nagare mumbled, brow arched at the scenario currently at play. “Well, ya learn something new every day…” He added with a sigh.

“If that’s enough reason for you, nopony can stop you. Even we need a break now and again.” Celestia agreed with a nod and warm smile adorning her muzzle. “But...I’d like you to meet a pony, or a few if he brought friends with, if he did accept my invitation at all.” She added.

“And who would that be?” Cadance inquired, wings shifting a bit as she spoke.

Chapter LIV- Princess of Love

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Chapter LV- Escalation

The beast’s horn stilled glowed, its grin not wavering once from its face as the aura grasped the weapons. Next thing their owners knew was that they could not for the life of them even raise the forelegs three of which were attached to, as if gravity decided to work overtime and make them weigh a ton. In addition to this, it had completely made magic and wings useless for the five--which meant their chances of fighting flew straight out the damn window.

The monster roared again, only to cut its own cry short when a voice shouted, “Stop right where you are!”

All heads, even those from the frightened nobles in hiding, darted around for a moment or two, trying to figure out where that voice had come from. The monster stomped a front hoof and snorted, eyes still narrowed at the group of ten before it.

“I am aware you, my little pet, hate those ponies just as much as we do. We shall deal with them personally.” The voice rang out again, and before any could ask whom the identity of the owner was, a blue unicorn with a navy mane and thin mustache suddenly appeared next to the monster. Standing at his side was a familiar gold-pelted frame with short crimson hair.

“Look who decided to crash the party.” Nagare coldly remarked, eyes narrowing upon seeing the two unicorns.

Celestia glanced around, noticing there were no royal guards present. Before she could speak, though, Baki said, “Oh, your little military? We went and knocked them out while we fooled you with our Blueblood illusion.”

“So...you made an illusion...for us to wrongfully remove one of our own from Canterlot?” Luna asked, eyes narrowing.

The two unicorns broke out laughing at the question. Cadance slowly looked to her aunties with an arched brow, just wondering who in hell these ponies were. Their monster stood still, occasionally twitching its wings now and again.

Maki was the first to stop laughing, and he composed himself before all present. A ghoulish smile was on his lips. “Oh, no, we were just seeing if you fell for it, and you did. How can you two, beings who raise sun and moon, not notice the illusory spell we cast? You honestly thought you had the real deal before you.” He taunted, still grinning.

Luna winced at the remark. “Are you expecting us to be perfect?” She asked.

“What more could one expect from long-lived ponies such as yourselves, with your powers?” Baki remarked, grinning slyly.

“Even we aren’t perfect.” Celestia stated, her eyes narrowed as she stomped a hoof. Her horn started to glow gold, and she turned her attention to the monster in the room. The beast took a step forward, the sands held within its hourglass frame shifting as it did.

“Don’t bother. Magic is useless on our pet.” Maki stated, still grinning horribly.

Celestia grinned at the unicorns. “I’m not charging a magic blast.” She said.

“Then what are you doing with that horn?” Baki asked, brow arched. As soon as he asked, the princess’s horn ceased glowing.

“That’s none of your concern.” Cadance hissed, flaring her wings wide. The monster’s horn glowed again, and the pink alicorn found her wings suddenly limp at her sides.

“Oh, please. Our pet can disable your magic and wings. You’re all powerless against us now.” Maki taunted, his grin widening. Before he could say anymore, a deafening boom resonated outside the castle, and this was followed by a rainbow-hued trail that appeared from behind the Aliglass-Q and crashed into him. The unicorn found himself careening towards the stairs, landing on his side with a rainbow-maned pegasus pinning him down.

A growl came next, and this was followed by a bear and a pair of vultures suddenly coming up behind Baki in an attempt to swipe him with their deadly claws. The monster’s horn began to glow, but before it could react, it roared as Applejack turned around behind its orb and kicked it with all her might. The monster began to spin, its magic finally wearing off of Cadance and the armed ponies, and it stopped with its orb positioned right before the lot.

Nagare’s sword began to glow. “Could you all please make some room?” He asked, and immediately, his friends obliged. Celestia, Luna, Cadance and Shining did the same thing. Spitfire took to the air. Poising the weapon in his front hooves and spreading his wings wide, he charged forward. The blade quickly quintupled in size before all, and it slammed into the orb and shattered it with ease.

The monster uttered a final cry before it vanished from the world, and Nagare’s sword returned to normal. The group turned around to see Rainbow Dash get flung away as Maki rose to stand. His eyes glowed gold in fury, and fire quickly writhed all of his body in its searing blaze. Likewise, Baki’s form was encased in navy volts, and his eyes were glowing bluish-white. Horns were charging, and both howled in fury.

Just then, geysers of water appeared from nowhere and drenched the two stallions, causing one to radiate steam off his body and the other to convulse as his own volts shocked him. Twilight and the rest of her friends appeared in the room, as did Raki, whose horn had been glowing.

Both stallions, after shaking themselves, glared at the mare. “You traitorous bitch!” They cried in unison, only for a lightpost-pony and two-legged trashcan to appear out of nowhere and flank their former ally.

“Try me--you’re outnumbered.” Raki hissed back, the trashcan going up to Baki in an attempt to pin him. The lightpost went to the other unicorn and began swinging its head to and fro, very narrowly missing him as he dodged.

Before they could be hit, the duo teleported away. The trashcan and lightpost went back to their maker and stood at her sides like diligent guards, and the bear and vultures went back to Fluttershy. The bear picked up the yellow pegasus and cradled her in his front legs, breathing out a sigh of relief after that.

Tenmei looked at the bear holding the pegasus, and his eyes went wide. “How do you do that without getting mauled?” He asked.

“My...my talent is being able to talk to animals. Harry really likes to hold me like this sometimes.” Fluttershy answered, a sheepish grin on her face. Harry the bear nodded, smiling warmly. The vultures did this as well.

Slowly, the nobles came back into the room once they realized the coast had been cleared. A few guards came to Celestia, all three of whom had flattened ears.

“If it’s about Blueblood, disregard my earlier orders, as well as those of Luna. The one you dragged away had been nothing more than an illusion sent to fool me.” Celestia stated, nodding to the guards.

“Alright, Your Majesty. We’ll tell the other guards to let him be.” Spoke one guard before trotting away.

The lightpost watched the nobles intently, only to get a nudge from Raki’s hoof. “Leave them alone, they’re not doing anything.” She said, and the lightpost nodded. The trashcan caught on and nodded as well.

A pegasus in a blue and yellow jumpsuit flew into the room with the bucket that was in the Wonderbolt Academy on his back. The bucket was cursing and throwing a hissyfit, bound by ropes to keep it from getting away. Spitfire let her hooves touch ground, watching as the pegasus who came in had done the same thing.

“That thing causing trouble again?” Spitfire asked. The pegasus nodded. The orange mare then looked at Raki. “Hey, can I borrow your trashcan for a moment?”

“Sure.” Raki replied, nodding to her pet before it made its way towards the pegasus. Spitfire grabbed the bucket by the rope, lifted the lid off of the trashcan, and threw the bucket into it before slamming the lid back onto its frame. A rattling sound was heard as the bucket struggled to break loose, but ultimately failed in doing so.

Chapter LVI- List of Jerkwadishness

The Gala went as smooth as butter that night, although it mostly consisted of talking to nobles and the princesses. The element bearers did stick around (as did Raki, Harry, the vultures, trashcan, and lightpost) though, so it wasn’t all that bad. Most of the nobles were wary, considering five foreigners still had their weapons should the need for them arise.

After the Gala officially ended, everyone went home, and the air did feel a little warmer in spite of the snow-laden landscape.

The door opened, and everyone strode inside with small smiles on their faces. 01 glanced at them, with Kaguya asleep on his back. The mare snored and mumbled, her legs twitching a bit as she slept. The trashcan tried its best to enter quietly, but since the bucket trapped within was still hellbent on raising a fuss, it could do little against not making any noise.

Raki groaned, horn lighting up as her magic grasped the lid. She peered within, glaring at the bucket who was now red in the face. She summoned more ropes to hold it perfectly still, and an additional sock to jam into its potty mouth. After that, she replaced the lid and sighed.

“What in hell was making that noise?” 01 asked, brow arched.

“There’s a bucket with legs. It’s caused too much trouble in Cloudsdale, so I hear. The bucket will be dealt with later.” Raki answered, sighing again afterwards.

“Ah, I see. Very well, then. I’ll go ahead and take sleepyhead to bed--it’s pretty late.” 01 said before yawning, unable to cover his mouth with a hoof without threatening to arouse the sleeping mare on his back in the process. He made his way upstairs with slow but steady movements, and Kaguya continued to mumble as he went.

The five dressed ponies waited until they were certain Kaguya had been tucked in bed before they trotted up the stairs themselves, heading to the rooms and delicately removing their outfits before placing them into the dresser drawers. They then tucked themselves into bed and were out like lights in an instant.

Raki sighed, watching as 01 came back from the stairs. “Where are Mimi and Mimu?” She asked, noting she had not seen the two fillies since she came back.

“They’re in bed, like everyone else. I’m about to hit the hay myself.” 01 replied, covering his mouth as he yawned. He too trotted upstairs to get some sleep, and the unicorn followed with her minions in tow, readying herself to hit the hay as well. Before resting her head on the pillow, she looked at the trashcan and lightpost for a moment. “Don’t cause trouble. Keep an eye on the house and alert me if anything happens.” She said.

“What of Mr. Grouchy?” The trashcan asked, pointing a leg at its lid.

“Set him next to the bed. Make sure the ropes on his body are secure. He’ll be dealt with in the morning.” Raki answered before resting her head on the pillow. She too fell fast asleep. The lighpost pried the trashcan open and did as asked regarding the bucket, making sure the ropes were as tight as could be and whatnot.

The lid was placed back on shortly thereafter, and the trashcan exchanged glances with the lightpost. Both shrugged at one another before a third object shone a light directly in their faces. It had the body of a flashlight, legs poised at the sides, and on its little head was a horn. Its eyes worked like the headlights of a car, as did the mouth when opened. It giggled, the voice akin to a young filly, as the two taller object-ponies glared at it.

That dual glare caused the flashlight’s smile to turn into a frown. It drooped its head as best it could in shame. As the flashlight frowned, its light dimmed just enough to pass off as a lookalike of moonlight.

“Just keep quiet. We’re in a full house, and we don’t want to awaken anybody. Got it?” The trashcan scolded in a whisper.

The flashlight gave a quick nod.

Dawn had graced the land, and everyone--trashcan, flashlight, and lightpost included--was at the table. Sitting on the middle of the wooden piece of furniture was the bucket, who was now sweating lightly as it eyed everyone currently surrounding it.

“What did he do?” Mimu asked, pointing at the bucket when she noticed everyone else gave it nothing short of stone-cold glares.

Nagare slammed his front hooves on the table, causing the bucket to look at him whilst jumping in shock. “Quite a lot.” He answered curtly, eyes narrowing further. The bucket shook, feeling as if the pegasus had been staring right into its soul.

“From what I hear,” Yuuki started, spreading her wings, “it all started when this thing here stole a few Wonderbolt outfits and dumped them who-knows-where.”

01 arched a brow and blinked a few times. “Why would the bucket steal Wonderbolt uniforms? Heck, is there even a reason behind the supposed thefts?” He asked.

“Not that we know of. But the list doesn’t end there.” Nagare replied, shaking his head briefly.

Raki made a piece of paper appear from nowhere as her horn began to glow. She levitated it to her face and sighed. “I think this bucket...just wanted to be the biggest jerk Cloudsdale had ever known.”

“So, the little dwarf needs to be dealt with. Fair enough.” Kaguya started, clapping her front hooves together once.

“It has blue legs and a blue face. Kaguya, we’re looking at a mutated smurf here.” Yuuki pointed out, using a hoof to point at the bucket for emphasis.

“Would Koto be a smurfette?” Nagare stated, grinning faintly.

“HEY!” The blue unicorn shouted, turning to the pegasus with a vein appearing on her cheek. “Last time I checked, I wasn’t three apples high!”

“Reserve your anger for the jerk standing on the table.” Raki sighed, looking over the piece of paper again.

“Aside from supposedly stealing uniforms, what did this bucket do?” Kaguya asked, forelegs crossed together. One brow was arched.

“Let’s see here: calling ponies names, cursing at every opportunity, raising a fuss and getting complained at for his attitude, at least three instances of vandalism, harassment of the weather team, filling itself up with hot water and pouring the contents on sleeping foals as young as three weeks old--” Raki started, only to notice a purple hoof poke her shoulder before directing itself at 01.

“Did...you say pouring hot water on sleeping foals? As young as three weeks?” The stallion asked, an eyelid twitching.

“That I did. I assume the parents weren’t too happy about that.” Raki answered with a nod. “Continuing where I left off: back-talking and then stabbing royal guards with their own weapons when they tried to address his problems, somehow drinking excessively and raising an even bigger fuss, yanking out wing feathers from several citizens and more guards, and dirtying the halls of the Wonderbolt Academy by filling itself up with rainbows from the weather team and purposely spilling those pretty much all over the place.”

“Someone as big a jerk as he is--metaphorically speaking--deserves an equally big asskicking.” Rekka stated, putting his front hooves together. He began to pop his neck for a bit before grinning deviously.

The bucket’s face, not the rest of its body, turned to the unicorn. Its eyes widened, pupils shrank to dots, and sweat was on its frame. “Not the face, not the face!” It cried.

Author's Note

Jerkwadishness is now a word.

~Dragon

Chapter LVIII- A New Cutie Mark

A few hours passed, and everything had settled down a bit by mid-afternoon.

Mimu was flapping her fairy wings, hovering well enough she was eye level with the lightpost. The object-pony flashed her a warm smile and patted her head with a lanky foreleg before she giggled and flew to the table. The object-pony then made its way upstairs, yawning as if preparing to go to sleep.

The little filly landed on the table, earning a glance from everyone sitting in the chairs surrounding it. Mimu folded her wings and trotted off the table in short order, landing safely on the floor. Before anyone could speak, Scootaloo suddenly burst into the room via the front door, little wings spread as wide as her grin.

Everyone glanced at the filly, and she ran up to Nagare and promptly blew him a raspberry. On her once-blank rump sat a dull wooden sword.

The green pegasus’s eyes widened. “W-What...how?!” He cried, his jaw shaking from how baffled he was.

“Me and Truffle Shuffle played with wooden swords. Turns out I’m good at them too.” Scootaloo taunted, grinning slyly with a hint of innocence in her smile. “Maybe I can get a real one day.”

Nagare slowly turned his gaze back to his friends, his wide eyes and hanging jaw telling them what it was that had been running in his head. Everyone else merely shrugged back at him.

“Just be glad they weren’t actual blades. Steel does more damage than wood, unless you’re Hercules or something.” Rekka stated, sighing himself afterwards.

“Hey, mister, can we play-fight with wooden swords sometime?” Scootaloo asked, once more getting stared at by everyone else.

“When you get bigger than you already are. I have an unfair size advantage against you.” Nagare replied, his face relaxing as he spoke. A small, warm smile came upon his muzzle.

Scootaloo smiled back, eyes glinting with hope and joy. She seemed to beam with enthusiasm at this point, her little wings buzzing in excitement. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom also barged in on short notice, and unlike their pegasus companion, they took the time to shut the door behind them.

“Scootaloo,” Applebloom spoke, “how’d you get your cutie mark faster than us?”

“Truffle Shuffle and I played with wooden swords at recess when it appeared.” Scootaloo answered, turning to her friends and flashing them a smile. “And if I got my cutie mark, then you will too, right?”

“She does have a point.” Sweetie Belle agreed with a nod, pointing at Scootaloo for reference as she exchanged a glance with Applebloom.

“I wonder what my cutie mark will be?” Applebloom wondered aloud, putting a hoof to her chin.

“Cutie mark shenanigans aside, what brings you three to simply barge into our house like a hellhound was nipping at your tails?” 01 asked, blinking as he crossed his forelegs.

“Well, the two of us followed Scoots here because we were wondering why she’d come.” Sweetie Belle answered with a sigh.

“That, and we’d rather avoid Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon today. They looked especially grouchy.” Applebloom added with a nod.

“Diamond Tiara? Silver Spoon?” Tenmei wondered aloud, blinking a few times.

“Sounds to me like a pair of spoiled rich foals.” Rekka groaned. “Just the names alone imply that.”

“You bet!” Sweetie Belle began, a frown on her face. “Diamond’s daddy, Filthy Rich, gets her everything she wants and she always brags about it when she isn’t making fun of me and my friends for being blank flanks!”

“That sounds even worse.” Rekka murmured, shaking his head.

“You said the two...ahem, bullies looked really ticked off today?” Nagare asked, and the three fillies nodded. “Why is that?”

“Miss Cherilee gave them a detention each. That, and we saw their dads come into the school and scold them before the bell rung.” Scootaloo answered, sitting on her rump.

“Detention for...what?” Koto inquired, blinking.

“While Cherilee was away for a moment, I saw the two go up to the chalkboard and write ‘school is boring, why don’t they burn it?’ before putting our names under that message. They also put a few other nasty things on the board.” Sweetie replied. “They even tried beating Scoots up when she was horsin’ around with Truffle.”

“Sounds like their punishment was well-deserved.” Kaguya sighed. “Things like that would get them a lot more flak had they been adults.”

“Hey, blank flanks!” Called a high-pitched child’s voice. Everyone glanced to the window, seeing a pink-pelted filly with a wavy purple-and-white mane. Her ice-like eyes glared at the trio of fillies in the house, narrowed dangerously low. “You owe us for getting us in trouble today!”

Kaguya rose onto her legs and sighed. “The both of you may want to move out of my way.” She said, and Sweetie Belle and Applebloom nodded and skedaddled to the couch in short order. The white-pelted mare trotted to the door and swung it open, closing it behind her as she went outside. She could see the pink filly’s cutie mark, a literal diamond tiara.

With the pink filly was a grey-coated filly, braided mane grey and near-white in color. She had purple-rimmed glasses, and a spoon of silver with a little pink heart on one end was her cutie mark.

“I assume you two to be Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, correct?” Kaguya asked.

“Yes.” The pink filly replied with a nod. “Why do you have those blank flanks in your house? Why are YOU a blank flank? You should have your cutie mark by now!” She seemed to hiss, eyes narrowed upon noticing the elder mare’s lack of a cutie mark.

“I’ve not had the time to find it, simply put.” Kaguya answered, an eye beginning to twitch ever so faintly. “I’ve been busy with a lot of things.”

“Like what?” The grey filly spat, eyes narrowing further than those of her companion.

“Slaving over a lot of jobs to make sure I and the ponies who I happen to live with have food, shelter, and the like. I also have to juggle two fillies, around your age, and the occasional guest. On top of that, there’re five young adults who like to raise a fuss every now and then.” Kaguya replied curtly, a vein making itself known on her cheek. Her eyes narrowed at last. “And I simply have no time to tolerate any of your charades.”

“You can’t touch us.” Diamond, the pink filly, said. She sat on her rump and crossed her forelegs together. “Daddy will put you in jail faster than you will blink.”

“That’s only because of the absurd amount of money I hear he happens to have.” Kaguya replied swiftly, face beginning to darken as she spoke.

“So, you big crinkly blank flank, why don’t you just walk away into the streets?” Silver, the grey filly, taunted.

A guitar seemed to have loudly smashed against a floor in Kaguya’s mind as she heard the insult. The ‘blank flank’ she didn’t mind, but she was not crinkly the last time she checked. Despite being overworked to hell and back usually, as well as worrying constantly, she looked relatively young. Her face darkened even more, and it hardened into a stone-cold glare that could rival that of a royal guard.

“And what, pray tell, drove you to call me crinkly?” She inquired, her voice as cold as her face.

Silver Spoon broke a sweat upon hearing that cold tone of voice. She stammered for a little bit, unable to form words despite her jaw working up and down.

“Well?” Kaguya asked once more, her face so dark her eyes seemed to glow at this point.

“S-Silver,” Diamond stuttered, shaking a little bit, “maybe we should get our daddies.” Silver quickly nodded, and both took off running in the opposite direction.

“Last thing I needed…” Kaguya mumbled under her breath, composing herself before re-entering the house.

“What happened this time?” 01 asked, scratching the back of his head with a hoof.

“Diamond and Silver decided to get adults involved, and took off running like a pack of wolves after a caribou. Something tells me they’re going to fabricate lies about me.” Kaguya answered, sighing afterwards.

Mimu had trotted over to Scootaloo. “That cutie mark is pretty.” She said, smiling warmly.

“Just got it today. Thanks.” Scootaloo replied with an equally warm smile on her muzzle. She noticed her fairy wings. “Hey, those those wings are pretty.”

Mimu chuckled. “I can fly with them.” She said, beaming.

“Really?” Scootaloo asked, eyes widening.

“Yeah.” Mimu replied with a nod. Her smile faded a little bit upon noticing the pegasus’s wide eyes. “Is something wrong?”

“Yeah…” Scootaloo sighed, eyelids drooping and her smile fading into a frown. She glanced at her own wings. “I can’t fly with my wings…”

“You...can’t fly?” Yuuki asked, causing the orange pegasus to look at her. The filly nodded and sighed. “For a good while,” The purple mare began to half-lie, “I couldn’t fly either.”

“Really?” Scootaloo asked.

“Yeah. It was a hassle for me. I...had a bit of a problem.” Yuuki replied, sighing again. “Let’s not get into that.”

“Hey, when Rainbow Dash can’t teach me, can you teach me how to fly?” Scootaloo asked, eyes once more brimming with a sort of hope in their voids.

Yuuki’s ears twitched. “Like, flying tricks, or the basics?” She asked, blinking.

“The basics. Some tricks if you can manage it.” Scootaloo answered, faintly smiling again.

“Alright, I think I can do that. But not too often, you hear?” Yuuki stated, chuckling nervously and rubbing the back of her head with a hoof. “I tend to get injured sometimes, so, yeah, I think you know what I’m saying.”

“Injured, like in fights?” Sweetie Belle asked, brow arched.

“All sorts of things; fights are only one of them, and they aren’t too often.” Yuuki answered, putting her hoof down and letting off another nervous chuckle. She paused suddenly, eyes widening and face quickly flushing in red, and then winced and grit her teeth as a pang of pain made itself present in her midsection, close to the stomach but not quite.

“What’s wrong?” Applebloom asked, blinking at the display.

“I need to go upstairs for a few moments. Pardon me…” Yuuki grunted, spreading her wings and taking a detour to the second floor quick as a whip. A door was heard opening and then slamming in the same second.

“I began to notice a smell as she flapped her wings…” Nagare sighed, a hoof slowly coming up and up until it rested upon his forehead. He shook his head, eyes shut tight as he moved, and he sniffed the air a bit.

“You mean she’s…?” Rekka started, slowly turning to his fellow stallion with jaw hanging ajar as he trailed off. The pegasus only nodded back once, and sighed again after that.

“I hope she doesn’t have any anger issues this time. It’s bad enough...I’ll mind my tongue since there are youngsters present.” 01 sighed, shaking his head solemnly as all the terrible, horrid things he had been informed of four or five months ago played an equally unsettling image in his mind.

“Did something happen?” Sweetie Belle asked, drawing the attention of the lot at the table.

“Yes. Something...terrible befell Yuuki. It was really bad--the kind where you want to kill someone at the mere mention of it.” Nagare answered, his voice as grim as his appearing frown. “I don’t think the three of you would comprehend it, so I will not answer any questions regarding it. It’s just...awful.”

“We’re sorry to hear that.” Scootaloo sighed, eyelids drooping once more.

“You don’t have to apologize. We understand how you feel; the awful something has affected us too.” Koto stated, ears flattening on her head for a mere second. She recalled her torment, shifting a bit in unease as that ran its course in her head. The unicorn felt a slight pain as her gut twisted in a way it seemed to have agreed with her subconscious.

“Let’s not mention it again. I’d rather not have an excuse to break something.” Kaguya murmured, rubbing a foreleg with a hoof.

“Say, what would my cutie mark be?” Applebloom wondered aloud once more, putting a hoof on her chin again.

“I’m not sure. Hey, I see a four-leaf clover and a cup…” Sweetie Belle commented, looking at Kaguya as she said this.

“What about a four-leaf clover?” The elder asked, turning to the unicorn filly with a brow arched. Scootaloo got off her rump and trotted to her, raising a hoof to point at a rear leg. Kaguya looked and found a four-leaf clover plastered on a light grey teacup had just become her cutie mark. Her eyes widened. “I...I didn’t do anything to get this…?” She murmured, disbelief evident in her face and voice.

“Don’t four-leaf clovers bring good luck?” Tenmei asked, eying the new addendum Kaguya had received from seemingly nowhere.

“I can hear those jokes now…” Rekka murmured, ears flat on his skull as he spoke.

“Let me recount here...fillies barge in, friendly chat, rich fillies show up and get scared off while threatening to tell their daddies…” Kaguya thought aloud, and when it had occurred to her the supposed Filthy Rich and whoever Silver’s parents were had yet to show up, that was when something clicked into her head. “Perhaps lady luck’s on my side??” She asked, once more glancing at her new cutie mark.

Author's Note

The reason I failed to mention a cutie mark when Kaguya was first introduced was because she simply had none.

~Dragon

Chapter LIX- When in Doubt...

More hours passed, and the three guest fillies said their goodbyes and left for their homes. After that, everyone crept into beds and fell asleep, save one.

Yuuki threw the covers off of herself, drenched head to hoof in sweat. She felt like she was sitting in a volcano’s magma chamber, muttering a single “dammit” as she got out of bed and placed all four hooves on the floor. Sighing, she spread her wings and began flapping them, hoping to cool off.

At first, the cool air generated by the wingbeats did ease the heat and sweat, but as she flapped on, the heat came back full-force. Yuuki furrowed her brow at this, and she could now understand why Koto was more irate than usual when she went into heat. It was a bothersome, sweltering, and above all, unbearably long experience.

The pegasus winced, feeling a stabbing pain in her gut as she closed her wings. She looked at her drenched body, and at the rate she was going, if she didn’t address this soon then she’d be sitting in a puddle of sweat every night trying to figure out what to do.

The mare grit her teeth, feeling the base of one wing twitch as an itch made itself known. She twisted her body a bit, biting down firmly on the itch over and over until it was quelled. After that, she sighed and trotted to the door, opening it and making her way to the bathroom.

Flicking on the light and closing the door behind her, she shot a quick glance to the mirror. Much of her mane clung to her body, and a hefty few feathers looked out of alignment.

It was a good thing she came here. She needed a bath pronto. The young mare sighed and trotted to the tub, making sure to turn on the showerhead. She climbed in, shuddering as the water hit every inch of her body, soaking her with a clean liquid and rinsing away the sweat as it did. After a bit of sitting there, she began to preen her wings to take her mind off the current predicament.

Once that was said and done, Yuuki went to turn off the water when a few knocks were heard. She froze, turning to the door as more knocks made themselves known to her ears. “Who is it?” She asked once the knocks had ceased.

“What are you doing in there? Shouldn’t you be asleep?” Kaguya called out from the other side. She opened the door and trotted in, making sure to close it behind her.

“I felt like I was in an oven and just couldn’t get comfortable in bed.” Yuuki answered, sighing. The water still raining down upon her seemed to keep her temperature steady, and it was cooling her off much more effectively than her wings.

Kaguya groaned. “Heat cycles round here seem to be like that nowadays. I know the feel.” She said.

Yuuki turned off the water and clambered out of the tub, her frame dripping a bit as she did. She grabbed the nearby towel and dried herself off with it. For the time being, she felt five times better than she had been moments ago.

“I was thinking lately…” Kaguya started, immediately catching the young mare’s attention.

“About what?” Yuuki asked, brow arched.

“Since you, I, Koto, and Raki get heat cycles and they’re pretty bad, perhaps we could pay Twilight Sparkle a visit on one of our good days. Many ponies tend to seek her for advice, so what’s stopping us from doing that too?”

“I wouldn’t blame them. She’s quite knowledgeable.” Yuuki replied with a nod. “But what if Celestia asks her to do something and she has to leave town to do that something?” She inquired, blinking a few times.

Kaguya put a hoof to her chin and rubbed it a little. “I do see the point there, but Celestia’s as unpredictable as we are. There may be something going on in one of the neighboring cities and she’d have to attend it for whatever reason.” She replied, nodding a little bit.

“Yeah...politics and running a country are a pain in the ass. If I were in her shoes for a week I’d probably be sleep deprived.” Yuuki sighed, shuddering a bit at the prospect.

“There’s just so much a princess like herself has to do. Perhaps she and Luna take turns ruling depending on the time of day?” Kaguya mused, faintly smiling.

“Who knows?” Yuuki replied, also grinning. She winced again and grit her teeth, a pang from her gut and another pang from her mareparts letting her know they needed tending to.

Kaguya took notice of the wince, and she frowned slightly. “I’ve noticed something else…” She said, catching Yuuki’s attention again. Before the pegasus could ask, the elder continued, “You haven’t gone into heat until now. I heard heat cycles tend to happen simultaneously, but...I think you know where I’m getting at.”

“So...you’re saying something screwed with my cycles?” Yuuki asked, brow arched.

“Something fierce, too.” Kaguya answered with a nod. “We’ll have to ask Redheart why later.”

“Provided the patients still lodged at the hospital don’t give her grief.” Yuuki added for her, sighing afterwards. She remembered when she first snapped at the nurse herself, and she winced as a pang of guilt made itself present.

“There’s that and surgeries and all that other stuff a nurse does.” Kaguya said, sitting down on her rump. “You going to bed anytime soon?” She asked.

“Yeah, actually I am. I just have to use the toilet first.” Yuuki answered.

Kaguya nodded. “Alright. Sleep tight.” She said, getting up and making her way out of the bathroom. Yuuki waited for a few moments, hearing the sound of another door close. A few more moments passed, and by then, the pegasus figured Kaguya had gone off into sleepyland.

The young mare turned off the light as she walked out of the bathroom, and quickly went to her room simply to close her door. She then trotted to the end of the hall, turning to the door on her right before opening it, slipping inside, closing the door behind her, and finding Nagare sound asleep on his bed. The mare made her way to him and gently placed a hoof on his shoulder and shook him awake.

The stallion groaned as he was aroused, turning his head to glance at the one who woke him. “Yuuki...why are you still up?” He whispered, blinking a few times as he spoke.

Yuuki was silent, though only for a moment. “Can we share the bed tonight?” She whispered, a faint blush on her face.

The green pegasus smiled faintly, sighing contently. “Just don’t fall off. I’d hate to wake up and find you’ve gotten a bruise because you landed or something.” He replied, scooching to the wall to make room for her. She climbed in, covering up next to him.

"I have a bad feeling about tomorrow..." She murmured, eyes fixated on the other pegasus.

"Why is that?" Nagare asked, brow arched as he looked back at her.

"I dunno...it's just...ugh, maybe Kaguya's paranoia's getting contagious." Yuuki replied, unable to come up with a better answer. Her mind was pulling blanks now.

"I guess the heat's driving you up the wall?" The green pegasus asked, blinking.

"Only starting to, really." Yuuki sighed, closing her eyes.

"I see. Let's just get to sleep, and conserve our energy. We won't know what'll happen tomorrow, anyway." Nagare pointed out, closing his eyes and sighing afterwards.

"I guess you're right..." Yuuki murmured before they both went to sleep.

The next morning was a little slow since everyone had to eat breakfast and whatnot. After that, a brief chatter broke out before 01 had spoken. “I think I’ve found a decent-paying job around these parts.”

“That being?” Koto asked, brow arched. This she had to hear.

“Simple: an assistant teacher at the local elementary school. I hear one of the best teachers, Cherilee, is overworked, and I applied when a flier came in the mail yesterday.” 01 answered, a warm smile on his face.

“I see. So, I assume you’ll start work sometime this week?” Nagare inquired, tilting his head slightly.

“Yes. Not only that, but Mimi’s of school age around these parts...in short, she’s getting enrolled.” The elder answered.

“But I can’t read their language!” Mimi complained, jaw agape and ears flat.

“I’ll serve as translator, don’t worry.” 01 replied, sighing. “I’ve already told Cherilee we write a different language, and she agreed to copy your notes into her language as I translate, so that’s been taken care of.”

Mimi sighed in relief, and closed her mouth. Her ears returned upright.

“I may as well enroll Mimu while I’m at it.” 01 stated, rubbing the back of his head with a hoof.

“At least one of us will watch them at all times.” Kaguya agreed with a nod.

01 looked at her, eyes narrowing a bit. “You’re getting much too paranoid, woman. I am starting to worry for you.” He said.

“We’ll talk about that later.” Kaguya replied, blinking.

Someone began knocking on the door, and Yuuki got up and trotted to it. The door opened, and to her surprise, a few royal guards--complete with chariot--were standing beyond the door.

“Greetings,” Stated one guard, “Prince Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza have invited you to come to the Crystal Empire.”

“Could you pardon me for a few moments?” Yuuki asked. The guard nodded, and the pegasus trotted back to the table. She glanced at everyone quickly before making her way upstairs to get her weapon. The others who had weapons followed suit quickly before the lot returned to re-greet the guards.

“We heard that the five of you are being cautious. At ease.” The guard said upon noticing rather tense looks on all five faces. A collective sigh came from them.

Koto turned back to everyone else. “We’ll be back when...well, whenever.” She said.

“We understand. Just behave, alright?” Kaguya nodded back.

“Will do.” With that, the five boarded the carriage and were soon taken to the skies.

Chapter LX, Part I- ...Stare in Awe...

The air was a bit chillier than normal as the carriage approached a city north of Canterlot, very nearly overshadowed by a plethora of other mountains. As it got closer and closer, the group could make out some kind of pattern in the city’s streets, but what that was they couldn’t make out.

The carriage landed, and the group saw firsthand that the houses and even the ponies themselves who inhabited this place were shimmering like crystals. There were different colors, different sheens, even the streets themselves glittered in the sun. In the center of town was a great big structure standing on four legs, a light blue with hues of pink and violet standing tall as if the obelisk of the entire area.

Heck, the group of five themselves looked duller than the rest of this place--and that said something. There were shop stands and and ponies cleaning the streets; the place was very much alive today.

