One Race, Many Species

"Our enemies grow ever more alert," warned Grogar as he paced before them. "But also so delightfully complacent... They think they have crushed this world, its ability to resist them. They think peace under their reign is the only option." He smirked softly. "But I propose something better."

Tirek flexed a powerful arm, renewed with restored magic. "Right right, we get the idea, get on to the new stuff."

Cozy glanced to the left. "And did you need to bring out your freak squad for this 'little chat'?"

There, an assortment of strange new creatures hulked, some with scowls, others with impassive expressions. One was smiling, defying the general flow of the room. All were new. Grogar inclined his head. "This is much of the result of our efforts. Tirek, excellent work. You are as talented as I'd hoped you'd be."

Tirek closed his arm, making his biceps bulge in the process. "I'm going to guess you aren't referring to my prodigious personal power." A little chuckle escaped, but he was already turning to face an emaciated humanoid with rough patches of fur and leathery wings that fanned out from its arms. A gaunt bat-like person that scowled and looked ready to shy back at Tirek approached. "Don't be shy, my precious child."

Cozy waved at it. "It's creepy, got that going, but it... lacks creativity. You both do."

Grogar smiled at Cozy, not looking upset at her needling at all. "You think you can do better? You don't have magic, and you don't have fingers. That puts you behind us."

"I have both," gloated Tirek, taking time to kiss his rippling muscles. "Grogar does alright with his magic."

"You said you'd share!" Cozy pointed accusingly at Grogar's dangling bell around his neck. "Chrysalis, Tirek, and you have all got lots of magic, but me, just sitting here, being small."

"Because small is what we needed," he calmly replied. "But that is coming to an end... What do you think we've been working towards, all these moons?"

Cozy rolled her eyes at that. "Everycreature else is using theirs, you may as well get in the habit. Days, weeks, months, years. Get with the times."

"I think not." He set a hoof right on her snout, to her great frown. "That is a human invention, and not one I feel any need to emulate. After we wipe them off their little throne, not a soul remaining will care what a 'month' is, little pony."

"Great, so... Back to the point?" She rolled a hoof in the air slowly.

"Yes yes, my diminutive ally. You have served me well, and I do reward that." A smile spread on his face. "Are you certain you don't want--"

"--No dragon!" She crossed her arms to make that clear. "What else have ya got?"

"Let's discuss... the possibilities." He rubbed along his beard in slow strokes, a dark chuckle bubbling up from deep within him.

Paul was not teaching class that day. How could he? He could, in theory, be attacked at any time. Sure, he had secret service right there to protect him. That didn't mean others close by couldn't be caught in the crossfire. His foolishness could get people killed, and the idea of that irritated him, which is why he'd cancelled his classes and functions. He only allowed telephone and internet meetings, generally one on one.

He was just finishing one of those. "You seem to be really getting comfortable with the new you, but don't forget--"

"--I am my old me too, and that's alright," completed the smiling woman on the computer. "You're the first therapist I talked to that really dug into being what you were and are at the same time like that, especially in this kind of situation. Thank you."

They ended the call and he sighed. The human insistence on being one whole thing was a worrying one at times that caused them so much agony. It was a lie, all of it. Even young humans, arguably especially young humans, were many things, trying to discover which one they'd rather spend their time with. Even stable humans had different fragments, each equally valid, each a part of them. Trying to find a forced whole? Not the sort of thing Paul taught.

"I don't have any more calls expected," he called out. There wasn't a reply, there didn't need to be. The service had heard him. He didn't like having them around, costing tax dollars to protect him. If only there was some way to take the fight to Chrysalis... But he was a civilian. Humans did not rush off to fight terrorists like that. That wasn't what Paul would do...

He was Paul, once president, in another life. Paul would be a good citizen for the nation he had learned to love.

With a barely stifled giggle, she snuck up on her human husband. "You won't guess what I heard," she whispered, leaning over the back of the couch, her tail swaying rapidly.

"Hm?" He looked up from his tablet to her. "You don't look that happy unless it involves work. They find another interesting creature?"

"I wish," she admitted, her grin only becoming more goofy. "But no! Our little Swift just set up a date."

His tablet fell to the couch. "What?"

"With her childhood friend, honey. It's adorably innocent." She waved the worry away. "He's loved her to pieces for years. Did you..." She could see him going through various levels of shock. "Wow, you really didn't notice?"

"Mike?!" he blurted at last. "The same Mike?"

"The only Mike she's close enough to even consider dating." She rolled her eyes dramatically. "When she's fighting, you'll protect her, but she finds someone she really likes and you're stunned? I don't understand humans!" She huffed loudly. "And he's one... Which means I get one more human to keep track of. You're a mess of a creature, you know that right?"

