Author's Note

Grab your popcorn, find a comfy chair to sit in, 'cause chapter 2 is finally here, and holy shit it's every bit as long as chapter 1. Also, I hope a certain scene or two in this chapter doesn't pass the line, since Alexandria's still only 16... I'm only just getting started on chapter 3, but I've got a couple things planned for it that will resolve the issue. Not to mention some other very interesting developments, so look forward to that!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 2: Heated Feelings and a Heated Battle

…I begin to come to, a faint sensation of warmth in my body. After a moment, the sensation fades. I slowly blink my eyes open. I don't recognize this room.

“W-Where…?” I start slowly.

“Did you actually heal her?” Starlight's voice says, clearly bewildered. “Like, completely heal her?”

“Um, it looks like it…” a young girl's voice that I don't recognize answers.

“Woah…” the unicorn breathed. “Even master unicorns struggle with healing spells that advanced…”

“Spell…?” the young girl repeats. “I didn't use any magic… I just healed her, that's it.”

I sit up and look around. It seems to be an apartment. “Where am-” I begin, looking around the room to see Arela, Starlight - who appears to be preening Arela - Gaelle, a Fairy I don't recognize and Marisa. (…Wait) “…Marisa? What are you doing here?” I look around the apartment again. “And where is 'here'?”

“I'm sure you've met Gaelle already, right?” Marisa asks, and I nod. “Well, this is her apartment. We brought you here to rest up after Hikan introduced your head to a brick wall at high speeds.”

“…Oh yeah…” I say quietly, dropping my gaze as memories of last night come back to me. “…I'm really sorry about that… I honestly have no idea what came over me…”

“Nah, it's fine,” Marisa says with a dismissive wave of her hand. “You're back to your usual self now, so don't worry 'bout it. Anyway, I'm here 'cause I started to have a bad feelin', so I came to check things out. I found you actin' all weird, so I'm stickin' around to get to the bottom of it.”

“…Alright,” I say before turning to the Fairy, both curious and confused. “And who's the Fairy?”

“Um, I'm Daiyousei,” the Fairy answers. “It's nice to meet you.”

('Big Fairy'… What a simple name) I give a light smile back. “It's nice to meet you too, Daiyousei,” I say. “My name is Alexandria Kijin.”

“If it weren't for Dai here healin' you,” Marisa starts. “You'd still be out cold recoverin'.”

“Healing me…?” I repeat, putting a hand on my chin. “Is that… Her ability…?”

“Apparently so,” Arela says, then wincing as Starlight accidentally plucks the wrong feather. “Careful, Starlight. I don't want to have my wings ruined.”

“Sorry,” Starlight apologizes before she seems to have a thought. “Wait… could you heal someone that's been knocked out from exhaustion?”

“Um, someone that's tired…?” Daiyousei asks, receiving a nod from Starlight. “I don't know… I don't think I've ever tried…”

“Could you?” The unicorn asks, a bit of a hopeful tone in her voice.

“I guess so…” Daiyousei responds. “Is there someone like that here? Where are they?”

Starlight nods her head. “He's through that door there,” she says, giving a little nod towards the guest room.

“Here, let me show you,” Gaelle says, getting up from the loveseat before walking towards the guest room.

I realize that someone had placed Shanghai in my lap, and she wakes up as I go to stand. “I'll go too,” I say to Daiyousei and Gaelle as they head towards the guest room. “I… want to apologize to Hikan anyway…” With that, I follow Gaelle and Daiyousei into the guest room. The griffoness leads us into the room and steps to the side and out of the way to reveal Shell and Hikan still in the bed.

Shell is curled up near the edge while Hikan seems to take up a lot more space, his breath a little more labored than the Changeling's. Daiyousei's gaze immediately goes to Hikan as she watches his ragged breathing.

“That doesn't look very good…” she says, likely referring to his breathing. “I'll try my best to help him.” She then approaches Hikan and puts her hands on him. I watch this with interest.

Recovery「Healing Power」

A green glow flows from Daiyousei's hands, spreading throughout Hikan's body before fading before Daiyousei steps back from Hikan. Slowly, the man's face scrunches up and his eyes blink open. He groans as he sits up in the bed. “What… what day is it…?” He asks, looking up at us.

(Was that what Daiyousei did to me…?) I wonder. “Um, it's the morning after our fight…” I say slowly to Hikan, looking down at the floor. “I'm… really sorry about yesterday… I have no idea what came over me… I shouldn't have said the things I said or done the things I did… I'm just… so sorry…”

Hikan blinks at me for a moment before he sighs. “I forgive you, Alex,” he says. “Whatever happened last night, I don't blame you for… but… I am sorry for my actions. I shouldn't have let Hikan influence my actions so far as to hurt you like that.”

“Sounds like you both have regret for last night,” Shell suddenly mutters, rolling over and opening her eyes.

“Oh! Uh…” I say in surprise. “Did we wake you…?”

The Changeling shrugs before giving a yawn. “Not really,” she answers. “I woke up when Lady Arela got out of bed.”

“Ah, alright then…” I say.

“So, how are you feeling?” Daiyousei asks Hikan. “Did I help you feel better?”

“Actually,” the hunter answers, stretching his arm over his head. “Yeah, I actually feel like a hundred and ten percent for once in a long time.”

“That's good,” Daiyousei says with a smile, relief in her voice. “I don't like seeing people hurt…”

“Certainly noted,” Hikan answers, giving a little smile before he looks to me. “Are the others up yet?”

“Except for Garrick,” I say before noticing the Fallen Angel from yesterday in a sleeping bag on the floor of the room. “…And her, yeah. Everyone's awake.”

Hikan nods his head before looking to the sleeping angel, noting the many scrapes and scratches on her cheek. His face forms a sad frown. “...I don't even want to think about what they did to her in that damn pit,” he mutters quietly.

Daiyousei finally takes notice of the Fallen Angel. “There's another one?” she says. “Well, if she's hurt, then it's wrong for me not to help.” She then approaches the sleeping bag and puts her hands on the angel's arm, which is hanging outside the sleeping bag, before using the same ability as twice before. This time when the green glow fades, we all watch as the scrapes on her face close up and vanish completely right in front of our eyes. Then, the angel groans and her heterochromatic eyes flutter open.

As soon as they do, they widen, and she jumps out of the sleeping bag, a flash of purple and white light coming over her as two sais appear in her hands, only to quickly disappear. Noticing this, she backs herself to a corner of the room. The sight reminds me of when Shell first woke up in Patchouli's library. I also notice two things: 1) she has what appears to be an awning wrapped around her; 2) she and Daiyousei are the same height.

“St-Stay away!” she cries, shielding herself with her large, black wings.

Daiyousei's eyes widen. “I was only helping you…” she says, confusion in her voice.

“We don't want to hurt you,” I say gently. “Please, we're trying to help you.”

The angel lowers her wings a bit, looking nervously between them all. “Y-Y-You're not gonna rape me until I'm u-u-unconsious…?”

“No, we're not,” I answer, trying to keep as much anger out of my voice as possible as my brows furrow. “We took you away from the people that were doing that to you. We're going to treat you like a respectable angel.” The angel looks between us all again, then slowly lowers her wings completely.

“O-Okay… B-But who are you?” she asks.

“My name is Alexandria Kijin,” I say, introducing myself.

“I'm Daiyousei, a Greater Fairy,” Daiyousei says.

“I am Shell, a Changeling,” the insectoid adds, getting up from her side of the bed and giving a little wave.

“Hikan Kanshi,” the hunter greets, standing to his feet and taking off his coat. “And you are mostly naked.” He holds his coat out to her at that. She graciously takes it and covers herself with it, looking between us again before clearing her throat.

“I-I'm Ayis Filya VII,” the angel, now known as Ayis, says, trying to sound confident but failing.

“Nice to meetcha Ayis,” Marisa suddenly says, stepping into the doorway with her usual grin. “The name's Marisa Kirisame, and I'm just an ordinary human magician. There're a couple other folks out here for you to meet. Why don'cha come say hi?” The angel flinches, but manages to regain her confident composure.

“S-Sure, I guess,” she says, following the woman out the door.

“Marisa's gonna be a handful, I can already tell…” I mutter, shaking my head, though the small smile on my face tells another story.

“Tell me about it,” the hunter mutters as he gets up and walks after them. “Does that girl have no sense of tact?” Shell follows him wordlessly into the living room.

“We should go out there too,” Daiyousei says. “Everyone else is out there, and being with lots of friends is always better.”

I smile at that. “You're right Daiyousei,” I say. “It is nice to have a lot of friends.” I turn to Gaelle as Daiyousei and I start to leave the room. “C'mon, no point in staying in here alone.”

“Ain't that the truth,” Gaelle replies, pushing her shoulder off the wall to follow me.

As we all walk into the main room, Arela looks to see Ayis, who looks back and promptly scowls.

“Who's the high and mighty bitch?” Ayis asks. Arela frowns.

“For your information, I helped save your hide,” Arela shoots back.

“It's true,” I say with a frown. “Her and I had to work very hard to get you out of there. The two of us ended up fighting a tank alone.” Ayis blinks, and her scowl falters, until she sighs, crossing her arms.

“Fine… Guess I should say thank you, then, even if one of you is a filn,” Ayis acquiesces. I raise an eyebrow at Ayis' attitude. It seems like it might be fake or a front, but… Now probably isn't the time to dig deeper into that topic.

“Now that you guys are done with the verbal catfight,” Hikan says, stepping forward. “We need to make a plan. Primarily a place to house all of us and,” he looks down and pokes his finger through a burned out hole in his shirt. “Some of us need new clothes.”

I look down at my own slightly torn dress. “I'm kind of fond of my clothes,” I say. “If possible, I'd rather just get them stitched up. They're not really that damaged anyway.”

“New clothes sound wonderful. I don't like showing off my goods to everyone around me,” Ayis agrees.