Nobody could produce words for how amazing or beautiful this place was. It was on par if not better than Canterlot itself. Many of the crystalline ponies stopped and stared briefly at the lot before smiling and waving to them.

Koto looked towards the great big structure in the middle of the town. At last, she spoke. “Should we head to that thing?”

“That is not a thing,” Spoke one of the guards, “that’s the Crystal Castle of the Empire itself.”

“Pretty huge one at that.” Nagare remarked, blinking.

“I say we go there. Look at it, the thing’s impossible to miss.” Rekka stated, beginning to trot to it.

Yuuki glanced around. “Why are the ponies crystallized? Sure, it makes them really pretty and all, but it just baffles me to think even they are shimmering.” She said.

“They’re like this when they’re happy. If they’re sad, their luster fades. It’s a mood indicator, basically.” The other guard answered.

Yuuki thought it over for a moment. “Fair enough.” She said, satisfied she got an answer.

“What’re we waiting for?” Tenmei interjected, pointing a hoof at the Crystal Castle. “Let’s go to the castle already!” With that, he broke out into a gallop towards it, causing his friends to follow in haste.

The trip lasted a good fifteen minutes, and by then, the group of five very nearly had blue faces (or, in Koto’s case, purple.) They struggled to regain their breath, but when it came back to them, they found that the four legs of the castle had stairs leading to upper floors. Once they fully regained their energy, they trotted up one staircase, and found themselves in a hallway lined with windows through which they could look outside.

They trotted down that hallway, finding themselves in a vast room. It was wide open and circular, with large windows here and there. In the center of the room were two spikes, one on floor and the other on the ceiling, and between them slowly spun a crystalline heart of many facets. It was a light blue, sparkling in a light it seemed to radiate from its frame.

If the Crystal Empire was beautiful, then this was the cherry on the sundae.

“I see you’ve arrived.” Spoke a feminine voice. The group of five snapped out of their stupor and jumped, turning around to be greeted by Cadance. However, her body was crystal as well, and her curled mane held up in a swirled bun of sorts. The crystalline feature seemed to further bring out her colors and overall beauty.

Tenmei couldn’t help but drool at the sight. Cadance saw this and chuckled.

Nagare looked at the earth pony, and a grin came on his face. “You have the hots for her? She’s a princess--I don’t see that relationship happening anytime soon.” He remarked.

Tenmei snapped a glare at him in an instant, wiping the drool away with a hoof. “Excuse you?!” He cried.

“I’m married, if that makes you feel any better.” Cadance said, flashing the group a grin.

Nagare burst out into a fit of laughter. He fell onto his stomach, pounding a hoof onto the floor repeatedly as he cackled. He laughed so hard, in fact, he was crying. After his little fit ended, he got up and wiped his happy tears away before looking back at Tenmei. “You had the hots for a MARRIED princess? That’s even worse!” He said, laughing a bit soon after.

Tenmei continued to glare at the pegasus, an eyebrow twitching as he did. “One of these days, my back hoof will find your ass.” He said.

“Not if I’m flying.” Nagare retorted, grinning wryly. He head a valid point on his part--it would be impossible for Tenmei to even fly unless he used a chariot, rode on the back of another pony with wings, or somehow invented a farfetched contraption which would be attached to his body or something.

“Now, now, quit fighting. It’s bad for your health.” Cadance said, catching the attention of the two arguing stallions instantly.

“He starts arguments. I’m not sure why.” Koto sighed, pointing at Nagare for reference.

“He nearly started one with me, and I turned that discussion on its head.” Rekka added, smiling as he remembered how he silenced the pegasus in mere moments.

“What was the argument about?” Cadance asked, brow arched.

“Him calling me out on something he’s also guilty of.” Rekka answered, grin widening as if he were about to tell the entire world what he knew.

“You better not open that trap of yours, you fire ant fondler!” Nagare cried, instantly blushing as he directed his gaze towards the red-maned unicorn.

“Kaguya’s gonna know about it!” Rekka chimed, the biggest grin he could muster plastered on his face.

“And she’s going to know about you and Koto!” Nagare rebutted, his face hardening into a glare.

“Who is arguing and why?” Inquired a voice, causing the two to turn back to Cadance. Standing next to her was Shining Armor, his body as lustrous as that of the pink alicorn.

“It’s nothing, Shiny.” Cadance sighed. “They’re just having one of those moments.”

Shining nodded. “Don’t we all?” He inquired, smiling faintly.

“So, why were we invited here again? It’s a really nice place.” Tenmei stated, looking at the white unicorn.

“Well, I wanted you five to spar with my guards. If you’re as powerful as Celestia said--which I don’t doubt, since I saw a sword grow like a ton--then you should beat them no problem.” Shining said, and this instantly caused Rekka and Tenmei to cringe at the statement.

“Why are you cringing?” Cadance asked as soon as she noticed the movements, tilting her head slightly.

“My weapon...it can cause serious bodily harm.” Rekka answered, cringing further at the mere thought of accidentally shooting someone in the heart or some other vital organ.

“As will mine.” Tenmei added, also cringing at the thought of his bolts doing the same thing.

Shining put a hoof to his chest. “Hmmm…” He hummed, looking up at the ceiling.

“How about this: we magically enchant your weapons to avoid giving ponies unneeded bodily harm?” Cadsnce chimed, causing the two cringing stallions to look at her instantly.

“Could you do the same to the guards, then?” Yuuki asked, brow arched. “It’d be unfair if only we got the enchantment.”

“That I can arrange.” Cadsnce answered, smiling warmly.

Chapter LX, Part II- ...Fight...

The group of five were placed in an open area (as well as in armor to balance things out), as were a few royal guards who also had shimmering everything. One had a spear, another had a sword, a third armed with a set of claws attached to the horseshoes of her front hooves, one was going bare, and the last had a charging horn.

“So, who goes first?” Yuuki asked, doing a few yo-yo tricks to ease her boredom.

Shining, who stood at the sidelines, looked to the guards and said, “Will Shimmering Feather step forward?”

The guard who held the spear, a pegasus at that, stepped forward. He held his weapon in his wing. His pelt was wisteria, and the hair attached to his helmet was white.

Shining looked to the group of five. “Koto, step forward.”

Koto did as told, holding her boomerang in her magic. She stared off with Shimmering Feather, and neither moved.

“This should be fun.” Nagare remarked, waiting until the sparring would begin.

“Two ranged attackers...one a pegasus and the other with access to magic. I wonder how interesting this’ll get.” Tenmei murmured, glasses glinting as he spoke.

Shining cleared his throat, and a silence clutched the makeshift arena. “Now, the rules of the fights are as follows: whoever lands three hits on the other wins, and whichever team has more wins will win the match. If you can, avoid wasting attacks. If an adversary is pushed out of the arena, the opponent automatically wins if the one pushed out fails to get back in within the course of two minutes. Are we clear?”

Both soon-to-be combatants nodded.

“Alright. You may begin.” Shining said at last, and in an instant, Feather took to the air before descending down on his adversary, poising the foot of his weapon to hit her. She barely dodged in the nick of time, throwing her boomerang at the pegasus and landing a hit on his back leg. Feather took to the skies in the blink of an eye, and tried landing his spear on Koto again. He managed to hit her, although barely, but she also managed to hit him back.

Feather went for a full-on assault, trying to hit Koto like his spear was a stick. The young mare blocked the assault with her weapon as best as she could, being backed out of the arena slowly. The pegasus managed to land another hit, and the unicorn returned in kind just as her back hoof was about to overstep the arena’s boundary.

“You may return to your respective teams.” Shining said, and both ponies backed off from the other, sheathing their respective weapons as they trotted back to their allies. He turned around to a board behind him and made a tally on the left side. Turning back, he glanced at the guards again. “Quick Strike, step forward.”

The pony with the claws, also a pegasus, came forward. Unlike the other guards, this one was a mare, and her coat was a light sea green in color. Attached to her helmet was a hefty tuft of golden hair, and her night blue eyes were fixated into a look of wonder.

Shining glanced at the other five. “Yuuki, step forward.” He said, and the purple mare obliged.

“Yo-yo against claws. Now we’re mixing it up a bit.” Tenmei stated, cleaning his glasses with a cloth.

“Before you give out the signal, Captain Armor, may I ask my adversary a question?” Quick Strike asked, glancing at the unicorn.

“By all means, you may.” Shining replied with a nod.

Strike looked at Yuuki. “Why is your weapon more of a toy?” She asked.

“It’s a long story. I don’t think I have time to talk your ear off about it.” The purple mare answered, sighing. “A lot of other ponies have asked me about it too.”

Strike raised a brow. “Fair enough.” She said.

“Begin.” Shining said, and in that instant, Quick Strike flew towards her adversary with haste. She tried to swipe at the other with her claws, only for her opponent to take flight and land a hit with her yo-yo. The guard ascended as her opponent retracted her weapon, grabbing her with her talons and throwing her back onto the floor.

“Yikes! No wonder her name’s Quick Strike!” Koto exclaimed, eyes wide as she saw the spectacle unfold.

“I’m okay!” Yuuki called out, getting herself off the ground just in time to avoid being further pummeled into the floor. Quick Strike swiftly rushed at her opponent, dealing two more hits in rapid succession.

“Enough.” Shining said, and both backed off.

“You should practice more often. Your fighting skills are mediocre at best.” The clawed mare said, smiling as she trotted back to her comrades.

“I guess I should, and I’d even take up another weapon if my cutie mark wasn’t a yo-yo.” Yuuki replied, sitting down next to her friends.

“I know the feel.” Strike called back, still grinning.

Shining looked towards the group of guards after making another tally. “Broadsword, step forward.”

The pony wielding a sword stepped forward, white coat with grey hair attached to his helmet. His blade of choice was a literal broadsword, and he held it in a magical grip.

“Nagare, step forward.”

“I can see where this is going…” The pegasus sighed as he took his place, and he winced as he found his blade was a good third smaller than that of his opponent’s. He saw his opponent’s orange eyes lock onto him.

“My blade’s bigger than yours. How on earth do you expect to fight me with that thing?” Broadsword taunted, smiling as he saw the wince.

“Begin.”

The unicorn charged, and within moments, both swords repeatedly clashed against one another. Nagare blocked every time, backing the flat of his weapon with a hoof. Broadsword’s eyes widened at how his opponent managed to keep up with his onslaught, and on two hind legs no less.

“Fighting fire with fire. It seems like they’re evenly matched.” Tenmei remarked, watching the spectacle unfold.

Broadsword made a low swipe, and barely missed as his opponent took flight. The pegasus made a strike, and his hit connected. The unicorn backed off, spinning his sword in his magic a few times before he found himself being the one to block attacks.

Broadsword landed a hit, sending his opponent back quite a ways as a result. “You’re pretty good!” He remarked.

“As are you.” The green stallion replied, once more going on the offensive. Broadsword charged forward again, also on the offensive, and blades clashed like there was no tomorrow. Neither could land a hit on the other at this rate, nor push the other out of the arena, and all watched intently as the deadly dance of swords carried on.

Broadsword backed off after a little bit, only to charge right back in with his sword held high. Nagare charged as well, his sword held low. Blades clashed once again, over and over, sparks being produced from the sheer impact alone.

“Draw.” Shining said, and both opponents backed away and returned to their respective teams. “There will be a rematch between the two later.”

Tenmei and Rekka exchanged a glance with one another.

“Spellbind, step forward.” Shining said, and the unicorn whose horn was glowing obliged. “Tenmei, step forward.” The earth pony obeyed, and he gulped hard as he stood in the arena.

“A crossbow...first time seeing one in a sparring match.” Spellbind said, smiling slightly. From his magical energy came forth a pair of chains, this set lined with spikes belonging to a mace.

“This may be a bit of a problem…” Tenmei murmured, rearing up on his hind legs briefly.

“Begin.”

Spellbind threw his chains forward, lashing out at his adversary like the damn things were whips. The earth pony immediately began dodging, unable to get a clear shot of his opponent.

“Oh dear. Looks like he’s in a heap of trouble.” Koto remarked, watching as a chain coiled itself around her friend’s rear leg and spun him around like a top as he landed on the floor.

“Yep. He’s having more problems than a math book.” Yuuki sighed, wings shifting.

The earth pony got up and pried the chain from his leg, and Spellbind began tossing his weapons to and fro once more. He galloped around, hoping to get in a hit of his own. Another chain grasped him by the midsection, dragging him to his adversary.

Two bolts fired in panicked succession bounced off of Spellbind’s armor harmlessly, but the unicorn retracted his weapons. His eyes were wide, telling the tan pony he was surprised. The unicorn began flailing his weapons after overcoming his shock a moment too late; Tenmei fired another bolt that hit the bare base of his horn and bounced off like rubber soon afterwards.

“Stop.” Shining said, and both ponies backed off. He did the tally, and the last two opponents--Rekka and the guard who had no weapon whatsoever--stepped forward before he even gave the command.

“Get ‘im, Steel Kick! Get ‘im!” Cried the other guards in a unified roar of cheer. This guard had much more bulk than the others; even Shining himself was a midget in comparison. His cyan coat and white hair shimmered more as well, and eyes of light brown stared back into those of his scarlet opponent.

“The other guards are hyped up. I think this spells doom.” Tenmei murmured, leaning towards Nagare as he spoke.

“I still have a rematch with Broadsword. We may turn the tides in our favor.” Nagare replied with a nod.

“I hope he doesn’t become a waffle…” Koto murmured, shaking a bit. "That other pony sure is menacing."

“Hey, I’ve never seen a tail that long tied at the base.” Steel Kick remarked, grinning as he did. “We could always use some more variety.”

“Just be glad my mane and tail aren’t weapons.” Rekka replied, also grinning. He chuckled at that absurd prospect.

“When I’m done with you, there’s gonna be a big imprint in the floor where I crushed ya.” Steel stated, smiling as he stomped his front hooves.

Rekka’s horn glowed, and his weapon was removed from his foreleg and attached to his side at the armor. “Ner har har.” He chuckled, smiling. “Now I don’t have to use my hind legs to fire the damn thing. I should do this more often.”

“That’s a neat trick.” Tenmei murmured, eyes widening. He was impressed.

“Before we begin, what the hay is that clunky thing?” Steel asked, pointing a hoof at his adversary’s weapon.

“A cannon.” The unicorn answered, sighing.

“Begin.”

Steel Kick rushed forward, front hooves about to crash down as soon as he was in front of the unicorn. The red-maned stallion barely dodged, seeing cracks form from how hard the bulky adversary slammed his front hooves.

“I’m not becoming a pancake!” Rekka called, turning to Steel and pulling the trigger. The bullet hit the tank of a pony on the armor, which bounced off harmlessly soon after that.

The massive earth pony rushed towards him, bringing front hooves down onto the floor again. This time, he barely caught the unicorn by the end of his tail, and got another bullet to his armor in the process.

“Feisty little guy, ain’t ya?” Steel taunted, about to land yet another crashing blow upon his opponent with one foreleg.

“That’s what she said.” His opponent taunted back, firing off another bullet.

“Stop.” Shining said, and both backed off from the other. Making another tally, he looked towards both sides. “Now, we shall have a rematch. Broadsword, Nagare, step forward.”

Author's Note

Had to split this in two parts to avoid breaking pacing again. I need to stop getting carried away. Gonna make the third part soon.

~Dragon

Chapter LX, Part III- ...And Proceed to Panic

The two stallions stepped forward, once more poised to strike the other. The building shook for a moment, and all darted their heads every which-way they could manage to try to detect the source of the shaking.

“What in tarnation was that?” Quick Strike asked, her brow arched.

“I have no idea. Must’ve been a tremor.” Shining sighed, since that was the best answered he could come up with.

“I don’t like this one bit. I can’t help but feel I want this battle to end quickly.” Broadsword remarked, holding his blade in a defensive stance.

“My sentiments exactly.” Nagare agreed with a nod, poising his blade in a front hoof.

The building shook again, and the green pegasus nearly lost his balance as the second tremor ran its course. This time, the room began to glow in navy and scarlet hues, and Koto’s eyes instantly widened.

“Guys, I think we have to get out pronto…” She said, causing all to look at her.

“Why is that?” Shining asked, only for pillars of fire and volts to suddenly erupt from the ceiling. Everyone jumped, and the blue unicorn pointed the accusing hoof at the spectacle whilst looking at the white stallion.

“BECAUSE OF THAT!” She cried, the electric flames being more than enough reason to run out. Everyone began to panic, scrambling towards the nearest exit which wasn’t bathed in fire and volts. A few guards were already towing carriages with frightened citizens and other guards alike, and one was waiting for the group at the end of the hall.

“Hurry!” Cried one of the guards who the carriage was attached to, and in an instant, everyone kicked their systems into overdrive like a stampede. Legs pumped with adrenalin brought them closer to their getaway vehicle, all the while blazing volts constantly roiled and crackled behind them as the mass hounded the lot. The mass looked very much like a demon from the pits of hell.

They got even closer to the carriage, the mass of flames and volts sounding like it was roaring as the building shook again. Yuuki stumbled over her hooves, tripping and landing on her face. Broadsword turned around and picked her up in his magic, the flames and volts very nearly engulfing her. He took off to catch up with the rest of the group, and he placed her on his back.

“I owe you one.” Yuuki said, smiling faintly.

“Don’t mention it. It’s not my duty to abandon ponies in an emergency.” Broadsword replied, his legs now working overtime. He saw that the others had already boarded the carriage, and he just got on before those in the harnesses began flapping their wings.

Just as the carriage was about to lift off, the building shook and an explosion occurred in the hallway, sending the vehicle and everyone in it careening away whilst screeching into the streets. Those who had wings attempted flight, only to further howl as some of the volts ran marathons through their bodies as if in response. At this rate, it was a certain death for the lot.

At least, until a light blue glow encased the lot before any of them could hit the ground. Cadance landed next to them, folding her wings and with her horn aglow. She gently set them down onto their hooves, noticing the pegasi still convulsed a bit.

“I...I think my wings are paralyzed!” Yuuki complained, jerking a leg up every time she tried to open her appendages.

“Dammit! Mine are too!” Nagare yelled, eyes narrowing at the anomaly.

“There’s no time for that--we have to get away!” Cadance cried, taking off into gallop away from the castle. The group followed suit, adrenalin once more coursing through them. The whole town was in an uproar, the streets filled with rushing ponies, screeching foals, and overall chaos as everyone got away from the castle. Once the entire panicked crowd was safely away from the castle, all turned to look back at it in, utter horror painting the faces of the whole lot.

The castle began to morph, flames and volts engulfing its entire frame. The legs grew thicker, sturdier, longer, and the top of the castle seemed to grow in a way it was actually assuming the very shape of a pony. The muzzle, turning dark grey-brown, bore sharp teeth. A mane of obsidian that seemed to move as though organic flowed behind the head wildly, which was adorned with a crown and a red, curved horn that crackled to life with magic.

Adorning the shoulders and back was a cape of ruby, adorned at the ends with diamonds and some more specks of obsidian here and there. The crown, necklace, and chestplate were stark silver, as were plated horseshoes that spontaneously grew on the legs. An orb was settled at the base of the cape, fastening it to the armor effectively.

At last, the flames and volts winked from existence, revealing a life-like monster in place of the castle. The violet orb shimmered rather darkly, almost as black as the obsidian making up the mane, in fact. The eyes, ruby irises on emerald sclera, glowed menacingly as wisps of sparkling purple smoke emanated from them.

Cadance fell on her rump. “It’s...a lifelike...replica of King Sombra…” She murmured.

“It’s much bigger than the things even we normally face…” Nagare remarked, eyes narrowing as he saw the orb grow a protective layer of reddest ruby. “I have a feeling this is going to be a problem…”

“Something tells me the remains of the Quartet stepped up their game a bit…” Tenmei murmured, noticing that the Sombra replica was looking at the part of the crowd he stood in.

Shining looked around him, horn aglow, and he noticed that the luster he and the other crystal ponies had faded, leaving behind dull colors and flattened ears. “Is it me, or does anypony else think we need help?” He asked, glancing around again.

“Send some guards to get help. We kind of need it, considering we cannot fly…” Nagare sighed, twitching after trying to spread his wings again.

“Alright.” Shining nodded, his horn glowing a bit brighter than a moment ago before it had stopped glowing. His eyes widened as the monster castle’s horn began to glow, causing dark crystalline spires crackling with volts and roiling in fire to spontaneously grow from the ground. In addition, dark crystalline fragments began to grow on the horns of the unicorns, eliciting the same result if they tried using magic as a pegasus with paralyzed wings.

Koto yelped, wincing as her horn sent a jolt of pain through the rest of her head thanks to the fragments. “How am I to use magic now?!” She cried, stomping a hoof in frustration afterwards. All froze, looking up as the monster took a step forward.

“You are all powerless against me.” It said.

Author's Note

Challenge intensifies.

~Dragon

Chapter LXI- Darkened Crystal

Author's Note

Music to set this chapter. And the next.

~Dragon

Chapter LXI- Darkened Crystal

“How do we hold off that thing if all we can do against it is get smushed under its hoof like cockroaches!?” Nagare cried, pointing the accusing hoof at the monster the world had to throw at them today. There wasn’t a fighting chance for anybody at this rate; magic and wings were as good as useless.

The dark crystal spires continued to grow and rise in the streets, lifting houses and crackling volts along the way. Some had fire roiling round their frames in a begrudging, unsettling way. Both fire and spark of electricity were as black as the shadowed crystal that brought them forth into the world.

The air hung heavily, the sky turned a faded tan, the clouds began to shed lifeless rains, and the monster loomed over the town, its people, and the foreigners ominously. Its weak point, far out of reach of even Tenmei’s crossbow and Rekka’s cannon, was protected by a thick shell of ruby--an impenetrable barrier, further cut off by the still-growing spires.

It would seem that the group was doomed, and the severity of the situation only grew more dire by the second. The red unicorn fumbled about with his weapon, trying to reposition it onto his foreleg. A fire was in his eyes, but it seemed to have been overshadowed by his wide-eyed state of panic as the crystals drew closer and closer.

At last, the weapon was secured, and as a new crystal spire sprung out of the ground, he ran up to it and then jumped on it quick as a whip.

“Rekka! What’re you doing?!” Koto called out, watching him jump to the next shortest spire.

“My horn may be useless, but my cannon isn’t!” The unicorn answered, jumping on the third spire. He looked back at his companions. “We can’t just sit around here and wait for help to come--by then, it may as well be a wasted effort!”

“He’s right. I’m not sitting around here while the town turns into a large, darkened hellhole.” Tenmei agreed, jumping on the shortest spire to follow his friend.

“I may not be as quick on my hooves, but I’ll be damned if we let this city fall!” Quick Strike shouted, following the two on the spires.

“If this gets us killed, I’m kicking his ass in the afterlife.” Nagare murmured, putting his sword in his mouth before he too began jumping the erratic structures.

Yuuki and Koto exchanged a worried glance. Koto then nodded, loading her weapon into her mouth before following the lot still ascending on spires that became increasingly hot and electric. The spires seemed to have a will of their own, and the flames and volts gave the message that they were increasingly agitated as they were being intruded upon.

Broadsword put a hoof on Yuuki’s shoulder briefly. “We mustn’t wait any longer. Either we fix this heap of a problem, or die tryin’.” He said, mimicking Nagare with his sword and jumping on the spires.

The purple pegasus groaned, shaking her head as she too followed. Shimmering Feather and Steel Kick followed after her, as did Spellbind. Shining Armor and Cadance went after them, looking back at the citizens briefly with a look telling them to stay put.

The group found themselves on an ever-growing bridge of sorts, with some of the spires crackling and roiling in such a way a demon-shaped thing blocked the path directly to the monster. However, there were other spires that offered an alternative path or two.

Rekka stopped, turning back to everyone else that had followed him. “Let’s split up. That way, the thing we’re trying to get to will bite off more than he can chew.” He said.

“Are you insane?!” Shining called out, eyes widening. “Magic and wings are useless against that thing!”

“Then try your damnedest to break off a piece of crystal and use that as a weapon! Horns and wings don’t solve everything!” Rekka rebutted before continuing, “We use what the environment gives us if we have to!”

Shining shut his mouth. He knew the red-maned unicorn, crazy as he sounded, had raised a point.

“I think we have company!” Yuuki cried, looking down at the last seven spires she and the others climbed up. They began to grow crude pony shapes of shadowed flame, crystal and spark, all with glowing eyes that seemed to further highlight their obsidian forms. Some carried swords and spears, others went without.

The red-maned unicorn cursed his luck, looking at the other spires as if trying to figure out what to do. Hastily, he jumped to one, and his back hooves slipped. His rear legs dangled as he struggled to get back on the spire with his front hooves.

“Dammit!” He cried, kicking his back legs in an attempt to place one on the spire he desperately clutched to. Slowly, his front hooves began slipping, and the fact his cannon was attached to a foreleg didn’t help matters.

The rest of the group jumped away from the crude obsidian ponies.

“Just go without me!” Rekka cried, still kicking like no tomorrow. His attempts were vain.

“I’m not leaving you!” Koto protested, putting her boomerang in her armored saddlebag and jumping past everyone else until she was just a spire away from her dangling companion. “I...I can’t let you die!” Tears began filling her eyes, and a breeze blew past, her main and tail being caught in the fickle winds.

Rekka looked back at her, and for a moment, he stopped kicking. His front hooves slipped further, and his doom was certain at this point.

One of the obsidian ponies formed a bow and arrow, and the sharp arrowhead pointed right at the red-maned unicorn. Another had its bow poised at Koto.

“If you’re going to die...at least let me do it with you…” Koto said, tears finally leaving her eyes and getting carried away by the breeze.

“What is she doing?!” Quick Strike cried, already on a spire that led elsewhere. She was looking back at the spectacle with wide eyes.

“I’m sorry...everyone…” Rekka sighed, closing his eyes. “I shouldn’t have done this…”

An arrow hit the red-maned unicorn in the foreleg that didn’t have the cannon strapped to it. Tears began welling in his eyes as, at last, he slipped.

“REKKA!” Koto shrieked, jumping onto the spire before off of it, descending after him. She had her front hooves outstretched, and she was able to clutch him in her forelegs as both descended down to their deaths at an increasing rate.

“KOTO!” Everybody else on the spires cried, eyes wide in horror as the two descended further down. Tenmei looked down, pupils shrinking as he saw dark crystal spikes shoot up at the base of the spire both unicorns fell from, sharp and ready to impale them.

Cadance spread her wings, only to find dark crystals growing out of the feathers and weighing them down. She looked back at the descending duo, all hope seemingly lost as they continued their fall.

Just as the two were about to be killed, a deafening boom sounded. All looked up to see the sky sparkle in a sonic boom adorned with the colors of the rainbow. A rainbow trail shot past the spire, and the duo seemed to have disappeared as it passed. The two unicorns looked around, seeing that they weren’t dead yet, before looking down.

Rainbow Dash was singlehandedly carrying the two by herself, wings flapping at impossible rates as she ascended and placed them on a spire that could support them both.

“Thanks for saving us. We would’ve been shishkabobs otherwise.” Rekka sighed, sitting down so he couldn’t strain his wounded leg.

“Don’t mention it. I was going after the Sombra thing when I saw you two fall.” Rainbow replied, looking back at the monster whose horn was still glowing. It moved all four of its legs, and she looked back to the unicorns to find one had an arrow lodged in his foreleg. “Hey, you look hurt. Can I borrow your cannon?” She asked.

“Sure. Just don’t waste shots and hit any other pony with the bullets.” Rekka answered, helping the pegasus attach his weapon to her foreleg.

“Alright. I’ll show that big creep what for!” Rainbow said.

“Don’t get too close to it!” Cadance called, spreading her wings wider so Rainbow could see the fragments of crystal in her wings. “You won’t be able to fly otherwise!”

“Got it!” Rainbow replied with a nod, taking off quickly. She flew towards the monster, but not too close.

Fluttershy flew up to the duo, a pair of vultures carrying medical supplies. "That’s a nasty wound. Here, let me fix it.” She said, gripping the arrow firmly with her teeth.

“Behind you!” Nagare called out, and Koto turned around to see a few more obsidian ponies jumping spires towards her and the occupied ponies.

“How many of these things are there?!” The unicorn cried, reaching for her saddlebag with a hoof. Her eyes went wide--her boomerang was no longer there. A third vulture flew up to the monsters, hitting them with her weapon.

The obsidian ponies who were hounding the still-splitting lot had been blasted to a million or so pieces with a beam of purple magic. Twilight Sparkle grasped a black sword, one that was still intact, with her magic. “I’ll fight the things behind you off, just go!” She said. Everyone obliged quickly, but it was still a long and perilous series of roads to the gargantuan beast that awaited them with a sinister grin on its face.

Rarity showed up, and she had held a crystal spear in her magic. “I do hope these monsters will let up soon.” She remarked, stabbing an obsidian pony right in the face with her weapon.

“Considering the whole Crystal Empire’s in danger, I can see why you’d say that. Let’s just be thankful Shining Armor sent me a telepathic message when he did.” Twilight agreed with a nod, bounding spires on the path Rekka, Koto, and Fluttershy were stuck on. Rarity chose to bound after Broadsword, Nagare, and Yuuki, holding her weapon close. She could see the two stallions fending off more obsidian ponies, and both were slowly faltering.

Applejack bounded after Quick Strike and her small team, immediately noticing that Tenmei and the aforementioned pegasus hold back with their weapons as Steel Kick dished out crushing blows to the obsidian monstrosities with his front hooves. Seeing that the group was well off by themselves, she went after Shining and Cadance, who were accompanied by Spellbind and Shimmering Feather.

Pinkie Pie had inexplicably brought a round cannon, bigger and even harder to hold than Rekka’s. She went to Fluttershy’s group, firing cannon balls at whatever the vulture couldn’t hit with Koto’s boomerang, and whatever Twilight's sword failed to strike.

Chapter LXII- Calm Before the Storm

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter LXIII- White Light

The spire continued to grow taller at an alarming rate, and chills caused the ponies standing on it to shudder briefly. Koto’s boomerang and Rekka’s cannon began to emit a faint glow as well, and as the group got closer, they could make out the orb encased in reddest ruby.

“Only a few of you out of the whole lot dare challenge me?” The Sombra replica asked as the group got closer still. “Very well, then. I shall have the pleasure of killing you first, then your little friends, and then the Crystal Empire shall be rightfully mine once more.”

“He speaks almost as if he were the real deal…” Rainbow murmured, blinking.

“He certainly looks it, too.” Twilight replied with a nod.

The air hung heavy as, at last, the lot was now standing before the face of the very monster they wanted to fight. The monster seemed living, breathing, and even capable of withholding emotion despite being made from a crystal castle now that they looked at it close-up.

The beast looked at the lot, and it flashed them a smile of sterling silver. “What do we have here…?” It asked, looking the group over once again. “One...two...seven ponies, I see. This ought to be interesting.”

More spires sprung forth hastily, forming a perfect circle around the beast. They then hit each other in a way the spires formed a solid bridge on the spot.

And then the bridge broke apart, leaving just the one spire standing before the Sombra replica. The other spires that had formed the bridge broke into many pieces, raining down below like a thick hailstorm of sharpened black shards.

“I was going to give you a fighting chance, but where’s the fun in that?” The monster asked, eyes gleaming with ill intent. “I have the opportunity to end your pitiful lives here and now, after all.”

“In that case…” Rainbow started, making her way to the very edge of the spire. She turned around to the edge and looked down, finding nothing but a storm of volts, flame, and crystals of blackest hue forming down below. Her eyes widened, and she quickly rejoined the group with a quick “nevermind.”

“I think I’ll start with...this one…” The monster stated, horn glowing in an amalgamation of black, crimson, and navy as it spoke. The same colored aura grasped Tenmei and hoisted him into the air effortlessly. “My, what an interesting weapon…” It said, eying the crossbow intently.

Tenmei was silent, letting his legs dangle as he was held in the air.

“Why aren’t you speaking?” The monster asked, arching a brow.

“If this is my final moment here, I figured it was best to keep my lips sealed.” The earth pony replied curtly.

“So be it.” The Sombra replica said, grinning maliciously as its magic released its hold on the stallion, allowing him to plummet to the darkened storm below. As he fell, Tenmei smirked, readying his crossbow to strike. As he got closer to the storm of darkness, the crossbow enlarged its frame, and he fired the bolt.

The monster screamed as half of the ruby barrier was shattered, the other half just barely holding the gargantuan bolt in place mere inches from the orb of shadow.

The crossbow shrank to its original size, and Tenmei descended still. His eyes widened as his bolt failed to break the orb itself.

“Don’t lose hope.” Spoke a feminine voice as the young stallion landed on something which stopped his descent. He glanced around, finding himself on the back of Luna. “You still have a chance.” She quickly flew to the other spire the other half of the group was waiting at, letting him get off her back to join them. Luna delved back into the shadows before the monster could spot her.

“When did she get here?” Koto asked, blinking at the anomaly. Tenmei merely shrugged back, unable to answer the unicorn’s question.

The monster yanked the bolt out of what remained of the ruby barrier with its magic and promptly snapped it in two. “If only I had predicted that he’d pull such a cheap tactic on me…” It murmured, brow furrowing and eyes narrowing.

The beast’s magic grasped Applejack and lifted her into the air. “Any last words?” It asked.

“Nope. If yer asking that, then yer lookin’ for the wrong pony.” Applejack replied, slowly uncoiling the yo-yo as it began to glow brighter.

“So, what you’re saying is that nopony of the lot before me has any last testaments before I drop them to their waiting demise?” The monster asked.

“Exactly what I'm sayin'.” Applejack replied. Pinkie fired off a cannon which exploded in a bright flash of light, sending confetti everywhere and blinding the monster, the yo-yo growing in size all the while. When it was at full mast, she swung it with all her might, hitting the monster right on the cheek. Rainbow Dash, noticing that her borrowed weapon was glowing brighter, jumped off the spire, descending rapidly towards the half-broken barrier and its orb. The cannon grew in size, and the resulting laser hit the remains of the barrier, shattering it into a few pieces. It did, however, hold off much of the beam by itself as it broke, and as the beam winked out of existence and the cannon returned to normal, the orb cracked just slightly.

