Sunset's human world origin

Moonshine’s Bar

Date: May 3rd, time: 8:00 pm

*Jiraiya’s perspective*

Jiraiya walked into Moonshine’s and took a seat at the bar. The man himself, a bald mixed man that looked like if the Rock and Obama had a baby together, came up and greeted Jiraiya. “Your usual?”

“You know me well, Shiny.”, Jiraiya teased.

“Don’t call me ‘Shiny’.”, Jamal Moonshine said seriously, but Jiraiya knew he was playing the game. Though, he would likely actually drop kick anyone else that called him ‘Shiny’. The only reason he allows him is for the same reason he also wears a combat belt, a ‘cool belt’ as he calls it. These belts were not normal belts. They had snap buckles instead of the typical frame style for easy release; are made of a highly durable, slightly stretchy fabric; and were not through any loops, just held up by being tight around the waist.

“What else am I supposed to call you with that shiny ass head of yours?”

“Hide your women and hide your baby oil.”

“Exactly, if I rub your head three times, a genie will pop out.”

Jamal handed Jiraiya his drink then went to help other customers. Jiraiya nursed his drink as he waited for his date. He opened the dating app on his phone and looked at Amethyst Maresbury’s picture. She’s a white woman, about Jiraiya’s age, and has graying pink hair with purple eyes and a scroll as her symbol. She’s okay looking, but Jiraiya didn’t care so long as she was interesting and could still do the dead. After many years of rejecting women because they weren’t as beautiful as Aoi, Jiraiya figured out that having a shapeshifter for a wife kinda spoiled him and now, after working on it, is happy with “not ugly”.

Her profile says she’s a librarian at Crystal Prep. The CPA thing gave Jiraiya pause and almost made him not want to respond to her message considering the reputation and Sunset’s experiences with their students, but he ultimately decided that he would at least go on one date. She was just a librarian at the school and likely didn’t have much influence in how the kids acted.

A few minutes later, Amethyst arrived and looked around the bar for Jiraiya. She found him rather quickly, seeing he was the only guy in there with long, wild hair, and sat down next to him. “You must be Jiraiya.”

“And you must be Amethyst. What would you like? It’s my treat.”

“What would you recommend?”

“He makes a pretty good mixed fruit drink. That’s what I’m drinking.”

“I’ll have that then.”

Jiraiya called Jamal over with a raise of his hand. “Another tropical storm for the lady.”, Jiraiya said while putting down a fiver.

“Coming right up.”, Jamal said and took the cash, then leaned down to Amethyst. “Fair warning, he likes to scare people as a prank.”

“Thank you.”, Amethyst said somewhat nervously.

Jamal made Amethyst’s drink and went back to his other work. Jiraiya and Amethyst began talking and getting to know each other, and Jiraiya switched to virgin drinks and sodas after he was done with his first. Amethyst was a nice woman but not that interesting. She didn’t do much outside work anymore, and being a librarian wasn’t a very interesting job, for the most part.

“So, I opened up the book, and there was a taco inside.”, Amethyst said.

“A taco? That’s a strange bookmark.”

“That’s one way to put it.”

The two continued talking until Jiraiya was pushed off his stool and onto the ground, knocking his glasses off. “Ow, why did you do that?”, Jiraiya asked. He got his glasses back on and looked up to see a man in his late fifties, early sixties, standing over him, looking like he wanted to kill him, but Jiraiya wasn’t too worried as this guy didn't look like he took care of himself. The best way he could describe him was as the really hairy guy who only wears overalls to Bargain-mart, but thankfully for sanity’s sake, he was fully clothed.

“That’s my girl!”, the angry man shouted.

Jiraiya climbed to his feet and looked back at Amethyst, and she was scared, not the ‘I’ve just been caught’ scared but the ‘I am genuinely afraid for my life’ scared. Jiraiya gave the man his best smile and put on his ‘peaceful old man’ act. “I don’t believe I’ve introduced myself. I’m Jiraiya, and I’m sure we can talk this out. Please, take a seat, I’ll buy you a drink, and we can discuss this misunderstanding.”