“I think we could all use some, yes,” Arela winces again as Starlight plucks the wrong feather. “Please pay attention.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Starlight says with a grimace. Then, all of a sudden, Ayis begins to look sick, and rushes to the bathroom, the sound of vomiting coming from within a moment later.

Hikan looks after her with concern. He then looks to Arela and I. “…She said she had been raped…” he says, pointing a finger to the bathroom before going quiet again. “…Add that to the list, she needs a doctor to check on her.”

I look towards the bathroom in concern for a moment before heading in. I find Ayis bent over the toilet, her hair hanging down. “Here,” I say, lifting Ayis' hair back and out of the way. “Wouldn't want to get your hair all dirty.”

“Th-” she starts, cutting off as she throws up again.

“You're welcome,” I say. “Take your time.” After a short while, her vomiting stops, Ayis panting a little. “You okay now?” I ask her.

“Y-Yeah, thanks…” she stands up, going over to the sink to wash her mouth. She seems shaken by a realization as she does so.

“Yeah, you said you were raped,” I say, understanding what Ayis realized. “We were thinking of having a doctor take a look at you to be sure.” Ayis is quiet for a bit.

“I… I don't know if I could handle being a mom. I'm still a teenager, how can I possibly handle a kid?” Ayis says, voice and body shaking. I'm caught a little by surprise. Ayis is completely different from the tough punk she'd been in the living room.

(I guess this confirms my suspicions from a couple minutes ago…) “…Well…” I start a little hesitantly. “What if I offered to help you raise the child?” Ayis stops at that. She slowly turns to me.

“You'd do that? For someone you don't even know?” Ayis asks, looking into my eyes. I nod.

“Yeah,” I answer. “Being nice to others is just the right thing to do, whether you've known them for years or if you've just met them.” Ayis blinks at me, then smiles, the first time since waking up.

“Thank you,” she says as she wraps me in a quick wing hug. I note that the wings are warmer than the angel's arms… I also experience an oddly pleasant sensation I've never experienced before for a couple moments before the angel lets go and coughs into her fist, a small blush on her cheeks. “A-Anyway, let's get back to the others.”

I pause for a few moments before a smile spreads across my face. “Yeah,” I say. “We'll want to break the news to them, you know?” I add with a wink as I leave the bathroom. Ayis blushes a little more before following.

“-nd a place on Halter Street,” Gaelle just finishes saying when the sound of our footsteps draws her and everyone else's attention.

“Everything okay in there?” Hikan asks, worry in his voice.

“Yeah, everything's fine,” I respond, the smile still on my face. “We're pretty confident that Ayis is pregnant, since she's been showing a couple of the signs already. We'll have the doctor confirm that, but…” I glance at Ayis quickly, who's continuing to blush a little as I explain everything. “Ayis says she's too young to raise a child on her own.” I pause for a moment as I turn back to everyone else in the room again. “So I offered to help her raise it,” I finish. There are a few moments of silence as everyone lets that sink in.

After a moment, Gaelle gets up from her resting position on the arm of the loveseat and walks towards us, a strange look in her eyes. She stops in front of the angel, looking down at her with that still foreign look in her eyes… just before the griffon wraps the dark angel in a hug, tears building in her eyes. “H-Hey,” Ayis stutters as her brows furrow and the blush on her cheeks grows, somewhat flustered as she squirms a little. “I-It's not that big of a deal…”

“Yes,” Gaelle says, letting go before backing up. “Yes, it is.”

Hikan smiles at the little scene before his face screws up and he looks towards the ground. “Let's get one thing straight,” he suddenly says, looking up. “From here on out… not a single one of us is alone. Not now. Not ever.”

“Mm-hm,” Daiyousei hums, nodding her head. “I like being with other people more than being alone…”

“Sounds good to me,” Marisa says. “Havin' allies that've got my back definitely eases my mind, that's for sure.”

“And I really don't want to have to fight my friends again,” I add. “If I start acting strange like I did before, then feel free to knock me out without hesitation.” Marisa grins at this.

“Alright,” she says. “If you start actin' up again, I'll just give you a good smack in the head with my broom and knock some sense back into you.”

“W-Well you'll need a good Elemental Channeler if you want to survive, and I'm the best around!” Ayis says confidently, hands on her hips.

“Ah, so you're one of those. I'm a Tactical Fighter myself,” Arela comments.

I'd fallen silent after Ayis had spoken, my brows furrowed and my hand on my chin as I look down at the floor, deep in thought. “Actually, that gives me an idea,” I say, looking up. “Maybe we could assign everyone roles, or 'classes' if you will. Doing that could help keep us organized during operations.”

Hikan nods at that. “That's how we ran Night Raid,” he says. “Each of us had a specific role to play so when it came to enact a plan, we all knew where to be and what our jobs were. I didn't bother with us because there were only five of us.” A little rumble sounds out as Cataclysm pulls himself from under the loveseat. “…Okay, six of us.”

“Um, what about me?” Shanghai pipes up from my shoulder. I grin a little at this.

“Okay, there were seven of us,” Hikan says, before wavering his hand. “Give or take. But the point is, right now, we actually have a team of capable individuals that can actually get something done.”

“Alright so, what roles will we need filled?” I ask Hikan. “Before everyone can choose roles, we'll need to know what they are.”

“Well, if I had it my way,” the assassin starts. “We'd have a team of eleven. Seems big, but when it comes to a job, specialists are what's needed. The roles should be scout, soldier, element manipulator, demolitions, tank, trap-artist, healer, sniper, spy, mage, and, of course, a public face.”

I look at Gaelle. “If it's okay, I want to nominate Gaelle as the public face,” I say. “She seems like the best fit for it.”

Gaelle looks up in surprise. “Wait, what?” she questions. “Why me?”

“Well…” I start. “Just look at everyone in the room. Most of us will stick out like a sore thumb. The only potential candidates would be Starlight and Shell. Shell doesn't do well with strangers, and I don't think Starlight would be the best choice here. You seem like you're good with people, so it just seemed like a perfect fit in my mind.”

Gaelle is quiet for a long moment before she sighs. “You guys would have a hard time getting anywhere in this city,” she says. “And you wouldn't be able to find a place to stay either, unless you went to the sleazy part of town… and you've all seen what that's like…” I shiver slightly, remembering what happened in that part of the city last night.

“Yeah,” I respond with a slow nod. “That would not be very pleasant…”

“I agree. The only question is, will you join us, Gaelle? We can assure you safety, along with your adorable tylin, but the choice is still yours,” Arela points out.

Gaelle looks at each of us before giving a smile. “You know, I always kept myself guarded,” she says. “I lived like that for ten years… never letting anyone in. …I think that it'd be a nice change to have you guys around.” Arela smiles at this.

“Damn straight!” Ayis concurs. “I'll take the elemental manipulator spot.”

“I'll take the tank role. My armor gives me quite a boost to defense, after all,” Arela says.

“I could take the role of scout,” I offer. “I'm quick, and out of everyone present, I'm probably by far the best at dodging.”

“I can definitely attest to that,” Marisa says. “Alex might be outta practice recently, but in her prime, she was practically impossible to hit. I'll take demolitions. That sounds like somethin' I'll enjoy.”

“I'll be the healer,” Daiyousei speaks up. “That's what I do best.”

“If Arela's going the way of the tank, I guess I should be the mage,” Starlight says.

Shell starts to raise her hand. “…Yes, Shell?” Hikan questions, looking towards her.

“Um, the role of spy sounds an awful lot like an infiltrator,” she says. “I think I'd be more than able to take the position.”

Hikan nods before looking to us. “I've always played the role of soldier, so I'll take that position,” he says.

I'd been staring at Shanghai silently since claiming the role of scout. “…I'm stumped,” I suddenly say after several more moments, turning to look at Hikan.

“What's up?” The hunter asks.

“I've been trying to think of what role to give Shanghai,” I answer before shaking my head. “…I can't do it.”

“I'm not sure there is one,” Starlight says quietly. “She's small enough to infiltrate, could set numerous traps, and even take a huge hit, but… that doesn't really put her in any one category. More like all of them…”

“And even in regards to the roles she can't fill right now,” I start. “She has the potential to inherit abilities that would allow her to fill them in the future. She's like a little bit of everything.”

“Hey, here's an idea,” Marisa jumps in. “If she can do a little bit of everythin', why don't we make her a support? Then, dependin' on the mission, she could be assigned to help one of us.”

“That sounds like how the hive would choose what class a Changeling would become,” Shell mutters before looking up. “It was effective.”

“That sounds great to me,” Arela agrees.

“Eh, sure. Couldn't hurt to have the little squirt help out,” Ayis says. “And since I'm staying with Alex here so she can help me raise my kid, I might as well tag along on the missions you guys have. Sounds fun.”

Hikan grins. “Well, then,” he says. “It's settled. Now, we just need a home base…and a preferably endless supply of clothing…”

“I know where we can find a top-notch builder,” Ayis offers.

“You know a builder here in Canterlot?” Starlight asks. Ayis nods.

“He's one of the few people the Great Being allowed to come here, and he was here long before me. He helped plan the Garrison in downtown. I was taken in by him when I first came here,” Ayis explains. “I… Well, I kinda need to see him again anyways, because he doesn't know that I made it back from the Circle. I was taken from him a few months ago.”

Hikan nods at that. “It's always good to have friends in overlooked places,” he says. “But I'd still like you to go see a doctor, just to make sure you're okay after everything.” Ayis nods.

“I'd like to as well, if only to see the kid's gender,” Ayis concurs.

“I know someone,” Gaelle speaks up. “He helped me out after… well, you know.”

“I'll come too,” I offer. “If I'm going to help raise the child, I'll want to know if it's a boy or a girl too.”

“Okay,” Hikan says. “That sounds like a plan. As it stands, we probably shouldn't all be in one place in case the Circle shows up. I'm pretty sure we got everyone in the warehouse, but just to be safe, we should go in groups. I'd like to take another group to get us some less… morbid attire.”

“I can stay and watch the apartment if you'd like,” Marisa offers.

“I think I'll stay and keep Marisa company,” Daiyousei adds.