The pegasus flew to the first spire, grabbing Pinkie and putting the party pony on her back, and then flew to the other spire before she could be noticed as the monster threw another roaring tantrum. Applejack descended as the monster finally released her, the yo-yo returning to normal as well, and she was carried to the platform by Luna.

Nagare looked at Rarity. “There’s not much time. It’s either now or never--we have to take the plunge.” He said.

“Are you crazy? That’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard!” Rarity exclaimed, eyes widening.

Nagare looked to his sword, noticing it was glowing brighter. He looked at Rarity, whose borrowed boomerang was also glowing brighter. “We have to use the weapons soon. Just throw it when I say ‘now,’ alright?” He stated.

Rarity groaned. “If it gets rid of the monster, then we’ll make the jump.” She sighed. The monster stopped its fit of roaring, and Nagare quickly jumped off the spire. Rarity also made the leap of faith, leaving just Twilight on the platform.

The beast reacted quickly, covering its orb in a layer of sapphire. Its eyes lost the darkened wisps that emanated from them, and the emeralds making the sclera became whitest quartz. Its magic lifted Twilight in the air, and it narrowed its eyes at her.

“What makes you think you can best me?!” It roared.

Twilight smirked. “You shouldn’t be paying much attention to me.” She said.

“What do you--” The monster fell silent, ruby irises shrinking as it heard the tell-tale sound of gemstones breaking after hearing a masculine voice shout “NOW!”. It looked down, only to find an enlarged boomerang and sword breaking through the sapphire with ease, and with the barrier, the black gemstone. The storm of darkness began to fade, the flames and volts within flashing at random, swift intervals as they were dying out. Then, hues of crimson and navy encased the monster briefly before a blinding white light started to glow from within the beast.

Luna picked up Rarity and Nagare, the weapons of both having returned to normal. The black gemstone pulsated once, then twice, before it crumbled into miniscule pieces. The spires too began to crumble, and as the monster’s power faded, those with afflicted horns and wings found that dark crystal fragments fell from the appendages, or were no longer paralyzed. A few more royal guards showed up, bringing with them carriages so those who lacked wings could be escorted away safely.

Celestia came as well, and she picked up Twilight personally before flying away. The monster roared a long, continuous cry that sounded like “NO” as it burst into pieces, the light shining within blinding all as it was released, and the rest of the dark crystal spires and storm were wiped clean from existence, save the damage they already caused to homes and whatnot. Then, miraculously, the Crystal Castle rebuilt itself as it had been before it had been morphed into a monstrosity.

All landed in front of the crowd safely, and an orange pegasus guard with a blue tail and eyes came up to Cadance with an open saddlebag that contained the Crystal Heart.

“Thank you for securing the Crystal Heart, Flash Sentry.” Cadance said with a smile. Her horn aglow, magic grasping the Heart, she flew towards the castle to return it to its proper place.

A wave of energy shot forth as soon as the Heart was returned, and the crystal ponies regained their luster even before it hit them. The houses that were damaged had been repaired, the sky became clear blue, the clouds ceased their weeping, and the crowd rushed back into the streets to resume whatever it was they had been doing before the shitstorm transpired.

Celestia looked at the lot. “That was a terribly close call. Had we not arrived sooner, there would’ve been horrible casualties.”

“Dreadfully close indeed. Just jumping down towards that storm made my heart skip a few beats.” Rarity sighed, shuddering at the thought. “At least there was a good reason for that, though, so I’ll let it pass for the time being.”

“Just try not to be reckless again, please?” Koto pleaded, causing all to turn to her and Rekka.

“I’ll try, but that’s not quite a guarantee I’ll succeed.” Rekka replied, sighing while he was sitting on his rump. He tried standing on his legs, only to wince and sit back down as his injured foreleg wobbled and threatened to give out.

Big Mac approached the unicorn and, with a swift motion of his forelegs, placed him upon his backside. “I’ll tote him all the way back home.” He said sternly.

“He’s not in too bad a condition, at least.” Nagare sighed, shaking his head afterwards.

Chapter LXIV- Bottled Emotions

The group of five gave their suits of armor back to Shining before they left, and Broadsword and Nagare promised to have their rematch on a later date. Everyone went back to Ponyville, with Celestia and Luna and a duo of royal guards pulling a chariot following the lot of sixteen (vultures included) along the way.

A bit of bickering ran rampant as they trotted back to Ponyville, and it was rather heated.

“How the HELL did the monster turn more pony-like than everything else we’ve seen?!” Tenmei cried, eyes wide. He had raised a point; the monster-object was much more pony-like than even the Aliglass-Q, and that said something.

“I wish I knew!” Nagare cried, snapping a glare at the tan-pelted pony and flaring his wings like he was flinging his forelegs to the air. “You expect me to have all the answers to the damn universe?!”

“And then there’s SOMEONE who decided it was a fine idea to misjudge a ledge and nearly die doing it!” Yuuki exclaimed, spreading one wing to point the tips of the feathers accusingly at Rekka.

“Aren’t we past that?” The unicorn asked, still being carried by Big Mac.

“I don’t think we are past that until Kaguya bites your face off once she hears of it!” Yuuki replied, a vein appearing on her cheek.

“Great,” Rekka scoffed, rolling his eyes, “the anger issues have already begun.”

“Excuse you?!” Yuuki asked, though she sounded more like she was yelling. She snapped her head towards the unicorn, a narrowed-eyed glare scrawled onto her face.

“Take a chill pill, for crying out loud.” Rekka replied curtly, eyelids drooping a little bit. He covered his mouth with his good foreleg and yawned into it.

“Can’t we all just calm down?!” Koto shrieked, causing attention to be drawn to her. “We’ve already beaten the monster, and personally, I think every one of us--princesses included--needs a nap!”

“Today was rather tiring indeed. I hadn’t expected something like this to happen.” Twilight agreed with a nod.

“Then again, it was the same case with the hourglass thing--we didn’t see it comin’.” Applejack stated.

“My sentiments exactly.” Rarity agreed, also nodding.

“Perhaps I should throw a ‘We-Beat-a-Bad-Monster party!’” Pinkie chimed, hopping about rather than walking.

“Later. We just have to get back home first.” Rainbow remarked, flying low and rather slow.

Yuuki began to slow her walk a bit, and her legs shook a bit. “Bloody hell…” She murmured with a sigh escaping her lips after that.

“What’s wrong?” Celestia asked as she saw the display. It was then an aroma hit her nose--a very peculiar aroma she knew all too well with some of the female guards in the ranks.

The legs of the purple pegasus shook some more before they gave out. Her anger faded, leaving just a sleepy, exhausted look in its place. Her eyelids drooped, and she blinked lazily. “I...feel drained…” She murmured, head leaning towards the ground with a few jerks that brought it back up for a moment.

Nagare also collapsed, the same phenomena happening to him. “Ditto…” He sighed, also struggling to stay awake.

“I’m not sure...what it was…” Koto said as she too fell down. “Nighty night…” She murmured before her head met with the ground. She was sound asleep.

The royal guards who pulled the chariot along the ground stopped their walk as magic gripped the collapsed ponies and gently lifted them up. The pegasi, now sound asleep themselves, were the first to be put inside the vehicle, followed by Koto in short order. Tenmei climbed in on his own accord before he too collapsed, resting his head on his front legs lazily.

Luna looked at the snoozing bunch and sighed. “Whatever it was that had drained them did a number on them. At least they have earned this bout of sleep.” She sighed, smiling warmly.

“Indeed. It takes a lot out of a pony simply to face a monstrosity.” Celestia agreed with a small nod. “But, for now, let’s escort everypony home before we return to Canterlot.”

The rest of the trip lasted a while; when the group returned to Ponyville, the land was graced in the orange hues of a vivid sunset. Big Mac carefully put Rekka, now asleep himself, with the others in the chariot. Fluttershy looked at the wounded foreleg, cautiously undoing the bandages beforehand, and saw that the nasty wound had scabbed over and was healing nicely. Delicately cleaning the wound and re-dressing it afterwards, she smiled at her handiwork.

“Where do we go from here?” Asked one of the guards, glancing at the makeshift pile of sleeping ponies in the chariot.

“Follow me. I know where they live.” Twilight replied with a sigh soon after. She, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity followed her as she began to trot to the house of the five, with the guards doing as they had been asked to.

Kaguya trotted to the door as she heard the tell-tale sound of someone knocking on the wood. She opened it and found a hefty few ponies, one of which she recognized as a temporary employer at the Boutique.

“A big old monster nearly wrecked the entire Crystal Empire. Heck, only two out of the five sleeping bozos in the chariot could still fight.” Rainbow Dash said, her words eliciting an arched eyebrow from Kaguya.

“Why do you say that?” The elder mare asked.

“Nagare and Yuuki couldn’t fly, and Rekka and Koto had these weird fragments growing on their horns that seemed to have disabled their magic.” Twilight answered. She turned to the guards. “Bring them inside, two at a time, but be careful. We don’t want them waking up.”

Kaguya looked at the chariot as the guards undid their harnesses. The two picked up Tenmei and Koto, both of whom mumbled about noodles or something as they were carefully placed upon backsides.

“I assume they’re pooped?” She asked.

“Yes. They literally collapsed on the way here.” Rarity answered with a nod.

“Could you show us the rooms of these two?” Asked one of the guards.

“Yes, but please let these four mares inside first. I’d rather avoid ponies getting run over.” Kaguya answered, moving out of the way so the guests could go to the table. The two guards came in next, and Kaguya showed them where the ponies’ rooms were: Koto’s being the second door after the bathroom, and Tenmei’s room the one immediately after the unicorn’s. After that, the other three were placed in their rooms (Rekka being the first one after the bathroom, Yuuki the fourth, and Nagare the fifth.)

The weapons had also been returned to their proper owners, and after everyone went to the table (with the guards taking their leave), Kaguya had been told everything that had transpired at the Empire since the guests showed up.

“They...THEY JUMPED OFF A LEDGE!?” Kaguya shrieked, eyes wide and jaw agape. She slammed her front hooves on the table and stood up on her back legs.

“More like one of them slipping off and the other rushing in after him.” Rainbow Dash replied, wings twitching. “I saved them in the nick of time, though.”

Kaguya sighed in relief, sinking back into her seat. “Do I need to chew either of them out?” She asked, her face relaxing into a neutral look.

“No, it’s already been taken care of.” Twilight answered, sighing.

Kaguya nodded. “Sometimes I feel the need to do something just to take my mind off my worry...but it always comes rushing back after I do that something…” She murmured, sighing.

“Darling, your paranoia is getting worse and worse by the minute. I can practically sense it from Canterlot at this rate.” Rarity said, eyelids slanting in worry. “It really is a cause for concern.”

“I suppose you are correct on that front. But I just…” Kaguya trailed off, eyes averting for a moment as she searched for words, “I just don’t know what to do about it. It’s mind-grating.”

“Perhaps you could see a therapist?” Rainbow inquired, brow arched.

“If I had known of a therapist around these parts, I would’ve already paid my weekly visit to him.” Kaguya replied, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. “Closest that even comes to that is Twilight herself.”

“Perhaps you have a pent-up emotion or something of the sort. The longer it’s bottled in, the worse the damage it causes over time.” Twilight replied, brow arched. “We just have to figure out what that is, and we can go from there.”

“I see the wisdom in that. But I still don’t know what it is that’s bottled up.” Kaguya sighed, closing her eyes as she finished speaking. She hadn’t known a front hoof slowly moved to her private area until the two entities touched. Her eyes shot open wide as could be, and she pulled her hoof away with a raging blush on her face.

“I think the red face tells us all we need to know.” Rainbow remarked, blinking.

Twilight slowly nodded in agreement. “Sorry for sounding waaay too personal, but did you ever get with a stallion or another mare before?” She asked.

“N-No. I’ve never dreamed of it.” Kaguya replied quickly, her face still reddening. “Though...I’d like to get with one someday.” She added, blinking a few times.

“You just contradicted yourself. This is worse than I thought.” Twilight remarked curtly, causing Kaguya’s pupils to shrink in response.

“You don’t fix this now, hun, you’re gonna be in a heap later on.” Applejack added with a nod.

Kaguya chuckled nervously, shaking a little bit. Some strands of her mane popped out of place on their own accord, only further adding the look of a flustered, aroused appearance. Her jaw hung ajar again, and she could do little to hide her growing frustrations.

Author's Note

THE RIDE NEVER ENDS. Anyhow, I removed the chapter titles from within the chapters themselves since Fimfic did a new update that super-sized the titles, and the fact they were placeholders of, well, my place as I added to the story since I worked on this in G-docs. Next chapter should come soon.

~Dragon

Chapter LXV, Part I- A Little Needed Help

“Who’s doing what down there?” Called a voice. All looked to the stairs as 01 trotted down them. He instantly noticed Kaguya’s flustered expression, and he arched a brow. “Are...are you alright?” He asked.

“I-If my expression failed to register in that noggin of yours,” Kaguya started, still shaking, “then I’m wondering what you’re smoking.”

“I’m tired, alright?” 01 replied curtly. “The fillies and colts at the school today had done so much I could barely keep up.”

“L-Ladies, I hate to cut the meeting short, but...I’ll need the privacy.” Kaguya stated, briefly glancing back at her guests.

“I can tell where this is going, given how red in the face you are. I understand entirely. Girls, I think we need to go home.” Twilight agreed, and with that, she and the other three trotted to the door and left the house. The flustered mare then got out of her seat and trotted to the only stallion who was currently present. Once she was within inches of him, she dished out a quick peck on his lips.

His eyes widened as she moved her head away. “W...What was that for? D-Did I do something?” He asked, face reddening.

Kaguya chuckled, but her sound no longer held an air of nervousness. She reached sat down to reach both front hooves to the back of her neck, undoing the clip that held her mane in place. This caused the brown mass of hair to fall, though it only reached her shoulders by a bare margin. “I...think I’m in love...or something.” She murmured, standing up again.

“WHAT?” 01 asked, eyes widening.

“I...know what’s been pent up inside me all this time.” Kaguya replied, smiling warmly. “And I need help letting it out.”

The stallion’s ears twitched, as did one of his eyelids. “You...don’t possibly mean…” He trailed off.

Kaguya pecked him on the lips again, then backed off. She nodded once. “May I address you by your...ahem, occupational alias?”

“S-Sure. It’s...oh, what was it again? My brain’s tired...give me a minute…” The stallion murmured, putting a hoof on his head and rubbing for a moment.

“Just the first name will suffice.” Kaguya said, a jolt running up and down her spine and causing her to yelp in surprise. The stallion noticed this and sighed.

“Oh, what was it again...Aha!” The stallion suddenly exclaimed, putting his hoof down onto the floor. “Takashi, that was it.”

“I think we need to head into a room, Takashi.” Kaguya said, smiling warmly. She chuckled again and trotted past him up the the stairs, with the poor bloke behind her. An empty room was randomly selected--this being the bathroom of all places. The door was locked as soon as both were inside, only the fleeting light of twilight filling the room from a solitary window.

The mare trotted to the bathtub and climbed in, her tail swishing side to side eagerly as she went.

“This is my colleague, not my girlfriend...why the hell did I agree to this…?” Takashi thought, trotting to the tub rather hesitantly. “But she does have a sexy body...certainly no denying that.”

A fire, one radiating a genuine warmth, burned in the mare’s eyes. It was hardly noticeable for Takashi, of course, since it flickered oh so faintly.

“Closer.” Kaguya beckoned, her voice soothing and warm as the faint flame lighting her eyes.

“I feel as if a freaking siren’s luring me in...or would the term I’m looking for be succubus?” Takashi thought, doing as he was told. In fact, his hooves moved him quicker, closer to the mare calling for him. As soon as he placed his front hooves on the rim of the tub, without warning, Kaguya grasped him with her own and dragged him in with surprising ease. She pulled him in for another kiss, causing his eyes to damn near bulge out of their sockets in the process.

The kiss lasted a few moments, the last bits of twilight fading into the night during those moments. After the two broke away, Takashi spoke up. “Should we turn on the light?”

“No, we shouldn’t. Touch is good enough.” Kaguya replied bluntly, pulling the stallion in for a hug.

“Fair enough.” Takashi sighed, letting his front hooves scour out the inside of the tub, as well of the body of the mare he was currently with.

“I think we’re both pent up. Personally, this is doing us both a favor.” Kaguya sighed contently, shuddering as one of her front hooves touched the stallion on his stomach.

“You...do raise a point.” Takashi agreed, feeling something twitch. He also felt the hoof gingerly poke his stomach, and felt something extend as if in response to the sensation. The hoof slid down towards the extending appendage and gently ran up and down its length as it stopped growing. He grit his teeth to stifle a groan.

Another hoof began rubbing tenderly on the mass. “I...Is this what affection feels like…?” Takashi murmured, closing his eyes.

“Looks like we both missed out.” Kaguya remarked, blushing sheepishly.

“My...sentiments exactly…” Takashi groaned, his voice sounding a bit pained.

“Should I stop? You sound strained.” Kaguya said, voice riddled with concerned. She heard her partner pant lightly, and she was worried.

“No. I’m just...trying to keep quiet. Don’t want to wake up the others, do we?” Takashi sighed, his voice more relaxed this time.

“You still sound stressed.” Kaguya stated, her front hooves stopping altogether. “Perhaps we could turn on the showerhead as a distracting noise?”

Takashi thought that over for a moment. The two were in a tub with the aforementioned equipment, after all. “I think that’s a marvelous idea.” He said. “We just have to bloody feel the thing first…”

“That’s always the hard part, isn’t it?” Kaguya asked, rolling her eyes. She could now see faintly in the darkness, since her eyes had adjusted.

Takashi nodded, starting to tap his front hooves lightly to find the faucet and the diverter. He groaned, bringing up one hoof slowly until he was hearing the distinct ting of metal greet his ears as he found what he was looking for. He pushed up the diverter, then felt his way to the knobs that would release hot or cold water, depending on which was turned more so than the other.

Turning one knob blindly, the showerhead sputtered for a moment or so before the water began to finally rain down. It started cold at first, then turned hot. Takashi quickly turned the other knob to cool down the burning sensation as soon as it started hitting his nerves.

“Mmmm...that feels pleasant.” Kaguya murmured, scooching herself a bit so the water could hit her head and shoulders.

“Sure does. I think I know how to carry on from here.” Takashi agreed, a small smile on his face. He lowered himself a bit--

“Atatata,” Kaguya quickly said, grabbing the stallion by the neck with her forelegs. She pulled him closer to him, dragging him into another kiss, this one lasting for only three seconds. “I think I want to try something.” She murmured.

“That being?” Takashi asked, brow arched.

“Could you lean against the tub with your back facing outward, rear legs spread wide?” Kaguya inquired, smiling faintly.

“That’ll be difficult, since this tub isn’t exactly big…” Takashi sighed, obliging by the request rather awkwardly.

“It’ll have to do.” Kaguya murmured, grasping the rims of the tub with her front hooves so she could sit up on her back legs.

“What is it you have in mind, woman?” Takashi inquired, brow arched again. Before he could say anything else, the mare scooched over to him and grasped the piece of meat with a front hoof. Next thing he knew, she arched a brow at it for only a moment before leaning in slowly.

Kaguya clasped it in her other hoof, her movements giving the stallion a shudder of anticipation. The mare moved her hooves up and down the length for a moment before stopping at the flared head. “Here goes nothing.” She murmured, moving her hooves to the base of the spire before leaning in until her muzzle was just inches away.

The mare inhaled, taking in the faint musky smell through her nostrils for just a second. She opened her mouth just enough to let her tongue slip out. She slid the thing on the head of the mass for a few more seconds.

Takashi shuddered again, closing his eyes quickly, but not scrunching them. “I was going to protest against that, but now that it’s hit me…” His words caused Kaguya to stop and look at him with wide eyes. “Do continue.” He murmured with a nod, only to find himself gasping as he felt the mare’s entire mouth wrap around the head of his dong. “This feels better than I thought...perhaps I should stop being so skeptical.” He thought, deciding to relish the current feeling he was experiencing.

Author's Note

Intimacy intensifies. Also, the name change of our favorite white-pelted, black-hoofed stallion is plot-relevant, don't worry. Next part should come soon.

~Dragon

Chapter LXV, Part II- Oh My

The mare easily took half of the whole sausage in her mouth, sending shivers up and down Takashi’s nerves. Even the pelting water didn’t drown out what he was feeling. “Great heavens…” He murmured, feeling the rest of his length enter the mare’s mouth. The meat’s head hit something, and Kaguya let out a small “hrk” that was muffled as a result.

The sound didn’t escape his ears. His eyes shot open faster than speeding bullets. “Woman, could you please not try to choke yourself?!” He cried. “The last thing either of us needs is for one of us to have lungs depraved of oxygen!”

Kaguya pulled away, gasping for breath as soon as the meatpole left her mouth. “S-S-Sorry…” She sputtered, trying to regain her composure. “Gag reflex nearly overtook me…”

“Just be more careful…” Takashi murmured, closing his eyes and relaxing again.

Kaguya composed herself at last, and she moved her head back to the shaft. Instead of cramming the whole thing into her mouth, she ran her tongue along the length slowly.

Takashi groaned, keeping his eyes closed in bliss. The jolts running rampant along his nerves as his member got slowly licked and rubbed by the tongue were pleasant to say the very least. The bloke was already dripping with pre, but not much considering the showerhead’s water rinsed half of it away.

Kaguya stopped, but only for a moment. She looked down at the stallion’s rather swollen set of testicles and blinked. “I’m starting to think you have it worse than I do.” She sighed, and without warning, crammed the whole shaft into her mouth before Takashi could even register what she had just said.

“Gah!” Takashi cried, looking down at Kaguya with a flustered and slightly agitated look. “Just don’t try to choke this time, alright?”

The mare gave a quick “mhm” before swirling her tongue around the shaft as she moved her head up and down, this time minding the gag reflex at the back of her throat. The stallion looked up at nothing in particular, eyes closing once more. He began panting a little bit, front hooves placed at the very rims of the tub like the arms of a throne chair.

Kaguya gave a low, muffled moan as she kept working the member with her mouth. A pang shot from her nethers, eliciting a muffled gasp of shock. The mare tried desperately to use one of her front hooves to soothe that itch, but the bathtub she was in made it very cumbersome for her. The poor dear would have to bend her rear legs at unnatural angles just to reach the destination with one front hoof. It was a miracle the two could even fit in the damn thing.

“Perhaps we could try a different method? You’re looking rather desperate.” Takashi stated curtly, eyes on the mare as soon as she gave the shocked gasp.

Kaguya gave a quick “mhm” again and pulled away. “What would you propose?” She asked, brow arched.

Takashi sighed, grabbing her with his front hooves in a gentle fashion. He pulled her up and then moved her towards him, making sure to move himself back a bit in the process. He flashed her a smile, the head of his spire poised just between the mare’s back legs.

The stallion then grasped his partner by the hips and lowered her slowly, trying to keep her from slipping since more or less every inch of the tub’s inner regions had been soaked by the showerhead.

“Could...you hurry…?” Kaguya murmured, her rear legs shaking a great deal.

“I’m trying my best, and I’d rather you not hit your forehead on the tub’s rim.” Takashi replied curtly, though he did abide by the request somewhat.

“Fair enough…” Kaguya murmured, understanding his words. She felt something just barely prod at her back entrance before it parted the wrong set of walls--painfully. Her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, tears beginning to form, and a lump caught itself in her throat just in time to subdue an otherwise terrifying shriek. The length went in all the way, albeit with some grief, and Kaguya grit her teeth to keep another holler at bay. All that came from her was a pained whimper.

Takashi noticed the pained look of his partner and his eyes went wide. He moved her up a bit, using a front hoof to try to assess what had gone wrong. Upon feeling the tell-tale stretched crinkles of the poor dear’s asshole, he blinked a few times. “Is it just me...or did I put that in the wrong hole…?” He murmured.

“Wrong...hole…” Kaguya groaned through her teeth with a nod accompanying her words, shaking more from the pain now than the pleasure.

“This is a bit worrisome…” Takashi sighed, trying to pull out. However, no matter what he did, his member was lodged very firmly up her ass. “And it just got worse. Joy…” He thought sarcastically, using his front hooves to try to push Kaguya off of him.

Kaguya let off another whimper, scrunching her eyes shut as the stallion tried to remove his extension from her rather stubborn back door. She put her front hooves on the rims, also trying to pull away, only to wind up bringing herself more fiery pain. Her wet hooves slipped, and she fell on top of her partner (accidentally slapping him across the face in the process) with a rather loud thud. She let off a whine of pain, but hushed herself as a hoof rubbed across her back.

“We’ll sort this out, don’t worry.” Takashi murmured, letting another sigh escape his lips shortly thereafter. He didn’t bother rubbing his slapped cheek at all, instead focusing on the pony currently on top of him. “Frankly, if I had something like that shoved up my bum, I’d probably be in pain too.”

“It felt like a certain girth…” Kaguya groaned, her voice still pained, “...and I may have bitten off more than I could chew…”

“I blame the head for that.” Takashi replied, once more rubbing Kaguya’s back with a hoof.

Kaguya’s pained look began to ease a bit, and her rectal walls relaxed a bit as well. “It did have a flared mushroom shape…” She murmured, nodding weakly in agreement. The backrub she was getting had helped to ease the pain, but not enough to completely dull it into an afterthought--the burning sensation simply became more tolerable for her to bear.

A few moments passed, the showerhead’s rain making the only noise in the dark room. The duo lay there unmoving, aside from the hoof rubbing the back and breaths being inhaled and exhaled.

Takashi broke the silence first. “Should we try again?”

“I don’t feel much pain anymore...I think we can try again…” Kaguya replied, her face even more relaxed now. Her rectal walls eased up more, the pain just barely registering as a result.

“Let’s take this slowly, I’d rather not cause you more pain than what’s already been done.” Takashi murmured, once more placing his front hooves on her hips. Slowly, he pushed her up, and was frankly surprised at how easily his member began sliding out of her rear.

A wet pop sounded as the spire was finally released from its confines, a bit of blood that had accumulated as a result of the stretching session it was a part of being rinsed away by the water of the showerhead. Amazingly, the thing was still erect.

Kaguya shot a glance at the anomaly, smiling in relief as the thing was finally out of her ass. “The thing’s still stiff as a board?” She asked, arching a brow.

“I’m starting to think I’m developing blueballs…” Takashi groaned, scrunching one eye shut. “It’s starting to hurt.”

“On that note, let’s try this again…” Kaguya sighed, glancing back at the face of her partner. Takashi nodded in agreement, lowering the mare again with a truer aim this time. Just to be sure, though, she reached a hoof to the member to try to assess her own aim. The flared tip met with the vulva, but there was a momentary pause.

Kaguya felt another outcry of pain shoot from her nethers as the member slid into where it had been intended to go, stomping her front hoof back onto the floor of the tub. It was nowhere near as painful as when it got lodged up her ass, that much was true, but she still had to grit her teeth and bear it. Once more the mass went in all the way with some trouble, though it didn’t get stuck this time.

“If I had known it would be this painful, I’d have invested in freaking painkillers…” Kaguya murmured, starting to shake again.

“I’ve heard rumors it always hurts the first time around, but I’ve never quite envisioned this…” Takashi agreed with a sigh. Another few silent, awkward moments passed, and as they did, the mare got used to the feeling of having something within her vagina.

“From whom did you hear those rumors…?” Kaguya asked, being risen up thanks to the hooves on her hips. A slight tinge of pain shot through, but it was oddly pleasant.

“I was trotting home from work and some other stallions told me about it.” Takashi replied, helping the mare lower herself slowly. “And then they mocked me when they learned I didn’t have a girlfriend…”

“I...see.” Kaguya sighed, being moved up again. Another wave of pained pleasure washed over her, and her rear legs shook again.

“I feel…” Takashi paused, letting off a low groan, “...the tension slowly going away....”

The mare nodded back, her hips once more connecting with the stallion’s. The water turned freezing cold, and she shivered as the rain hit her. She rose a hoof, feeling her way to the knobs, before finding her target and turning off the showerhead.

“I think we should--” Takashi started, only for Kaguya to cut him off.

“We’re not leaving until the deed’s finished.” She said sternly. She was still cold, but had gotten used to the shivering feeling. “It’s now or never.”

Takashi sighed, knowing the mare was right--there was no turning back now, lest they walk out as they were now and have either the fillies laugh at them or the young adults becoming envious. Kaguya smiled, rising up with no help whatsoever. Her movements were slow, almost calculating, and steady as she brought herself back down.

The mare began grinding her hips a bit, shuddering as she did so. A low moan, as well as a few pants, came from her mouth. “This feels so good…” She murmured, legs shaking again. She stopped her grinding, raising herself up before bringing her hips back down. “I’m not sure which is more preferable…”

Author's Note

I think we need a tally just to keep track of how many times these two are doing it wrong.

~Dragon

Chapter LXV, Part III- Embrace

“Perhaps I should take over. You just can’t make up your mind, woman.” Takashi sighed, and before Kaguya could process his remark, he shot forward and had her pinned to the side of the tub.

The mare smirked. “I think I’d like to see that more often.” She stated.

“You do?” Takashi asked, eyes wide and brow arched. All he got out of his partner was a dainty chuckle. “You’re strange sometimes.” He remarked.

“As are you.” Kaguya jabbed back, still smiling.

“Point taken.” Takashi murmured, leaning in until his lips met with hers. The mare embraced him with her forelegs, closing her eyes, pulling him closer and savoring this moment. A jolt ran rampant through her body as she felt her partner thrust his hips, and all she could do about it was let off a moan that was muffled by his lips.

Kaguya felt a front hoof slide down to her wet haunches, feeling its way towards her gaskin. The back leg the hoof had felt was lifted a few inches from the tub’s bottom, and she shivered as Takashi dished out another thrust.

The kiss was broken, and Kaguya leaned back as best she could. “Damn…” She murmured, scrunching her eyes a little bit as hips once more connected again. Her legs trembled, and one hoof moved away from the embrace to cover her mouth and stifle a moan or two. She felt something welling within, but couldn’t put her hoof on what it was.

“This is hurting worse now…” Takashi groaned, eyes scrunched shut as he thrust again. His groin was starting to hurt--if he didn’t quell it now, he would eventually feel as if a hoof connected with that area. The stallion started to thrust faster and harder, as if making up for his prior laziness, his movements eliciting a few more moans from the mare he had pinned awkwardly.

Kaguya opened one eye a little as she was hammered, panting desperately into her hoof. Her mouth moved between pants, but she could not say anything. The mare carefully moved her hoof away from her mouth and placed it on the rim of the tub, her legs shaking even more now.

“Great heavens...it’s starting to itch…” Takashi grunted, now redoubling his efforts to quell that itch. The stallion felt twitches and spasms, though brief, from his member as he went harder and faster. He paused for a moment, rear hooves nearly slipping out since the tub was still somewhat wet, to steady himself before resuming.

“H-How are you still g-going?!” Kaguya nearly cried, eyes closed tight as could be as she was still pounded. She held onto the stallion desperately, moving her free hoof back to the embrace as if for dear life.

“I-I don’t know…!” Takashi replied, grunting and groaning as he still rammed the mare senseless. Hooves nearly slipping again, he kept his head low. “C-Could you l-lend me your h-hoof?” He moaned, mouth open wide as he panted. Kaguya quickly understood, hastily putting her foreleg near his muzzle. He bit down firmly, moaning into the appendage as he felt one final twitch before orgasm rocked his body to and fro.

As his load was spent, he felt the prior pain going away. When the last of his fluids left him, he released the foreleg from his maw and pulled away quickly, landing backside-down on the tub’s bottom with a dull thud. For a few moments, the only thing that was heard were the exhausted pants of the two, one laying down and the other leaning against the rim of the bathtub shaking as if anxious.

Kaguya was still dripping with the payment deposited in her. She slumped a little, sitting at an odd angle with her rear legs spread wide. Her head hung low, and her pants became quiet as the moments passed by. Even in her daze, she noticed Takashi had also fallen silent. The mare rose her head slowly, and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that he was still breathing, and his dong was retreating into its sheath.

Takashi slowly sat up, much to his partner’s wide-eyed state of surprise. “It’s...not over yet…” He murmured, his voice riddled with tiredness.

Kaguya flashed him a weak smile. “Round...two, I suppose…?” She asked, her shaking coming to a slow halt as she spoke.

“Something of the sort…” Takashi replied with a slow nod. He moved himself closer to her with his legs, eying her wet snatch whilst licking his lips hungrily. He kept moving until he was inches from her body, and quickly pecked her on the lips with a sheepish grin as he pulled away. He went lower, lightly kissing her body along the way, until he reached his target.

She let out a sharp gasp as a tongue slid across every inch of her folds, and the area between them. The dear began to shake again, though only a little at first. A few more pants escaped her lips, and she began to drool. “F-Fuck…” She muttered, feeling the saliva-coated appendages explore her folds, leaving a tingling sensation in its wake.

As the tongue lapped at her vulva like a hungry beast, she began to shake much more than she had been moments ago. The mare felt the muzzle of her lover pushed deeper into her folds, and she let out a gasp in response. “Don’t...stop…” She moaned, eyes closing tight again as the odd sensation began building within her again.

Like Takashi intended to stop in the first place. He worked his tongue faster, harder, trying his best to appease his partner. The mare couldn’t hold out much longer, and she quickly muffled a long moan with her hoof as her muscles clenched and relaxed, coaxing her juices out of her system. She slumped over again as her fluids left her, and with them, her pent-up emotions she kept bottled for so long.

Takashi pulled away for the second time before bracing Kaguya in a hug. Both fell to the bottom of the tub and looked at each other in the eyes for a moment or so before looking away.

“I think...we should do that again sometime.” Kaguya murmured, still shuddering a little bit.

“Indeed...but not here next time…” Takashi agreed, covering his mouth with a hoof to yawn.

“Yeah...I’m going to bet we’re going to be sore tomorrow…” Kaguya sighed, her eyelids growing heavier as the seconds passed by.

“We’ll worry about that...when we wake up…” Takashi murmured, his eyelids also growing heavy. Before they could say another word, they fell fast asleep, locked in an embrace at the bottom of the bathtub.