The angry man’s face became even redder, and he looked like Jiraiya just insulted his mother. “Don’t shit with me!” The man threw a lazy right hook, which Jiraiya ducked with ease.

Jiraiya straightened himself and grabbed the buckle of his combat belt. He was out of friendly grandpa mode and in ‘ya done fucked up’ mode.

“Sir, you need to leave.”, Jamal said forcefully. He was standing near the exit point of the bar counter and also holding the buckle of his combat belt.

“You can’t make me leave. He’s the one hitting on my girl!”, the angry man shouted.

“Yes, I can make you leave because I’m the owner. Get out!”

The angry guy didn’t listen and pulled his arm back again. Dude was clearly not trained or been in a fight before as he had his thumb inside his fist. Jiraiya internally rolled his eyes at this idiot's attempt at breaking his own thumb. As the man striked, Jiraiya whipped off his belt and, in one fluid motion, wrapped his belt around his arm, swung him around and onto the counter, and wrapped his other arm up, forming makeshift handcuffs. Jamal called the cops, and Jiraiya hauled the angry man outside to wait while Amethyst stayed with Jamal.

“Fuck you! I’m gonna fuck you up!”

“I highly doubt that. With all due respects, you’re lucky I stopped you from hurting yourself.”

The cops showed up, took statements while the angry man continued to holler abuse, and took angry man away. This was nothing new to Jiraiya, but it was the first time he’d experienced it since his hair started turning gray. Jiraiya re-entered the bar and walked back over to Amethyst and Jamal. The other patrons were only mildly paying attention to them. It’s not like people getting into fights was newsworthy in bars. Amethyst was drinking some water, and Jamal was comforting her. Jiraiya took a seat next to her and projected a confident yet comforting demeanor. “Are you doing okay?”, Jiraiya asked.

“I’m a bit shaken up but otherwise fine.”

“Who was that?”

“Shivle Agacker, he’s been stalking me for a while now, but what you did with your belt was amazing.”

“Thank you.”

“Maybe you can teach it to me. It can be our second date.”, Amethyst said flirtatiously.

“I can teach you, but I don’t think we should have a second date. You’re a nice woman, just not what I’m looking for.”, Jiraiya said as politely as he could.

“Oh”, Amethyst said dejectedly. “Well, this was a nice time.”

“Do you need me to walk you home?”

“I’ll just get a taxi, but thank you.”

Jiraiya nodded, paid the tab, and exited the bar. The walk back to his apartment wasn’t long, he lived the next block over. Upon getting into his apartment, Jiraiya poured himself a coffee and waited for the drink to wear off. Around 22:30, Jiraiya checked his BAC with his personal breathalyzer and, seeing it was well below the legal limit, began getting ready for work. He washed off the cologne; got his work clothes and shoes on, which meant scrubs and blood proof, puncture proof, steel-toed safety boots; and tied back his hair into a bun. Jiraiya drove to the hospital, clocked in, and began work.

Work consisted of doing his evening rounds in the burn ward, then ER chaos, and then morning rounds. On days where it was needed, Jiraiya would attend board meetings. At this point in his life, he’s the guy the other members ask “Did we do this before?” and “Did it work?”. The rounds were the simple parts, making sure people weren’t dead, didn’t have any complaints, and generally keeping them alive overnight so the morning people could continue their treatments. The lovely nurses were the ones really working with the patients. ER duty was a different story. House fires, car wrecks, late night cooking accidents, all of them get worse at night. More people are at home, and people are more tired and drunker. One guy even came in with severe penile burns from trying to give his girlfriend a chocolate covered strawberry inspired Valentines gift. That was not a sober decision. The overall hospital was quieter at night but the ER, nope. His overall seniority also meant that he was one of the ones younger doctors would come to for help. He didn’t mind this. It was just another thing he did.

Once Jiraiya had made sure everyone was alive, he went to the ER. It was quiet, but he dare not say it out loud. There was one drunk kid that had his hair burned off and a torched scalp with his equally drunk friends.

“Dude, I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”, one of the kid’s friends said. He was that mix of sober and drunk that told you he was forcefully sobered up by adrenaline.

“Oh man, oh man, this is bad. Is he going to be okay?”, the third boy asked.