“And we'll go and see a doctor,” Ayis says.

“We'll join you guys to get Ayis a proper outfit once we're done at the doctor's,” I say. “She can't just go around in Hikan's coat forever.”

“Yeah. It's not exactly easy on the nipples,” Ayis admits. Arela groans.

“Can't you have some decency?” she asks, hand on her head.

“Oh shut up,” Ayis shoots back.

“Anyway…” I start, looking at Ayis and Arela pointedly. “That'll be the plan. We'll meet up with you guys once we're done with the doctor.”

“Sounds good,” Hikan says, looking to each of us. “Anything we need to do before we head out?”

“I just need to get dressed and get Garrick up,” Gaelle answers before looking towards Marisa and Daiyousai. “No offense to either of you, but I think it's best if he sticks close to me after last night.”

“Nah, no offense taken,” Marisa says, putting one hand up in front of herself and shaking her head. “If I were in your shoes, I'd be hesitant to let my kid outta my sight too.”

Gaelle nods her head before turning back towards the master bedroom. “We'll be right out,” she says before walking off into her room.

“While she's doing that,” Hikan says, looking at the group. “Anything else we need to talk about before we get on our way?”

“Not really. But before we go, I need a good preening, too. Bastards kept using them for…” Ayis shivers. “...Wingjobs, so they aren't in good condition. Alex, mind helping me out?” Ayis sits down on the couch, displaying her large black wings that are matted together by some white substance and the feathers out of place.

“Alright, I'll try,” I say, stepping behind Ayis. “Any tips on what needs to be plucked and what just needs to be straightened?”

“Well, a rag will be needed as well. A wet one, so that we can get this filthy seed off of my wings. Just pluck the ones that look weaker and less healthy, and straighten the ones that are bent,” Ayis tells me.

“Okay, thanks,” I say with a nod before glancing at Shanghai. “Shanghai, could you please get a wet rag while I start this?”

“Sure,” Shanghai answers before heading to the kitchen area. I begin to focus intently on the preening. I get the hang of it rather quickly, and I finish the majority of it by the time Shanghai comes back with a wet dish cloth. Shanghai holds the dish cloth out to me. “Here you go,” she says.

“Thanks Shanghai,” I say to her as I take the rag. “Now, let's get all this gunk out of here,” I mutter to myself as I carefully begin to clean Ayis' feathers. I lose awareness of most of the room as I focus intensely on doing the job right without hurting Ayis. Starlight's shouting voice then breaks into my concentration.

“Hikan, even I know the Circle has roots so deep in Canterlot that if you go after them, you turn the capital of Equestria against you!” She says. “And even if we do beat them, it could topple everything!’

“Not the first time I've done it,” Hikan says. “And the group that did it wasn't nearly as talented as our group here.” Before Starlight can argue back, I interrupt, a little frustrated.

“Do you mind putting that on hold until later?” I ask, not looking up from Ayis' wings. “I can't concentrate properly with you two arguing a couple feet away.”

“You're not the least bit afraid of what might happen? To any of us? To you, to Shanghai, to the city? This is like starting a war by ourselves! Getting back a kid or an angel is bad enough from the ponies that run this city. Now… we want to go to war with them on their own turf?” Starlight retorts.

“Seriously, I can't focus at all right now,” I say, admittedly tunnel visioning pretty badly. “I'll think about it later, I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment.” I then return to cleaning Ayis' wings.

“Mmmm…” I hum as I look over Ayis' wings one more time a minute or two later. “That should about do it. How do you feel? Better?”

“Huh? O-O-Oh, uh, yes, very much so,” Ayis stutters, looking anywhere but at me.

I grin at that, beginning to figure something out about Ayis. “Glad to hear that,” I say. “Now then, I think we're ready to head out to the doctor.”

“R-Right,” Ayis says, standing up.

“Alright, since you're the one who knows the doctor,” I start, turning to Gaelle. “How about you lead the way?”

Gaelle looks between us, a small smile growing on her face before she walks towards the door. “Right this way,” she says, opening the door.

“We should get going, too,” Hikan says, straightening up. “Especially if we all want to meet up on time.”

“Hang on,” Marisa speaks up just before I step out the door. “One last thing before you leave. Got a spare key you could leave with me? Y'know, in case I get bored and decide to leave.”

“Oh, yeah,” Gaelle says before kneeling down and pulling a bit of the carpet in the hallway next to the door frame up, slipping out a small silver key. “Here, but remember to put it back when you're done. It's the one the landlord uses on his… surprise inspections.”

“Gotcha,” Marisa says, taking the key. “Anyways, you guys have fun now!”

“Yeah, I'll see you later Marisa,” I say over my shoulder with a wave.

“And please stay safe,” Daiyousei adds.

Hikan's eyes suddenly widen and he rushes to the door. “Alex, wait!” He says urgently, one of his wisps forming over his hand.

“Huh?” I ask, stopping short. “Why? What's wrong?”

He stops and a click sounds out from the will-o'-wisp before a small black device falls into his hand. He lifts it up to show off a small earpiece. “We should probably keep in touch just in case,” he says, offering it to me.

“Ah,” I say simply. “That probably would be a good idea.” I take the earpiece and put it on. “Alright then, we'll meet back with you once we're done.” With that and a wave, Ayis, Gaelle, Garrick and I leave to see the doctor.

After several moments, I hear Daiyousei's voice come over the earpiece. “Um, so I should be able to talk to Alex now, right…?” she asks. I reach up and press on the earpiece.

“Yup, I can hear you loud and clear Daiyousei,” I respond through the earpiece. “If you get into any trouble, just shout, and Hikan and I will come to help you out.”

“Okay, thank you,” Daiyousei says, sighing a little. Then the earpiece went silent again.

Out in the streets, Ayis and I get many odd looks from other pedestrians. “Keep walking pal,” Ayis says to a staring unicorn as we pass him. She's been saying similar things to anyone else who had stopped to stare the whole time we've been walking so far. I shake my head slightly, a small grin on my face.

“Anyway, I've been curious for a little while now,” I say, turning to Gaelle. “Do you think you could tell me a bit about this doctor we're going to see?”

Gaelle smiles at that. “Dr. Seer is one of the kindest ponies I've ever met,” she answers. “He runs a clinic for the less fortunate down near Halter Street. Not only that, but his equipment is almost up there with high end offices thanks to him. There's honestly no one else I would recommend.”

“Sounds good to me,” Ayis says.

“Yeah, he sounds very nice,” I agree.

“Though I am a little worried, since most times I went to the doctor was for a physical. Always hated those,” Ayis says with a shiver. “Cold hands and creepy smiles. Not fun.”

The griffoness chuckles a bit. “While I admit it will probably be uncomfortable,” she says. “There really is no way around it with this sort of thing. But he does try to make it less so.”

“Yeah…” Ayis says, hugging herself a little.

“Don't worry, you'll be fine,” I tell Ayis. “…I'm here for you,” I add teasingly, giving Ayis a quick hug. Ayis blushes a deep red, but otherwise says nothing as she tries to look anywhere but at me.

Garrick looks back and forth between us. “Why are we going to Dr. Seer's office?” He asks before shivering. “We're not going for another vaccination are we?”

Gaelle smiles down at her son. “No, not this time,” she says. “This time, we're going so Miss Ayis can make sure she and her baby are healthy.”

“Ohhh…” the young hippogriff breathes before giving a smile. “So no shots?”

Gaelle laughs and shakes her head. “No shots,” she confirms.

“Is this the place?” I speak up, pointing to the building we're about to pass. There's a sign that says 'Halter Clinic' on the door.

Gaelle nods. “That's the place,” she replies. “We should hurry before he starts to get really busy.” Ayis nods slowly, walking inside with me.

The inside looks like any other clinic waiting room, with individual chairs in the room and a clerk sitting behind a glass pane. The portly mare behind it simply slides a bit of it open near the bottom without looking up. “Welcome to Dr. Seer's office, how can we help you?” She greets in a sort of bored, sing-song tone as she continues writing on some document or another.

“I uh… Need to be checked for a baby, and uh…” Ayis gulps. “…A physical.”

“It'd be a good idea to check her for STDs as well,” I add. “Just in case.”

The mare brings her gaze up with a critical look before starting at the sight of Ayis and I. “It's alright, Ms. Touch,” Gaelle says, coming forward. “She had a run in with… them.”

The mare looks up at the griffoness before giving a breath and taking out a clipboard with a sheet of paper on it. “Here you go, dearie,” she says, sliding the document under the gap. “I'll go tell Truth what's going on.”

“Thank you, Ms. Touch,” Gaelle calls after the mare as she disappears through a door. Ayis takes the document, giving it a once over.

“What's it say on it?” I ask, peeking over Ayis' head. It looks like a typical clinical document, asking for contact information, insurance, current doctor, etc. “…Well, I guess you should fill out what you can.” Ayis stares at it for a moment in confusion, before slowly sitting down and filling out what she can. I give the document a once-over once Ayis finishes. Most of it is blank, only basic information such as name and occupation being filled in. I notice there's a species field which is filled with 'Fallen Angel'. “If that's all you can fill, then I guess all that's left is to wait for the secretary to come back,” I say, sitting down next to Ayis with the clipboard.

“I wouldn't worry too much,” Gaelle assures. “When I first came in here, that's about as much as I was able to fill in, too. Truth gets a lot of patients like that.” The sound of a door closing announces the return of Ms. Touch as she sits back in her chair.

“Dr. Seer will come get you in a moment,” she says through the glass. “He just needs to get a few things ready. Did you finish filling out the form?”

“Yeah,” I answer, getting up and walking to the glass, sliding the clipboard back under. “Gaelle told us that Dr. Seer gets a lot of patients that can't fill out much of the form.”

Ms. Touch nods her head. “That he does,” she answers looking over the document. “But he never turns anyone down. It's almost gotten him into trouble a few times…”

“I don't know why he would get into trouble for that,” I answer as Ms. Touch continues to read over the document. “Helping people is the right thing to do, so I don't think he should be getting into trouble for helping the people who need it.”