And neither took notice of a flying figure who was watching them from the window all this time.

Author's Note

Oh dear. Next chapter should come soon.

~Dragon

Chapter LXVI- The Project

“So, how goes it?” Baki asked, a shark’s grin on his face. His horn was glowing, and he used his magic to levitate a comb that was brushing through his moustache.

“Almost complete.” Maki reported, a ghoulish grin on his face. “Although...it saddens me that the brats brought help to defeat our Sombra-castle...thing.” He frowned as he finished.

“How they beat it is still beyond me. All I know is those damn weapons grew to a size that I think puts the Titanic to shame.” Baki agreed, nodding as he went through his mane with the same comb.

“If Raki hadn’t turned on us like the bitch she was, we would’ve had the upper hoof.” Maki sighed, brow furrowing as the memory of that mare came into his mind.

“It’s beyond our control for the time being. Once we finish up with our little project, she’ll be ours again.” Baki stated, his eyes glinting momentarily. “But, we do know we’ve also begun invoking the bloody princesses, and the bearers of the so-called Elements of Harmony.” He added, now going through his tail with the comb. It was as if he tried looking his very best, regardless of whether or not he was evil.

“More like the whole damn nation.” Maki jabbed back, blinking. His horn glowed momentarily, and from nowhere came a cigar, which he then lit with the tip of the aforementioned horn and put into his mouth. He took a huff of smoke before sighing.

“Bah. Royal guards and their bullshit agenda.” Baki murmured, looking at his comrade as he said this. The blue unicorn noticed the cigar in his ally’s mouth. “Can I have one?” He asked.

“Why not?” Maki countered playfully, making another cigar appear from nowhere, lighting it with his horn, and handing it to his partner-in-crime.

Baki took a huff of smoke, closing his eyes briefly. “Mmm...my favorite flavor.” He murmured, opening his eyes again, and he shot a glance towards the dying fire. “Perhaps we should check on the project.” He said.

“Physically, sexually, or ability-wise?” Maki asked, brow arched.

“All three of them, in that exact order.” Baki replied, grinning as he took another huff of smoke. He turned away from the fire and began to trot into the darkness, his subordinate following suit. A navy light was cast from the horn of the makeshift leader, and a long, dark, dank corridor of stone awaited them patiently. Their hoofsteps echoed in the surrounding world of black, occasionally accompanied by faint drip-drops of water.

The two took a sharp right, the stones here glistening more than the previous set. There were some puddles here too, so they naturally splashed in them as they continued on their merry way. At the end of this hallway, a set of stairs greeted them. This one was accompanied by a hefty few lanterns that seemed to spur to life on their own as the two unicorns passed. Tentatively, the steps were descended upon, and what greeted them at the bottom of this flight was another stone corridor that lacked the puddles of water.

“The project is locked in the dungeon, right?” Baki asked, turning to his fellow as he spoke.

“Yes.” Maki replied quickly. “Chains and everything.”

“Very well, then.” Baki said, smiling wickedly as he turned back to the path before him. He resumed trotting down the hallway, hoofsteps echoing in a hollow manner as he and his friend went, before making a left down another. Here, they heard the distinct and faint sound of a mare sobbing. The two quickened their pace upon hearing that sound, and as they drew closer to their destination, the sound grew disturbingly louder. More distinct. Hauntingly mind-grating for any other pony who traversed these halls.

But these two were little deterred by that sound. For them, it was a sick form of music. At last, another set of stairs greeted them, this one turning a solid 180 halfway down. They descended the flight, finding the eerie hallway lined with multitudes upon multitudes of iron cage-doors adorning either side. A trail of blood, this one days old, extended beyond Baki’s light into the darkness.

As their first hoofsteps here echoed, the sobbing suddenly stopped in a heartbeat. Whatever was here had been made aware of their presence by the echoing hooves alone.

“Well, now, she knows how to behave.” Maki stated, grinning maliciously.

“Perhaps it’ll be a lot easier assessing her this time around.” Baki agreed, the shark’s smile returning to his muzzle.

“But, as always, chains are imperative.” Maki replied, still smiling. As if on cue, whatever was here had shifted, and with that shifting came the tell-tale cling-clang of iron shackles and steel chains.

“No...please...I don’t want to be tested again…” Pleaded a mare’s voice, riddled with fright and sobs. More chains clinked and clanked as the owner shifted again. “Please….no…”

“Too bad, deary. You’re ours now to do with as we please.” Baki hissed, following the trail of blood intently. Maki followed close behind, his member already protruding from between his rear legs.

“No!” Cried the mare’s voice, followed by more clinking of shackles.

“The more you protest, the more bruises will land on your body!” Maki yelled at the top of his lungs, his shout echoing down the hall. “It sounds like you want the punishment to come early!”

The mare’s voice fell silent, and so did the shackles. The trail of blood suddenly cut sharply to the right, leading straight to a cell. The two unicorns had stopped as well, turning to that cell. Behind the bars, barely visible, was a set of eyes with no sclera, pupils, or irises; they were all but a soft glowing bronze in hue. Tears trickled down the face these eyes were plastered upon, glistening thanks to the navy light.

“Please...no…” Pleaded the voice again, tear-riddled eyes slanting into a sad look.

Author's Note

Oh jesus, what the hell are those two working on?

~Dragon

Chapter LXVII- Cock-A-Doodle-Doo!

“Ugh, where are they? It’s nearly noon, they should be up by now…” Rekka groaned, his face connecting with the table he and the others--save Yuuki, who was not present--sat around in short order.

“Last night, I heard...intriguing noises. I checked their rooms, and both beds were empty.” Nagare sighed, rolling his eyes.

“I can see where this is going…” Tenmei murmured, trying to not glare at the pegasus.

“It’s what you’re alluding to, sadly.” Nagare sighed again, shooting the earth pony a glance. “So, naturally, I went to the bathroom door and found it locked. The noises came from there. I had to go outside the house and fly to the damn window just to see what the hell was going on.” He added, closing his eyes.

“Was the window locked?” Koto asked, brow arched.

“I waited until I was sure they passed out before trying the window. It’s not locked.” The pegasus answered.

Raki looked at Nagare. “Now I see why you had Yuuki go find a rooster.” She murmured, her words eliciting a nod from the pegasus. “It’s just a matter of when she comes back with the bird or not.”

“What were they doing in the bathroom?” Mimu inquired, finding herself quickly getting wide-eyed, red-faced stares from the adults present.

Koto then exchanged a glance with Rekka, a hoof pointed at the pixie-winged filly. “Um...should we bother answering that?” She asked, ears on her skull.

“Oh god no. Kaguya’d have our heads if we even began telling her…about that.” Rekka murmured, his pupils shrinking. Sweat now dotted his face in droplets, and he shook a bit.

“I wanna know!” Mimu pouted, once more drawing attention to herself.

“So do I!” Mimi cried.

Tenmei bit his lip, the memory of the accident with Nurse Redheart running through his mind. An awkward silence hung in the room as the two fillies waited for some kind of answer from the adults.

“I’m baaack!” Yuuki called as she entered through the front door, a beautiful rooster perched happily upon her backside. She smiled as she strode in, but the smile faded once she noticed the wide-eyed, flustered looks of her fellow adults. “Okay...what happened?” She asked, brow arched.

“We wanna know what Kaguya and Takashi did in the bathroom!” Mimu answered, and in that instant, Yuuki felt her heart sink. Her jaw dropped open, and her eyes went wide.

“...Eeeh?!” The purple pegasus half-shrieked, completely dumbstruck at this point.

“My sentiments exactly!” Nagare agreed with a nod of his head. “That was pretty much our response to the question.”

“Where in the name of all things holy do I even begin?” Raki inquired, her face redder than the others.

Koto threw her forelegs in the air. “I have no earthly idea!” She cried.

“Help me…” Tenmei murmured, leaning back a little bit like he was slowly trying to escape the fillies.

Nagare shielded himself with his wings. “I’m afraid…” He murmured.

Yuuki sighed. “I’ll go ahead and put the bird in the bathroom…” She murmured, flapping her wings and grasping the rooster in her front hooves. She went out the door and flew to the window, using a back leg to carefully open the glass pane without breaking it. The pegasus deposited the bird in the bathroom as soon as the pane was wide enough for the feat before using her front hooves to slam it back shut. She then flew to the door and went inside the house, closing said door soon after that.

“What did they do in the bathroom?” Mimi asked.

Rekka glared at her, slamming his front hooves on the table while minding the hurt foreleg. “Something little fillies like yourself shouldn’t do or worry about!” He cried. “Now quit asking!”

“Okay…” Mimi sighed in disappointment, ears flat on her skull.

“Besides, you’ll know when you’re older.” Tenmei added, shuddering with scrunched eyes as if disgusted.

The rooster began exploring the bathroom inch by inch, eventually jumping up on the rim of the bathtub to find two sleeping ponies within, one on top the other. It hopped on Kaguya’s back in short order, but she didn’t stir. It leaned to her ear and proceeded to let out its wake-up call, causing the mare to shriek in surprise and sit up in a heartbeat. The rooster flew off of her in response to the heart attack it gave her, hiding away behind the toilet shortly thereafter.

Kaguya glanced around hastily, her mane a mess. Much of it clung to her face and neck, and her eyes were wide with shock. “W-What was that?!” She cried, her heart beating a mile a minute in her chest. Upon seeing that she was alone with the still-snoozing Takashi, she took some deep breaths and settled herself back at the bottom of the tub to go back to sleep.

The rooster waited until Kaguya was settled down before jumping on the rim of the tub, then down next to Takashi’s ear. Letting out the cry and quickly jumping out before hiding again, it watched from behind the toilet as Takashi sat up screeching like a filly. Because he was underneath Kaguya when this happened, she was awoken again.

“W-Who let a rooster in the house?!” The stallion cried, looking around frantically.

“Y-You sure that’s what it was?” Kaguya asked, heaving in panic. She too glanced around hastily.

“Positive! I don’t know about you, but that sounded like a rooster to me!” Takashi replied, cringing slightly. It was then they heard someone hastily knocking on the door, and both ponies turned to that door.

“W-Who is it?” Kaguya asked, still feeling panicked.

“Koto, and I have to use the bathroom really bad! Could you please open this door before I make a mess?!” Answered the pony on the other side.

Takashi sighed, getting out of the tub and going to the door to unlock it. As soon as he unlocked and then opened it, Koto bolted past him without any care in the world. The two elder ponies quickly left the bathroom to let the unicorn have some much-needed privacy, making sure to close the door behind them as they went.

“Good thing it’s a Saturday…” Takashi murmured, sighing.

“After she’s done with her business, we’re bathing.” Kaguya whispered, which earned a nod from her companion. “And finding out who put the damn...bird in the bathroom.” A few moments passed, and as the two waited, a flush had sounded before the unicorn finally trotted out of the bathroom looking relieved. Upon her back was the rooster that looked at the white-pelted ponies and proceeded to cock-a-doodle-doo at them again with a smug grin on its beak.

“That’s one cocky bird…” Takashi murmured, sighing again.

“I’m still wondering how he broke in…” Kaguya said, trotting into the bathroom with the stallion following suit. A quick shower, no more than fifteen minutes, came after that, and when the two were dry the first thing they did was head downstairs to see everyone else waiting for them, save Mimi and Mimu who trotted past them as the white ponies went down.

“I still can’t believe they asked that question...honestly, what the hell do I make of it?” Tenmei asked.

Rekka looked at the earth pony and shrugged. “We were at that stage too. Remember when we were kids?” He asked.

“Hmm...point taken.” Tenmei replied with a nod.

Koto chuckled. “Let’s just be glad we didn’t tell them what sex was.” She said.

“Or the fact we had it.” Rekka stated, a big grin on his face.

“Excuse you?” Kaguya asked, looking at the unicorn with an arched brow.

“What was that?” Takashi asked, also looking at Rekka who was by now breaking out in a sweat, realizing what he just blurted out with the two head honchos of the house present.

“I watched you two all night. You’ve no room to talk.” Nagare said bluntly, looking at the adults with a smug grin adorning his face.

Kaguya and Takashi slowly looked towards the pegasus, jaws ajar and eyes wide. “WHAT?” They said in unison.

“You heard me.” Nagare replied, still smiling. “And do you know what the ironic thing is about this very conversation we’re having?”

“What?” The elders asked, brows arched.

Nagare’s smirk only widened. A wing spread, the feathers pointing at Rekka. “I got told the exact same thing once--by the one who shot his mouth off a minute ago.” He said.

Author's Note

I wonder how this conversation will end.

~Dragon

Chapter LXVIII- Cutie Mark Crusaders!

“Alright, alright, let me get this straight: one of you eavesdropped, another just confessed to partaking in fornication, and you’re saying you got called out for the same thing by the one who admitted to the aforementioned fornication??” Takashi asked, eyes wide. He was trying to make sense of this entire mess he found himself in.

“If it makes you feel any better, I did it too--in a threesome.” Raki said, smiling warmly.

“What?” Kaguya asked, eyes widening.

“Exactly.” Raki replied, still smiling.

“Gah! Why can’t I get the nurse out of my head?!” Tenmei wailed, flinging his forelegs in the air for a moment before handing his glasses to Koto and slamming his face into the table.

“He’s still on about that?” Rekka asked, looking at the earth pony. “If all else fails, just court her already.”

“It’s not that simple…” Tenmei groaned childishly before he lifted his head up and slammed his face into the table again.

“I see no other solution. If you want, I can fetch her here and now.” Nagare remarked, spreading his other wing.

Tenmei let off yet another childish groan. Mimi and Mimu ran down the stairs again, catching everyone’s attention.

“Kaguya, can we hang out with the other fillies and colts?” Mimi asked, a wide grin on her face.

“Sure. Just don’t do anything dangerous, and be back before dark.” Kaguya replied.

“Wait...why let them run off?” Takashi asked, only to find the mare’s nose in front of his.

“We’ve a mess to sort out.” She replied as the two fillies rushed out the door like a cockatrice was on their heels.

“Where should we go first?” Mimu asked, flapping her wings briefly.

“Let’s go to the park!” Mimi answered, smiling widely. She took off towards the library, since the park was very close to said library. The fairy-winged filly followed, using her gossamer appendages to keep up with Mimi. The trip took a good fifteen or so minutes, and when they got there (after catching their breath), a whole bunch of other fillies and colts were playing with one another via various toys and games.

The park was irresistible for the two, especially considering the activity going on today. A few fillies and colts recognized the two, and whispers consisting of ‘the new kids who write a different language’ soon ran rampant amongst the few. Some other whispers pertained to Mimu’s fairy wings, or her black mane and tail. Some even whispered about Mimi being almost monochrome or something.

Scootaloo and her friends ran to the duo with smiles on their faces. “Hey!” Scootaloo cried, hugging Mimi.

“Hello!” Mimi replied with a wide smile. She looked over at Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, and immediately noticed two new cutie marks: the earth pony had a longbow with an arrow hitting an apple, and the unicorn had what could best be described as a simple music note bent in a way akin to a boomerang.

“You two got your cutie marks?” Mimu asked, eyes widening.

“Yep! Turns out I have real good aim! Applejack was so proud of me!” Applebloom replied, putting a hoof to her chest as if showing off her confidence to the world.

“I’m not too sure what my cutie mark means…” Sweetie Belle sighed, looking at it despondently for a moment before smiling. “But I’ll figure it out eventually.”

“Hey, have you tried getting your cutie marks?” Scootaloo asked, brow arched.

“No, though I guess it’d be nice.” Mimi replied, still smiling.

“Haven’t really got mine by flying.” Mimu confessed.

“Hey, since we still are the Cutie Mark Crusaders even though we have our cutie marks, perhaps you two could join!” Sweetie Belle proposed, smiling wide.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders?” Mimu asked, brow arched.

“Yeah--we help each other and other fillies and colts get their cutie marks!” Scootaloo translated, also smiling wide.

“Hey, weird kids!” Cried another voice. The group of fillies turned their heads in one direction to see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon approach them, both of whom had horrible smiles on their faces. “Shouldn’t you be elsewhere, where we don’t have to see your lack of cutie marks?” Diamond taunted.

“Just because you’re rich and spoiled doesn’t mean you get a free pass to pick on them!” Scootaloo declared, literally stepping between Diamond and Mimi.

“And you have no right to defend blank flanks, you flightless pretender!” Diamond hissed back, eliciting a shocked gasped from the other fillies present (with the exception of Silver Spoon). "Because you were blank flanks once!" She added, raising a hoof to motion to Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom.

“I’m telling Miss Cheerilee on you!” Applebloom hollered, pointing the accusing hoof at the bullies.

"What's the point? We're not in school." Silver Spoon jabbed back, her grin widening.

"Doesn't mean we still can't tell!" Sweetie replied swiftly, her eyes narrowing. Her horn began giving off faint, small sparks of light green, and some of those sparks took on the same shape as her cutie mark.

"What good is your talent if you can barely use magic?" Diamond taunted, her face moulding to shape something between a smug look on her face and an evil rapist's smile. As soon as she said that, Sweetie's horn stopped shimmering. This caused the eyes of the blank flanks present to widen, and they glanced around hastily for a moment.

“Um, hate to cut the chat short, but we gotta go home.” Mimu sighed, taking off back home quickly. Mimi followed close behind, leaving the other five fillies in the dust. It wasn’t dark yet, but they could not risk further trouble with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon--that was an automatic no-no. The two finally reached home after fifteen minutes, and opened the door to find the adults at the table--with Nagare and Tenmei absent--and they were talking about bits and jobs and things like that.

“Why are you two back so early? It’s not even been an hour.” Kaguya stated, looking at the two as they made their entrance.

“Diamond Tiara...and Silver Spoon…” Mimi huffed, sitting on her rump to catch her breath.

“Oh. Those two. Perfectly understandable, then.” Takashi replied, sighing.

“Hey...where are Tenmei and Nagare?” Mimu asked, noticing the stallions were in fact absent finally.

“They went to take care of something…” Takashi replied quickly.

Author's Note

This chapter is rather short, which is because I've something big planned next chapter to compensate for that.

~Dragon

Chapter LXIX, Part I- Well, That Went Smoothly

“And why are you dragging me into this again?” Tenmei asked, his voice raised as he narrowed his eyes towards the pegasus in front of him.

“You have the hots for the nurse, and we’re going to address that today.” Nagare answered, looking back at the earth pony with a cheeky grin on his face.

“No I don’t.” Tenmei mumbled, eyes narrowing further.

“Lies. You said you couldn’t get her out of your head.” Nagare jabbed back rather accusingly, his grin widening.

“Here we go again. He’s in one of those moods…” Tenmei thought, a vein appearing on his cheek as the two continued to trot to the hospital.

“I’d advise you quit contradicting yourself in the same day, man. You really need to get ahold of yourself.” Nagare remarked, stopping just in front of the hospital’s entrance.

“Regardless of how this goes, my hoof will find your ass.” Tenmei mumbled again, the vein on his cheek getting bigger.

“Which one, front or back?” Nagare inquired, his smile widening. “Because that comment can be very easily taken the wrong way.” He added.

“Fuck! He’s right!” Tenmei thought, unable to answer the question. He winced as if stung.

“Thought so.” Nagare replied, opening the door and trotting inside the hospital with the hapless earth pony following suit. Behind the counter stood a mare who lacked a nurse hat. The duo trotted up to her and caused her to look at them with a curious look on her face. “We’d like to see Nurse Redheart, please.” Spoke the pegasus.

“Do you wish to make an appointment?” Asked the mare behind the desk.

“It’s a personal matter. Technically, yes and no.” Nagare replied nonchalantly.

“Is it for yourself?” Asked the mare, arching a brow.

“No, it’s for my friend here.” Nagare replied, using a wing to point at Tenmei for reference.

“I see. Nurse Redheart is on the second floor after those stairs in the hallway,” The mare started, turning to a hallway and pointing a hoof at it for reference, “third door to the right in the break lounge.”

“Thank you, miss.” Nagare said, smiling. He turned to that hallway and trotted down it with Tenmei following suit. The two made their way to the stairs, quickly finding themselves on the second floor. The third door to the right had the words ‘break lounge’ written on the window via a piece of paper.

The two stallions trotted to that door, and Nagare knocked on it. “Come in,” spoke a female voice from behind. The two entered, finding Nurse Redheart on the couch in the room, and she was busy stacking papers neatly.

“What do you want?” The nurse asked, brow arched. “Did something happen for the upteenth time?”

“Not a something, per se.” Nagare answered. He looked around the room a bit, seeing another couch that was empty. “May we sit there?” He asked, pointing to the second couch.

“Sure, just don’t destroy anything while you’re at it.” Redheart sighed. The two stallions trotted to it and sat down on it. “So, what did you want?”

Nagare wrapped a foreleg around Tenmei and flashed her a smile. “Well, my friend here has...taken a liking to you.” He said nonchalantly.

“What...kind of liking?” Redheart asked, her eyes widening.

“Let me just say he really likes you. He said he couldn’t get you out of his head earlier.” Nagare answered, still smiling.

“Well, many patients like me after I help them with whatever it was they’d gotten into.” Redheart confessed, “But I’ve never heard it on this big a scale.”

Tenmei blushed at the statement, and he lowered his head in an attempt to conceal it. “Dammit.” He mumbled.

“Don’t mind him. He’s just nervous.” Nagare said, removing his foreleg from his friend before patting him on the back.

“Seems like.” Redheart agreed. “But...why bring him here?”

“I’d thought it best to bring him for you two to get to know each other better than nurse-and-patient.” Nagare replied, his smile widening. “An...intimate relationship beyond current boundaries, if you will.”

Redheart’s eyes widened further. “You mean...you want me and him to date?” She asked.

Nagare put his hooves together. “Exactly.” He said.

“But I’m not ready to date...I should punch you right about now…” Tenmei mumbled, shooting the pegasus a stone-cold glare.

“Oh, come on! The prospect of a first date can’t be that bad!” Nagare remarked, looking at the tan earth pony with widening eyes.

“You’re only saying that because you got laid the first time!” Tenmei snapped, eyes narrowing low.

“Am not.” Nagare replied curtly, smile widening.

“Are too!”

“Am not!”

“ARE TOO!”

Nurse Redheart rolled her eyes at the display and sighed in disapproval before stepping between the two and pushing them apart with her front hooves. “Alright, cut it out so we can get back on track.” She said, and the two stallions nodded before she moved back to her couch and resumed stacking paperwork.

“Anyway, there’s another reason I thought you two might go together like a great bowl of peaches and cream.” Nagare said, catching the nurse’s attention again.

“That being?” Redheart inquired, brow arched.

“Remember when I walked in on you two?” The pegasus asked, and in that instant, Redheart’s eyes widened.

“Erm...I wish you didn’t…” Redheart confessed, a blush on her face.

“It was another thing that made me think he had the hots for you.” Nagare remarked, smiling again. The nurse and Tenmei exchanged wide-eyed, flustered glances before looking to the pegasus in a mix of embarrassment and horror.

“For the last time, Basil, I am NOT in love with the nurse!” Tenmei objected, his face flushed in red now.

Nagare looked at the earth pony, his smile widening. “Clay, I’m merely trying to help.” He said. “You’re red in the face--that tells me all I need to know.”

“Nurse Redheart? Are you in here?” Called a voice. The door opened, and in walked Doctor Stable. Upon seeing the nurse’s flustered face and the two stallions sitting on the other couch, he arched a brow. “What is going on here?” He asked.

Author's Note

Here we go again.

~Dragon

Chapter LXIX, Part II- ...Ehh?!

“Um...well…” Redheart stammered, eyes averting every which-way she could manage. “We were...having a discussion.”

“What sort of discussion?” Doctor Stable asked, brow still arched.

Redheart pointed a hoof at Nagare. “He wants me to hook up with his friend.” She confessed.

Tenmei looked at the doctor, his eyes widening. “Help me.” He pleaded. “I didn’t ask to be dragged into this.”

The doctor sighed, shaking his head and looking up at the ceiling. He then glanced at the only pegasus in the room. “And why, pray tell, are you trying to get them to...for a lack of better words, share the same bed?” He asked.

“I think the nurse remembers something you haven’t even heard of.” Nagare replied, his smile widening until it looked like the corners of his mouth would curl in on themselves.

Redheart chuckled nervously, ears flat on her skull. She walked to the doctor and sighed. “Well...that one morning where I came back empty-hoofed and we had to do the evaluation later, right?” She asked.

“Come again?” Stable inquired, blinking.

Redheart pointed a hoof at Tenmei. “Making sure his bones worked and whatnot?” She sighed.

A few moments passed before the words clicked in the unicorn’s head. “Oh, that. You never told me why you said the evaluation had to be done later that day.” He stated curtly.

“There was a very good reason for that, actually…” Redheart started, chuckling nervously again. “You see...he had...oh how do I put this…?”

“Had what?” Stable asked, eyes widening.

“He...had an erection…” Redheart answered, shaking a little bit.

“You serious?” Stable asked, mouth hanging ajar.

Redheart quickly nodded. “And there was a witness too. He’s over there on the couch.” She replied.

“That’s...alright, I can understand this mess entirely now.” Stable sighed, shaking his head sadly. He could now envision that scenario as it unfolded that morning, minus a few details here and there.

Nagare masked his muzzle with a hoof, and he was beginning to snicker.

“But...why have me date him after that accident? Is he pulling my tail?” Redheart asked, looking towards the sneering pegasus.

“I’m not sure…” Stable sighed, shrugging his shoulders. He trotted past Redheart and stopped when he stood in front of the pegasus. “For your information, you’re trying to get my girlfriend to cheat on me.” He said sternly.

Nagare looked at the unicorn, eyes widening for a moment. “You serious?” He asked.

“Very. And I do not take this lightly.” The doctor replied, eyes narrowing a bit.

The pegasus was silent, his jaw working up and down for a moment. He then pursed his lips, as if trying to choose his next words carefully. “I apologize for the inconvenience I’ve caused. I simply hadn’t known this tidbit of information prior.” He said.

“It’s quite alright. We keep our relationship a secret anyway.” Stable replied with a nod. “Just...don’t let this happen again, alright?”

“Will do.” Nagare sighed with a nod of his own. “In all seriousness, though, my friend...well, likes the nurse over there, and…” He fell silent, rubbing the back of his head with a hoof.

Stable looked at Tenmei, and all the tan pony could do was give a very weak nod. His eyelids slanted in a sad look, and a frown was on his still-reddened face. Poor thing looked ashamed of himself for something that happened beyond his control. “No need to fret. As I understand it, your friend was trying to help you and…well, failed rather horribly at it.” The doctor said, putting a hoof on the earth pony’s shoulder reassuringly.

The earth pony could see that his friend was being genuine about helping him out, even though his methods were rather questionable at best. He remained silent, the shamed look not leaving his face for even a second.

“It’s alright.” Stable repeated, blinking. “You’re not the only one who swoons over her.”

“Really?” Tenmei asked, looking the doctor in the eye.

“Of course! All sorts of ponies try to win her heart, and I’ll be honest: I can’t really blame them. Heck, some of them even wound up in your current pickle!” Stable answered, smiling warmly. “At least we were able to sort this out, right?”

Tenmei let a small smile frame itself upon his muzzle. “Right.” He said with a more confident nod accompanying his word.

“Alrighty then. Now, you two just head back home and do whatever it is you do. Redheart and I have some patients to tend to, and we don’t want to keep them waiting, right?” Stable stated with another nod. With that, the two stallions got up and walked out of the lounge to head for home.

The two were silent until they left the hospital altogether.

“At least you won’t think of the nurse anymore in that regard.” Nagare sighed, shaking his head.

“You were the one who dragged me into this.” Tenmei pointed out, eyes narrowing.

“And you’ve every right to kick my ass for it.” Nagare sighed again, almost as if admitting defeat.

“Could you try not to be so outlandish when you help next time, please? That was really awkward.” Tenmei scolded, a huff escaping his nostrils as he finished speaking.

“I’ll think of my options next time, and see what’s best then.” Nagare answered with a nod. His wings shifted a bit as the two kept heading for home.

"We cool?" The earth pony asked, his anger receding until he held a stoic look on his face.

"We're cool." The pegasus replied, a faint smile adorning his muzzle.

"Okay then." The tan stallion sighed, now smiling himself. "What should we do on the way home? Visit Twilight?"

"Nah. That unicorn's busier than a bee." The green stallion answered. "Let's just head home and call it a day. That sound like a plan?"

"Sounds good to me." Tenmei stated, his smile widening.

Chapter LXX, Part I- Sound Barrier

Night had fallen after a few hours, everyone went to bed, and a few more hours passed since then. Tenmei lay on his bed, the covers only coming up to the gaskins on his back legs, and he stared at the ceiling rather blankly. The stallion began tossing and turning, but no matter his position, he couldn’t close his eyes and drift away. This night, sleep may as well be damned for him.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, his member was protruding again, and it was starting to hurt a little bit.

He winced and grit his teeth as a horrific jolt of pain shot through the spire. Okay, maybe it hurt a lot.

The earth pony sat up, shooting his third hind leg a stony glare as it rose up to greet its owner. He groaned at it, then laid back down on his back.

“May as well tie a white cloth to the damn thing and have a legitimate flagpole attached to my groin.” Tenmei mumbled, staring off at the ceiling again. He sat up again, ears perked to attention as he heard hooves hitting the floor beyond his room. His heart froze stiff in his chest for a second as the door knob began wriggling about a bit. It was then turned, and the door slowly creaked open.

Quickly, he took his pillow and tried to hide the pole that was attempting to salute him with it just as a tall white form with a horn strode in.

Raki closed the door behind her, her tail twitching nervously. She looked at the stallion, seeing something poke out from beneath the pillow. “Couldn’t sleep because of an itch?” She asked flatly, causing the earth pony to nearly jump in surprise.

“Y-Yeah…” The tan pony answered, shifting his rear legs nervously.

“I couldn’t either.” The mare replied, sighing after that. Her horn lit up, and the room was encased in a sort of magic barrier that molded itself to the walls, floor, and ceiling.

“What did you just do?” The stallion asked, brow arched.

“I set up a barrier. Nobody’s going to hear us.” Raki answered, sitting on her haunches as she spoke. Tenmei blushed redder than a tomato almost immediately, the words of the unicorn invading his room registering in his mind within a heartbeat. He felt his member twitch oh so slightly.

“I...I don’t think I’m ready for that…” The stallion murmured weakly, ears flat on his skull.

“Why...is that?” The unicorn asked, brow arched.

“I just...don’t feel comfortable about it…” Tenmei replied, eyes averting away. “It...feels wrong…”

Raki’s eyes widened. “That’s rather worrying.” She remarked, blinking. “But...why doesn’t it feel comfortable?”

“Can we just not talk about it, please?” The one sitting in bed sighed, wincing as his protrusion shot a wave of pain at his nerves. “Asking why just makes it worse…”

“Alright.” The intruding mare sighed in defeat, getting up before walking to the stallion slowly. She kept going until she stood at the side of his bed. “But...could I at least help you with your problem?” She asked.

“I know you’re trying to help, and I appreciate it, but…” The stallion trailed off, trying to finds words that would avoid offending the unicorn.

“It’s alright, I understand completely.” Raki said, sitting down to wrap him in her forelegs. “Just one of those nights, isn’t it?”

“Pretty fucking much…” The earth pony answered, his member twitching painfully again. He winced, but not much at this surge of pain.

“Ah.” The mare sighed with a nod of her head. She rubbed the stallion’s back with one of her front hooves, hoping to make him feel better.

Tenmei thought over his current scenario for a moment, as well as his current options. It felt like an eternity, though, as he analyzed everything to the best of his ability. “Just this once…” He sighed after a while. Reluctantly, he removed the pillow from his groin, and his flagpole rose up to salute him again.

Raki removed her forelegs from the stallion and set her hooves on the floor. “Would you like me to do anything in particular?” She asked.

“As long as things don’t go up my ass, and Mr. Meatstick goes away, I’m alright with whatever you choose to do.” The stallion replied bluntly, lying on his back again. “You already have a sound barrier up; might as well make it useful.”

The tan pony did have a point on his part. The unicorn clambered onto the bed on top of him, careful to avoid hurting him with her hooves in the process. She decided against kissing him on the lips for the time being, turning herself around so her folds were above his muzzle.

Tenmei chuckled nervously when the sight greeted him. “This...uh…” He trailed off.

“Was unexpected?” Raki finished for him.

“Yeah, that.” The one beneath replied with a quick nod.

“Then again, Koto didn’t expect me to kiss her on the lips one night.” The unicorn confessed, blushing now.

“Wait...you’re...bisexual?” The earth pony asked, eyes wide. That image was now playing out in his head.

“I guess you could say that.” The mare answered, chuckling daintily to herself. She lowered her head until her muzzle was inches away from the mere tip of the flagpole. The unicorn sighed contently, letting her tongue out and giving the shaft a tentative lick.

“I think...a chill just ran up my spine…” Tenmei murmured, wrapping both forelegs around the mare’s hind legs.

“That’s a good thing. It means your body is responding the way it should.” Raki replied before licking the head again. Before the stallion could react, he felt her mouth wrap around the head of his dong, and he gave off a soft moan in response.

Tenmei eyed the folds dangling just out of his reach. They were very tempting, but even his front hoof could not touch them--so close, and yet, so far--unless he chose to sit up. The earth pony let off a sharp gasp, feeling more of his flagpole enter the unicorn’s mouth at an alarming rate. “Could...you...lower your rear, please?” He asked.

The unicorn obliged quickly, figuring she may as well let him have it. She shuddered, feeling a front hoof probe around the folds tenderly. The stallion moved the hoof away--just as someone began knocking on the door. Raki gasped, eyes wide with shock. She pulled away from the member (while she accidentally sat down with her crotch in Tenmei’s muzzle in the process) and yanked the blanket up to her chest via magic to hide the view.

The knocking persisted for a moment or two before the room fell deathly silent. Whatever was knocking seemed to have gone away for the time being. The blanket was cast aside, and the unicorn noticed her partner’s front hooves trying to push her off. She lifted her rump and heard him coughing for air.