“Both of you, shut up. Let the doctors concentrate.”, the burned kid said.

“He’ll be fine, but we’ll have to see about his hair. He might not get it back.”, Jiraiya explained. The three of them looked at each other, just realizing how permanent this might be.

Jiraiya and Joy ignored the boys as they worked. “How was your date?”, Nurse Joy asked.

“Well, there were two parts to the date. The most interesting thing during the first part was a story of someone using a taco as a bookmark.”

“Ew”

“And during the second part, the poor lady’s stalker arrived, and I had to subdue him.”

“How big was the guy?”

“I don’t know, five nine, a hundred eighty-ish.”

“Hold up, you took out a guy two inches taller and thirty pounds heavier than you. How old was he?”, Joy said disbelievingly.

“I restrained him, not “took him out”, and he was about sixty.”

“Aren’t you like eighty or something?”

“I will be, next year.”

“So, you restrained a man that was taller than you, bigger than you, and younger than you. Yeah right.”

“I very much did, and be happy to tie you up too.”

“In your wet dreams.” Joy’s last comment got the three boys laughing. I guess an old fart and a middle aged woman taking sexual jabs at each other is funny.

They finished up shortly after, and Jiraiya gave them wound care while the boys packed up. “Keep the burns covered, wear a hat or something else to cover your head, and change your bandages everyday.”

“And don’t do whatever you did to end up in this mess again.”, Joy added with her usual snark.

“You bet. I’m never putting candles on my headboard again.”, the burned kid said.

“Why did you put candles on your headboard?”, Jiraiya asked.

“This one is easily romanced by romantic mood lighting.”, the third boy teased.

“As if you’re not.”, the second boy defended.

“Boys, that’s enough. Let’s go home.”, the burned kid ordered. The three of them left the room, and Jiraiya and Joy moved on to their next task.

Halls of CMS

Date: May 6th, time: 3:00 pm

*Flash’s perspective*

Flash grabbed his stuff from his locker and turned around to meet up with Sunset but was instead met with two other girls. He didn’t know either of them, but they seemed to be around the same age as him, maybe a bit younger.

“So, you’re the cool guy, Flash Sentry.”, one of the girls said.

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“Well, I got ta say, I like what I see.”, the second girl said.

“Well, thank you.”, Flash said with a voice crack.

“What was that?”, the first girl said in amused bemusement. “Are you part frog?”

“No, it means he’s growing up, unlike you.”, Sunset interjected with. Both girls looked annoyed before they spun around and saw who just said that. “Boo” The girls ran off, and Sunset chuckled to herself. “I love being the most feared woman in school.”, Sunset said with a smile.

“Eh, I prefer being ‘the cool guy’.”

“And that’s why we work well together. Now, walk me to my bus.”, Sunset ordered.

Flash bowed, and Sunset chuckled. Sunset took Flash’s hand, and the two walked to the parking lot. Flash watched Sunset board the bus to the hockey rink with a smile on his face. So hot. As the bus drove off, Flash saw Mom’s car pull up. He hurried over and hopped in but noticed it wasn’t Mom driving. “Dad?”, Flash asked.

“Hey, Flash. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I was just expecting Mom to pick me up.”

“Well, I’m going to be picking you up for a while.”, Dad said with a smile.

“Oh”, Flash simply said. Dad seemed a bit concerned but said nothing.

Before he drove off, Dad pulled out a piece of paper and checked something on it. It was a list of times and places. “Okay, let’s go.” Dad put the paper back and drove out of the parking lot. Their next stop was Dr. Owlseye’s office. “A therapist's office, what would you need to see a therapist for?” Flash didn’t answer his father’s question and just waited for them to park. Dad pulled into the parking lot, and Flash went to get out, but before he could, Dad grabbed his shoulder and kept him in the car. “Flash, please tell me what’s going on.”

Flash looked at his father darkly. “A girl at school kissed me without my consent. The act itself wasn’t traumatic, but it’s what it meant that really hurt me.”

Dad said nothing and pulled Flash into a hug as best he could in the car. “I’m so sorry that happened to you. Is there anything I can do?”

“No, you should’ve been there.”, Flash spat bitterly.