“Oh, no,” Ms. Touch says, looking up. “He's never been in trouble with any sort of authority. It's the ponies he sometimes helps that aren't always… appreciative of what he does for them.”

I'm silent for a few moments. “…Ah. Well, that's even worse if you ask me,” I say. “Helping someone and then having them punch you in the face is never fun.”

Ms. Touch gives a sarcastic chuckle at that. “If only a punch to the face was the worst he's ever taken…” she murmurs before the sound of a door opening in the waiting room catches her attention.

“Friend of Gaelle?” The stallion calls out. He's wearing basic blue-green scrubs with a white doctor's coat, his eyes giving off a friendly shine. But the surprising part is his coat colour, or rather, his species. Truth Seer is a zebra.

“That'd be me,” Ayis says, standing up. “I've had some real quacks in the past. I really hope Gaelle's telling the truth, and you aren't another one of 'em…”

“Ayis, don't be rude,” I scold her.

“Hey, it's the truth,” Ayis shoots back defensively.

The zebra only gives a gentle smile at that. “Well, I'll certainly try to live up to Ms. Bludedge's compliments,” he says before turning to grant us entrance into the back of the clinic. “If you would please.” Ayis gets up from the chair and tries to look confident as she enters the hallway, but I can tell she's nervous. Shaking my head with a grin, I follow Ayis into the hall, but Gaelle and Garrick stay put in their seats.

“I hope you don't mind me coming back here too,” I say to Truth as he leads Ayis and I down the hall. “I've offered to help raise the kid, so I can't help but be curious.”

“Not at all,” he answers. “I actually usually have to recommend that the partner come back with us. I'm glad to see I did not have to do the same for the two of you.” I consider what Truth said. The child probably would see me as a second parent in all honesty. Ayis simply blushes, following along silently. Dr. Seer leads us down the hall before reaching a door on our right and stepping to the side.

“Here we are,” he says, holding a hand out to the open door. “Go on in and get settled. I'll send Nurse Red Cross in here to help you get ready.” Ayis and I step in the door and look around the room. A large examination chair with plenty of padding takes up the center of the room while a corner desk sits pushed into the corner on the same wall as the door, a computer, viewing screen, and transducer sitting on it alongside some small filing cabinets and document baskets. A couple of seats sit against the opposite corner from the desk, just under a few heavily curtained windows. After we've stepped in, Dr. Seer leaves to send the nurse.

“…Do you, uh, think it'll be a boy or a girl?” I ask awkwardly, trying to make idle conversation while we wait. “I'm personally hoping for a girl. No particular reason why to be honest.”

“I'm hoping for a girl, too. That way I can teach her the vilan,” Ayis admits.

“The 'vilan'?” I repeat. “What's that?”

“It's the Fallen word for a certain style of fighting, reserved only for females of the race,” Ayis explains. “It roughly translates to, 'Swift Enticement'.” Ayis further adds, “another would be, 'Quick Lure'.”

“…Hmmm, that sounds interesting,” I say. “I'd like to see you use it in a fight eventually.”

“I uh… Kinda don't feel all that comfortable with mine, to be honest. Mine is somewhat rare in that it's like a… striptease, but without the stripping... It uh…” Ayis seems a little sad now. “It's one of the reasons those assholes used me like they did…”

“Ah, um…” I start, feeling really awkward now. “I, uh, didn't mean to upset you…”

“It's… Fine, I'm just still getting over the shit they did,” Ayis admits, shivering a little. “I'm just hoping the kid isn't the same as me in terms of the vilan.”

“I'm sure the child will be fine either way,” I say comfortingly.

“I hope so…” Ayis concurs.

Suddenly, the earpiece crackles to life before Daiyousei's voice comes through. “Um, hello?” the Fairy asks a little hesitantly.

“You've got Hikan,” Hikan's voice responds over the earpiece. “What's up Dai?” I press on the earpiece.

“You've got Alexandria too,” I add.

“Um, I thought I would just tell you that me and Marisa are leaving the apartment,” Daiyousei answers. “Marisa locked the door and put the key back where Gaelle got it from.”

“Okay, Dai,” Hikan acknowledges over the earpiece. “Just make sure you guys get home before dark and if anything happens, let us know.”

“And tell Marisa to try and stay out of trouble,” I add.

“Um, alright,” Daiyousei says before the earpiece falls silent again.

“Was that Marisa and Daiyousei?” Ayis queries.

“Yeah,” I answer. “No issues have come up yet. Daiyousei was just letting us know that they were leaving the apartment.”

“Oh, good,” Ayis says, hopping up on the table.

A knock on the door alerts us to the appearance of a light blue pegasus with a red mane. She walks in wearing pink scrubs and holding a clipboard. “Hello, I'm Nurse Red Cross,” she greets with a smile as she closes the door behind her. “Which one of you is Ayis?” Ayis raises a hand.

“Me,” she says simply.

“Her,” I say at the exact same time, pointing to Ayis.

Red Cross gives a little smile. “Well, Ms. Filya, have you ever undergone an ultrasound or been checked for any sexually transmitted diseases?” She asks. Ayis shakes her head.

“Don't know what an ultrasound is, but I haven't been checked for sexually transmitted diseases because I'm only 538 years old, and…” she looks down. “...Used to be a virgin.”

Red Cross gives a sad frown. “I'm sorry,” she says, putting her clipboard down. “I heard what happened. But know that here you're safe, and we will take care of you.” Ayis nods slowly. Nurse Cross clears her throat before taking a breath and looking up. “The ultrasound is noninvasive, though we will need you to undress and put on a gown for us. The other testing will be a bit uncomfortable, but you can request that I take care of it instead of Dr. Seer if that helps.”

“Okay. Let's just get it done with,” Ayis says, a little impatient. I simply sit patiently in one of the chairs.

Red Cross nods before going to one of the mini filing cabinet and opening it up. She reaches inside and pulls out a plastic package containing a folded up bluish green gown. “Right, first things first,” She says, opening the package and pulling out the gown. “I'll need you to strip down and put this on. I can step out of the room if you want.” She holds the gown out to the Fallen Angel. Ayis looks at it, blushes, but takes a deep breath and nods.

“I'll be okay, I'm n-not made of glass,” she says taking the gown.

“Of course not,” Red Cross says, nodding her head. “We just want you to be comfortable.” Ayis nods, and pulls off the coat and then the awning that had been wrapped around her, revealing her pale, nude body and E-cup breasts. There are a few scars, but otherwise she looks like a model. I… can't help but stare, the same unfamiliar sensation from earlier welling up again… but a bit stronger this time. Ayis notices me staring and blushes brighter.

“C-Could you not stare, please?” she asks. “Please?”

“Forgive me, Ms. Filya,” Red Cross says.

“Ah…” I respond, looking away quickly, blushing deeply in embarrassment as well. “S-Sorry…” Shanghai is giving me a quizzical look. I… think I'm starting to figure out what the sensation is. Ayis simply takes the gown and quickly puts it on, blushing madly.

“I-I-I'm done,” Ayis announces.

Red Cross turns the swivel chair around and stands to her hooves. “Alrighty, just go ahead and take a seat on the exam chair and I'll go get Dr. Seer,” she says, flashing a smile before picking up her clipboard and leaving the room. Ayis silently does so, not looking at me. I turn forward again, though I keep my eyes off to the side, a blush still on my cheeks. I'm pretty sure the sensation I've been feeling… I'm pretty sure it's arousal.

“S-So… You uh… saw my tits…” Ayis begins, chuckling nervously. “Kinda grossly large, h-huh?”

“Huh…!?” I ask with a start, my eyes snapping to look at Ayis. After a moment, the blush on my cheeks deepens a bit as I press my index fingers together and look awkwardly to the side a little. “O-Oh, uh… Y-Yeah, I guess you could p-put it that way…” (I don't really think 'gross' fits them at all though…) Shanghai continues to look at me, though her quizzical expression has evolved to a look of outright confusion at this point. Ayis smiles lightly.

“I uh… Kinda get it from my mom, she was two cup sizes bigger,” Ayis explains. She chuckles again. “According to mom, dad wasn't too shabby either, hehe…” My eyes widen and my blush deepens even further, though I continue to look away.

“T-Two cup sizes…” I mutter under my breath. Ayis nods.

“Yeah, mom was a knockout,” Ayis says, growing more comfortable while I'm definitely growing less comfortable in comparison. Ayis blushes a little as she looks around the room. “I uh… Well, to be honest, as long as it's you, I uh… Don't mind you l-l-looking all that much.” My eyes widen a little further, my blush reaching a near-crimson colour.

“U-Uh…” I fumble out, seeming very flustered now, drawing a slightly confused look from Ayis. (W-Why does hearing that make me so happy? A-Am I…? Am I a-)

“Alexandria,” Shanghai suddenly speaks up. “I've been feeling something really weird from you for a bit now. What's wrong?”

I remain silent for a few moments, not moving. “I, uh…” I start, still really uncomfortable. “I think… I might be, uh… I might be a lesbian…” Ayis blinks at this.

“You didn't realize that sooner? How old are you?” Ayis asks.

“Uh…” I start, feeling really awkward, knowing that Ayis is 538. “I'm, uh… Six-... Sixteen…” Ayis' eyes widen.

“Holy shit! You're still a baby!” Ayis cries.

“Y-Yeah…” I answer with a small nod. “Even by Yokai standards, that statement is still true…”

“Wait, Yokai? You mean you aren't Divlan? As in, half demon, half human?” Ayis says, growing more confused.

“W-Well, I am half human…” I answer, slowly becoming more comfortable again. “But I'm not half demon. I'm half-human, half-Yokai.”