“Don’t...do that…again...!” Tenmei gasped, trying to regain his composure. “I could’ve suffocated…”

“Apologies...didn’t expect someone to start knocking.” Raki sighed, waiting until she was sure that whoever that may have been was truly away, which was only a few moments.

“Neither did I, to be honest…” Tenmei replied, waving a front hoof to the ceiling a bit frantically.

“I get the feeling we’re being watched…” Raki murmured, sighing again. She glanced around the room for a moment or so to confirm that there wasn’t a mysterious third party eavesdropping this nightly charade. Certain there was nobody watching, the unicorn promptly shoved the flagpole into her mouth again.

The stallion laid back, seemingly indifferent to the happenings down south for the moment. True, the treatment he was getting felt good, but it simply didn’t feel good enough for that fact to quite register in his brain yet. He wiped his dampened muzzle with a hoof and proceeded to wipe that mess onto the bedsheets. Tenmei jumped and then shuddered, feeling a front hoof tenderly caress his nuts.

The unicorn pulled away again. “You felt that, didn’t you?” She asked.

“Y-Yeah…” Tenmei replied with a nod. He was trying to divert his gaze to the ceiling again, but the rear end of the one who was touching him was in his way.

“How long have you had this erection?” Raki asked, causing the stallion’s heart to skip a beat.

“Uh...I haven’t kept track of time.” Tenmei answered, sweat dotting his wide-eyed face.

“It’s about eleven-thirty.” Raki sighed. “And we all hit the hay at seven-forty-five.”

“I had the pole...uh...five minutes after I covered up.” Tenmei said, shaking a bit.

That right there waved a red flag in the unicorn’s mind. “So, more or less three hours, and you’ve not tended to it?” She asked.

“Yeah...and it’s been hurting too…” Tenmei confessed, quickly covering his mouth with a hoof to stifle a yelp as the spire shot another surge of pain through his nerves.

“If this isn’t fixed soon, you’re gonna have a permanent lightpost dangling between your legs.” Raki scolded, letting off a sharp sigh tinged with annoyance. “You wouldn’t even be able to walk out in public at all if that were to happen.”

Tenmei could very easily envision how that scenario would’ve played out, and his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as it played in his head. Before he could utter another word, the mare flipped herself right back around and plunged the member into her vagina without so much as a warning. The breath was knocked out of him, another jolt of pain ran rampant in his system, and his front legs had stiffened for a second afterwards.

“You certainly felt that. This is a lot worse than I thought.” Raki sighed, her words eliciting a weak nod and pleading whimper from the stallion beneath her.

“Just make it go away…” Tenmei complained, eyelids slanting in a way he looked about ready to burst into tears. “It hurts so much…”

“Oh dear. Just how pent is he?” Raki thought, lowering her head so she could nuzzle the young stallion tenderly. “I’ll make it go away, it’s going to be alright…” She whispered softly. The mare felt front legs grasp her desperately by the neck, and she knew she didn’t need to waste time. Horn aglow, she slowly raised herself up and brought herself back down a few times, her movements garnering more needy whimpers from the earth pony.

She pulled the flagpole out just long enough to grasp it in her magic before jamming it straight back into her snatch. The stallion let out a sharp shriek of pain, causing the unicorn to wince as the ghastly sound assaulted her ears. Good thing the sound barrier had been set up in the first place.

Raki had no choice now. She rose her rear up and down with swift movements, hips smacking as they connected again and again. Her mouth locked with his, his screams of agony heavily muffled as a result. Tears were leaking from his eyes, but there was little she could do to stop them.

With magic and body combined, the earth pony felt the pain going away much quicker than what either could coax away alone. Another muffled scream came out as his member erupted its fluids like a volcano. As those fluids left, the pain went with, though a tinge of after-hurt still lingered as he was spent.

The room hung in silence, and the kiss was broken. The unicorn looked away from her partner, a pang of guilt wrenching itself in her heart. She’d just raped a pony when he was most vulnerable, and a tear fell from her eye as that fact lodged itself in her mind.

Tenmei calmed down, wiping his tears away with a hoof after prying it away from the unicorn. He felt the tear from his partner just barely hit his left ear, and he pulled her closer with his front legs.

“I….I just…” Raki started, her voice shaken. “I’m...a monster…I’m like them...”

“You’re not.” Tenmei said, his still-pained voice firm. “You just wanted to help.”

“But...you were vulnerable…” The unicorn replied, another tear streaking her face. The earth pony couldn’t deny her very valid point.

“I gave myself to you. There’s a difference.” Tenmei sighed, nuzzling her neck. “I gave you free reign, even though it hurt…”

Raki sighed, letting his words sink in for a moment. She realized he’d just countered her, and that put her mind at a bit of ease. She turned to look at him again and sighed softly. The mare wiped her tears away with one of her own hooves.

“I...suppose you’re right…” She murmured before finding her eyes widen when the earth pony pecked her on the lips.

The stallion flashed her a cheeky grin. “Hey, despite the pain, that was really good. Heck, I feel really comfortable now.” He said.

“Oh, that reminds me…” Raki sighed, realizing the member was still held in both magic and snatch. She rose her rear end, the aura grasping the flagpole going away as she did. A wet pop sounded as the shaft was released, which fell limp against the owner’s stomach afterwards. She lowered her rear again, though it was only to shift into a more comfortable position.

“Hey, could we keep the sound barrier up for a good half-hour longer?” Tenmei asked, eyelids slanted in worry.

“Why?” Raki asked, brow arched.

“There’s...something else I’ve kept pent up. You remember when I went near-mute for a day?” Tenmei stated.

“Yes...wait…” The unicorn connected the dots in her head. “You’re going to tell me?”

“All of it. And I’m not leaving any details out.” Tenmei answered, his voice firm.

Raki thought it over for a moment. “Tomorrow.” She said. “Right now….” The unicorn paused to cover her mouth with a hoof, “...we need to sleep.”

Author's Note

Er, yeah...things. Looks like I really outdid myself here.

~Dragon

Chapter LXXI- Fever Dream

Yuuki tossed and turned in her bed, eyes scrunching one second and relaxing the next. The dream world had quite the oddity to give her this night: in that dream, she stood in vast white. Nothing was discernable from the color that reflected all others. There was solid ground, yes, but that too was pure as snow--perhaps even purer than that.

The pegasus didn’t bother taking a look around; there was nothing here, as far as she could tell. For a moment or two, she stood perfectly still.

“Where am I?” She wondered aloud, her voice faintly echoing in the white. This dream surely wasn’t like the others she’d experienced, and she arched a brow at the fact. Hesitantly, she moved a hoof, finding more solid white ground to work with.

Something was off about this dreamscape, but with all this white, Yuuki could not for the life of her put her hoof on what that was. She began to move forward, her hooves slow at first before quickening into a trot.

Nothing seemed to change right yet, so she kept going. Just what was this place, apart from a really odd dream?

She trotted for thirty minutes, then an hour, and still got no results as to what this dream had yielded.

“Ugh! Why doesn’t trotting do any good?!” Yuuki cried, sitting on her rump so she could throw her forelegs at the white sky. Her eyes narrowed low as she did this. “Screw this, I’m flying!” The pegasus tried spreading her wings, only to receive a surge of pain as they failed to respond. She shrieked in agony at this for a moment before looking ahead of her.

Still more damned white to scour. It seemed like it would never end. Why did there have to be so much white? The irritated pegasus got up and began trotting forward again, noticing a faint speck in the distance.

A very faint one too. It’d looked like it’d take forever to reach.

Slowly, oh so slowly, she got closer to the speck which seemed to grow bigger little by little as she approached. Eventually, it began to take on a shape that was erratic at first.

In this world of white, as she got closer, she found herself approaching a town of some kind. Even so, a question still lingered in her mind: what was this place, apart from being one with the dream world, and what purpose did she have here?

Familiar shapes began to become more defined as she continued her approach. Trees bunched up here, a barn near those bunched trees, a treehouse on the westmost side of town…

“Ponyville…?” Yuuki inquired, blinking to make sure she was seeing correctly. “Are the laws of the dream world fucking with me again?”

She got closer still, seeing a nearby carrot farm, and houses here and there. The pegasus continued, noticing the shapes looked black as night, sharply contrasting the white in which she was trying to leave.

At last, a path of dirt began to form before her. It was monochrome grey, and it hung heavy where bright colors should be. She, however, retained her usual tones of purple, which once again contrasted the dull grey path.

Something was definitely off now. She kept trotting, her eyes catching sight of the fields of the carrot farm and apple orchard.

The farm was barren, and so were the branches of the trees. Not a single leaf was to be had, which was funny because the grass surrounding the path was growing like greyed-out weeds.

Yuuki took a look around just to make sure she was seeing correctly. Upon turning around, the white she was in had suddenly turned to pitch black for a split-second, causing her to jump.

Her ears caught the sound of a child giggling. The sound held an air of innocence, with some hints of playfulness here and there. Turning back around, a silhouette of a foal was standing between a few houses in the nearby street. She couldn’t make out the features clearly, save that it had a mane and tail as long as those of a typical filly.

The foal giggled again, turning around and dashing off into the distance.

“Hey! Wait up!” Yuuki cried, quickly galloping after it. The foal outran her, which should not have been possible, given its small size. The foal seemed to have been taunting her with its giggles as it continued to run away in a straight line.

The pegasus stopped, gasping for breath. The foal had stopped as well, at a reasonable distance away from her. Yuuki tried flaring her wings again, only to grit her teeth as another surge of pain greeted her.

“Ha ha! You can’t fly!” The foal teased, the voice pronounced enough to tell the pegasus its gender: a colt. The colt turned around and began running away again, and the pegasus scowled.

“What have I gotten myself into now…?” She hissed in a whisper, quickly galloping after the annoyance again.

“You can’t catch me!” The colt teased incessantly as the mare continued her seemingly-vain attempts to follow him. Yuuki collapsed, adrenalin and oxygen abuse aiding her tired muscles in screaming at her to stop.

“Fuck…” She mumbled, “I don’t recall losing energy this fast…”

The colt turned around to show off his black-obscured side, and a peculiar point stuck out of his forehead. Was that a horn, or a tuft of mane? Yuuki was unable to tell which it was; her vision blurring slightly as she regained her breath again.

The pegasus rose once more, the pain in her limbs now numbed to a mere afterthought. The colt looked at her again, and only then she could see the color of his eyes.

A ruby red.

The colt giggled again, eyes glinting as he once more took off running.

“Can’t you stand still for ONE FUCKING MINUTE?!” Yuuki hollered, yet again chasing after him. As she ran, she looked over her shoulder and found the town crumbling behind her into that void of white. Her eyes widened, and she looked ahead of her whilst her legs kicked into overdrive and propelled her to wherever the colt was running off too. She couldn’t afford to stall, not when the very world was crumbling behind her every step.

The pegasus ran for what seemed to be an eternity of never-ending street lined with houses that appeared to repeat themselves. The colt suddenly ran into a structure that stood out from the rest.

A wrecked train cart that lay on its side.

Yuuki had no choice now; she jumped into the train cart’s back door quick as lightning right as the door behind her slammed shut. Metallic groaning resonated as the cart inexplicably righted itself onto its wheels, the white eating up all else that was outside.

On the other side was the damned colt, his pelt and mane colors now as clear as his eyes: a coat of golden orange, and a mane matching hers, albeit a darker purple. Protruding from his head was a horn--a horn that was glowing in deep red at that.

A red flag instantly went off in the pegasus’s head, and all she could do to the colt was gawk at him. The colt approached her, an innocent smile plastered upon his muzzle.

“Why’d you leave me, mommy?” He asked.

Yuuki’s jaw worked up and down, but she couldn’t form words with which to convey an answer. She did this for another moment or so, as if her brain shut down then and there. It didn’t help that he was still smiling, standing in front of her with seemingly no clue of what exactly transpired so that he was created and destroyed in short order.

She could've sworn he was terminated before he could develop. Why, then, was she seeing him as though she let him live?

The colt’s horn glowed brighter, and the pegasus found herself landing upon the door backside-first. Her front legs were held apart from one another, as if she had been crudely crucified.

“Why’d you kill me?” The colt asked, his smile fading as tears began to well in his eyes.

Yuuki suddenly found words, and she had at last spoken them. “I didn’t want you, and I couldn’t take care of you. There. You happy?”

A vase appeared from straight-up nowhere and was promptly smashed to pieces upon her head.

“But I wanted to live! I wanted to see daddy!” The colt whined, eyes narrowing as tears began trickling down his face.

“You can’t do either! Your daddy--no, sire--was nothing but a foul pony!” Yuuki hissed, eyes narrowing low.

“That’s not true!” The colt protested, making another vase appear so it could be smashed upon the pegasus’s head. “You don’t know daddy like I do!”

“That’s because the fucking prick lied to you!” Yuuki hollered, now becoming reasonably irate with this set of circumstances. Another vase was smashed upon her skull in short order.

The colt was angrily sobbing and screaming at the top of his lungs at this point, and he began hurling more and more vases until the pegasus could take no more, waking up screeching in pain whilst sitting up in her bed.

She looked around, seeing she was still in her room. The door was wide open, with Kaguya and Takashi looking right at her with wide-eyed expressions. The pegasus breathed a sigh of relief before a cold breeze hit her. She looked down, finding she was sleeping in a pool of her own sweat.

“Yeah...you don’t look alright.” Kaguya remarked, causing the young mare to shoot a glance at her.

“What time is it?” Yuuki groaned, removing herself from her soaked bed sheets. Her entire frame was still drenched in sweat, and she winced as the pain she felt in the dream came rushing back to her full-force.

“About eight in the morning.” Takashi replied, sighing. “Go take a bath and come down for breakfast, you honestly need it.”

Chapter LXXII- Rumors and Dreams

After her bath, the pegasus had her breakfast and threw her dripping wet sheets into the appropriate cleaning department. She trotted outside once all of that was said and done, and looked to the sky to see her fellow pegasi in the air forming storm clouds over the town. Stretching her wings, she flew up to them upon hearing some sort of argument going on.

There were three pegasi, all stallions, bickering rather loudly with Rainbow Dash. One was a dark grey with three footballs for a cutie mark, black mane obscuring his eyes from view. The second one, dark tan with brown mane also shielding his eyes with three basketballs for a cutie mark, was currently throwing insults consisting of “Rainbow Crash” or some variant thereof. The last, dark brown with a beige-grey mane and blue eyes with a dumbbell cutie mark, snickered to his heart’s content.

“I don’t get why you losers can’t find something better to do!” Rainbow yelled, eyes narrowed low already. She was hovering in an upright stance, forelegs crossed together tightly. “I’m trying to herd storm clouds one minute, and then the next, you three bozos show up and decide to distract me!”

The grey one snickered. “At least we got weather factory jobs!” He stated.

“Good ones, too. The rainbows they make over there may as well be your hair dye, Rainbow Crash!” The dark tan one exclaimed, a smile adorning his muzzle.

“That’s a good burn, Hoops!” Cried the brown one, looking at his fellow before all three of them broke out into hysterical laughter.

“I bet you three can’t top my speed!” Rainbow jabbed accusingly, eyes narrowing further. She looked about ready to fly to them, knock the lot to the ground, and send some teeth flying with her hooves in the process.

“That’s because you used performance-enhancing drugs since you were a filly!” Hoops sneered, his smile widening.

Yuuki flew towards the bickering lot, quickly making herself known to the four by lightly tapping the heads of the stallions with a hoof as she passed. The trio looked at her as she took her place next to Rainbow, and they all smiled darkly at her very presence.

“Oh look, it’s the town bicycle!” Hoops jeered, his smile widening further.

“Heard she had an abortion. Gee, I wonder if it’s because she would’ve molested the foal?” Taunted the grey one.

“Score, I think that’s the case.” Sneered the brown one.

Rainbow shot a glance at the surprise guest. “Is it true?” She asked.

Yuuki looked back at the cyan pegasus. “Is what true?” She inquired.

“The abortion bit.” Rainbow sighed.

The purple pegasus huffed and shook her head. “Yes, sadly, but not for the reason these stallions say.” She answered, looking back at the trio with narrowed eyes. “Listen here, jerkwads, I am not the town bicycle.”

“Dumb-Bell, she’s just in denial. Heard from Starburst she’s been with several stallions before.” Score teased, looking at the brown pegasus.

“Starburst told you this?” Yuuki inquired, a brow arched and twitching at Score’s words. “Are you for real?”

Score snapped his gaze back to the purple pegasus and nodded once. “Oh yes he did. His friend Compass Star also said you’re currently with an asshole.” He added, his grin widening.

“Is that what it’s come to? They’re spreading rumors about me now?” The purple mare thought, a deep and agitated groan escaping her lips as she hung her head low for a moment. “I hope Spitfire doesn’t believe them…”

“Listen here, you dummies, you don’t know her like I do. Why in Tartarus do you believe what I’m starting to think is nothing more than rumors about her? What did she do to you?” Rainbow hissed, flying so she was in front of the purple pegasus.

“You know full well what they say about foreigners, Crash. Seeing’s believing.” Hoops replied. “And Starburst said he saw her in the dead of night with her current boyfriend.”

“WHAT?” Yuuki half-shrieked, shaking her head in disbelief before looking at the trio with wide eyes.

The cyan pegasus huffed like a bull ready to charge. “She may be a foreigner, jerks, but she’s not anything you’ve heard about. She's a really good pony!” She growled.

“Hoops! Score! Dumb-Bell!” Cried a voice as another pegasus approached the argument that would’ve unfolded into a mess. The trio glanced around and witnessed Spitfire flying towards them, a few ponies with white hats and outfits somewhat reminiscent of janitor’s clothing following her. “Put your outfits on and get back to the factory and work! The boss of the weather department has been looking for you three!”

The trio of stallions froze for a moment before doing as they were told, giving the two mares a final set of dark grins as they went.

Spitfire flew towards the duo, looking at Yuuki in particular as she approached a reasonable short distance between herself and the aforementioned pegasus. “Yeah, I heard about those nasty rumors going on about you lately.” She said.

“Just be glad I didn’t know about the rumors when I was armed.” Yuuki replied with a slow nod, “Otherwise, there’d be a few bloodstains on the clouds that would need cleaning up.”

“I can agree with you there.” The orange pegasus sighed. “Once I heard the rumors and who started them, I straight-up got those guys off the flying team. I wish I’d done that sooner--first, the sexual harassment, then the gang-attack, and now this.”

“It’s hard being flight captain with--pardon my words--idiots like that in the team, right?” The purple mare inquired, sighing yet again.

“You bet. Tomfoolery is not taken lightly in the flight squad. It’s one of my personal pet peeves, especially if it involves rumors of this sort.” Spitfire answered with a nod of her head. “To degrade a member of the flight team--a mere novice in your case--is just about as bad as failing the Wonderbolt tryouts.”

“I hate to interrupt,” Dash interjected, causing the two to look at her, “but what’s gonna happen to Hoops and the other two?”

“I told their boss about them harassing some of their co-workers, and I’ll have to go back and tell him about this small mess too.” The flight captain answered, eyelids slanting for a moment.

“So, this morning’s been hell for you?” Yuuki asked, the answer to her question being another simple nod from Spitfire.

Rainbow turned to the purple pegasus. “Next time you see Hoops and the other bozos, don’t mind them. They’re just a bunch of adult bullies who think they can get away with mocking us for whatever reason they can find.” She sighed.

Yuuki glanced at the cyan mare. “I’ll keep that in mind next time. Though the rumors they recited still...baffle me.”

“I can understand why.” Dash agreed with a nod, rolling her eyes at the prospect. “Heck, if there were rumors like that about me, yeah, I’d probably be shocked too.”

“Affirmative.” Spitfire concurred. “Anyway, I’ll go back to Cloudsdale and oversee more tryouts and whatnot.” With that, the orange pegasus flew off.

“So, what plans do you have today?” Dash asked, glancing back at Yuuki again.

“I’ve no idea. I’ll probably fall asleep in my room again after lunch.” The purple mare replied, sighing once more.

“Why say that?” The rainbow-maned pegasus asked once more, brow arched.

“I had...a really fucked up nightmare.” The purple pony answered, cringing at the mere memory of that nightmare. The colt that was in said nightmare only further put her in a state of unease. “I’m...not really sure how to explain it.” She lied, cringing again. The nightmare was far simpler to explain, unlike the other ones, but that still didn’t help matters.

“Yikes.” Dash started, eyelids slanting in worry. “And I thought my nightmares of using a machine to turn innocent ponies into rainbows were haywire.”

“That...yeah, that does sound fucked up by itself.” Yuuki agreed with a quick nod of her head. The prospect Rainbow relayed was now playing in her skull. “Do you have them often?”

“No; I only have those nightmares in either hospital situations where I’m in the recovery room or the night before a very big event.” Rainbow answered, sighing afterwards.

“I blame stress on that. Been in both situations before, though my dreams didn’t involve killing ponies to make rainbows out of their remains.” Yuuki stated, scratching the back of her head with a hoof.

“Yeah. Stress is a mood-killer.” The cyan agreed, a false smile on her face. “I’ll go back to herding storm clouds; there’s supposed to be a huge thunderstorm today.” With that, she flew away.

“I’d best get out of the way of lightning, then.” The purple mare murmured, descending back to the ground at a rather slow pace. Right as her hooves touched the trodden dirt path, thunder boomed up well above her, its roar shaking the ground slightly, causing her to jump a bit before she looked up. Lightning was already streaking across the veiled sky, a vivid white briefly tearing that concealed sky asunder. Quickly, she went back home just as the rain began to pour on the town.

Chapter LXXIII- Spring Showers

Kaguya’s eyes went wide, and she turned her head so she could spit her tea away from the table and everyone else who was present. She then turned back to the purple pegasus, an ear twitching, before nearly shouting “What?!” at the highest pitch of voice she could possibly muster.

“Okay, that’s just low.” Koto hissed, slamming a hoof on the table. “Seriously, what’s next on their agenda?!”

“I have no freaking clue what’s going on at this point.” Yuuki replied, sighing afterwards. “Frankly, since they’ve been shoehorned off the flight team, I’m afraid to find out.”

Takashi crossed his forelegs and shook his head. “I still cannot believe they had the nerve to call you the town bicycle. Hell, I’m pretty sure they don’t know what that phrase even means.” He murmured.

“It sure does seem like they’re pulling those rumors straight out from their asses, though. I’ve heard some pretty bad gossip, but for the love of our fatherland, this is the worst yet.” Rekka stated, resting a cheek on a hoof. He waved the other in a rather dismissive manner. “What the fuck has possessed them lately?”

“Again, I’ve no idea.” Yuuki replied, her wings shifting nervously. She shrugged her shoulders after that.

“Whatever it is, at the rate they’re going, I’m surprised they haven’t landed in Canterlot’s dungeons yet.” Raki sighed, waving a foreleg in the air as if trying to shake a clingy beast off of it.

“Agreed. Next time they start shit with you, I’d suggest finding the nearest royal guard and pointing him in their direction.” Takashi remarked, putting one hoof behind his head to scratch at the scalp.

“It’s already bad enough with what they did in the past, and those actions may further spur them into something that just crosses the line which marks the point of no return.” Kaguya agreed with a nod of her head.

“Perhaps I’ll insult them in our mother tongue. They wouldn’t know what the fuck I was saying.” Nagare stated, a small smile on his face. He imagined the confused looks of those idiots as he insulted them left right and sideways in Japanese, and he chuckled at that image.

“I don’t think egging them on any further is a good idea. If that were to happen, they’d ask for a translation sooner or later.” Tenmei replied, rolling his eyes as he spoke.

Nagare thought over the words of the earth pony for a bit, quickly realizing he gave a very valid point. “There’s that…” He murmured, spreading his wings briefly.

“Perhaps I should just find a guard now and get it over with.” Yuuki remarked, sighing once more.

“But you’re only spreading a rumor about those assholes, even though it’s true. That’s stooping to their level.” Kaguya replied, rubbing her eyes with a hoof. “While I understand that they need to be detained, they still need to break the law for that to happen.” She added, shooting the purple pegasus a worried glance.

“I suppose that’s true.” Yuuki murmured, the words of the white-coated earth pony sinking in already. Her wings shifted again as thunder boomed outside.

“Alright, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I’ve another question to ask.” Kaguya started, still looking at Yuuki. “What the fuck kind of dream did you have this time?”

Yuuki’s heart skipped a beat, and her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. Beads of sweat marked their presence in faint trails as they fell down her face. “It’s just...fucked up…” She murmured, cringing at the thought.

“How fucked up, on a scale of one to ten?” Takashi asked, blinking.

“About one hundred and ten.” Yuuki quickly replied, still cringing. Thunder boomed outside again.

“Give her some time. She doesn’t look comfortable talking about it.” Raki pointed out, causing everyone else to look at her. Yuuki breathed a sigh of relief, wings shifting once more as she relaxed.

“I remember when she flipped. I guess we’ll have to give her time for this, too.” Kaguya stated with a nod of her head.

“Besides, a fucked up nightmare like the one she had would be hard to explain anyway.” Raki remarked, holding a hoof towards the purple pegasus for emphasis.

“I suppose you have a point on that front.” Takashi murmured, scratching the back of his head with a hoof again.

Thunder boomed outside again.

“How long’s this storm supposed to last?” Rekka asked, brow arched as he moved his head up to look at nothing in particular.

“I dunno. All I know was there was supposed to be a big storm today.” Yuuki replied, sighing. She briefly spread her wings. “Rainbow Dash called cloud-gathering herding.”

“Makes sense if you think about it.” Nagare stated with a nod of his head. “For all I know, storm clouds may as well be treated like blue sheep with golden-colored fleece that crackle with electricity.”

“Wouldn’t the fleece turn dark grey as the electricity’s being produced, though?” Tenmei asked, glancing at the green pegasus whilst chuckling.

“Pretty much.” Nagare answered, smiling warmly.

Thunder boomed outside once more, and this time the rain pattered on the roof so much it sounded almost as if it had been hailing.

“I’m certain nobody’s going outside today, unless they want to catch a cold.” Takashi commented, looking up at the ceiling as the sounds persisted.

“So much for spring showers.” Kaguya murmured, also looking up towards the ceiling.

“Will there be school for Mimi and Mimu tomorrow?” Tenmei asked, ears twitching as thunder crashed once more. The house shook briefly from the sound.

“Can’t be too sure of that, but I’ll go as far to say as it’s not likely.” Takashi replied, sighing.

“Let’s be glad we’re not lightning rods right now.” Koto murmured, glancing at everyone else.

Chapter LXXIV- A Bad Feeling

Thunder boomed again, this time so loud the sound of someone knocking on the door was barely discernible from the sky’s outcry. Waiting until the thunder’s roar subsided, Yuuki turned to the door and shouted, “It’s open!”

The door opened, and in strode Twilight and Spike (both of whom were decked out in soaked rain coats). The lavender unicorn’s horn glowed, and the rain that had accumulated on her and Spike’s coats was promptly sent out the door, making the two look dry. The door was then closed in short order.

“What brings you here?” Kaguya asked, brow arched.

Twilight took her coat off, and produced a coat rack on which to hang it. “Princess Celestia sent me another letter, telling me to come here again.” She answered.

“Why?” Takashi inquired, also cocking a brow.

“She wanted me to inform you of something.” Twilight answered, trotting to the table. “Namely, about a stallion named Paladin Blade.”

“What would that be?” Rekka asked, eyes widening. He blinked a few times.

“Well, she heard about the guards searching for him and two ponies who helped him, and told them to lay off upon also hearing he died.” Twilight answered with a sigh escaping her lips afterwards.

Rekka and Yuuki exchanged wide-eyed glances then and there. They then looked back at Twilight, the wide-eyed expressions not leaving their faces for a second.

“I take it you two helped Paladin?” Twilight asked, noticing the shocked looks dotting the faces of the two. Both nodded in response. “I see. There’s more that Celestia wanted me to inform you two about.” She said.

Both waited for her words intently.

“Have either of you heard of the Black Feathers Mafia?” Twilight asked.

“I did.” Rekka answered, blinking again.

“Well, Celestia said that those ponies have been detained thanks to vital evidence.” Twilight said, a faint smile on her face.

Yuuki cringed, remembering the body she’d seen during her very first few hours in Equestria. The poor guard didn’t deserve his demise, especially with how he wound up strung to a lightpost. “I...saw a body…” She murmured.

“What did the body look like?” Twilight asked, blinking.

“Well...a guard...strung up to a lightpost upside-down...and he was already rotting…” Yuuki answered, cringing again.

“I...think Celestia mentioned that guard in the letter she sent me…” Twilight murmured, ears flat on her skull for a moment.

“She did.” Spike stated, producing a scroll in his hand. He gave it to Twilight, whose magic unrolled it so she could read its contents.

“Ah. Thanks, Spike.” Twilight said, smiling a little bit.

“You’re welcome.” Spike replied, also grinning.

“Anyway, let’s just say those gang members were sent to Outlaw Island.” Twilight sighed, rolling up the scroll again.

“There’s an island solely for criminals?” Takashi asked, cocking a brow again.

“Yeah, but that island’s only for really bad ponies. The other places are either the sun, moon, or Tartarus if what the ponies did was really bad.” Twilight answered with a nod.

“Why the sun, moon, or Tartarus?” Koto asked, one of her brows arching now.

“Those are reserved for those who...well, danger Equestria as a whole, or perhaps even the world itself. Things like Nightmare Moon before she was reformed, Discord, even though he was never banished to begin with...there’re very few things that threaten Equestria as a whole.” Twilight answered with a nod.

Koto’s eyes widened. She recalled what Rarity had told her about Nightmare Moon. “Oh, I see.” She murmured, blinking. “You know of any more?” She asked.

“No, but since I’m studying half the time, I may find more information on that subject.” Twilight answered, smiling warmly.

“Alright.” Kaguya started, causing the lavender unicorn to look at her. “That all you needed?”

“As far as Celestia telling me to relay a message, I’d say I’m about done on that front.” Twilight answered with a nod. “But hey, could I learn more about where you guys come from? You never really say much about your homeland anyway.” She added, causing the group to exchange glances amongst themselves for a moment or two.

“Oh dear...where do we even begin?” Raki asked, beads of sweat dotting her face. A contorted grin adorned her muzzle, and her pupils were meager pinpricks.

“There’s so much to tell her…” Koto whispered, ears flat on her skull. She too was sweating.

Nagare’s wings shifted slightly. “I’m not sure what to make of it either…” He murmured, cringing.

“I still feel a bit homesick…” Rekka stated, legs shaking a bit.

“As do I…” Yuuki agreed with a shaky nod of her head.

“Can we change the subject please?” Tenmei asked, his face beginning to turn a light shade of green. “I don’t feel so good…”

Raki wiped the sweat off her brow with a hoof, then she got up from her seat and hoisted the earth pony onto her back with her magic. She shot a glance at Twilight. “Pardon me for leaving suddenly, but my friend kind of needs to use the toilet…” She sighed.

“I understand.” Twilight replied with a nod. “He doesn’t look so good.”

The white unicorn nodded back and quickly but carefully made her way to, then up, the stairs. As she had continued to the bathroom, the poor stallion on her back covered his mouth with a hoof, cheeks expanding to plump circles as if he were trying to hold his breath. His face went even greener at this point, and his eyes began to water.

“What made him want to puke?” Spike inquired, quickly finding himself getting stared at by the others at the table.

“I’ve no clue. He’s never turned as green as my pelt when confronted with that question before…” Nagare replied, shrugging his shoulders. “I’m starting to think that something’s up.” He added, wings shifting again.

“Perhaps breakfast decided it did not agree with him.” Kaguya murmured, rubbing a foreleg with a hoof.

“He did ask to change the subject.” Koto swiftly pointed out, ears twitching. “I’m siding with Nagare on this one: something’s up.”

“I’m agreeing with them. It’s not like him…” Rekka mumbled, shooting a glance at the green pegasus and blue unicorn and nodded to them. They nodded back.

“Ditto.” Yuuki concurred with another nod of her head, this one less shaky than the first.

“Whatever it is, I think I’ll abide by his request.” Twilight sighed, once more causing those still at the table to look at her. “What do you want to talk about?”

“I’m getting a bad feeling…” Nagare murmured, looking to the ceiling.

“About what?” Spike asked, brow arched.

“I don’t know…” The pegasus trailed off, pausing briefly to bite his lip, “...and that’s what worries me.”

Author's Note

Finale's next. I talked with one of the other contribs about it, and I've stalled long enough. Let the final chapter commence, and hopefully very soon.

~Dragon

Chapter LXXV, Part I- Enhancements

The thunderstorm carried on well into the night, and much of it seemed to have extended by itself to the very mountaintop Canterlot was merged into. The rain poured and poured, pelting the land below mercilessly, as lightning of purest white streaked across the sky. Thunder roared, its cry nearly deafening, shaking the ground and mountain with its mighty voice.

Luna and Celestia sat in the throne room, and they exchanged glances with one another. They were alone here; nary a guard or some other pony was seen.

“Wasn’t this storm supposed to end five hours ago?” Luna asked, eyelids slanted a bit.

“Yes. It should not have reached Canterlot, but it has.” Celestia answered with a nod of her head. “Have the clouds gone beyond control of the pegasi?”

“I do hope that isn’t the case.” Luna sighed, eyelids slanting more. A frown adorned her muzzle and, small as it was, further shaped a look of worry on her face.

“If this continues in the next few hours, we will send the guards to help sort it out.” Celestia replied, nodding once more. The thunder roared again, once more shaking the castle in its wake momentarily.

Luna turned to glance at the ceiling, cocking a brow in the process. “Sister, do you sense something...strange?” She asked.

“I do indeed sense something strange.” Celestia replied, also turning to look at the ceiling. “But I cannot figure out what that is.” She added, eyes narrowing just a little.

“Neither can I.” Luna agreed, blinking a few times. She shifted her wings. Thunder roared yet again, and the castle shook slightly under its fearsome voice. “Something...doesn’t sit quite right.”

A masculine voice chuckled in the room. Celestia and Luna quickly returned their gazes back to ground level, darting their heads every which-way they could manage in an attempt to find the source of the laugh.

“Who’s there?!” Luna bellowed, rising up from her throne and flaring her wings wide. She continued to glance around, the source of the chuckle still eluding her and her sister. Only the thunder and somewhat-dampened sound of pouring rain answered her and Celestia. Hesitantly, the princess sat back down, closing her wings in the process.