“Flash, I was overseas. There was no way for me to be there.”, Dad said matter-of-factly.

Flash pushed away from the hug and glared at his father with anger that rivaled Sunset’s. “You shouldn’t have been overseas! You should’ve been with us! You left us alone for three years!” Flash just unloaded on his father. All the resentment that had been building up over the years finally came out. Flash was surprised by his own words as much as his dad, but they lifted a weight from his chest he wasn’t even aware was there until it was gone.

“Flash, our country needed me. I had no choice.”, Dad said, still in that matter-of-fact tone. That angered Flash further. Dad wasn’t even sorry about any of it.

“No! The government needed soldiers, any soldier, but Mom and I need you specifically! I needed my dad! You could’ve joined the coast guard, and that would’ve kept you home! I needed you, and you weren’t there!” Tears were now streaming down his face, and Flash let them flow.

“Flash, I’m sorry, but I did what was needed of me. You’ll understand when you join.”, Dad said in a more apologetic tone, but Flash was still furious that he still thought he was right.

“No, I won’t because I’m not joining.”

“What?”, Dad asked in shock.

“I said, “I’m not joining”. I want to be a father and actually be there for my kids. I’m not going to leave my wife to raise our kids alone.”, Flash spat with venom and jumped out of the car, walking towards Dr. Owleye’s office.

“Flash! Wait!”, Dad called out. Flash didn’t acknowledge him and continued walking. Dad ran to catch up to Flash and grabbed his arm.

“Let me go.”, Flash demanded.

“Flash, please, you need to understand. I went on missions where my skill set was absolutely needed. The navy needed me specifically.”

“For three years! You were gone for three years, and I only saw you a handful of times!”

“It’s not that easy.”, Dad said solemnly.

Flash yanked his arm away and marched into the waiting room. Dad signed him in and took a seat next to Flash. Dad tried to say something but didn’t. Eventually, Flash was called, and he went back to Dr. Owleye’s office. Dr. Owleye’s office was decorated to have a calming atmosphere, at least that was the intent. It was a bit much for Flash with the warm colored everything, but he dealt with it because he liked her.

Katon family home

Date: same day, time: 5:00 pm

*Sunset’s perspective*

Sunset entered her home, took off her shoes, and walked over to the couch with her hockey stick still in hand and her bag over her shoulder.

“Hey, Sunset.”, Flash said tiredly. He and Sunset were the only people in the main area. Everyone else is likely upstairs.

“Hey to you too. Are you okay?”, Sunset asked.

“Not really.”

Sunset dropped her stuff, sat down next to Flash, and cradled him. “What happened?”

“I snapped at my dad. I just went off on him for being gone for so long. I didn’t even realize how mad I am at him.”

“Do you want me to say anything?”

“No, just hold me.”, Flash said quietly. Sunset did, and Flash grabbed her arm as if it was a life preserver. Sunset used her other arm to stroke Flash’s hair.

Brigid and Anzhong soon returned, and Brigid saw Sunset and Flash on the couch. “Is every‘hin’ okay?”, Brigid asked.

“He got into a fight with his dad.”, Sunset informed.

“Dat’s unfortunate. Do ya want ta have dinne’ with us?”

“That would be nice. Thank you.”

Sentry family home

Date: same day, time: 5:00 pm

*Shine’s perspective*

Shine was sweeping and cleaning as Ethan returned from chauffeuring Flash around. Strangely enough, he looked down. Shine put the cleaning supplies and walked over to him. Ethan sat down on the couch and put his head in his hands. Shine sat down on one of the chairs, facing Ethan. “Is everythin’ okay?”

Ethan lifted his head up to look Shine in the eyes. “No, Flash and I had an argument.”

“About what?”

“He’s upset I was gone for so long. I tried to explain why I had to be away for so long, but he wouldn’t listen. He said he wasn’t joining the military. Maybe I should just go back after the wedding.”

“Ethan, Ah think that’s possibly tha dumbest thing that has ever come out of your mouth, and that’s saying something.”, Shine chastised. Ethan looked at her in the ‘did you just call me stupid’ way, but Shine ignored it and continued. “Ya can’t go back overseas, not if ya want ta still have a relationship with Flash. He needs you to be here, at least until he goes ta college.” As they were talking, Andy came in, wearing his most fabulous clothes and with papers in his hands, and was now listening to their conversation. How wonderful he gets to express himself.