“Huh…” Ayis says, seeming to be considering something. It looks like an intense thinking session, if the furrowed brows and slight frown on Ayis' face are any indication. Finally, she sighs and looks me in the eye. “Fuck it,” she says, before jumping off the padded chair and walking over to me. I blush at the Angel's intense gaze and how close she gets, before Ayis plucks a feather from her wing and places it on my forehead. A white glow overcomes the feather, and it gains a more lustrous look. Afterwards, Ayis takes my hand, and places the feather in my palm. “This is a token of my…” she blushes a little. “…Affection. We Fallen Angels aren't like our brethren in terms of love. We date while they skip straight to the Angel equivalent of marriage, so, think of this as a sign that I… That I want to try a relationship.”

I once again blush deeply. “U-Um…” I begin. “This is, uh, going to be a new experience for me…”

“Sooo… Is that a yes?” Ayis asks hopefully.

“S-Sure…” I stutter, my half-assed answer coming nowhere close to the full-on yes I wanted to give.

“Awesome!” Ayis cheers, pumping a fist and making her assets bounce under the gown. She then hugs me to her tightly, and, in a very forward move, kisses me on the lips. My eyes widen at the suddenness of the action.

“…Th-That…” I start after the kiss ends. “Th-That wasn't… Entirely u-unenjoyable…” I'm silent for a few moments before squeezing my eyes shut and blushing deeply. “I-I really enjoyed how they squished into me…!” I squeak to myself, barely loud enough for Ayis to hear. Ayis giggles, pressing her breasts into me more.

“You mean like this, cutie~?” she purrs. My eyes snap open as I squeak cutely in surprise, my blush deepening as I feel Ayis' E-cups spread over my own washboard chest as they're squished into me. After several moments, I slowly nod my head as I squeeze my eyes shut again. Ayis quickly retracts herself from me. “Well, too bad. You'll have to wait 'till you're of age~.” My eyes snap wide open, the cherry red blush still on my cheeks.

“Ah, um…” I stutter awkwardly.

There's a knock on the door before Truth Seer's voice comes through. “Ladies, is it alright for me to come in?” I jump as I turn to look at the door.

“Yup, go ahead,” Ayis calls to Dr. Seer with a grin and a wink at me as she hops back up onto the examination chair. I notice the wink and blush again as the door to the room opens and the zebra steps inside.

“Alright, Ms. Filya,” he says, closing the door behind him and taking a look at his clipboard. “Has Red Cross explained what's going to be happening today?” He puts his clipboard down and gives her his complete attention.

“Yeah,” she says, sounding more confident than before. “You're gonna do something called an ultrasound and then check me for STDs. The nurse said that the latter might be a bit uncomfortable, but I'll be fine.”

Dr. Seer gives a little frown before reaching for the swivel chair and pulling it to him. He takes a seat and lifts it up so he's eye level with Ayis. “That is the basics of it, yes, but this does get more than a little private, so, I'll ask one more time and let it go. Are you one hundred percent okay with me doing this? If not, I can get Red Cross back in here instead.”

“Well, like I said, I'm not made of glass, so let's just get it over and done with. Besides, it can't be worse than what those assholes did to me before,” Ayis replies.

Dr. Seer's eyes turn sad at that. “No… it won't be…” he mutters in a sad tone, but something akin to rage edges it. He slides back in the chair and opens one of the cabinets, pulling out a bottle and a pair of rubber gloves. “What I'm going to do now is quite simple,” he starts to explain as he pulls the gloves on. “I'm going to lay you back a little and apply some of this gel to your abdomen. After that, I'll run the transducer over the area and whatever is inside will appear on the screen over here.” He pauses and points to the screen in question before turning back. “Any questions?” Ayis shakes her head.

“Nope. Sounds simple enough to me,” Ayis says.

“Extremely simple,” I agree.

“Good,” Dr. Seer says, scooping up the bottle of gel and sliding over to the exam chair. “Okay, just lean back for me….” His hoof taps on one of the pedals at the base of the chair, the seat beginning to lean back. Ayis nods, leaning back a bit as instructed. Once the chair stops moving, he rolls a bit more towards her midsection before reaching for a flap in the gown and raising it up, revealing Ayis' belly. He brings the bottle up and flips the stopper off before upturning it and squirting the gel onto the Fallen Angel's skin. After a moment, he stops and uses his gloved hand to even out the layer of gel. Once he finishes that, he leans back and looks towards Ayis. “Still good?” Ayis nods.

He nods in return and rolls back over to the desk, taking his glove off and throwing it away before replacing it and lifting the transducer from its resting place. He rolls back to her and gives the Fallen Angel a look. “Moment of truth time,” he says before focusing on her stomach and gently touching the device to her slick stomach and moving it over the area. After a moment, he looks back to the screen and gives a little smile. “Ah, there we are….” He says gently.

The screen is showing a fetus in the five week stage, only with two large bumps on the back and, to all of our surprise and confusion, a bump on the head.

“I'd imagine the bumps on the back are for wings,” I comment. “But I don't know what the one on the head would be for…”

“Me either,” Ayis adds.

Dr. Seer stares at the image for a moment before speaking. “If I may… that looks an awful lot like the start of a horn….”

“A horn?” Ayis says, before she seems to remember something. “…I guess that makes a little sense…” she says slowly.

“I guess the child is half unicorn then?” I ask.

“That could be an accurate guess…” Seer murmurs before looking towards Ayis. “Well, good news is, it looks like everything is okay with the baby, at least as far as I can tell at this stage.” He moves the transducer away before rolling back to the desk and setting it down. He opens a drawer and takes several paper towels before rolling back to the Fallen Angel and wiping her belly clean before lowering the flap of the gown back down and throwing the paper towels in the trash can.

“And now, we get to the more uncomfortable part,” he says. “There are multiple different ways we can test you for any sexual diseases, but the most accurate is a blood test. I leave it up to you to decide how you want to proceed.”

“Blood test sounds fine to me,” Ayis answers.

Truth Seer nods. “Blood test it is then,” he says before rolling towards the desk and standing up. “I'll go get what I need and be right back.” With that, he leaves the room once more.

“It's a shame that it's too early to tell the gender, huh?” I say after the doctor's out of the room.

“Yeah… I'm really hoping it's a girl,” Ayis says with a nod.

A moment later, there's a knock on the door again. Ayis and I glance at each other.

“…Yeah…?” I ask slowly after a moment.

“Just me again,” Dr. Seer's voice comes through the door. “May I come in?”

“Yeah, go ahead,” Ayis calls.

The zebra walks in carrying a syringe and a couple of alcohol swabs. He makes his way back to his chair and sits down in it, sliding back towards us. “Arm please, Ms. Filya,” he says in a calm tone, gently holding a hand to her as the needle and an alcohol swab sit in his other.

Ayis gives him her arm, a curious look in her eyes as she looks at the syringe. Truth Seer tears the packet in his hand open before wiping the disinfectant over her arm, just under the crook of her elbow. He raises the needle before he catches her gaze. “Have you ever had blood drawn before, Ms. Filya?” He asks, pulling the syringe back a little.

Ayis shakes her head. Seer gives a little frown before explaining. “I'm going to stick this into your arm, and draw out some blood. You're going to feel a small pinch and a little tug, but as long as you stay relaxed, it won't be any more than a little uncomfortable.”

“Ah. Well, get on with it, then,” Ayis says, motioning to her arm with it's counterpart. Dr. Seer nods. With adept movements, he inserts the needle into her arm before pulling back on the plunger, drawing out blood. Within a few seconds, he draws the needle out and puts the protective cover back over it. He swabs the area one more time before covering the small prick in her arm with a bandage.

“And that's that,” the doctor says, rolling his chair back to the desk and standing up. “I'll run this down to the lab and take a look at it. I'll be right back with the results.” With that, he nods and leaves the room. Ayis simply lays back on the table, rubbing her stomach.

“I really hope you don't have any STDs…” I say to Ayis. “That wouldn't be very pleasant…” Ayis nods.

“Yeah, not terribly happy about the fact I might have some. Pretty sure it'd be a miracle with how…” Ayis shivers. “...Disgusting, they all were.” I just frown and nod. After that, we end up waiting in an awkward and nervous silence for what seems like an eternity before there's a knock on the door again.

“Ladies,” Seer's voice comes through. “I've got the results.”

“The moment of truth…” I breathe quietly.

“Well, c'mon in so we can see 'em,” Ayis says.

Seer opens the door and there's absolutely no other way to describe the wide grin on his face asides from completely beaming. “I have some very good news for you, Ms. Filya,” the zebra says, pulling the chair to him and sitting down in it. “You are completely clean.” Ayis blinks before she sighs in relief.

“Thank Triyte…” she breathes.

“Ah, that's incredible Ayis!” I say, overjoyed as I jump from my seat and hug Ayis tightly without thinking. Ayis blushes and freezes for a second, before slowly reciprocating the gesture. After a second, I realize what I'm doing… But continue to hug Ayis anyway.

Truth Seer smiles warmly at us before standing to his hooves. “Someone must truly be looking out for you,” he says gently. “I'll leave you to get redressed. When you're done, just throw the gown in the waste bin and head on back up front. It was a great pleasure meeting the two of you.” He bows his head a bit before turning and starting to leave the room. “Oh!” He says suddenly, turning with one hand still on the handle. “And it seems we've somehow managed to misplace the billing for your visit.” He gives a warm smile and a wink before slipping out of the room, closing the door behind him. I smile, knowing that he essentially said he's waiving the bill.

“C'mon Alex,” Ayis says, having gotten dressed quickly as she casually tosses the gown into the bin. “Let's go give the others the good news.” I nod and we make our way up front again where Gaelle and Garrick are still waiting.

Gaelle's head looks up from her magazine and she gets up from her seat, putting the reading material aside. “How'd it go?” She asks, stepping up to us with a worried tone and look.

“I'm all clean,” Ayis says with a grin. “And the baby's apparently half unicorn, judging from the bump on its forehead.”

Gaelle lets out a breath of relief. “Oh, thank goodness,” she says, a happy grin on her face. “I was so worried it would be so much worse…”

“I'm happy too,” I say. “Though it's too early to pin a gender unfortunately.”