Celestia stopped glancing around, fixing her gaze towards the doors that gave way to the hallway beyond. Those very doors were closed, and nobody else had been present. What, then, caused the unnerving laugh?

The sisters exchanged another glance. “The longer we stay here, the more I believe something is off.” Celestia said bluntly.

Luna nodded in agreement. “Let’s go to the balcony. Perhaps the storm has let up somewhat.” She replied. The two turned to the door, only to find two familiar unicorn stallions blocking the doors, a cube-shaped object concealed with a white cloth between them.

“And where do you think you two are going?” Maki asked, a ghoulish grin on his muzzle.

The sisters rose from their thrones and approached the two stallions and whatever it was they had under the cloth blanket, stopping about halfway down the carpet. “Why are you here? We gave the guards the order to arrest you on the spot.” Celestia stated, eyes narrowing as she eyed the fiends in pony form.

“The two of you have done more than endanger everypony in Equestria. And I’ll have you know neither of us takes kindly to that.” Luna added, eyes narrowing as well.

“Hah! And this is coming from two alicorns who sat on their asses all day? Bitches, please, you’ve hardly done a thing today!” Baki spat, venom in his words. A twisted grin also adorned his muzzle, showing sharp teeth befitting a vampire.

Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but closed it when Maki rose one of his hooves. “Before we get down to the nitty-gritty, we’d like to introduce you to a little friend we made some months ago.” He said.

“Who is this ‘friend’ you speak of, fiend?” Luna asked, eyes narrowing further.

The white cloth was pulled back towards the doors by the gold-pelted unicorn, revealing the thing it was concealing to be a cage of some kind. The cloth shadowed whatever was within, though. A bronze-colored magical aura grasped two bars and bent them, pulling those bars apart until they very nearly broke.

“You’ll see very soon enough.” Baki answered, his smile widening. His teeth seemed to gleam as it did.

A metallic leg ending in three front claws emerged from the dented bars, the steel shining like guards’ armor in the sunlight. Another leg, this one greyish blue in hue, came next. That second leg was very much like that of a pony’s. A feral growl came next before the thing within the cage stepped fully into the light.

Eyes entirely bronze in hue adorned a blue-grey face that had filth staining the pelt, unkempt and equally dirty long blond mane hanging past the shoulders. Small bangs curled sloppily towards the forehead, barely covering the base of a metallic horn. Wings of feathers and blades of all things spread wide from the midsection, and various parts of this pony had been altered in favor of small metal plates here and there moreso on her hind quarters than her front ones.

The hips were also made of steel plates, concealing the area a cutie mark could’ve otherwise made itself known on. The back hooves were also metallic, and green and red elongated wires made up the tail. Several smaller wires dotted the body, the ends of said wires both long and short severed to reveal copper insides.

The creature, once a mare, let off a blood-curdling cry at the sisters, eyes narrowing low as the horn crackled to life.

“Calm yourself, Yoneko. It is not them you’re after.” Baki stated, causing the cybernetic pony to back off a bit. She continued to glare at the sisters, her horn ceasing its sparks.

The sisters were slack-jawed at the sight. Luna was the first to regain her angry look. “What have you done to this pony?!” She bellowed, wings spreading wide again.

“Trained her and made a few...enhancements to her overall physical state of being.” Maki answered, smiling darkly. He trotted up to Yoneko and stroked the back of her neck with a hoof. “She’s our best work yet, if I do say so myself.”

Celestia also regained her angry look. “Is she the ‘project’ we caught wind of?” The white alicorn inquired.

“That little traitor told you?” Baki asked, cocking a brow.

“What little she knew.” The princess answered, spreading her wings wide.

“I guess you could say that.” Baki replied, eyes narrowing with his grin. If pure evil wasn’t scrawled on his face before, then it certainly was now.

Luna’s horn began glowing, though she didn’t grasp anything with her magic. After a moment or so, it stopped glowing. “The two of you are even more monstrous than I thought possible…” She hissed, her pelt starting to turn black once more. “Why did you...alter this mare?”

“We’ve dealt with those brats and traitor long enough. Yoneko is...the one who’s going to end them.” Maki replied, his face darkening. His horn began crackling in roiling fire, and his companion’s that of navy electricity. “And after that, we’ll have her end you both as well.”

“Neither of us can die.” Celestia hissed, her horn glowing in gold.

“Bah, that’s a bunch of poppycock.” Baki replied, waving a hoof dismissively at Celestia’s claim. “Yoneko, go over to Ponyville. You know how to get there, right?”

The cyborg nodded but once, a frown adorning her muzzle.

“Find the brats and the traitor, and bring us their bodies intact. Or just their heads if they give you too much grief.” Maki said. With that, the cyborg let off another blood-curdling cry as her horn once more crackled to life. Before the sisters knew it, she vanished in a flash of bronze light.

Author's Note

Oh dear, shit's about to get real.

~Dragon

Chapter LXXV, Part II- One-Mare-Army

Yoneko appeared in a flash of light near the town hall, rain pelting upon her as soon as she did. She cared little for the rain, though. A few royal guards of the unicorn variety rushed past her down the street, seemingly oblivious to her standing there. Like the rain, she paid them no heed.

A few moments passed, the rain providing the only sound she could hear for the time being. Hooves beating frantically in the mud echoed in the distance, and she twitched her ears in anticipation.

The guards that passed her earlier returned, stopping in their tracks feet from her. They gawked at her form.

Behind them, the six ponies she’d been ordered to kill, also gawking at her.

“What...happened to her…?” Tenmei asked, eyes wide at the sight.

Yoneko’s horn crackled to life again, and with one swift motion of her magic, she pushed the guards aside. She let off a low, almost beast-like growl at the six intended targets, scraping some mud with her clawed foreleg like a bull.

“Someone’s pissed.” Nagare remarked, rising up on his hind legs to wield his sword in his front ones.

Koto readied her boomerang in her magic. “No shit, Sherlock.” She murmured, noticing her weapon glow faintly.

Yoneko took a trot forward, horn still glowing. A bright crimson blaze circled the metallic, pointy frame, steam radiating as a result from contact with the still-falling rain. “You will burn.” She hissed, her voice hoarse and almost forcing an underlying growl in her words. Thunder roared, its voice shaking the ground again, as lightning streaked across the sky in wicked arcs.

Raki’s horn began flaring up in magic. She took a step before the group. “Not if I have something to say about that, sister.” She growled.

Yoneko spread her wings, prying loose the metallic feathers from their frames with her magic to reveal that they were in fact swords an aged bronze in color, complete with hilt and handguards. There were a total of twenty-two blades, eleven for each wing alone.

“Fucking hell! We’ve a one-mare-army here!” Tenmei wailed, pointing the hoof with the crossbow strapped to it accusingly at the alicorn.

“More weapons than an armory too.” Yuuki murmured, flapping her wings and lifting herself inches from the ground.

The swords spun in a circle before the alicorn, moving so fast they looked as though they had been one entity. When the spinning slowed so that the makeshift circle no longer blurred, there was indeed just a single sword.

“Neat trick she pulled, I’ll admit.” Nagare murmured, clutching his sword tightly. “Methinks it’s an intimidation tactic.”

Koto threw her boomerang at the alicorn, the weapon growing five times its normal size. She went wide-eyed and slack-jawed upon seeing her weapon suddenly stop. The alicorn’s metallic foreleg was holding it firmly in place, just centimeters from her muzzle as if it were nothing. What's more, the weapon failed to push her back even an inch. The eyes of the other five also went wide, and they too couldn’t help but gawk at the anomaly.

“A pitiful attempt. I saw that coming from three miles away.” Yoneko hissed, rising up onto her hind legs. She used her sword to support herself, the normal hoof pushing down on the weapon to lodge it in the soaked dirt. With all her might, she threw the boomerang straight back at its owner and sent her careening quite a ways back, hitting her in the side as she tried getting away. She smiled as the weapon returned to normal size, and its owner trying to rise from the slippery mud.

“If she just deflected Koto’s attack…” Yuuki trailed off, her pupils shrunk to pinpricks, “with one foreleg…”

“Then we’ve got a problem right here.” Rekka finished for the pegasus, holding his cannon with his magic. Before he could even react, Yoneko pulled the sword from the mud with her magic, rushed right up to him and sent him a couple of feet back with just a punch to his chest. He howled as he landed in the mud, a few inches from Koto who had managed to get up.

“Shit! She’s fast!” Tenmei yelled, aiming his crossbow at the alicorn who quickly glanced at him. Next thing he knew, he too had been careening away thanks to a hoof that landed right between his eyes. This shattered his glasses to dust--lens and all. He was also screaming in pain, as some of this dust managed to land in his eyes.

Nagare began flying, rushing towards the alicorn with his blade poised. Yoneko grabbed his weapon with her metallic claws, and proceeded to fire a ball of flame that sent him back, forcing him to release his sword in the process. She fired another ball upon seeing he was still airborne, this one forcing him into the mud as well.

Yoneko tossed the pegasus’s weapon aside like it had been a twig, and then she turned to Yuuki. A sphere of electricity was sent her way, effectively shocking the pegasus with the help of the rain that soaked her and sent her into the mud too. She sent another one to Koto to coerce her back onto the soaked, impromptu battlegrounds, before turning to Raki.

“Fuck! She’s too strong! What do I do?!” The unicorn though, wide eyes and pinprick pupils telling her opponent she was beginning to panic. The alicorn grinned darkly, slowly approaching her whilst spinning her copper blade.

“Your friends are just as pathetic as you.” Yoneko taunted, eyes narrowing to accommodate her devious grin. “And since you turned on Master, I’ll have the pleasure of cutting you to pieces and scattering your corpse’s ashes to the four winds.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it…” A voice groaned. Yoneko paused, glancing around to try and find the source of the voice who had spoken. She found Rekka rising up, one foreleg bent more than the other, his cannon held weakly in his magical grasp. The weapon had enlarged to laser-firing size, and it was already about to open fire.

Yoneko merely continued to grin, horn flashing briefly. A barrier had formed over her just as the laser was released. Said barrier ate up the attack and didn’t crack once.

“Your stupidity astounds me.” The alicorn taunted, staring at the red-maned unicorn who only looked at her with wide eyes and grit teeth. “Perhaps I should kill you first.”

“It looks like the ponies I dragged here need assistance, and that I can provide.” Spoke another voice. Yoneko turned to the town hall and found Discord standing atop the roof, tuft-fingers preparing to snap.

Author's Note

More to come soon, hopefully.

~Dragon

Chapter LXXV, Part III- Magic Limiter

“You can’t help them. They are weak and powerless before me!” Yoneko shrieked, waving her metallic foreleg in a dismissive manner.

“Technically, my powers that still affect them this very minute do help them, and have helped them in the past. And since I feel that they need it, I may as well bestow more of my power to them.” Discord replied, the tuft-fingers snapping but once. A glow overcame the forms of the weakened ponies, faint as it was, before all five cried out as pain racked their nerves.

Yoneko scanned the five as they forced themselves out of the mud, and she turned back to Discord whilst grinning. “Look at this! You call this helping them?” She asked, once more waving her metallic foreleg. “You’re hurting them more than helping!”

“That’s funny, I don’t recall my chaos magic doing that unless I so willed it--which I didn’t.” Discord murmured, scratching his chin with his lion paw. A brow was cocked at the display.

Yuuki was the first to stop screaming, her vision blurry as searing pain hit nerves in her head and coaxed tears from her eyes. “My...head...hurts…” She mumbled, taking a step forward on shaking legs. She blinked, trying to clear her vision without rubbing a muddy hoof in her eyes.

“So does my back…” Koto bemoaned, her legs even shakier than those of Yuuki’s. The poor dear could barely stand.

“My everything hurts…” Tenmei complained, eyes scrunched tight. He didn’t even make an attempt to stand.

“It seems I’ve forgotten a few things. Oh well, that’s easily remedied.” Discord commented, once more snapping his tuft-fingers.

Yoneko cocked a brow at the draconequus. “Define ‘easily remedied.’” She said.

“See for yourself.” Discord replied curtly. Yoneko looked around and, much to her surprise, the weakened ponies were bathed in another glow that steadied two, caused the other three to get back on their hooves, and it even renewed Tenmei’s glasses to the point they looked brand-new.

“I already knocked them down!” Yoneko protested, blinking. “How can they stand again?!”

“My chaos magic works wonders, dear.” Discord answered, grinning like a sly bastard.

Yoneko scowled, eyes narrowing. She turned back to Discord. “Once I’m through here, you’re next!” She hissed, stomping her metallic foreleg angrily.

“Here, have a parting gift.” Discord replied, still grinning as his tuft-fingers snapped once more. A literal winged pig appeared before him, and he grasped it in his mismatched forelimbs before hurling it at the alicorn like it was a dodgeball. Yoneko grabbed it and turned it to ash with her magic, not noticing Discord vanishing in a cloud of smoke as she did this.

“That was an unexpected display…” Raki mumbled, eyes wide at the display.

The alicorn snapped to her, eyes narrowing still. “Utter one more word, and you will be sliced into thin ribbons!” She threatened, pointing her blade at the unicorn.

“Why do you have wings?” Rekka asked, glancing at Koto. The mare did indeed have wings on her midsection now, the feathers matching the color of her mane.

“Same could be said about you!” Koto replied, noticing Rekka had the same anomaly on his frame, albeit scarlet in hue.

Yoneko directed her glare at the duo. “I’ll simply slice your new limbs off and cram them down your throats.” She hissed, spreading her pair wide and readying her blade before her, aiming to make good on her threat.

“You have a horn, Yuuki.” Nagare remarked, pointing a hoof at the mare’s new appendage. It was purple, the tip a darker shade thereof.

“As do you.” Yuuki replied, noting Nagare had the same thing happening to him, although green with dark green tip.

Yoneko turned to them. “Dammit! I should just end you right now!” She cried.

“Ah great, now what do I do?” Tenmei sighed, causing the alicorn to turn to him. He had both horn and wings--brown feathers and tan horn with brown tip.

“I will dismember you all!” Yoneko shrieked, rushing at the crossbow-user. Before her blade could connect with his body, a lightpost inexplicably appeared between her and him, grabbing the sword with its lanky limbs.

“You will not touch him!” Raki barked, horn still glowing. The lightpost was easily sliced in two after the blade was pried loose from its front hooves, and so vanished from the world.

Yoneko let off a howl, a wave of magic being released from her horn. This sent the unicorn and the recently-turned alicorns careening away again, all of whom landed in the mud once more. She turned around and charged at Yuuki, who was quick to flap her wings until she was airborne again. The purple mare barely dodged the sword by mere inches. Yoneko also took flight, swiftly punching Yuuki in the face as soon as she was within range.

The mare landed in the mud again, one nostril oozing a small river of blood. She barely dodged the blade, moving her head out of the way before it could impale itself into her skull. Yoneko howled again, putting her front hooves on the wings of the mare, applying pressure until she heard a series of sickening snaps.

Yuuki wailed in pain, just barely pushing Yoneko away with a quick kick of her back hooves. Her horn began sputtering and sparking, but nothing else would come from it. The cyborg quickly lifted her with her magic and threw her into the town hall, causing her to break a window in the process. She then used her magic to break the wings of the other four recently-turned alicorns, causing all of them to shriek in agony.

And then, one by one, she stabbed all six ponies in their legs whilst avoiding direct amputation. She made sure to drag Yuuki back out of the town hall and into the mud again.

After that, she broke the bones in the wings even more using the hilt of her blade. None of the winged five would be flying for a good while after this. For extra measure, she lifted all six into the air with her magical grip and gave the lot a series of shallow cuts on their bodies with her blade, throwing her claws into the mix every now and again until they were on the brink of passing out. The cyborg paused, eying her handiwork.

They didn't move a muscle. She smiled at that, as it told her she had achieved something in this struggle. She flew over to Rekka, hearing him emit a weak groan. Slowly, she moved her sword to the base of his horn.

Yoneko wanted to savor this moment, smiling darkly as the blade's razor edge just barely connected with the hard, bony base.

The blade was moved in a slow sawing motion, only to be inexplicably knocked away as the horn sputtered and crackled briefly.

"What's this?" The cyborg asked, cocking a brow at this mishap. She moved her sword towards the horn again, only for it to be knocked back before it could even reach his head. What in hell was going on? She should've cut off his horn by now.

The cyborg sighed and moved to Koto, who had yielded the same result. The cyborg scratched her head with her metallic leg, careful to avoid digging her claws in too deep in the process. "The fuck?" She murmured, brow still cocked. She attempted to use the blade with the other four, and they too had the same phenomenon happen to them. In fact, when she tried to saw off Tenmei's horn, the blade was knocked out of her magical grasp and straight into the mud. She glanced at the lot, still confused, noticing faint sputters and sparks marring the frames of all six horns.

If she had discernible pupils and irises, they would've shrunk by now. She yelped, feeling something land right between the wings. She glanced around again, trying to find the source of the attack.

None was to be had. It was just her, and the six ponies whom she'd been ordered to kill.

She was hit between the wings again, and the cyborg once more glanced around, only to find faintly glowing horns. Scoffing, she once more tried to sever the damn things, this time using her clawed leg. That too had been repelled, almost as if another entity was stopping her right in her tracks.

"What the hell?!" Yoneko cried, shaking her head and blinking. She tried to sever the horns yet again, and got another failed result. She then noticed all six horns had auras surrounding their frames, which only further confused her.

Hadn't she worn them out already, to the point they couldn't do anything but accept their fate?

The six horns were glowing all at once now, auras radiating a light that grew brighter and brighter. Without any further warning, bolts of magic flew from the points and rushed straight at Yoneko, connecting with her body quicker than she could react. She howled, still more bolts of magic hitting her like a whole cascade of iron bricks.

She barely heard another snapping of fingers, and found that, try as she might, she could not call forth her magic without getting another surge of pain. As a result, she dropped the barely-conscious ponies. Yet more bolts of magic hit her as they landed in the mud and passed out, finally bringing her down to her knees.

Discord appeared before the cyborg again. “You underestimated me.” He said curtly. He eyed the scene around him, snapping his fingers once more and causing the bleeding scars that Yoneko inflicted upon the lot to heal up quick as a whip. “But these six still need to hone their skills.” He added with a sigh.

Yoneko tried to stand up straight, only for her legs to slip from beneath her frame and land her in the mud. “What did you do to the magic Master bestowed upon me…?” She hissed, though her words came out in more of a weakened groan.

“I simply put a magic limiter on your horn.” Discord answered, pointing to the metal horn. Yoneko looked up cross-eyed, only to find a band of copper at the base of her appendage.

She looked back at Discord. “Damn you…” She moaned, eyes narrowed low. She fell after attempting to stand again, her non-altered muscles screaming at her to stop.

Discord glared back at the cyborg. “Judging by your appearance alone,” He started, tail swishing side to side behind him, “I’d say your ‘Master’ did some horrible things to you that even I wouldn’t do had I ruled this world with an iron fist.”

“Master did no such thing!” Yoneko barked, breathing turning ragged. “He and his subordinate simply enhanced my capability!”

“Through torture, from the looks of it.” Discord jabbed, eyes narrowing still. The fingers on his tail snapped, and before Yoneko knew it, an anvil dropped upon her head with enough force to knock her out before it vanished from the world. His tuft-fingers snapped again, and in his bird-hand he held a bottle with a label that read ‘knock-out medicine.’ He read the back of the bottle, only to frown when he saw that the medicine only lasted a few hours.

“I think I can fix this…” He murmured, tuft-fingers snapping yet again. He smiled as the label changed from a few hours to a few weeks or months. The draconequus then knelt down and opened the cyborg’s mouth, emptying the entire bottle into her gob before making her swallow.

A flash of light appeared briefly, and when it ended, Princess Celestia had stood before the town hall. She eyed the scene before her until she noticed the draconequus. “Discord, what happened?” She asked.

“The cyborg very nearly won the fight, quite simply.” Discord answered with a sigh. He looked up, noticing the sky was finally being cleared by the pegasi up above, revealing a half-moon beyond the veil. “Had I not intervened, we’d be looking at six dead ponies now.” He then returned to look back at the princess. “The lot still needs to work on their teamwork, though. They could barely hold a candle to this cyborg’s power--she was about to make sushi out of them, in fact.” He added, pointing his tail at Yoneko for reference.

“I see.” Celestia sighed, horn glowing for a moment in gold. A few moments later, royal guards of the pegasus variety complete with carriage that had some unicorns came swooping down. She looked at them. “Take the armed ponies and sole unicorn into Canterlot Infirmary immediately. As for the modified pegasus,” Celestia paused, pointing a hoof at Yoneko for reference, “take her into solitary confinement. Bind both her wings and horn; she cannot be allowed outside.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The guards said, the unicorns in the carriage quickly setting to work in loading all seven in the vehicle.

“Um, Your Majesty, the modified pegasus already has a magic limiter on her head.” Stated one of the unicorns.

“Then add another.” Celestia commanded. “And bind her forelegs together.” She added.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Replied the guard with a nod of his head. With that, the armored pegasi began flapping their wings before taking off in the skies to Canterlot, leaving just the princess and draconequus alone.

“What of Little-Miss-Modified’s ‘Master’ and his subordinate?” Discord asked, cocking a brow.

“They’re in the dungeons as well, and shall be dealt with accordingly in a few weeks or so.” Celestia answered before her horn began glowing again, causing her to vanish in a bright light.

Author's Note

Yeah...

~Dragon

Chapter LXXV, Part IV- Welcome to The Club, Admissions Are Free

Weeks passed by, but none of the seven involved had awoken from their slumber. The dream world for the first six was a different matter; somehow, they were all gathered in the same void of darkness. And boy, were they having quite the discussion.

Koto pointed accusingly at Nagare, eyes narrowed and a vein on her cheek. “How the fuck do you stand this back pain at night?!” She shrieked, waving the accusing hoof frantically. “I should’ve been up and about right now downing some aspirin and water!”

“You’ll get used to it.” Nagare replied, rolling his eyes. “Now quit your griping.”

“My head still hurts.” Yuuki mumbled, rubbing her forehead with a hoof.

“My everything hurts. What’s your excuse?” Tenmei complained, lying on his back with his forelegs crossed in a pouty manner.

“Guys, fighting won’t do any good.” Rekka pointed out, an agitated sigh escaping his lips. “And neither will complaining.”

“Frankly, we should be dead by now. I recall being sliced into thin ribbons.” The green stallion replied, an ear twitching. He crossed his forelegs.

“So do I.” The red-maned pony agreed with a nod of his head. “Is this our afterlife?”

“Come to think of it, it may be purgatory.” The purple mare sighed, now rubbing a foreleg nervously with the same hoof she rubbed her forehead with.

The blue-coated mare shrugged. “Where do we go from here if we’re in purgatory?” She asked.

“It doesn’t feel like purgatory.” Raki mumbled, digging into the black ground with a hoof.

The tan pony rolled over and stood up. “Regardless, we’ve been stuck here for...fuck, how long was it since I last saw a calendar?” He asked, cocking a brow.

“Beats me.” The sword-user replied, shrugging. “How should I know?”

“Damn.” Tenmei mumbled.

“I’m not sure why I can’t call forth my magic to summon a freaking calendar.” The white-coated unicorn sighed, looking up cross-eyed at her horn. “It’s not like I have a magic limiter on me or anything.”

“Same here.” Rekka and Koto said in unison, both of whom proceeded to mimic the unicorn.

Nagare looked at the two. “How long did it take you two to learn simple levitation?” He asked.

“Three weeks.” The orange-coated pony answered, sighing. “How long did it take you to learn how to fly?”

“About the same length of time, more or less.” The emerald pony answered, scratching his head with a hoof.

“Never thought purgatory would be so damn boring.” Koto mumbled, causing everyone else to look at her. “I’m just glad I don’t have to spend it alone.”

“Here, here.” Yuuki agreed with a nod of her head. “I think I’d be insane if I were alone in this place.”

“Ditto.” The pony with the glasses sighed, a faint smile on his muzzle.

“Guys…” Raki started, looking up. A bright light made itself known above the lot. “is it me, or is that a light?”

The others looked up, cocking brows upon seeing the light. “The fuck?” They all said in unison.

The mysterious light glowed brighter, forcing all to look back down to ground level.

“Are we leaving purgatory?” Rekka asked, rubbing his eyes with a hoof. The light nearly blinded him. A faint light began to envelop his form, and it had done this with everybody else.

“Not sure.” Nagare sighed, rolling his eyes again. “But I’ve a feeling we’re going to find out.”

A bright light shot straight into the red-maned alicorn’s tired eyes as he came to, and he scrunched them shut in response. “Where am I…?” He groaned, rubbing his eyes lazily with a hoof. The stallion probed his surroundings to the best of his ability with the other hoof, finding soft sheets marking the basic perimeter of the bed he lay on.

Instinctively, he rolled over...and found himself greeting a floor face-first. He tried standing up and succeeded--that is, before his hooves slipped out from beneath his frame within the first three seconds, effectively sending him straight back to the floor.

“Why can’t I stand…?” He moaned, opening his eyes at last. The floor he was on was pristine white, so shiny he could see his reflection in it. He glanced left, to the place from which he’d fallen, and found a hospital bed greeting him. His ears perked, barely catching the sound of hooves that had been trotting come to a complete stop.

“Someone’s awake.” Spoke a voice. Tilting his head to look behind himself as best he could, the alicorn found Takashi, Kaguya, and the two fillies standing in front of a doorway, barely making out two pegasus guards behind them.

Rekka’s eyes widened, and he tried to stand again to face them with more than his head. As soon as he angled his body the way he wanted it, he fell again. He shook his head and blinked to make sure he was seeing properly, and indeed, his eyes didn’t deceive him.

“Where am I?” He asked, ears twitching.

“Canterlot Infirmary.” Kaguya answered, sitting on her rump. “We heard about the mess you’ve gotten involved into, and I’d never have guessed you’ve gotten wings in the process.” She added, smiling warmly.

Rekka looked at his midsection, seeing crimson-feathered frames adorning his sides. “So, I wasn’t dreaming that time, right?” He asked, cocking a brow.

“Nope.” Takashi answered, blinking.

A low moan hit the ears of all, and the red-maned pony sat up, using the bed to support himself. He looked around, seeing five other beds in the room--with a blue form falling off from one of them.

“Someone turn off the light...I need five more minutes…” Koto moaned, having managed to land flat on her back. She covered her eyes with a foreleg, a frown on her face.

Mimi ran up to the blue mare and quickly put her hooves on her shoulder to shake her. “Get up, sleepyhead!” She cried.

The young alicorn removed her foreleg from her face, turning her head to glance at the filly. “I’m not at home…?” She asked, blinking.

“Of course not!” Mimi answered, smiling. “You’re in an infirmary!”

“Oh...right…” Koto murmured before the word ‘infirmary’ registered into her mind. “Wait, what?” She asked as she sat up quick as a whip and glanced around. “I’m in a hospital again?”

“Yeah...I think.” Rekka answered, sighing.

“Excuse me,” Started another voice not belonging to any present, “could you two let me in?” The two alicorns who were awake glanced at Takashi and Kaguya, both of whom obliged before Luna entered the room.

Both young alicorns gawked at the princess of the night, who only gave a warm smile in return. “You’ve been out for some time.” She said.

“How long?” The duo asked in unison.

“A good seven weeks.” Luna answered. “You see, I had cast a spell that let you sleep for more than a few days after Discord reclaimed some of his power from you and your friends. The magic in your bodies had become so unstable when he reclaimed his power the only thing that could fix it was a coma, disregarding death altogether.” She added. “So you two and the others may not be in your fighting prime for a while.”

“That explains why I’ve forgotten how to stand properly.” The orange-pelted pony scoffed, yet again attempting to do said action simply to get a point across. Needless to say, he fell once more. “Either that, or since I can see my reflection in the floor, they used too much wax.”

Luna chuckled. “You’ll remember how to walk again soon enough.” She said, still smiling warmly.

“Wait. If Discord took his power back from us, then why do we still have wings?” Koto asked, pointing a hoof at the anomaly. She had raised a very good point.

“I’ve asked him the same thing. Let’s just say he didn’t give a straight answer.” Luna replied, sighing.

“What time is it?” Tenmei groaned, sitting up in his bed. His eyelids hung heavy, and his mane was so frazzled it looked like a bird nested in it.

“About one-thirty in the afternoon.” Kaguya answered. She smiled as Luna’s horn glowed, the aura gently putting the glasses on the tan pony’s face.

“I slept in?” The tan pony asked, blinking.

“I...wouldn’t quite call it that.” Takashi replied, a half-frown on his face.

“Can I go back to sleep?” The young stallion asked, putting his head on the pillow again.

“You’ve been out for seven weeks!” The white mare protested, walking up to the stallion and shaking him with a front hoof. “Not right now!”

“Alright…” Tenmei mumbled, turning so he could get out of bed. As soon as his front hooves touched the floor, he landed flat on his face within a second. “Ow,” He sighed, his voice muffled by the floor.

“Welcome to the club. Admissions are free.” Rekka remarked, watching his tan friend try (and fail horribly) to stand up on his own legs.

The purple mare sat up, somehow having managed to impale her pillow with her new horn in the process. This ended up obscuring her sight somewhat. “Alright, who the hell taped a fragment of quilt to my head?” She asked, pointing a hoof at the pillow for emphasis.

Luna chuckled at the display, and with a flick of her horn, she removed the pillow from Yuuki’s face. “Nopony taped a quilt fragment to your head, you just had the pillow stuck on your horn.” She answered, using a hoof to cover her muzzle and snicker into it.

“Good to know I didn’t get drunk or something of the sort.” The green stallion remarked, already crawling out of his bed. All four of his hooves found solid ground in short order, and so did his face when they slipped.

“I hope we don’t have to be wheeled from place to place. That’d be embarrassing.” The purple pony sighed, also getting out of bed to try to stand. She failed at it, considering she too greeted the floor with her face.

“That’s not the case at all.” Luna replied, using her magic to help support the five young alicorns just enough so they could stand without falling for the umpteenth time.

“Hey, do you have something that could hide my wings?” Rekka asked, brow arched. “Ponies gawked at me enough when I suddenly sprouted a horn.”

“And my horn as well?” Nagare added, pointing at his sharp point for emphasis.

“Don’t worry, my sister is having her student address this.” Luna answered, still grinning. “She had a feeling you’d want to hide your new addendums.”

“Hey...what about that mare with the metal foreleg?” Koto asked, her question causing the lunar princess to frown once it registered in her head.

“Celestia and I have...debated what to do about her for a day or so the first week in. I’ve been visiting her dreams in her induced coma since, and even though she has horrific nightmares much worse than four of you put together, she has insisted that...those responsible are ‘Master’ and subordinate, respectively, at first.” Luna sighed.

“‘At first?’” Yuuki asked, ears flat on her skull. “What’s that mean?”

“First three weeks in, she began breaking down into...the only words I can describe her with at this point are ‘mentally unstable emotional wreck.’” Luna answered, shaking her head solemnly. “All we can do when she wakes up is do our best to comfort her.”

“And what of things one and two?” Tenmei inquired, momentarily biting his wing to soothe an itch afterwards.

“Who?” Luna asked, brow arched.

“Frontier Quartet.” Nagare translated, sighing and shaking his head.

“Oh, those two. Celestia and I are still in a heated debate about that.” Luna answered, wings shifting.

“Hey! I finished the enchanted necklaces!” Twilight called out eagerly as she entered the room. In her magic, she held five necklaces adorned with gems. Two had opals, another two had topazes, and the last had a zircon. She slid the opal-adorned ones around the necks of Yuuki and Nagare, and within a second, their horns turned invisible. The same happened to Rekka and Koto’s wings upon finding themselves wearing the topaz necklaces, and Tenmei’s new horn and wings also went away thanks to the zircon.

“These things work wonders.” The red-maned pony murmured, smiling now. “Just have to remember how to stand and maybe walk properly, and it’s all good.”

“Just be glad you’re still amongst the living.” Takashi remarked, also smiling.

Author's Note

It will end soon--either next part or the part after that. May make it into another chapter altogether, though I'll discuss this with one of the other collaborators.

~Dragon

Chapter LXXV, Part V- Banishment

“It’s better than being stuck in a coma, that’s for sure.” Koto agreed with a nod.

“I shall go back to debating with my sister. Before I go, do you have any suggestions for the Quartet’s punishment?” Luna asked, wings shifting.

The five exchanged glances with one another for a moment or so before they turned back to the princess.

“What are the options, apart from life in prison or Outlaw Island?” Nagare asked, brow arched.

“Banishment, really.” Luna answered.

“Then banish them wherever.” Rekka sighed, waving a hoof dismissively. “Outlaw Island’s not good enough for them.”

“Very well then.” Luna replied with a nod. She promptly went out the door and about her business.

“They want those two unicorns banished?” Celestia asked, brow arched.

“Yes.” Luna answered with a nod. “Where, though, they didn’t say.”

“That’s a good thing. It means we can decide where to banish them.” The white mare replied, eyes narrowing briefly.

“On the sun or moon?” The blue mare asked, blinking.

“Neither.” The solar princess replied, shaking her head. “I would rather them punished while they were still living, and then punished even more once they die. The sun and moon are too good for them.”

“You can’t mean…” The lunar mare trailed off, eyes widening.

“I’m afraid so.” Celestia stated, nodding her head slowly. Her horn glowed briefly, and a few moments of silence passed. “It’s the only place befitting those two.” She said just as the doors to the throne room opened. A guard stepped in.

“The public trial is ready, Your Majesties.” The guard said.

Celestia looked towards the guards. “Gather everypony you can.” She said.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The guard replied, turning tail. Just as he was about to leave, Luna spoke up.

“Be sure to bring the foreign ponies too.”

“To join the crowd who will witness the trial?” The guard asked, looking back at the lunar princess.

“Yes.” The night blue alicorn answered with a nod. The guard nodded back and went out the throne room. The room was deathly quiet again, and neither of the sisters spoke another word until the throne room had a few noble ponies enter through the doors.

One noble, Prince Blueblood, approached the sisters. “Why are we having a trial on this fine afternoon?” He asked, brow arched.