"Thanks for putting up with us." He leaned up, smooching her beak gently. "Does it... bother you that she went with a human instead of a hippogriff?"

"Maybe a little?" She wobbled a hand. "But let's be real. There aren't a lot of hippos for her to pick from around here. I'd rather her be happy, and this is her first date! She's not getting married!" She gave him a gentle shove as she laughed, looking so very pleased.

He began to smile, perhaps more awkwardly. "Our little girl is growing up."

"If we were in my home, she'd be getting close to when she could move out," she noted, crossing her arms over the back of the couch. "We don't have the same mandatory school forever like you humans do. Now, me, bad example. I got out just to go right back in and study up on how living things work." She snort-giggled in a bit of a dorkish way. "No regrets."

"It's neat that you had a choice..." They lived in different worlds, even married. "So, do I treat him any different?"

"Mike? No! He was that boy you smiled at, keep that up. Ugh, don't be one of those... They will have their feelings, but we should be good people to him, as a friend. Hopefully things will go well, but even if they don't, so long as he doesn't do anything..." She stopped herself, shaking her head. "This is Little Mike we're talking about. That little boy wouldn't hurt her to save his own life."

"Not on purpose..." He lifted his shoulders. "Which is why they may need us adults."

"Now that's more like it." She gently rubbed the tip of her beak into his cheek. "We'll be here, to help them, not to get in the way."

They were proud parents of a teenager coming into her own. With hugs and kisses, they renewed their conviction to do their best by their child. "By the way, I go into season in three weeks." She waggled her brows. "You still don't notice it, dummy."

He went such a deep red. "Don't notice?! Is this something I should notice?!"

She buried her face in a hand. "We've been married how long? Time for some basic biology lessons. Now, I hear human females keep it a secret even from themselves when they're receptive, but I'm not a human female, now am I? Now, come here. I'll teach you what to look for."

He awkwardly followed her, ready to learn more about the alien woman he had given his heart to.

He scanned the area, his thick tail still, barely brushing the ground behind him as he looked through his binoculars. He didn't see anything suspicious... yet...

"You still peering through those?" There was one of his squaddies, smirking. "There ain't a war."

"Not need war." Hoku lowered his binoculars despite that. "Plenty people ready break laws. We stop."

Being law enforcement was far from their first duty, but they were on that boat, working with others in a joint excercise. "Yeah, but the good part about water, you usually see what's coming before it gets to ya, ya know?" He shrugged softly. "Or you aren't gonna see it with those anyway."

Hoku let the binocs half-fall from his hands to a resting place where others could find them. "Not look, not see." He rolled his shoulders free of stiffness. "Will swim. Come with?" He was not inviting his friend to have fun. That would have been against reg, but the lutrai were permitted to scout that way. Taking a human friend along was stretching the rules in one way, but having a partner in case things went wrong was not against the rules.

"I'll keep an eye out." He grabbed the abandoned binoculars. "Compared to you, I'm practically drowning, and you know it."

Hoku smiled. In that, he was superior, it wasn't even an argument. Lutrai were swimmers by species. "Watch me." He patted his friend on the shoulder, then shucked a few not-water-proofed things off. With barely a splash, he vanished into the water, rapidly lost to immediate sight.

Despite that lack of obvious vision, his friend scanned the water for him, and was rewarded with a furry face poking free. A wave verified that Hoku had noticed being spotted, then he vanished, the contact made. It had been intentional, to be sure his spotter knew he where he was and that he was alright. Eluding his spotter would make having the spotter quite useless.

"Sorry we don't have any action for you." It was their captain. "I heard your group saw quite a bit, during the last hubaloo."

Lucky saluted. "We're happy to be on the job, Sir."

"Is that why Sergeant Hoku's taking a swim?"

"He insisted on scouting, Sir," Lucky replied smartly, not fooled into lackadaisical attitude by the captain's easy approach.

"We have sonar." Though he hadn't ordered it stop either. "He's keeping up with the boat?" They could both see Hoku peeking up out of the water, clearly doing just that. "It's another thing, seeing it in action. Hoku!" Hoku perked up and focused on the captain. "Don't wear yourself out there." Hoku saluted sharply.

His attention slid back to Lucky. "Well, keep on then. Make sure he makes it back on this boat."

"Sir, yes, sir." He relaxed as the captain went off to bother, er, lend proper leadership to other ship mates.

There wasn't a war, but that didn't mean they were off-duty.

"The way I see it--" Cozy rocked left and right as she talked. "I like being a pony, but I also want to win. Humans love their guns, so I have to not fear those. If I can't win them over with a smile, I'll laugh off their angry little rocks." She clopped her hooves together with a big grin, imagining some ideal version of herself. "Strong, fast, but, you know, still a looker." She primped up her curls, batting her lashes at the evil goat.

She would be the monster of her own design.