“Ah well, surprises are the spice of life, right?” Ayis answers with a grin. “Anyway, we should go get me some clothes. This coat is starting to chaff, and it's not fun.”

“Right,” the griffoness answers before turning to where Garrick is entertaining himself with a puzzle. “Let's go, Gar,” she says, the hippogriff getting to his hooves quickly and following after his mother as she makes to walk out the door. “Thank you, Gentle,” the griffon says, looking over her shoulder at the mare behind the desk. “Give Dr. Seer our thanks as well.”

“You're all welcome,” the mare answers, waving them out. “Don't come back too soon, now, okay?”

The griffoness chuckles. “You know we can never make promises,” she answers over her shoulder before leaving the building, Garrick following close behind her. Ayis and I follow, and I glance back into the clinic as I leave, hoping we won't have to come back for a long while.

“I remember Rarity saying at one point that she's got a Boutique here in Canterlot,” I say outside. “We should go there to do our shopping. It's highly likely that Hikan's lot will be there too.”

“Alright, just follow me, dear tourists,” Gaelle says with a grin, beginning to lead the way towards the Canterlot Boutique.

It takes us a good while to walk all the way to the Boutique, but once we finally approach, we see Hikan standing outside. “Hey, guys,” Hikan greets as we get close, pushing himself off the wall. “How'd it go?”

“No STDs, thank Triyte,” Ayis answers.

“Even though it's too early to tell the gender, the baby's healthy,” I add. “And apparently half unicorn.”

Hikan blinks at my final addition but shakes it off and grins. “Well, that's the best news I think I've ever gotten,” he says, looking between us before nodding his head to the door. “The others are inside doing some… extracurricular shopping. Go on in and get yourself something that's actually comfortable. I'll take care of the expenses when everyone's done.”

“Alright, cool,” Ayis says, heading inside. I simply follow. Starlight isn't anywhere to be seen, but some rustling in the back gives away her position. Meanwhile, a blue unicorn with a ginger mane is standing off to the side. She's wearing a dark gray top with short black sleeves and a short black skirt with large triangular cutouts on the edge. Each point of the skirt has a gold button on it, and she has a gold belt around her waist. She's giving Shell a worried look every now and again as the Changeling seems frozen in place. “Helloooo?” Ayis calls out to the unicorn as she enters. “Could I maybe get some service?”

The mare jumps a bit and turns to face us. “Oh, sorry,” she says, walking forward a bit. “Just… she's been standing there like that for a while now. Anyway, how can I help you?”

“Well, as you can plainly see,” Ayis starts, gesturing to herself. “I need an entire outfit, underwear and everything. I had a bad run-in with some unsavory types. Anyway, think you could hook me up with some clothes?”

“Of course,” the blue unicorn answers, giving a bit of a smile. “If you'd follow me I can get you something just right for you.”

“That'd be great,” Ayis says with a nod, following her behind the curtain at the back of the shop. After the two disappear, I look to Shell, who's still frozen. I approach the motionless Changeling.

“Hey Shell, you okay?” I ask, giving her a nudge. The Changeling eeps loudly and jumps, almost hitting the ceiling above her before she lands on her hindquarters.

“Oww…” the disguised mare mutters, sitting on the ground before she looks up. “What happened?”

“…I don't know, I only got here maybe a minute ago,” I answer, giving Shell a look and raising an eyebrow. “But it looked to me like you were frozen up. I wanted to make sure you were doing okay.”

Shell blinks before a much smaller blush lights her features. “Oh, u-um,” she stutters for a moment. “Y-yes, I'm fine…”

“If you say so…” I respond slowly before turning back towards the curtain, waiting for Ayis. After several moments, the curtains open up and the unicorn walks out with Ayis not far behind.

The Fallen Angel now sports a black vest with a navy blue hood, her dual tone long sleeve undershirt having black, silver studded belts wrapped and buckled loosely to her navy blue sleeves in a zigzag pattern and the black collar that comes up to her chin. A short, three layered skirt is held to her waist by a black belt with a large silver buckle, the layers on her frilled skirt alternating between black and navy. Black fingerless gloves cover her hands while black stockings with violet longways stripes cover her legs up to her thighs, two more black and silver buckled bands wrapped around each thigh to keep them up. Black, heavy-looking combat boots finish off the punk goth look.

“Wow,” I comment, eyebrows raised. “You actually look pretty threatening like that.” Ayis grins.

“Heh, I always do. Gotta give our enemies something to be scared of, ya know?” Ayis replies, doing a little pose.

The rustling in the back of the shop comes to a stop and Starlight comes out of the back, something in her hands. Upon noticing us, she quickly hides whatever garment she has behind her back. “O-Oh, hey girls…” she greets with a nervous chuckle. “Uh… when did you guys get here?” Arela comes out as well, but hasn't noticed us as she looks at her set of lacy golden underwear.

“We arrived just a few minutes ago,” I say before looking to Arela. “…And what would those be for, huh Arela?”

“Huh?” Arela looks to see us there, and blushes a bright, cherry red, quickly stowing the underwear behind her. “N-N-N-N-Nothing! Nothing at all!”

(Yeah, and the Hell of Blazing Fires is the best air conditioner…) “Riiiiiiiight…” I say. “Anyway… If we're all done here, we should probably go find Marisa again, make sure she isn't causing too much trouble.” Suddenly, at that moment, a loud scratching and fumbling comes over my and Hikan's earpieces. After a few moments of that, Marisa's voice replaces the noise.

“I need a big open area that we can meet in, like, now,” she says quickly.

“What about our base-?” Ayis begins to say. I put a hand up to interrupt Ayis.

“Nevermind that,” I sigh in exasperation. “It sounds like Marisa's gone and found herself some trouble already…”

The bell over the door bangs as Hikan rushes in, hand already coming out of his pouch. “For whatever they picked up,” he says briskly, his 'dark' tone back in full force as he hands the ginger-maned unicorn some gold and gems before looking to uss. “Give whatever you bought to Gaelle and let's go.” He doesn’t wait for an answer from anyone, simply turns on his heel and leaves the store in a hurry, the door barely having time to swing shut before he swings it open again and presses a hand to his earpiece. “We're on our way, Marisa, just hold on.”

Ayis is still holding Hikan's coat and hands it off to Starlight, who's the nearest to her. “Finally, some action,” she says, quickly leaving the shop as Marisa's voice comes over the earpiece again.

“That's great and all Hikan, but I still need an open area to head towards,” she says. “Preferably right now.” I frown and follow Ayis and Hikan out of the shop.

Hikan tsks and summons a will-o'-wisp to his hand as he runs, the orb giving a faint glow that shows him a map of the city and three orange dots, two of which are extremely close to one another. His other hand waves over the map for a few seconds before zooming in on what looks like an abandoned construction zone. “Marisa, to the southeast of your position is a construction zone. Head there and we'll meet you.”

“Gotcha,” Marisa answers. “And when you get here, be ready for a tough and unpleasant battle. Trust me, this ain't gonna be fun.”

Hikan falls silent and looks back at us. “...We'll be ready,” he says into the communicator. “For right now, don't worry about us, just keep yourself safe.”

“Yup, one step ahead'a ya,” Marisa answers before the earpiece goes silent.

“Where to?” Arela queries, eyes hardening.

“There's a construction site a few blocks to our northwest,” Hikan answers, his wings unfurling as he runs. “Marisa's in trouble and we have to hurry.” With that, he jumps into the air and takes off towards the construction.

“Marisa sounded unsettled,” I add. “Nothing has ever unsettled her before. Whatever it is, it must be nasty. Be prepared for the worst.” After giving that warning, I also take to the air, following Hikan. Arela and Ayis do the same.

“Hope it's big. I like killing big guys. Lots of places to stab 'em,” Ayis says eagerly.

Shell flies after Ayis, giving a little shudder. “Let's just hope they're not very powerful…” she murmurs.

“Agreed,” Arela concurs.

“If they weren't very powerful,” I comment. “Then Marisa wouldn't be worried. She's more than capable of taking on some really powerful opponents on her own, so something that forces her to ask for help must be incredibly powerful.”

“Sweet~” Ayis says with a cocky grin.

Hikan just frowns at this, a whirring sound filling the air as Dorkifu's clawed gauntlets form. “We need to hurry,” he says again before adding on an extra burst of speed. I raise an eyebrow before silently accelerating in order to keep up. Arela and Ayis do the same, speeding up and following after us.

Within a few minutes, we fly into view of the construction site. We see Daiyousei standing in front of Marisa, facing a strange woman that none of us have seen before.

The woman's hair and eyes are a similar green to Daiyousei's, her hair almost down to her thighs. She's wearing a long, dark blue robe that has a white band along the skirt hem and long, white sleeves as well as a long cape of the same dark blue colour. She has a dark blue, conical cap on her head which has a large, yellow sun design on it off to one side, the design partially cut off by the bottom of the hat. In her hands, she's holding what can be described as a scepter with a large, silver crescent shape attached to the end. It also seems like the woman is floating above the ground, and we can't see her legs.

After a few moments, the woman then takes her scepter and swings it towards Daiyousei. A beam fires from between the points of the crescent and, to the other's horror, pierces straight through Daiyousei's abdomen. After a couple moments, Daiyousei explodes into millions of tiny, white particles of light which disperse into the air and vanish. I know that Daiyousei will be just fine; as a Fairy, she'll simply reincarnate soon enough. Unfortunately, I'm the only one present - besides Marisa - who knows that.

A roar of rage rips through the air alongside the sudden sound of boosters as Hikan rushes the green haired woman, claws reared back. The woman's head whips towards the sound and she then dodges to the side. “Oh my,” the woman says, turning to Marisa. “Are these the kind of people my apprentice is associating with?”

“I ain't your apprentice anymore Mima!” Marisa shouts back to the woman as I land behind Marisa. “I haven't been for a very long time. I've taken my own path in life.”

“I guess so,” Mima - who's without a doubt a Gensokian - responds with a smirk. “No apprentice of mine would ever ask for help.”