“Let’s just say two ponies have done horrid things, endangering all of Equestria in the process.” Luna answered. “Please, take your place amongst the crowd, the trial will run much smoother that way.”

Blueblood and the first few nobles obliged quickly. Then, a few Wonderbolts entered with Spitfire heading the group. The orange pegasus trotted to the sisters.

“Before we take our places,” Spitfire began, “can I ask who’s on trial?”

“We will divulge nothing about the defendants until the trial begins.” Celestia answered. “The nobles here would surely be frightened half to death if I told you who was on trial.”

The orange pegasus thought it over for a moment. “Fair enough.” She said, her group taking their place on the opposite side of the room.

After that, the ten foreigners arrived, six of which Spitfire noticed that were being helped to walk by the magic of two unicorn guards. They took their place in the middle of the side the Wonderbolts had occupied, and the aided six were sitting down on the floor once they got to their destination.

“I see you are recovering fast.” Celestia remarked, flashing the group a small but warm smile.

“I’m glad I don’t have crutches attached to my body this time around. Being crippled kinda sucks.” Rekka replied, smiling back.

“Aren’t we all?” Nagare commented, smiling as well. He had his forelegs in the air splayed apart above his head like he was about to bow down and worship something.

“The trial’s going to begin soon. We’d best keep quiet.” Takashi pointed out, and the rest of the group shared a collective nod.

Twilight and her friends, as well as Discord, Harry the bear, and the vultures entered next. Discord went to the lot of ten and patted the five disguised alicorns and their unicorn companion on the heads before taking his place next to Fluttershy, whose group was perched next to the nobles.

In a matter of moments after that, the whole place was packed with ponies from basically everywhere in Equestria, with some bringing in clouds to make room for the wingless. On the other side, Yuuki almost immediately recognized the older unicorn with white pelt and light green mane she’d first met in Manehatten and waved a hoof to her. She smiled when the unicorn waved back.

Clamor was running rampant amongst the crowd, almost twice as much as the Gala, and so were guesses of who was to be on trial and why. The room was nearly overflowing, so the doors had to be closed to keep the crowd from growing any larger than need be.

Tenmei found Braeburn sitting next to Applejack. He smiled, remembering how the stallion helped him in Appleloosa. He had also spotted Shining and Cadence striking up a conversation with Twilight. About what, though, he didn’t know because the rest of the crowd drowned the three out.

“At ease, my little ponies!” Celestia bellowed, her voice quickly silencing the room in a heartbeat. “The trial shall soon begin, and the defendants’ crimes made known to all so their mistakes will not be repeated!”

The room was deathly silent for another few moments, and then the doors were flung open once more. Baki and Maki, who were bound in shackles, were dragged to the sisters by guards who glared at them the whole trip. Another series of guards brought a caged Yoneko, who was mumbling incoherently to herself as her set of escorts stopped to ensure her bonds were secured. She shrieked as the guards checked her binds, but her words were nothing short of gibberish mixed with slurred Japanese.

As soon as the guard left her cage and closed the door, the altered pegasus stopped her caterwauling. She too had been dragged before the sisters, but the guards made sure to still keep her a reasonable distance away from those who had harmed her beyond repair.

“We should’ve killed you sooner!” Maki growled, only for a guard to quickly put a horse tack on his face and tighten it around his muzzle. The unicorn, who no longer had a horn to begin with, struggled fruitlessly against his binds. His leader did the same thing, but neither was going anywhere anytime soon.

“You two are not going to be doing anything.” Celestia replied, eyes narrowing at the duo. “For your sort of evil has not been seen since the times of Discord and Nightmare Moon before they had been reformed. No, your evil does not match those two--it transcends it.” She added rather bitterly.

Luna rose her head away from the two to look at the crowd, all of whom had eyes poised intently on the hornless unicorns. She noticed some glares amongst the crowd, but she had seen enough to perfectly understand why that was so.

“We’ve done no evil!” Baki lied, quickly getting a horse tack of his own.

Luna quickly directed her gaze back to him. “You’ve no right to speak, you foolish cur!” She hissed, now glaring at him herself.

“I share similar sentiments with my sister.” Celestia remarked, rising up from her throne and taking a step towards the now-hapless duo. “The two of you have created monsters aimed at a small group of ponies, endangering countless other lives in the process--carelessly, may I add. And that is only the tip of the iceberg.” She began, her words eliciting a few murmurs from the parts of the crowd who had witnessed said monsters.

The alicorn of night rose up herself, also taking a step forward. “No, this iceberg goes much deeper. Your monsters, your destructive antics, have stricken some of our little ponies with horrific nightmares.” The lunar princess began. “But that isn’t all--you had the nerve, THE NERVE, to abduct at least five ponies and do inexplicable harm to them! In fact, one of them is in that cage over there having to be detained because of your actions!” She hissed, raising a hoof and pointing it at Yoneko for reference. “Guards, let the crowd see her--just this once!”

The guards obliged, carefully hauling the once-more-shrieking cyborg out of her cage. Almost everybody in the room shared a collective gasp of shock and terror upon seeing just what was once an ordinary pegasus.

“What have they DONE to her?!” Spitfire cried, eyes wide.

Rarity put a hoof over her forehead and proceeded to faint. Twilight shook her head and blinked to make sure she was seeing this anomaly correctly.

A few ponies turned green in the face at the sight.

The cyborg stopped screaming, darting her head frantically every which-way she could manage. The ponies in the crowd she was surrounded by were horrified by her appearance--perhaps confused, even--and her panicked mind jumped to one conclusion: they were judging her based solely on what she looked like now. “Just let me go! I did nothing wrong!” Yoneko pleaded, fruitlessly struggling against her binds with tears already falling down her face.

Luna’s horn glowed, and her aura briefly surrounded the cyborg before she closed her eyes and stopped squirming. “Sleep, troubled mare.” She said as the guards slowly put her back in her portable cell. “We know of what they’ve done to her--they’ve trained her to use as a living weapon. Through torture, extreme experiments, and chains, they have molded a scarred being capable of unimaginable destruction at the slightest provocation!”

The crowd shared another collective gasp of horror.

"And that's not even the end of it!" Luna cried, all eyes once more on her. She waved the accusing hoof at the hornless dunces before her. "They have threatened the lives of me and my sister! For all I know, they very well may have threatened Princess Cadance as well with one of their abominations! In fact, they fooled us with an illusion once to throw out a member of the royal family who had honestly done nothing wrong!"

Yet another collective gasp. The ten foreigners simply nodded amongst themselves.

“What is more,” Celestia began, “is that there happened to have been a third amongst these two stallions you see before you. At first, she was very much like them. But as their dark deeds and agenda unfolded before her, she began to have her doubts, from what we were told. Upon receiving the same treatment that was given to at least five others, she decided enough was enough. As a result, she shall be spared from judgment.”

Luna shook her head. "We still don't know what it is they're after, and we'd rather not let them attain it, whatever it is! Enough damage has been caused by these two alone!" She cried.

“What will their punishment be?!” The crowd shrieked in unison, the voices sounding like a single roar from a great beast.

“Death is too kind for these monsters who dare call themselves stallions, and so is Outlaw Island. Only one solution for the likes of them remains: banishment.” Celestia and Luna answered in unison, horns glowing brightly. A portal depicting a series of dark rocks appeared, and everyone present could make out a gargantuan three-headed bulldog patrolling a few rocks, one of which had two open cages loaded with shackles.

The two unicorns began struggling more and more as auras of gold and blue lifted them into the air and dragged them closer to the portal.

And closer.

The portal then swallowed the two up and closed just seconds after they crossed to what lay in wait on the other side.

“This trial has been adjourned. We implore you to not make the same mistakes these two have done.” Celestia said, eyes wandering off to the snoozing cyborg. “As for the mare in the cage, please return her to solitary confinement.”

The guards obliged, taking themselves and the cage out of the throne room. The crowd began to disperse, at first one by one. Then, in moments, the throne room was nearly emptied, save for the group of ten and the guards who helped six of them.

“Celestia, Luna, can me and my companions speak to you in private?” Raki asked, eyelids slanting a bit as she spoke.

Author's Note

Epilogue's next. :D

~Dragon

Epilogue

Author's Note

Potential feels inbound. I cried writing a good chunk of this out. It's best to listen to this song whilst reading. First time I linked a song in the author's note for this kind of thing. And with that, this tale comes to an end, so I figured it was fitting to have a sort of tear-jerker here. :')

~Dragon

Epilogue

“Yes, you may.” Celestia answered with a nod. “What is it you’d like to discuss?”

“I was thinking that, rather than keep the altered pony in confinement…” Raki trailed off, glancing to the ceiling briefly, “we...hide her away where ponies would least expect.”

“Why say that?” Celestia asked, brow arched.

“Your sister said she had unimaginable power that could very easily be invoked, given how broken her mind is.” Raki started. “Sooner or later, rumors will start, and ponies could seek out that power.”

“You mean...seal her?” Luna asked, eyelids slanting.

“Not quite. She still needs to be healed, after all.” Raki answered, sighing. “But she will need to be watched almost 24/7.”

“What would you propose?” Celestia asked.

“Well...only us, Discord, and Twilight know five of my friends were transformed.” Raki answered, unknowingly using a hoof to ruffle Tenmei’s mane. “As in we keep watch over her.”

Celestia’s eyes widened. So did those of Kaguya and Takashi. “Are you sure?” They asked in unison.

“Yes. If you used royal guards, she’d probably break free after a while. That, and any place with royal guards patrolling 27/4 houses something important or dangerous, from what I’ve seen at any rate.” Raki answered, a sort of sad smile on her face. “They wouldn’t expect six foreigners keeping watch over something dangerous, after all--let alone a unicorn and five disguised alicorns.”

Luna blinked, and she and her sister let the unicorn’s argument sink in for a moment or so. “So...it would be best if...you hid away as well, just to ensure the safety of us all?” She asked.

Raki nodded. “Of course, we’ll still visit on occasion.” She answered. “Once a week for all six of us.”

The throne room fell quiet for a few moments before the unicorn...began shedding tears. “It’s…” She began, wiping her tears away with her hoof, “a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”

The sisters glanced at one another. Luna then looked back at the unicorn. “But, your friends still haven’t mastered their new abilities.” She pointed out.

“Then...they’ll be trained to do so.” Raki rebuked. “It’s only taken them three weeks to master the basics, I’m sure...they can do it again.”

Kaguya began shedding tears as well, and she was smiling. “They’ve grown up so much…” She whimpered.

“Yes. They have.” Takashi agreed, also with a sad smile on his face.

Mimi and Mimu trotted up to Raki and held her foreleg. They were shedding tears uncontrollably. “But we don’t want you or the others to go…” They whimpered in unison.

The unicorn looked down at them. “I’m sorry, but it’s for the best. We’ll still visit, if that’s alright.” She replied, using her other hoof to wipe their tears away.

“If she says it’s for the best, I’m all for it.” Rekka stated with a nod of his head.

“I second that.” Koto said, eyes twitching as tears began welling in her eyes.

“I’m sure gonna miss my time in Ponyville. But hey, every dog has his day, right?” Tenmei asked, blinking.

“Yeah. We’re all grown up now. I kinda wish I didn’t have to leave, but the prospect of a once-a-week visit will ease everything.” Yuuki agreed, her wings shifting a bit.

Nagare said nothing. His silent, saddened smile only served as further testament to what he thought.

“If that is what you wish, then it is something we can arrange.” Celestia said at last. She walked up to the group and tenderly nudged the fillies with a hoof, causing them to look at her with sad looks. “They must move on now. I know you don’t want them to leave--I’ve known that loss too, time and time again. But if they choose to make this decision, then I cannot stop them.”

“But they’ll still visit, right?” Mimi asked, shaking.

Celestia nodded. “I’m sure you have their word.” She answered.

“Guards,” Luna began, causing the two armor-clad ponies who remained to look at her. “Could you prepare them a carriage, and another for the altered mare in confinement?”

The guards exchanged glances with each other, then looked back at Luna. “Are you sure, Your Majesty?” One asked, blinking in disbelief.

“Yes. When I think about it, solitary confinement isn’t the best place to let time heal wounds.” Luna answered with a nod.

The guards nodded back and trotted out in short order.

The young disguised alicorns hugged the elder ponies, and embraced the young fillies whilst saying their final goodbyes.

The unicorn guards came back a few moments later. “The preparations have been made, Your Majesty.” They said in unison.

“Alright. Help them to their carriage.” Celestia replied with a nod. The guards hefted the six ponies in their magic and trotted with them in tow. The remaining four and two princesses followed them to a balcony, where everything was ready.

The ponies were loaded into the vehicles, and the pegasi began flapping their wings for takeoff. As the carriages departed, the earth ponies waved, and those in the carriage waved back.

“Please keep your promise!” Mimi cried out.

“We will!” The group called back.

“Where to?” Asked one of the pegasi.

“Head to our house in Ponyville. We need to pack up.” Nagare answered curtly.

“Roger.” The pegasus replied, and he and his companions kicked their wings into gear. As soon as they landed, the group went into the house and came back in short order with nothing but their weapons and saddlebags, which had the Gala outfits inside. The carriage took off again, circling the skies until Koto spotted what looked like a gorge.

“There,” She said, pointing it out to the pegasi.

“Are you nuts?!” Asked a pegasus.

“Only pegasi and alicorns can get in and out of that thing, unless they’re at the very bottom! I say that’s a good place to hide!” Yuuki pointed out. “Besides, we could make a cave there and nobody would suspect a thing!”

“She’s right.” Stated the other pegasus with a nod. “If they want to hide there, then we take them there.”

~Fin~

Chapter I, Part I- Lightning Strikes Manehatten

A group of ponies, all concealed by black clothing, sat at a round table, a single light hanging over their heads as they played a game of cards. All five were smoking cigars and drinking booze, having a jolly old time when a sixth pony, also covered head to hoof, came up to them dragging a young mare with him by the tail.

“This ‘un crashed through the bloody roof, boss.” He said, causing the others to look at him.

The one with the most chips in hoof’s reach spoke up, removing his cigar momentarily. “Is it a pegasus?”

“No, boss. She’s an earth pony.” Answered the pony who dragged the mare.

“How is an earth…” The stallion murmured before raising his voice. “Just dump her out into the street. If we meet with her again, then we’ll show her who’s boss. Sound good?”

“A’ight.” Replied the second stallion as he grabbed the mare’s tail and dragged her away. After a while, he opened the door and found lights brimming a vast street with all ponies in various colors and sizes, some with horns and others with wings. There were carriages drawn by some more ponies in the road.

Unto the sidewalk the mare went as the stallion rushed inside a decrepit building and closed the doors tight. Many ponies stopped to look at the mare and trotted up to her as she lay still. It was as if they wanted to know what she was.

Her entire body was purple, and her mane and tail a darker shade thereof. Both mane and tail had tufts of hair that acted like feathers, with the rest being long strands that reached her shoulders and back hooves. A picture depicting a grey-and-purple yoyo with a string circling it was on her hip, and there was a similar object whose string was wrapped around her hoof.

The mare began to groan and stir, stunning all that even looked at her as her eyes fluttered open. Her irises were a deep amethyst in color, and were still clouded with what appeared to be sleep.

“Ungh…..mmmm...where am I?” She murmured, her voice hoarse as she hoisted herself into a sitting position with her forelegs, then attempting to stand on her back legs before falling over. The world was now spinning for her, but she tried to get up again and failed to notice a pony at her side trying to keep her down.

“You’re in Manehatten, and you don’t look so good.” Said a young woman’s voice sternly. The purple mare looked to her right, eyes still spinning, to find a thing next to her. Then, the spinning stopped, revealing that an older mare with a white pelt and light green mane was looking at her. A horn was on her forehead, and she had teal eyes.

“Who’re you…?” Asked the purple mare weakly before attempting to stand on her hind legs again.

“I should be asking you the same thing.” The unicorn retorted rather rudely. “You’re not a Diamond Dog or a Minotaur. You are a pony--act like it.”

“A wha?” The purple mare asked before looking at her forelegs and nearly shrieking in horror. She scrambled to her hooves in a panicked manner and drew quite a crowd to herself in the process. She slowly turned her head to the unicorn, pupils tiny as can be and left eyelid twitching. Her jaw hung ajar and sweat was beginning to show on her cheeks.

“What’s wrong?” Asked the unicorn, eyes wide as if she were shocked.

“I...uh….I’m...human…?” Replied the purple mare, her own shocked look unwavering as she spoke.

“What’s that?” Asked one pony.

“I’ve never heard of that creature before. Does it exist?” Asked another.

“Maybe it has pixie wings?” Inquired a third.

The purple mare, expression still unwavering, tried closing her mouth. It was as if color were fleeing her body and her soul went with it.

“Are….you alright?” Asked the unicorn, ears flat on her skull.

Five seconds passed without a reply. Then ten seconds. Fifteen. The purple mare looked petrified, her legs failing to work as she stood there perfectly still.

That was when the answer to the unicorn’s question came: the purple mare screamed like a banshee in utter shock before she burst into a gallop past the crowd. She tripped once or twice, maybe three times, but just kept getting up and running as if being chased by some kind of monster. Oddly, her contraption did not unwind from her hoof once, even as she kept falling down onto the concrete with her face.

The ponies she ditched stood there completely dumbfounded for a few moments before giving chase. They galloped as if in a wolf pack, and the mare they were chasing was now at the peak of her panic attack as adrenalin rushed through her blood. She did not notice she was galloping properly as she fled her pursuers, taking a sharp right into an alley. She kept running, her body feeling as if on fire, taking a quick left on the alley and jumping some trash cans.

Another jerk to the right brought her to a dumpster that was emptied and laying on its side, the door held up by a few cinder blocks. Quick as lightning she hid inside it, kicking aside the blocks in the process and then using her entire body to right the dumpster.

For a few moments, all she could hear was the sounds of her own breathing and beating heart. The sounds of the crowd were getting closer, and their clamoring was beginning to drive her mad. Then gunshots rang out, and ponies screamed in the distance.

The mare listened carefully, and heard ponies scurrying away. Her breathing slowed somewhat, and so did her heartbeat, as all was quiet again.

Hooves beating against concrete hit her ears again, and so did the sounds of trash cans being kicked aside. Silence was present, but only for a few seconds before the hooves beat against the concrete again, this time getting louder. Closer.

The mare felt her heart racing again, but remained still as a rock.

“Nothing here, boss.” Said one voice.

“A’ight. Let’s get back to the hideout before the police find us. Dawn’s coming.” Said another.

The hooves beating against the concrete resounded again, but they sounded softer this time. After a few seconds, it was but an afterthought for the mare. She let a few more seconds pass before clambering out of the dumpster and finally noticing a foul stench permeating the area. She turned her head sharply to the right and found the dead corpse of a pony hanging from a lightpost in a street that looked abandoned altogether.

The mare gulped hard and turned away before going back the way she came, making sure nobody was watching. Thankfully, she did not find any more bodies to stare at, and quickly found herself on the street again. This time, a great tsunami of ponies was present, and many were in business suits. The purple mare quickly ducked back into the alleyways to avoid being run over.

Then the most unusual thing happened: a lightpost on the other side of the street grew a face where the lightbulb would be, and pointed ears out of the top of its head. A set of forelegs grew, and they were as lanky as the base to which they clung. Hind legs followed suit, and it stood effortlessly on them. It tried to attack a mare by crashing its forelegs on top of her, only to overshoot as a purple-and-grey blur whizzed past its neck and wrapped around it three times before tightening, bringing its mass arching over the intended target.

Chapter XVI- Back to Square One

A solid two months had passed since the day the jailhouse with legs was felled, and not once did anything unusually noteworthy happen. Sure, there was talk about the events that had transpired, almost as if the populace was trapped in the past or something of the sort, but that was about it--other than that, life continued as normal for many of the residents as it could possibly be.

It was also during this time that 01, Kaguya, and the sometimes-unruly teenagers they were stuck with began to know the locals better, as well as undertaking an assortment of odd jobs (Koto was exempt due to her healing leg, as were Mimu and Mimi simply because they were but fillies.) It was so they could have a place to stay--preferably one that didn’t have other residents to leech from or something.

Today, on a fine evening with a pretty sunset, the four working ponies were meeting up in the town square, a few houses away from the house that appeared to have been made of gingerbread.

Tenmei had accumulated a bit of dirt on his front hooves, and some sweat clung to his body. He looked like a wreck, to say the least, and his matted mane only served as further testimony to that fact.

“What kind of odd job did you work today? You need a bath!” 01 exclaimed, though he was not much better off himself. His mane glistened in what was assumed to either be sweat or water.

“I was gardening for a mare named Carrot Top. You?” Tenmei inquired, noticing black smudges on the normally-white coat of the elder stallion that would not be present otherwise.

“Remember the train that wrecked? I helped to repair the bloody furnace.” 01 answered, covering his mouth with a hoof to cough in it.

“I helped a stallion named Time Turner move furniture. He kept on asking me how I can not only walk on two legs, but be able to tote boxes with my front hooves whilst walking upright.” Nagare sighed, rolling his eyes. He had a bit of sweat here and there, but not much compared to the other two stallions.

“And why did he need someone to help him rearrange things?” 01 asked, eyebrow raised.

“He wasn’t feeling too well. Said he spent all last night either tossing in bed or throwing up, and needed to take his mind off his illness.” Nagare answered, sighing afterwards. He turned to Kaguya, and so did the other two stallions.

“I was working at the Carousel Boutique. As much as I hate saying it, the mare I worked for this day is a bit of a nitpicky artisan.” Kaguya answered, sighing herself. “Then again, I’ve no room to say anything since she’s an expert clothes designer.”

“Ah. The experts are usually overworked anyway.” 01 agreed, nodding.

“Wait--what’s an expert designer doing in a small town? Shouldn’t she be in one of the big cities?” Tenmei asked, eyebrow arched.

“I asked her the same question, to be honest. I got some babble on the Elements of Harmony or something.” Kaguya answered, briefly rubbing her left foreleg with her right hoof.

“Elements...of Harmony? Pardon me for sounding a bit rude, but were you working for a drunk ninny today?” 01 asked, an eyelid twitching. The words that flew out of Kaguya’s mouth had sounded absolutely absurd to him.

“If I was, I would’ve said so.” Kaguya cut back, eyes scrunched shut as a pink vein appeared on her cheek. A sort of angry smile was plastered on her muzzle, though she did her best to keep it at bay. A neutral look came back on her face after a few seconds as she sighed once more.

“So, should we head back to Sweet Apple Acres, take a nice bath and call it a day?” Tenmei asked at last, sitting on his rump and stretching his forelegs as far as they could go for a few seconds.

“I hope Mimu hasn’t caused any more chaos while we were gone.” 01 commented, sighing. “It’s bad enough we made Koto mare of the barn we’re staying in, and worse since her leg is still not better.”

“True that.” Nagare said, nodding with a small smile on his face. He and the other ponies started to trot towards the south end of town when a voice of feminine origin called out. What it was the voice said wasn’t too clear, so the group merely paid it no heed as they continued on their merry way.

The voice called out again, this time much clearer than before. “Wait! Wait a minute!”

The group stopped, and all four ponies glanced around a bit. It was then that Nagare was the first to see that Nurse Redheart was galloping towards him and the others, and behind her trotted two ponies. A red-maned stallion who was supported by a device consisting of wheels attached to poles that were, in turn, attached to his midsection. Accompanying them was a purple mare with faint scars lining the right side of her face, had smiles on their muzzles and kicked their legs into gear upon noticing the group.

“T-they’re awake?!” 01 asked, face darkening from pure shock alone. He watched as the two ponies picked up their pace, and had also seen that a hind leg of the stallion was bandaged and basically put in casts. The hoof was resting on a metal square that was attached to one of the poles; the kind of squares often found on wheelchairs.

“Yes. They’ve been up all day, in fact. We had to find a simple but effective way to address Rekka’s walking problem.” Redheart answered, a small smile on her face. “But he’s still going to need help removing the thing every night before he either takes a bath or falls asleep.” She added as the teen finally stopped next to her, breathing ragged like he was on the verge of fainting.

“Phew! Never envisioned getting this tired on three legs!” Rekka exclaimed, still struggling to catch his breath. He wiped sweat off his brow with a front hoof, the device on his midsection supporting his weight surprisingly well in spite of its delicate-looking frame as he did.

The purple mare, Yuuki, also stopped on Redheart’s other side and she too was panting in exhaustion. However, she also fell onto her side and scrambled onto her hooves. It became apparent that her legs were still on the shaky side, just barely supporting her as they threatened to become even wobblier than before.

Redheart turned to the mare and then back to the group. “She’s been having issues too, but not anything serious.” She said, smiling still.

“I think we should take them with us back to the barn?” Tenmei asked, a wide smile on his face.

“It’s why I brought them to you ponies specifically. I’d do it myself, but I didn’t quite know where you were staying, and I’ve other patients to attend to.” Redheart answered, smiling as she turned tail and galloped away to the hospital in the north of town.

01 exchanged glances with the teens who had finally caught their breath. “Did you two behave?” He asked.

“Kinda...had to.” Rekka answered, rubbing the back of his head with a front hoof.

“I had the increasing urge to avoid the stallions…” Yuuki sighed, ears flat on her head. Her eyes averted elsewhere; she wasn’t looking at 01.

“Let’s...discuss that later.” Kaguya stated, looking at Yuuki in a calm manner. The elder mare placed a gentle hoof on the shoulder of the younger as if to comfort her.

“Guys, I think we need to head back to the barn now.” Tenmei sighed, shaking his head rather disapprovingly towards nothing in particular.

“He’s right.” Nagare agreed, nodding rather fitfully.

“So, we’re all back together...now what?” Koto asked as Tenmei trotted past her with a wet coat that was drying and a towel on his midsection.

“I’ve counted up the bits we’ve accumulated through the vast array of jobs we slaved over, and then asked the local librarian how much a house for nine costs. I’ve done calculations thoroughly; we should have enough left over to ensure that we have food for a few days after getting said house.” Kaguya answered, her mane glistening a little bit as she spoke.

“I know it has to be a big house, but what kind of house is it?” Tenmei asked, the towel partially muffling him as he rubbed it on every inch of his head with his hooves.

“I’ve yet to decide on that. 01 and I will further discuss it later.” Kaguya answered again, a faint smile on her muzzle.

“Kaguya?” Koto asked, eyelids drooping as worry overcame her.

“Yes?” Kaguya replied, ears perked to attention.

“When can we go back home?” Koto asked.

Chapter XXXI, Part I- Soothing Darkness

The next morning, the duo who were locked away in darkest of confines fared no better, and neither had spoken to the other. Koto shifted in unease, a burning sensation still lingering in her lower region. But that was something she could care less about at this point--it had already happened, and there was no changing it now. She heard something else shift, but could not tell exactly what was moving. True, Rekka was still very much present in the same dark room she was in, but she could not tell whether he moved his head, tail, or what.

She didn’t bother asking. The stallion did likewise. The darkness seemed to embrace them now, almost as if it pitied them at this hour. A sort of silence gripped the two, but neither minded it too much. If anything, it was comforting for the two to not speak at all, especially in regards to what had transpired last night.

Eventually, though, the serene darkness and peaceful silence had to be broken. Hooves echoed in the bleak world of black, and both ponies rose their heads attentively. As the hooves got closer, a light blue glow came about, and so did a white unicorn mare who opened the door, walked inside, and shut the gate. She exchanged quick glances with the two ponies who looked at her almost as if they were statues.

At last, Rekka spoke, narrowing his eyes in doing so. “The fuck do you want?”

The white mare turned to him, an eyebrow arched. “Oh my, you sound cranky.” She remarked, blinking a few times.

“Spent last night with a gold-pelted bastard, what else would you expect?” Rekka hissed, a scowl embedded in his muzzle.

The white mare’s eyes widened. She sighed soon after. “I’ve been told to inspect you two for any damage, and--”

Koto very quickly cut the mare off, “I’d rather die.”

“Excuse me?” The mare asked, glancing at the younger unicorn with eyes still widening.

Koto shut her eyes and rested her head on the cold floor. “I’m not repeating myself.” She snarled, her tone of voice lined with building anger.

Rekka proceeded to mimic his cellmate, but he chose to not say anything.

“Raki! Are the brats giving you trouble?” Cried a masculine voice from somewhere.

Raki’s ears fell flat on her head. On one hoof, she failed to do her supposed inspection and on the other, the current prisoners did in fact tell her very plainly they did not want her around.

“Raki!” The voice called once more.

The mare sighed. “The children did not give me trouble, and I inspected them thoroughly!” She called back, turning around and walking out of the cell, opening and then closing the door as she went. The darkness and silence took precedence once more and both ponies locked within the cell had preferred it stay that way.

And then he showed up, the one who dragged them here last night. The one who caused them to suffer. The door opened and then closed as he made his entry, gold horn aglow with a crimson light. Both of the prisoners looked at him once, and in their narrowed eyes he could see hate and loathing in the voids of red and blue, and he merely flashed them a demon’s smirk in response.

Just the one glance they gave Maki was more than reason enough for them to turn their heads away. Bobbing up and down eagerly between his legs was a dark mass, made all the more visible as he sat on his rump. Again, he looked at the ponies slowly, almost as if contemplating which one to violate first. His crimson aura then bathed Rekka and dragged his form to him, the elder unicorn’s eyes widening in response to how quietly he came.

The younger stallion let his form get dragged along without showing even a hint of resistance. He let himself get pawed at as the cruel unicorn looked him over every single inch of his body. Koto, to be blunt, let this happen to her as well without fighting once.

Maki’s eyes narrowed, and he scoffed as he put the ponies exactly where they had been positioned prior to his arrival. “You two aren’t fighting? It’s such a buzzkill.” He said, getting up and turning around, mumbling something about Raki as he went out the door.

He began to shout for his comrade like the end of the world was approaching. It was then Koto had, at last, stirred. She rose onto her hooves, her mouth slightly open as she heard the demented stallion who tormented her call out for his colleague over and over like a broken record.

Rekka also rose onto his legs, ears perked as he continued to listen to the sound of one pony shouting for another constantly. He arched a brow, and his tail twitched slightly. By now, ‘Raki’ was practically being shouted every five seconds by the tormentor of the two unicorns in the cell who then sat on their rumps and tried desperately to drown out the caterwauling by placing their hooves onto their ears.

A few more minutes of the shouting passed before it had finally stopped. The two ponies left in the darkness placed their front hooves onto the cold floor, noticing the silence had returned once more. They softly sighed, still placed on their rumps like obedient dogs.

Koto spoke at last. “What was his problem, exactly?”

“If you’re referring to what’s-her-face,” Rekka started, his ears twitching, “I ain’t got a clue myself.”

Faint thumps resonated from above, almost like hooves beating on the floor in a frantic gallop. Accompanying it was faint shouting, any words produced being indiscernible to the duo.

“Something’s going on up there...I think.” Koto murmured, looking up at the dark ceiling.

“Whatever it is,” Rekka started, his eyes narrowing as he too glanced up, “I sure as hell don’t like it.”

The thumping resounded again, this time louder and accompanied by what the two ponies could’ve sworn was Raki screaming something along the lines of ‘stay away.’ The two young unicorns jumped back onto their four hooves in that instant.

Koto trotted up to the wretched metal grid, placing a front hoof on it despondently. She turned around after a moment and began to kick at it with her back legs. It held firm despite being hit with hooves over and over again. Another moment passed, and the young mare was laying on the floor with her legs splayed, gasping for breath.

“I just want out of here…!” She said in between gasps.

“I dare not remark on why.” Rekka replied, also trotting to the metal gate that seemed to mock both him and Koto at this moment. He ran a front hoof along the entirety of the metal grid and found no bent rods at all. Not even a dent had been made by the mare’s hooves. Then, he turned around and began to kick at it himself.

This, eventually, caused him to lay on the floor breathing as frantically as Koto had been.

“Fuck! Bastard backed this thing up pretty damn good!” He cursed as he gasped for breath. He briefly looked up as the noises above died down for the time being.

“We won’t ever get out at this rate…” Koto murmured, her ears falling flat on her skull. She rose onto her four legs, a single tear falling from one of her eyes and hitting the cold floor. The mare slowly walked back to her corner, head hanging low. Another tear fell as she went, and then another.

The stallion rose onto his hooves, his ears also flat on his head. He looked back to the obstacle that prevented escape, and it stood strong as ever, not dented once by the assault of hooves. He turned back to his cellmate, and when he looked at her darkened form, a tear fell from his eye and a pang of pain wrenched itself into his chest, causing him to wince a bit.

He turned away. He could not bear to look at her, not after what he was forced to do last night. He recalled the events that followed as he woke up.

She screamed at him. She pushed him away. Afterwards, the only sound he could make out was the sound of her sobs. All went quiet after that.

He wanted to speak, but each time he opened his mouth, his throat burned with searing hot pain. In addition, it felt as if it clenched itself around a golf ball, and he had to close it to ease the tightening grip somewhat. Another tear fell from his eye, silently hitting the floor.

He lowered his head, and sat down on his rump. Another tear slid down his face, and another, and he grit his teeth to keep his whimpers at bay. His chest tightened greatly, a horrendous wrenching pain causing him to wince and his breath to come out in short-lived gasps.

By now, his body shook in pain and sorrow. Despite the metal band still lingering on the base, his horn began to sputter and glow vivid red. The band itself tightened, and the sputtering of magic immediately ceased. Then, the sound of hooves hitting the floor resounded again, this time very close by. It stopped on short notice before he felt a pair of hooves touch his shoulders.

He looked up, just barely seeing Koto’s form right in front of him. She pulled him in for a hug as he turned his head away.

“It’s not your fault.” Koto whispered, another tear falling from her eye.

Chapter XXXV, Part I- Brief Respite

The two pegasi followed Spitfire down a hallway, one that was marked with multitudes upon multitudes of doors. The moonlight illuminated the hallway through its sparse windows, pristine white walls aglow in silver.

“It’s a pretty big place.” Nagare remarked, eyes wide in surprise.

Spitfire stopped before a door and turned her body to it, briefly revealing a burst of flames in three blazing colors for a cutie mark. She turned her head to the stallion. “First time walking in the academy, I assume?” She asked.

“Yeah. I heard this place was usually reserved for those training to be Wonderbolts or something.” The stallion answered, a faint smile on his face.

“Well, for you two, I can make an exception. From all those rumors I’ve heard, the supposed anomalies happen in and around the academy anyway.” Spitfire replied, a faint smile on her own muzzle. She opened the door and moved out of the way, watching as the two ponies trotted inside to find two beds on opposite sides of the room at the ready, two dresser drawers next to those beds, and a door to the left that led into a bathroom.

Nagare sat before the dresser drawer on the right, fumbling about a bit with his saddlebag using his front hooves. A few moments passed before the thing fell off his body to the floor, which he then carefully scooped up and placed on top of the dresser. He made sure his blade was still secured before he got onto the bed and covered up. Yuuki placed her yoyo onto the other drawer, ensuring the string was safely tucked away before she claimed the other bed.

“Alright, I’ll have a talk with those bozos now. Sleep tight.” Spitfire said, closing the door and trotting away. After a few seconds, the sounds of her hooves hitting the floor were but a dull echo that soon faded into the night.

The stallion let off a soft groan, eyes scrunched as he then began to toss and turn a bit violently. He could not keep still for thirty seconds, struggling to get even a hint of sleep. Yuuki had also groaned, but she kept perfectly still save for the scrunching of her own eyes. The mare began to sweat lightly, and she was muttering something as she lay still.

The minutes ticked by, and eventually, the stallion sat up in bed blinking harshly. He looked around slowly, seeing that the room had not been disturbed since he and Yuuki set hoof into it. He got out of the bed slowly, his limbs feeling heavy as stones. He blinked and glanced around again before sauntering into the bathroom, making sure to turn on the light as he did.

He moved to the bathtub, slowly raising a heavy hoof to the faucet. The knob was turned shortly after, and the showerhead released a drizzling waterfall of steaming, piping hot water. He was about to move into the tub when a most terrible shriek of agony hit his ears from the bedroom, which in turn caused his eyes to widen. His limbs no longer felt heavy, and he moved them with renewed ease to guide him back to the bedroom.

Yuuki sat up, breathing frantically and covered in sweat. Her eyes were wide, her pupils the size of pinpricks, her ears were flat on her skull, and even her wings were splayed wide open. Tears threatened to leak from her eyes, and her jaw was jittery. “Thank goodness...it was only a dream…” She muttered, her ears slowly returning upright. “Just a very bad dream…”

Nagare breathed a sigh of relief. He trotted over to the mare as she crawled out of the bed and closed her wings.

“Why do I hear water running…?” Yuuki asked, her ears twitching as she caught the sound of the showerhead that still expelled hot water.

“I was just about to take a quick shower when I heard you yodeling. You had me worried for a second or so.” Nagare answered, patting the mare on the shoulder with a hoof before turning tail and re-entering the bathroom. Then, he placed himself under the drizzling stream of water, wincing a bit as pure hot liquid hit him and caused a burning sensation all over. He sat down, letting more of the sprinkling water hit his body, causing himself to wince again. After a bit, though, it somehow felt soothing to let the water, hot as it was, hit every inch of his body.

A few more moments passed, and every inch of him--mane, tail, hooves, wing feathers--was thoroughly soaked. He shifted, rising up on his legs with one front hoof outstretched towards the faucet from which the drain plug had been dangling thanks to a small beaded loop. He grabbed it, pulled it off and turned around, putting the plug in the drain and letting the heated water pool in the tub slowly.

He heard hoofsteps hitting the floor very close by. He turned his head just in time to see Yuuki waltz in, and she seemed rather dazed. Her eyelids threatened to close, and she sauntered. Her wings drooped, the bare tips of her feathers touching the floor.

“Ugh...I don’t feel so good…” She groaned, her voice riddled with exhaustion. The steam from the water that fell from the showerhead soon hit her nostrils, and her eyes opened a bit more than they had been a moment ago. “Just...can’t sleep.”

“Neither can I. Why do you think I’m sitting here letting boiling water hit me like the rain?” Nagare asked, arching a brow. He was quick to notice Yuuki turning her entire body to him and then walking in his direction.

“Could you make some room in the tub, please?” Yuuki asked, sounding more awake than when she walked in. Her eyes were fully open, and her wings folded to her sides as she continued to approach.

“I suppose I could.” Nagare sighed, now noticing that the tub had a good bit of water in it that fully submerged all four of his hooves. He sat down and turned the showerhead off with a simple act of pushing down the diverter with his hoof, letting the faucet pour out even more hot water. Yuuki soon put her hooves in the tub, and didn’t seem very fazed by the hot water. Only when she sat down did she let off a short-lived gasp, which in turn caused the stallion to look at her with both eyebrows arched.

Yuuki quickly got her rump out of the water and sighed, a faint blush on her face. She tried to sit again, and this time the water really didn’t bother her as much as it had the first time. “Could you turn the showerhead back on, please?” She asked, tilting her head slightly. The faint blush on her face didn’t go away, though. In fact, it seemed to redden even more, contrasting her purple pelt greatly.

The stallion groaned, though he did do as asked. Soon, the mare was pelted with hot water all over, and was thoroughly soaked after. He noticed that Yuuki had removed the drain plug, letting the already-accumulated water drain out. Then, something completely unexpected happened: Yuuki grabbed the stallion and yanked him into a hug with quick front hooves, effectively dragging him under the pelting hot water in the process.

Nagare’s eyes widened. “W-what are you--?!” He started, only to stop as his mouth met with that of the mare who embraced him. He himself was blushing now as Yuuki broke the kiss as quick as it had come.

“I...I have to ask something.” Yuuki replied, her ears falling flat on her skull. “You...remember when you said you wanted me, right?”

Nagare blinked for a few moments, his eyes still wide. “...Yes. Yes I do.” He said rather hesitantly.

“Did you...want me for my body, or...something else?” Yuuki asked, her wings spreading a bit.

In that instant, the stallion’s pupils shrank to tiny dots. His face was completely reddened at this point, and a golfball was now lodged in his throat sideways. He gulped hard, his jaw opening to speak. No words could be formed, so he shut his mouth in short order.

Yuuki closed her wings again. She maintained eye contact with the stallion, almost as if waiting for an answer.

“Not...just for your body.” Nagare spoke at last, his body shaking a bit. “Your...personality. It...defines your inner beauty.”

“Come again?” Yuuki asked, her eyes widening.

“Your personality...makes you shine through. It...makes you more beautiful than you already are.” Nagare answered, his pupils returning to normal size as he spoke. The blush didn’t fade from his face either.

Yuuki’s ears perked up. “Really?” She asked.

“Yes.” The stallion said quickly, a faint smile on his muzzle.

Yuuki let a faint smile of her own adorn her face. The water that hit her and her companion had turned freezing cold, but it didn’t concern her one bit. Her wings folded at her sides again, and her smile only widened as Nagare wrapped his front legs around her and pulled her closer to him.

Chapter XLII, Part I- Sending the Search Party

“You two good?” Kaguya asked, looking at Rekka and Koto as she spoke. The two only nodded in response.

“Where on this planet has Tenmei wandered off to?” 01 wondered aloud, sitting on the couch whilst cleaning his glasses in his hooves.

“We’re not sure--it’s why I’m sending these two out to find him.” Kaguya answered with a nod, watching as Koto loaded her boomerang into her saddlebag before she and her companion trotted out.

“Where should we go first?” Koto asked, brow arched as she looked every which way. There were some other ponies trotting about, but not many this day.

“Let’s hit Carrot Top’s farm first, then Sweet Apple Acres because it’s closer than the rest of the town.” Rekka sighed, turning so that his front faced south of the town. Then, at once, he burst into a gallop, with Koto following close behind. It took a hefty fifteen minutes or so of running, but they got there in the end.

Carrot Top, a mare with a golden pelt, curly orange mane, and green eyes, was digging into the dirt with a bag of seeds in her mouth. Her cutie mark, three bunched-up carrots complete with green leaves, really did match her name and colors.

She put the bag of seeds down onto the small dirt mound she created as she saw the unicorns stop to a complete halt, gasping for breath like they just fled from the wrath of a monster. “What brings you two here?” Carrot asked.

Rekka wheezed for a bit as he regained his breath. “Have...have you seen Tenmei?” He asked.

“Who?” Carrot asked, brow arched.

“Brown mane, tan pelt, crossbow cutie mark, wears glasses?” Koto inquired, sighing as she regained her breath.

It took a moment, but her words finally registered in Carrot’s mind. “Oh, him. Haven’t seen him lately.” She answered. “Has something happened?”

“He kinda went walkabout...without his glasses.” Rekka replied, blinking a few times. “So, yeah, something’s happened, but we don’t know what.”

“Could you tell us if you see him?” Koto asked, ears flattening on her head for a moment.

“Sure thing. I’ll be farming most of the day, but when I have the time, I’ll have the mailmare send ya a letter if I find him.” Carrot answered, a small smile on her face. She picked up the bag of seeds and went back about her business.

“Thanks.” The two unicorns said before taking off to Sweet Apple Acres. Once they arrived (after catching their breath again), they found Applejack hard at work. She was kicking apple trees, letting the delicious green and red fruit drop into waiting baskets below.

The farm mare stopped kicking once she saw the unicorns. “Howdy there. Why are you two runnin’ like a cockatrice is on yer heels?” She asked, taking the moment to wipe sweat off her brow with a hoof.

“Have you seen Tenmei? He’s gone walkabout without his glasses.” Koto said, sitting on her rump.

“Nope. Can’t say I have. Why would he go without his glasses, though? That right there is worryin’ on its own.” Applejack replied, brow arched.

“To be honest, we’re asking the same thing.” Rekka sighed, rubbing a foreleg with a hoof. “It’s just...off.”

“Well, I’ll holler at ya if I see him. Hopefully he ain’t hurt.” Applejack said, resuming her kicking at the tree to make it drop more apples.

“Okay.” The two said, turning and starting their trot towards Ponyville. Along the way, they stopped to talk with a big red stallion with a short orange mane and green eyes. He had a cart attached to him via harness, and its frame was empty.

“I assume you’re going to fill that with more apples, Big Mac?” Koto asked.

“Eeyup.” Big Mac replied with a simple nod.

“Have you seen Tenmei?” Rekka asked.

“Nnnope.” Big Mac replied, this time shaking his head.

“Could you tell us if you see him?” The two unicorns asked.

“Eeyup.” Big Mac replied, nodding before trotting to the Acres. The two resumed their course as well, this time going to a building whose overall structure was reminiscent of a carousel with a full, 360-degree porch with the inner space lined with windows and precisely one door.

Rekka knocked a few times. Nopony answered. It was then he noticed a sign on the door.

“Gone to get fabric. Will be back around three in the afternoon.”

“I think we should come later.” Koto sighed. Rekka nodded in agreement, and they went about their business. Quite simply, every house they went to had an occupant that yielded the same answer that was usually worded differently: ‘I haven’t seen him.’ In fact, they were about ready to go home and face Kaguya’s wrath once they told her the news when a group of five ponies, all stallions, approached them.

One had a dull grey coat and short, black mane. His golden eyes seemed to gleam intently as he stared at Rekka in particular. Another stallion, also with black mane but with brown pelt, was eyeing the red-maned stallion with his own set of green eyes. The third, light grey pelt and black mane with dull yellow eyes, kept his eyes on Koto instead. On his midsection was a closed saddlebag.

The fourth, black mane with a pelt of a color somewhere between turquoise and sea-green, was looking at what the first two was eyeballing with eyes matching the color of Koto’s mane. Unlike the others, he sported a white collar and black tie, like what would be found on a businessman. The last one, grey pelt with mane of two different shades of light blue-teal, was also looking at the unicorn stallion with moderate light-blue eyes.

“And why are four of you looking at me like I’m a murderer?” Rekka asked, brow arched.

The five glanced at one another, and at once, they broke out into a cacophony of laughter. It was then the pony with the tie returned his gaze to the unicorn who had asked the question, eyes narrowing low. “It’s very simple,” He started, his tone resonating with anger as he spoke, “your mane and tail happen to be at a length we find rather intolerable for a stallion such as yourself.”

“E-Excuse me? You’re saying my mane and tail are too long?” Rekka inquired, letting the words of the apparent business-pony sink in for a moment or so.

“It’s exactly what he’s saying.” The blue-maned stallion answered, grinning rather darkly as he finished speaking. “And we’re here to fix it.”

“Um, why don’t you guys just trot elsewhere if my mane and tail length offend you that much?” Rekka quickly countered, ears falling flat on his skull. He didn’t want to cause trouble, not with these ponies.

“We’ve put up with it for long enough,” Spoke the light-grey stallion. He opened his saddlebag with a hoof and produced from it a pair of shears. “We’re gonna fix it right here, right now.”

Koto stomped one of her front hooves. This caused the group of five to look at her. Her eyes narrowed low, and she huffed once. “I happen to like his mane and tail being that long.” She said quickly.

The five registered her words for a moment before they broke out into another awful, unified laughter. The stallion with the shears then shook his head disapprovingly. “You like his long mane and tail? Are you serious? Girl, you lack some taste!” He cried before laughing out loud again.

“It makes him unique.” Koto countered quickly, her horn lighting to life with magic. “And if you take away what makes him unique, it’s almost like if I used those same shears to remove the horn or wings of your slutty, disease-ridden mother.” She added, stomping a front hoof again and this time pushing dirt aside afterwards with it.

“Say what?!” The light-grey stallion cried, eyes widening and then narrowing at the crude remark. “You don’t know my mother, kid!”

“I can say quite a lot about her--based on how you’re acting right now. She didn’t raise you too good, did she?” Koto countered. Her magic grasped her boomerang, and she was effectively prepared to draw it out and hit some things with it.

“Same can be said about you, given your foul mouth.” Spoke the pony with the tie. “Now, just let us cut his mane and tail and we’ll be on our way.”

“How about no?” Koto hissed, literally stepping in between the group of stallions and her companion.

“Oh, goodness gracious, what is all this fuss about?” Spoke a high-pitched, elegant female voice. All ears perked to attention at once, and the source of the voice made itself known: a white unicorn mare, so pristine white, with a royal purple and expertly curled mane and tail, approaching the group of arguing seven with saddlebags on her body as well. Her sapphire blue eyes darted back and forth between the makeshift factions, and her cutie mark of three cyan diamonds was as radiant as the rest of her form.

Koto swiftly drew her weapon, and she used it like she would the accusing hoof. “They want to cut off the mane and tail of my boyfriend!” She cried, briefly glancing at the white unicorn as she spoke.

The stallions who had the shears on their side laughed once more at the remark. “Boyfriend?” They cried in unison, as if in disbelief at her words. “Who’d want him with his long mane and tail??”

The white unicorn gave Rekka a quick glance, and all the stallion could do was look at her with wide eyes, dropped jaw, and meager shrug. She hastily turned back to the group of stallions who were mocking him, and it was then she gave her opinion on the matter at hoof: “The mane and tail could use a bit more brushing through, but I personally think it is actually greater the longer they are.”

“You have got to be kidding me! You like it too?!” Shouted the blue-maned stallion, sitting on his rump and flinging his front hooves before him in Rekka’s direction.

Chapter LVII- Ponies of The Round (Punching) Table

The bucket was punched so hard by a scarlet hoof it spun on one back leg like a ballerina having an adrenalin rush. It span and span, velocity increasing, until its leg slipped and it landed on its flat bum with spinning eyes and a hoof-shaped bruise making the margin of the right eye.

“I’ll go ahead and take the young hooligans upstairs before this gets too violent.” 01 sighed, putting Mimi and Mimu on his back after he stood up. He quickly made his way upstairs, and disappeared into the second floor with them.

The bucket regained its composure, only to find its face grasped in a blue aura which forced it to turn to Koto.

“Maybe we should put you in a washing machine after this!” Koto stated, smiling wickedly as she delivered her punch. Now, the other eye had been marred in a hoof-shaped bruise.

“Ahem.” Nagare started, causing the bucket to look at him with tears welling in its eyes. It noticed that the pegasus had his front legs slack against his sides, and he was giving it that soul-crushing glare again. “I have a feather in one of my front hooves. Guess right, I’ll let you off scot free. Guess wrong, and another bruise comes on your face. It’s that simple.”

By now, the bucket’s teeth were chattering rather loudly. “R-right?” It asked, and the pegasus lifted his front hooves back to the table, revealing that a purple feather was in fact held in his left hoof.

“Wrong!” Nagare chimed, delivering a punch of his own. The bucket now had a bloody nose, which was quickly jammed with wads of toilet paper encased in magic.

“We don’t want stains on the table.” Raki sighed, her horn aglow. She shook her head.

“Didn’t know monsters that were part object could bleed.” Rekka stated, scratching his head with a hoof at the anomaly. The toilet paper was crimson now, and the bucket was wincing in pain.

“Their organic parts work much like a pony’s does. Same blood vessels and everything.” Raki replied, sighing again.

“Hey, mutant smurf.” Yuuki hissed, causing the bucket to turn its face to her. “How would you like it if you had wings, and I went and yanked your feathers out?” She asked, eyes appearing to glow under her bangs, which darkened her face.

“It...would hurt, and I’d...hate it.” The bucket answered, beginning to shake. It was sweating more profusely at this point; staring into those purple eyes made it feel as though the metallic body would snap in two.

“Exactly.” Yuuki replied, swiftly delivering a punch from her hooves. Another bruise marred the bucket’s face, which had looked halfway squished from the assault it took.

“Hey, testtube.” Tenmei jeered, and the bucket quickly looked at him. His glasses gleamed as he cast his own glare. “Suppose you had a kid three weeks ago, and a jerk went and poured hot water all over the little bundle. Would you be happy about that?”

“No…” The bucket answered, trembling so much it was unable to stand on its hind legs.

“What if your kid got hypothermia? Or a blister from the hot water that was poured onto it?” Tenmei continued, eyes narrowing.

“I’d...think I’d raise hell…?” The bucket seemed to hesitate with its words, its voice as shaken as it appeared.

“And raise hell, you did.” Tenmei replied, punching the bucket himself. A magic aura grasped the bucket, forcing it to stand upright. A tapping sound came, sounding more akin to a knock on the door, and the bucket was now looking at Kaguya.

The elder mare’s face hardened into a stone-cold glare when the bucket made eye contact with her. “Before I deliver your needed punishment, I must ask: What did you do with the uniforms in question?” She asked, her voice as cold and piercing as her face.

The bucket gulp hard. “I...uh...I...dumped them in the rainbows...at the weather factory?” It answered.

Kaguya looked at Nagare, her glare easing into a neutral look as she did. “What do rainbows do to uniforms?” She asked.

“Rainbows, in liquid form, aren’t to be fucked with--you can taste them, but any other object that is not special weather equipment or an organic being gets dissolved like it was in a vat of acid. I was personally showed the spectacle during a flight-class training break.” Nagare answered before his own answer clicked in his head. His eyes widened, and he slammed his hooves on the table before standing on his hind legs. “Okay, something tells me this bucket was made from a type of special weather equipment!” He cried.

“Which would explain why he carried rainbows...and not get dissolved in the process.” Raki sighed, shaking her head again.

“Fair enough.” Kaguya replied with a nod before returning to glaring at the bucket. After her hoof connected with its face, it vanished from the world.

“At least we can tell Spitfire the news...but she’s probably going to flip her lid.” Yuuki sighed, shaking her head as that image played out in her head.

“Why’s that?” Kaguya asked, brow arched.

“The Wonderbolt uniforms are not only as expensive as Celestia’s left horseshoe, but they’re meant for a select few fliers--the best of the best. Made by the finest artisans in freaking Canterlot, so I was told, and with materials even more expensive than an entire hospital AND its whole staff put together!” Yuuki answered, cringing at the image still doing a roundabout in her head.

Kaguya’s eyes widened. “That...sounds rather expensive.” She murmured.

“So, yeah, Spitfire’s gonna throw a bit of a bitchfit--and we can’t blame her at all.” Nagare sighed, closing his eyes as he finished speaking.

“I assume the violence is over?” 01 stated, causing all to glance at the stairs. He stood on the flight, the two fillies he escorted upstairs earlier still perched on his back.

“Yes, the bucket has been addressed.” Kaguya replied with a nod.

“Spitfire’s still going to absolutely lose it when she catches wind of what became of the uniforms. She’s probably going to need another legged bucket to vent her anger out on.” Nagare sighed, shaking his head sadly.

Chapter LXX, Part II- More Ways Than One

“I need to get this off my chest now. It’s urgent.” Tenmei replied sharply, sighing afterwards.

“Alright, alright…” Raki sighed with a nod of her head.

“Where do I begin…?” The stallion murmured, looking to the ceiling briefly. “There’s just so much to tell…”

“Cram it in a nutshell.” The unicorn groaned, still waiting to hear whatever it was the stallion needed to speak of.

“Your ex-colleagues. I was sodomized, beaten, chained...and I think I had a glass jar shoved up my ass at some point.” Tenmei answered quickly.

The mare’s eyes widened--the second half of the answer flew straight over her head. “Wait, what?” She asked, blinking.

“Sodomized, chained, beaten, and glass jar up my ass.” The tan pony repeated, sighing after that.

“Ouch...that’s…” The blue-maned pony trailed off, that series of images playing out in her head. “They’re getting worse and worse, I swear…”

“Indeed.” The earth pony agreed with a nod. “That, and they kinda threatened me, which is why I couldn’t talk.”

“Now I understand everything regarding you being mute for a day.” Raki murmured, an exasperated sigh escaping her lips. “But...why tell me about it now?” She asked.

“Sound barrier. If they’re watching by some freak chance, they can’t hear a word I say. Hell, I could parade on and on about it with a cheeky grin on my face and they wouldn’t know what I was having a cow over.” Tenmei answered bluntly.

The unicorn was silent, blinking as she felt traces of previous anger returning to her tired mind. “I would be angry right now, but I’m dead tired…” Raki mumbled, eyelids closing and opening slowly. “I think I’ll have to vent in the morning…”

Tenmei sighed, a smile once more adorning his face. He felt a million times better now, and not just because his lower region was addressed moments ago either. He closed his eyes, just about ready to drift off when a startled yelp hit his ears.

“Damn!” Raki cried out, eyes wide as she winced in pain. “I feel like I got kicked in the ovaries!”

“That’s not good…” Tenmei mumbled, shooting a glance at the unicorn as he opened his eyes. He watched the mare literally roll off the bed. She landed on her backside, all four legs splayed open like a spider waiting in a web. He sat up quick as a whip. “You okay, apart from the ovaries?”

“Not quite…” Raki answered, her hooves twitching. She sat up on the floor, hind legs still splayed wide, and shook her head quickly.

Tenmei felt his dong twitch, and quickly looked at his groin. The damn thing was limp, but hadn’t retracted for some reason. He glanced back at the unicorn on the floor. He got out of bed, making sure to avoid hurting her in the process.

“Okay, my body’s starting to act funny.” The stallion sighed, glancing at his flagpole which now stood erect again.

“Hard again? Already?” Raki asked, eyes wide.

Tenmei glanced at her. “Round two?” He inquired.

The unicorn flashed him a smile. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt.” She replied. She got up and clambered onto the bed, the pony who she was helping in more ways than one following suit.

“How long’s the barrier gonna last?” Tenmei asked, looking around to make sure it was still up.

“Until I fall asleep.” Raki answered, smiling sheepishly.

“Seems legit.” Tenmei replied, smiling again. He nuzzled the unicorn for a moment before feeling a pair of forelegs wrap around him.

“Mmm…” The unicorn hummed, pulling away and rolling onto her stomach. She moved her tail out of the way. “I mounted you, so it’s only fair you do the same to me.” She said, shuddering a bit.

Tenmei understood, wasting no time in positioning himself behind the unicorn. His dong twitched again, as if knowing full well what was about to happen. One quick thrust elicited a pained moan from the unicorn, but this one also had hints of pleasure within its dying tone.

“Keep...going…” Raki pleaded, shivering a little. “It feels so good…”

Tenmei nodded, doing as he was told to. The set of walls he was lodged inside of felt...off, almost different from the first set he’d experienced earlier. He paused, reaching a hoof down to try and figure out why that was. He found that, quite simply, this wasn’t the same hole he dealt with before. Shrugging it off, he resumed a slow and methodical pace. Only a little bit of grief was to be had, but it barely registered for him.

The unicorn began panting, eyes closed in bliss. Her body shook the more she was pounded. She was willing to take her time at this moment; there was no reason to rush unlike last time. She sighed contently, body still trembling as she was rammed.

“Gah...I’m starting to wish I did this more…” Tenmei moaned, eyes closed as he continued to pound the unicorn. “It’s just so damn good…”

“It does feel good…” Raki agreed with a nod. “Switch holes…” She murmured, still shaking.

The stallion did as told, not once stalling in his movements.

“That’s it...oh god, that’s good…” Raki moaned, waves of pleasure hitting her nerves like bricks.

“I...I don’t think I can hold much longer…” Tenmei mumbled, an urge to go faster making itself known in his hastening movements.

“Neither can I…” Raki agreed, a sharp moan escaping her lips soon after, her body’s nerves rustled with another jolt of pleasure. Panting once more, her eyelids drooped in a sleepy look as the waves built up and up, nearing the point of no return.

“F-Fuck….” Tenmei groaned before letting off a series of progressively louder howls, hips moving as fast as they could go at this point. Again and again hips connected, bringing both closer to that ever-approaching state of bliss.

The earth pony shook so much his rear hooves slipped from under him, causing him to fall off the unicorn and tumble to the floor awkwardly (whilst hitting the bedpost and dresser drawer with his head in the process). The unicorn snapped a concerned look at him as he rose to his hooves in a sitting position, rubbing his head vigorously where he was hit.

“You alright?!” Raki half-shrieked, eyes wide.

“Just a flesh wound.” Tenmei replied, getting up on four legs. “But I did NOT expect that to happen.” He added as he clambered onto the bed.

The unicorn quickly turned around and pounced him, giving him a nuzzle on the neck as her body towered over his. “You still feeling up to it?” She asked, a small smile on her face.

“Yep.” Tenmei replied with a nod. A cheeky grin adorned his face. He felt his flagpole get crammed into his partner’s vagina again, and he shuddered as a result. “D-Damn…” He muttered, closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling again. The pain in his head was naught but an afterthought at this point.

The mare didn’t say anything, instead merely nodding before she began riding him again, starting off slowly. She kept going, unable to contain a few moans as her body moved almost as if on its own accord. The pressure within was building once more, with a hastening rate at that, and the unicorn shook as she kept going still.

Raki threw her head high, an outcry of pleasure escaping her throat as her body achieved climax. She collapsed, juices escaping her nethers, body quaking in the afterglow and her mouth releasing pants afterwards.

Languidly, she rose again, remembering her partner was still beneath her with his member lodged between her inner thighs. Before resuming, she looked him over, and found him looking at her with a sleepy look.

He nodded once, still laying back. His front hooves moved to her hips, as if taking notice of the fact she was still shaking a little bit. Slowly, those hips began going up and down again, aided by the hooves of the earth pony this time. Tenmei groaned, his own body shaking as pressure began welling up within him again.

Then, the hips began moving faster and faster until the stallion let off his own outcry, his second payload leaving his body and filling up the unicorn like an upside-down glass of water. Again, Raki collapsed like a domino with legs, one front limb hanging lazily off the bed. She rose her hips again, though it was only to release the member from her vagina so it could retract into its hiding place.

The room was graced by silence once more, neither of the two making a sound for a few moments.

Tenmei spoke up, voice riddled with exhaustion. “Could I...tell you the rest tomorrow…?”

“Sure...but after breakfast…” Raki replied, eyes closing as she finished speaking. She fell fast asleep, and so did the pony she helped out.

Author's Note

Had to split this chapter in two parts, I felt it was needed again.

~Dragon

Intro

Band of Five Attributes, Re-Written
Written by Syeekoh and Dragonborne Fox
Crossover with Little Buster Q

A cataclysmic fight was unfolding in a room with jade green tiles and steel grey walls between a total of eight persons. A young girl with bright purple eyes and an orange jacket and grey shorts was slinging her weapon to and fro, a ball-like yo-yo with a grey margin surrounding a purple center. Long purple hair flowed delicately after her, some tufts that were feather-like flailing about as she moved.

“Is that the best you have?!” Cried a young woman with sky blue, wavy hair reminiscent of mist as she opened up a cape with both her arms, causing geysers of water to spring forth before her and rush at the girl.

A blade sliced cleanly through the last water tower, a dark green in hue adorned with a blue hilt and handguard. The owner, a young teenager in a green jacket and purple pants, looked at the woman with his face darkening under the shadow of his emerald hair. “You’re pretty weak yourself!” He retorted, glaring at the blue-haired woman.

A man with short, bright orange hair and crimson eyes stepped before the woman, unfurling his cape and causing a tsunami of fire to rush at the duo. Before it could reach them, a purple-and-blue blur rushed into it and caused it to disappear, curving in a wicked arc as it returned to a young girl in a light blue shirt and small purple skirt. Her bangs were like frills on a dress, and the back of her neck was covered with hair that looked like crude fairy’s wings. Her weapon of choice was a purple boomerang that had four blue teeth.

A man with tufted, night-blue hair, a thin jagged mustache, and matching eyes then rushed at her, cape spread wide as he seemed to crackle with electricity, revealing purple leggings and a silvery chestplate adorning his frame. He was about to snatch up the blue-haired girl, only to get hit in the eye with the yoyo-ball. He turned to the purple-haired girl with a snarl, only to notice another boy in a light tan shirt and brown shorts aiming a golden-colored crossbow at him. This one had trimmed brown hair, and the lens of his glasses gleamed as he fired the bolt.

The man with dark hair deftly dodged the attack, only to find himself butting into a great, red, gun-like cannon and its owner, another boy in a red shirt, blue shorts and a blue hat on his head. His messy bangs, for the most part, sat on the sides of his head, and much of his long vermillion hair had been tied back with a simple white ribbon.

“Hey, jerkface!” Cried the red-headed boy as his cannon began radiating a yellow glow, “Watch where you’re going!”

“I am not a jerkface, you nihilistic brat!” The blue-haired man cried before realizing he was directly in a line of fire. He jumped out of the way just before the impending yellow laser would’ve hit him, which caused the crossbow and boomerang-wielder to rush out of the line of fire.

“You could’ve hurt us, Rekka!” Cried the boy who was fumbling about with his crossbow as he ran into the red-haired man.

“‘Pologies, Tenmei!” Rekka replied, aiming his cannon towards the lady with blue hair. “Can’t help it if the Quartet dodges!”

“He has a point!” Cried the blue-haired girl, readying her boomerang to throw it again before the man with the dark hair tackled her and sent her into a wall face-first.

“Koto!” Cried the purple-haired girl as she began running to the dark-haired man whilst readying her weapon. The woman with blue hair and the man with red suddenly appeared on either side of her, and they were also sprinting.

The duo quickly made an attempt to grab the purple-haired girl, only to headbutt one another as she ducked in the nick of time.

Koto, the girl with blue hair, was now flailing about between the man who was pounding her and the wall she was being pounded into. She shrieked in pain each time her body collided with the steel grey surface. The man was about to hurt her again when the yoyo-ball collided with his face once more, forcing him to drop Koto and look at his attacker with hate and loathing. The girl crawled away from him while he was occupied, forcing herself against the wall to tend to her wounds.

“Yuuki, behind you!” Rekka called out as the other two adults loomed over the purple-haired girl’s backside. She turned around and jumped between them as they made another grab for her, sliding on her belly a good way afterwards. Yuuki hastily rushed to her feet, then turned around and flung her weapon at the adults again. This time, it produced a long string attached to her index finger as it flew from her, coiling around the ankles of those who attempted to grab her, causing them to fall over. They shrieked in surprise before removing the contraption from their ankles and getting up.

“Raki, you’re an idiot! Maki, YOU’RE AN EVEN BIGGER MORON!” Pouted the blue-haired man, stomping his foot angrily.

“Well, sire, YOU are the biggest idiot of all!” Maki, the man with red hair, hissed angrily as he began waving his fist at the man with blue hair.

It was then that the green-haired boy rushed at the arguing trio, holding his sword as if it were a jousting lance. The arguing adults turned around and saw him approaching, forcing Raki (the woman with blue hair) and Maki to jump out of the way. The man with dark hair, however, stood still with both hands held out before him.

When the boy thrust his sword towards the chest of the man, he moved at the speed of light and held the sword firmly between the palms of his hands. The boy’s eyes widened as the man yanked his sword out of his hand, threw it against a wall, grabbed him by the shirt collar and threw him towards another wall, causing him to rebound off of it after impact and land on the floor.

The yoyo-ball coiled around the wrist of the man, the string tightening as it was yanked by its owner.

“Back off of Nagare, you prick!” Yuuki hissed, both hands having a string wrapped around their palms. She was pulling as if about to engage in a dangerous game of tug-o’-war.

Then, and only then did a voice freeze everyone in their tracks. “Oh my, what chaos do you cause.”

All looked up as a portal appeared, and out crawled a lengthy beast whose colors and body parts were mismatched. It had a brown body, a red tail ending in a pink, fluffy tuft, a blue wing clad in feathers, and a purple wing like that of a bat. It had an orange horse leg and a green lizard’s talon acting as back legs, and a lion’s paw and bird’s claw acting as the front limbs.

The head was goat-like, except the horns were mismatched in both shape and color. It had a tooth sticking out of the upper lip, and red irises were plastered on yellow sclera. It seemed to look at the lot intently, and the younger beings drew back their weapons posthaste.

“Yes, such wonderful chaos you create as you fight. But for what, may I ask, do you fight for? Who started what? Does it even matter anymore?” It asked, smiling when none of those it appeared before could answer.

“Who cares if chaos isn’t fair?” It taunted before snapping its bird-fingers, causing the portal it created to suddenly start acting like a black hole. Everyone quickly began to panic, grasping whatever they could manage to hopefully avoid being sucked into the vortex. Unfortunately, the vortex created by the hodgepodge chimera overpowered whatever it was they could cling to, and all were dragged screaming as they suddenly found themselves falling from the sky like burning meteorites.

And for everyone, vision went black.