Another growl rends the air as metallic ringing fills it, Hikan's claws flashing towards Mima's smirking face.

“Impatient whelp,” Mima snarls, pointing her scepter at Hikan, a very forceful blast of magical energy erupting right in front of him a moment later. “Learn your damned place!”

“LEARN YOURS, BITCH!” A voice suddenly yells from behind Mima before a beam of turquoise magic explodes into her back.

“URNK-!” Mima grunts as the force of the attack pushes her forward. “I already know my place!” she growls as she turns quickly to face Starlight, raising her scepter over her head. “And it's far above mortals like you!” She then brings the scepter down, the ground under Starlight's feet exploding violently.

Arela rushes forwards, halberd poised to slice Mima's head clean off. When the woman dodges the attack, Arela smirks, and the woman screams in pain as two sais enter her back.

“Take this, bitch!” Ayis growls as Arela makes to charge once more, this time determined to slice off Mima's head.

“Get off me!” Mima shouts, blindsiding Ayis with her scepter, knocking her away before pointing the scepter at her and swinging it to point at Arela, tossing the one angel into the other, the two sais still sticking out of her back the whole time.

Green light fills the air before bolts of condensed eldritch flames slam into Mima's back, using the sais as conductive rods for the magic. Mima winces as she waves her scepter, the sais ejecting from her back. “Pest!” she yells, lunging at Shell and bringing the scepter down on her head.

A loud crack sounds out before the Changeling can react, her eyes rolling up before she slumps to the ground. “Hmph,” Mima says, pointing her scepter at the unconscious Changeling, tossing her to the side like a ragdoll.

“Stop it, now!” Marisa shouts, stepping forward. But before she can do anything, white light begins to coalesce between her and Mima. After several moments, there's a small flash, which fades to reveal Daiyousei, perfectly unharmed.

“Oooooow… That really hurt…” Daiyousei whines, clutching her stomach, her eyes squeezed shut and her brows furrowed. Hikan groans as he gets to his hands and knees.

“Dai…? How…?” He questions as he gets up to his feet.

“She's a Fairy,” I answer. “Fairies don't die permanently. Instead, if they die, they reincarnate after a minute or so.”

“It still really hurts though…” Daiyousei adds, taking her hands off her abdomen and opening her eyes to look at Mima angrily. “I'll teach you for messing with a Greater Fairy! Take this!” She then throws her hands up, a flurry of bright green kunai-shaped objects spurting out towards Mima.

“A Greater Fairy is no different from a normal Fairy in my eyes: neither is anywhere near a match for me,” Mima retorts simply, swishing her scepter in front of her, all the kunai getting swept aside.

“Unfortunately, she's right Dai,” Marisa says, stepping in front of Daiyousei. “Let me handle this.” Daiyousei nods and steps back.

“Finally. Let's see if you've managed to surpass your mentor,” Mima starts with a grin. “…Or if you're nothing but a weakling still.”

“I ain't no pushover!” Marisa shouts, immediately firing several small beams at Mima. Mima threads between the beams.

“We'll see about that,” she says. She then retaliates with several orbs of condensed magic, which home in on Marisa. Marisa hops on her broomstick and takes to the air, the orbs following her. As she flees from the orbs, she fires some quick blasts of magic back at Mima.

“Take this!” she shouts. Mima takes her scepter and catches the magic missiles in the crescent before flinging them back at Marisa.

“Sorry, they're yours,” Mima states tauntingly. Marisa dodges her own magic missiles, Mima's orbs dissipating a moment later.

“Urgh, I'll just have to get serious,” Marisa says, pulling out her Mini-Hakkero from under her hat. It begins to charge up as she points it at Mima.

Mima simply laughs loudly at this. “Do you take me for a fool?” she asks. “There's no way I'll let you get that attack off!” She then points her scepter at Marisa, who promptly gets blown out of the sky by a blast of magic.

“Gah!” Marisa screams as she's knocked off her broomstick, the Mini-Hakkero falling from her hand to the ground.

A blur of motion and the sound of flapping wings meet Marisa, catching her midair. “Need a hand?” Hikan questions, hovering in place.

“Thanks…” Marisa says, her broomstick clattering to the ground next to the magical device. “I didn't expect her to interrupt my Spark like that.”

“Hmph, it seems you are just a weakling still,” Mima taunts. My eyes narrow and my brows furrow.

“Fine,” I say. “My turn.” I turn to Shanghai. “Shanghai, HDD please.” Shanghai nods her head before activating HDD. After the light dissipates, she draws her broadsword… Except for the first time, I notice that it isn't a broadsword in her HDD form. Instead, it appears to be a long rapier with a fancy, intricately styled guard curving over the pure white grip. Meanwhile, the blade, guard and pommel are all a lustrous silvery colour with a golden tinge, resembling white gold. The shining metal that catches the sunlight is a massive contrast to the dull iron of the unremarkable broadsword she has in her normal form.

“I will strike you down for hurting our friends,” Shanghai announces to Mima, tightening her grip on the rapier she holds one-handed in her right hand. “Take this!” She then rushes Mima, rapier reared back, point twinkling in the sun.

“Idiot…” Mima mutters, quickly flicking her scepter to cause a small magical explosion on Shanghai… But Shanghai simply charges through it, utterly unaffected. Mima's eyes widen, caught by surprise and she fails to avoid Shanghai's flurry of strikes.

Shanghai strikes Mima several times in quick succession with her rapier before rearing back. “With my Aku no Tsuihō, I will banish you to the netherworld!” Shanghai shouts before lunging forward with a powerful jab, striking Mima before she can recover from the previous assault.

“Urk…” Mima grunts. “Damned pest… Why won't you just die!?” Mima sweeps her scepter at the Fairy, a series of magical explosions erupting on Shanghai. However, Shanghai is completely unfazed by them.

Meanwhile, I notice the dropped Mini-Hakkero. I go over and pick it up. Remembering something from a while ago, I have an idea. I whisper into the device and point it at Mima before bracing myself as power begins to build in the device.

“What are you!?” Mima snarls in frustration at Shanghai.

“A Fairy, plain and simple,” Shanghai answers.

“Impossible,” Mima says, shaking her head. “A mere Fairy can't possibly be unaffected by my magic.”

“I'm not a 'mere' Fairy,” Shanghai retorts. “Now, prepare yourself!” Shanghai then continues to attack Mima with her rapier, Mima attempting to dodge the strikes, but Shanghai is surprisingly adept and swift with the weapon, landing blow after blow.

After a good thirty seconds or so, I shout at the top of my lungs. “CLEAR OUT!!!” Shanghai ignores me, continuing to assault Mima, which prevents the green-haired woman from making an escape. Arela and Ayis look to the glowing device in my grasp, and promptly move out of the blast range.

Hikan turns and his eyes widen before he flies off, still holding onto Marisa. “Star, grab Shell!”

“Rodger!” The unicorn answers, teleporting to the Changeling's side and grabbing her before another blink makes the pair disappear.

Just as everyone clears out, the Mini-Hakkero explodes with power.

Lightning Sign「Mighty Thunderbolt」

A massive, 2-foot thick lightning bolt fires from the Mini-Hakkero - just like the last time I'd used my lightning magic with it - and passes through Shanghai straight to Mima where it hits hard.

“HRAAAAGH!!” Mima screams as the bolt strikes her.

“Ouch…!” I say, dropping the searing hot device after the bolt dissipates.

“Damn you…” Mima snarls darkly as she gets back up. “You messed with the wrong spirit…” My eyes widen in surprise as Mima swings her scepter to point at me. “I'll bury you where you stand!” Mima shouts, unleashing a beam not too dissimilar from Marisa's Master Spark. I'm too surprised to avoid it in time.

“Agh…!” I shout as the attack hits me, and I fall to the ground, losing consciousness.

For the next little bit, even though Alexandria is no longer conscious, I'll continue in her perspective, only because I don't want to cut out the next series of events.

“Ngah…!” Shanghai grunts in pain, flinching and recoiling from the blow I take.

“Alex! Squirt!” Ayis cries, and before anyone can stop her, she summons her sais once more, and rushes at Mima. When the spirit turns to stop her, Ayis crosses her sais together, and magic Mima's never seen before glows around the sais, building rapidly. “JUDGEMENT OF THE WASTES!” Ayis roars, and a gigantic sword of edged bone, held by two phantasmal, skeletal hands, slams down towards the spirit, erupting in a shower of blackish purple magic.

While Ayis is doing all this, Shanghai shakes her head, regaining her focus. “You…” she growls, sounding genuinely pissed off as she grips her rapier and holds it vertically in front of herself. “I will damn you to Hell myself!!”

Aku no Tsuihō「Doll's Judgement」

The blade of the rapier erupts with both flame and electricity. Shanghai then lunges at Mima, slashing her with a renewed vigor and swiftness, striking hundreds of times in a matter of seconds, each blow simultaneously exploding and erupting into sparks on impact. Shanghai then draws back and strikes one final time with extra force, the attack coinciding perfectly with Ayis' spell.

“AAARGH!” Mima shouts, falling to the ground. It's at this time that everyone finally notices that she doesn't have legs, but rather a spectral tail under the robe. “This… Isn't the last you'll see of me…” Mima mutters in a strained voice. “I'll be back… To get my revenge…” With that ominous threat, Mima slowly fades away.

After completing her powerful Spellcard, Shanghai reverts to her normal form, her broadsword in its sheath. She puts a hand to her head and wobbles in midair dizzily before dropping to the ground unconscious. Ayis rushes over to her, looking her over and sighing in relief when she finds that she's unharmed. She then looks to Arela.

“Take her, please, I need to see my girlfriend,” she says. Arela nods and does so as Ayis briskly moves to me, checking me over. While Ayis is looking me over, I come to, putting a hand to my head as my eyes scrunch and my brows furrow.

“Uuuuuugh…” I groan. “That hurt pretty bad…” I then open my eyes and start with a sharp intake of breath when I see someone over me.

“Calm down, Alex. It's just me,” Ayis says softly. “How do you feel?”

I pause for a moment before sighing. “To be honest?” I begin. “Very very sore.”

“Anything else? Any stinging pains in your body?” Ayis asks next.

I shake my head as I sit up slowly. “Just a lot of soreness.” Ayis breathes a sigh of relief.

“Thank Triyte…” she says, before placing her hands over my chest. “Stay still, I'm going to give you a little pick-me-up.” I remain silent and still. Then, a greenish-golden glow surrounds Ayis' hands, and then me, and the soreness in my body dies down. I give a breath of laughter.

“I'm sure Daiyousei could have easily done the same thing…” I comment in good humor. Ayis gives a cocky grin.

“I'm still sexier than her, though. Like a hot nurse,” Ayis says, winking at me.

“Riight,” I say with a smile, just a little teasingly before I realize something and look around. “…Where's Shanghai? She should have been right on me, worrying her little guts out by now.”

“Over there with Arela,” Ayis says, pointing to the two. I stand up and make my way to Arela quickly. I notice that Shanghai's unconscious as I approach.

“Shanghai…!?” I say, my eyes widening as I grab the little Fairy and hold her carefully. “W-What… Happened…!? Is she going to be okay!?”

“She's fine, just tired. She used a lot of power to help Ayis finish off Mima,” Arela explains. I let out a huge sigh, tears of relief coming to my eyes.

“Thank Heaven…” I whisper. “If I'd lost her, I… I…” Ayis puts a hand on my shoulder.

“Don't worry about it. It's over now,” Ayis says warmly.

“…Right,” I say, gently placing Shanghai into the pocket on my dress and wiping the tears from my eyes. “I think we should go about building our base then. Shanghai needs somewhere to rest.”

“Hey, why don't we build it right on this very plot?” Marisa says, her hat off her head. She's using it as a basket to carry the Mini-Hakkero which is undoubtedly still hot to the touch. “It's big, flat, and nobody else's usin' it. It's perfect, ain't it?”

“Hmmm… We'll likely have to ask the city planners if it's okay first, since this is a construction zone, but I'm sure Ronzul will be able to work it out. He has a lot of friends up in the construction business,” Ayis says.

“Guys!” Hikan's call rings out over the abandoned zone.

“What is it, my love?” Arela asks, walking over. Starlight's cradling Shell's head in her lap, a stream of green blood flowing from her forehead and down her face. Hikan's standing over them, his eyes going over the silk like purple mane that flows from the Changeling's head where Shell's now broken helmet used to rest.

“We need to get her out of here,” Hikan says dully, much of the emotion gone from his voice.

Arela and Ayis rush over. “By the Gods…” Arela breathes, tears forming in her eyes.

“What are we standing here for? Let's get her to a doctor quick!” Ayis urges.

“I-I'm supposed to be the healer, right?” Daiyousei says. “I've never tried to heal anything this bad before, but… Let me try first.” Without waiting for an answer, she kneels down next to Shell and puts her hands on the Changeling.

Recovery「Healing Power」

As the familiar green glow spreads onto Shell, we watch as the blood flow slows and the large gash partially coagulates. It doesn't heal completely, but it isn't as bad as it had been.

“She still isn't fully healed. She needs a doctor,” Arela affirms.

“I, uh, I made things better though, didn't I…?” Daiyousei asks hesitantly. Hikan nods his head and bends down to lift the Changeling, cradling her gently as her head rests against his chest.

“You did,” he says quietly. “But she needs help now.” He starts moving away. “Ayis, Alex, do you guys know the way to the clinic you guys went to?”

“Yeah, follow us!” Ayis says, taking off into the sky, and I nod as I follow suit, giving the 'come on' hand gesture. Hikan activates his boosters and raises into the air gently before hovering after them, trying to keep the flight as stable as possible for his ward.

It isn't long before Ayis and I land on the street just outside the clinic. “Here we are,” I say once Hikan lands next to me.

Hikan only nods in response before he starts to walk forward, only to meet Truth Seer exiting the building with his keys in hand. The good doctor jumps a bit when he looks up to see Hikan. The zebra looks at him, then to the Changeling in his arms before looking back up at the man. “Bring her inside,” he says simply, turning and opening the door once more.

“Thank you,” the hunter replies, quickly moving to head inside, Starlight following after him. I go to enter, but am stopped by Seer.

“Sorry, but could I please ask you to wait outside?” he asks. “I know you're worried, but I can only allow two to accompany the patient.” I'm silent, nodding slowly after a few moments. Seer then enters the clinic, the door closing behind him. Ayis and Arela look on with worry and concern, but concede.

“…Looks like we're stuck playin' the waitin' game, huh?” Marisa says, making her landing next to me, Daiyousei also touching down nearby.

“Apparently, yes,” Arela concurs. There's an awkward silence after that for several seconds. Marisa goes and sits on the ground, her back against the building.

“Sooooo…” she says slowly. “Got anythin' interestin' to talk about?”

“No, but I know a game we can play as we wait,” Ayis offers.

“I like games,” Daiyousei says. “What's it called?”

“'Charmed Hands',” Ayis answers.

“Ooh, that's a good one,” Arela comments.

“Of course it is. It's a game of my people,” Ayis says proudly. Arela rolls her eyes at this.

“How do you play?” I ask. Ayis waves her hands, and a small box of cards appears in her hand.

“Well, first, we each take a deck of ten cards,” Ayis says, pulling a stack of cards out of the box. I notice that the covers on the cards all have various pictures of handsome men and women, either in armor or scanty clothes and robes. A few have more respectable clothes, but all of them are very attractive. Marisa raises an eyebrow.

“That's an… 'interestin’' set of cards…” she comments.

“It is called Charmed Hands,” Ayis points out. “Anyways, it goes like this…” Ayis says, beginning to explain. After a good while of explaining, we all play a game, then two, then three. We end up getting really engrossed in the game, and at this point, we end up having to start making bets with more than just money, as the game requires some form of betting.

Ayis had bet me a favor, whilst Arela had bet the last coin she has from Erevale, as she doesn't want to bet anything else. Hence why she said she's going to stop playing after this round.

“Come on, just bet your clothes or something. Or even some gems. I know you High Angels can make them on a whim,” Ayis urges. Arela shakes her head firmly.

“No way am I betting my clothes, much less using my magic just to keep playing. That's just low,” Arela says.

“Ugh, fine,” Ayis turns to me. “So, whatcha got, babe? Any Temptresses?”

“Yeah…” I answer, eyeing the two Temptresses in my hand. Ayis grins.

“Guess I win then, because…” Ayis shows us her hand. “I got a Tribunal Crusade!” She cheers, referring to the three paladin cards she has. Arela groans at this.

“Lithg dammit…” she curses.

“Oh hush. I won fair and square, so cough it all up, ladies! Oh! And you owe me a favor, Alex,” Ayis says, grin growing.

“I'm… Oddly okay with that,” I respond, laying down my hand. “Though I guess it depends on what you mean by 'favor'.”

“Heh, the two of you're suppose'ta be datin', right?” Marisa asks, paying up as I nod. Marisa's grin widens as she helps Daiyousei count out the money she owes. “Then I guess the question is… Is it a favor or a 'favor'?” Marisa makes air quotes on the last word. Ayis giggles.

“We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?” Ayis says teasingly.

The bell over the door to the clinic rings out as the door opens up and Starlight walks out, eyes on the ground. She lets the door swing shut behind her. “...Arela… Hikan wants you in there…” she says quietly, not letting her voice above much else than a whisper. Arela nods, placing her cards down and walking inside.

“Uh, hey Starlight,” I greet awkwardly.

“So, you got kicked out in favor of the angel, huh?” Marisa asks bluntly.

Starlight shakes her head numbly before sitting down, not saying anything else and not lifting her head.

“Um…” Daiyousei starts, giving Starlight a worried look. “Are you okay…?”

Starlight's quiet for a moment. “...Shell's really hurt…” she says quietly. “Dr. Seer says she may have a major concussion and… he can't take care of her here… And he said that the hospital might not help because… because…”

“Starlight, calm down,” I say. “I'm sure everything will end up alright.”

“So the ponies at the hospital might be racist, and won't help,” Ayis sums up. I look at Ayis.

“That's right, the ponies have some… bad views of the Changelings,” I say. I then turn back to Starlight. I'm silent for several seconds, trying to decide whether or not I should say what's on my mind. Finally, I speak up again, making my decision. “Well, if they won't do their damn job, then I say fuck 'em. We'll just treat Shell ourselves if we have to.”

“We can take her to Ronzul. He was a field medic back in the War on Mt. Saintkiss in Lleiya, I'm sure he could help,” Ayis offers.

Starlight's quiet for a while before she looks up slowly towards the Fallen Angel. “…Dr. Seer wants to keep Shell for the night,” she says quietly. “He has a place inside where he and the others can rest… but thank you, Ayis. We'll… we'll have to come back tomorrow and make sure Hikan and Arela know…”

“Ah, the doc's keepin' her for the night,” Marisa says. “Then I guess we're stuck goin' back to Gaelle's place, huh? We'll haffta tell her that Hikan and Arela're stayin' here at the clinic tonight.”

Starlight nods her head, getting back to her hooves. “Yeah, Cat's probably freaking out by now, too,” she says.

“Alright then,” I say, getting to my feet as well. “Let's get going to Gaelle's.” I then look down at Shanghai, who's still out cold in my pocket. “Hopefully Shanghai will be feeling better in the morning…” I add worriedly.

“Yeah. I miss the Squirt's voice already,” Ayis agrees, standing up as well.

Starlight nods her head before she starts down the street, her head bowed towards the ground.

Marisa, Daiyousei, Ayis and I follow her. I run to catch up with her. “Don't worry,” I say to Starlight. “Shell's going to make it through this, okay?”

The unicorn looks up to me before giving a small nod and an even smaller smile. “I hope so,” she says, looking back down the street. “I really hope so…”

End of Chapter 2