“So, what happened?”, Andy asked. Ethan filled Andy in, and Andy nodded. “Yeah, I get that. Over the three years you were on deployment, you’ve only been home for a couple months. Same goes for when I was a kid. I needed you, and Flash needs you. And don’t give me the “our country needed me” spiel. Your skill set isn’t that rare, and you do this at the time we need you the most in our development. I love you, Dad, but you have seriously bad timing.”

“You never acted like this though.”, Ethan said.

“No, but I also didn’t go through anything like he did.”

“You knew too. Why didn’t either of you tell me?”

“Because that’s not something ya tell more people about.”

“I’m his father! You should’ve told me!”, Ethan shouted in rage.

“It happened ta Flash. It’s his decision who knows. That includes family.”, Shine said.

Ethan buried his head in his hands again. “What do I do?”

“Be here for him. Take a job that will let you be here.”

“But I’m needed in the navy. Andy, you understand.”

“Actually, I’m transferring to the coast guard.” Andy handed Ethan the papers he was holding. “Borago is too. We want to be here for our kids.”

“I’m out numbered here, aren’t I? Alright, I’ll talk to my superiors and try to get a desk job or something.”

Canterlot Hospital

Date: May 8th, time: 5:00 am

*Jiraiya’s perspective*

“Good morning, Jiraiya.”, Nurse Joy said.

“The quality of this morning is questionable.”, Jiraiya said flatly.

“Aw, what’s got you down? Is it that it’s your birthday?”, Joy teased.

“How is it that you know my birthday and yet I don’t know your first name?”

“Jenny”

“Ah. Well, for your information, the fact it’s my birthday has nothing to do with today’s quality. We do not fear getting old in my culture.”

“Then what is it?”

Jiraiya pulled his sleeve up, revealing the bandages on his arm. “Drunk people plus long nails equals the doctor getting hurt.”

“Ow, are you okay?”

“Yes, they are shallow enough not to bleed, but that’s why they hurt so much.”

“Gotta love working in healthcare. Ya pay a bunch ta do it, the long hours, ya only make it rich after decades of work, and to top it all off, people hate you for doing your job.”

“Still, seeing people’s faces when they’re told they’re going to be okay. It’s worth it all.”

“Speak for yourself. You get doctor’s pay. Have you seen the crap I have ta put up with, and I ain’t just talkin’ about the patients.”

“And that’s why you love me.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, what are you doing for your birthday?”

“I have tomorrow off, so I’m going to celebrate with my family then get drunk.”

Jiraiya and Joy got back to work until shift change, and Jiraiya grabbed something from the cafeteria before leaving. It was one of the few times the two of them were leaving at the same time. As they were walking out to the parking lot, Jiraiya saw good ol’ Officer Jenny. Even after working with Joy for a decade, he didn’t know either of their first names. Jiraiya waved to them as he went to his car. He did his normal check of the back seat then drove home.

As soon as he was home, Jiraiya took his shoes off and put on his slippers. If scrubs were anything, they were comfortable, and as the ones he was wearing didn’t have any blood on them, so Jiraiya just lounged around in them. He checked his phone to see happy birthday messages from his family and the few friends he has. After replying to everyone, Jiraiya set his alarm, flopped into bed, and got some shut-eye.

A few hours later, Jiraiya awoke and made some breakfast. After confirming the place and time with Brigid, Jiraiya commenced with his nightly routine. After brushing his teeth, Jiraiya took out his puzzle book and began working on solving them. He went through a book a week, even with the highest difficulty ones. At least he could say they were doing their job. After completing his puzzles, Jiraiya grabbed his weights and began working out. He couldn’t lift as much as he could twenty years ago or go it for as long, but even just an hour will slow down his body’s degradation.

After his workout, Jiraiya took a bath and then got dressed in his semi-nice clothes. You don’t want to go fully formal with kids under ten around. No matter how well they’re raised, they’re still kids, and kids are messy. Jiraiya put his shoes on, grabbed his keys, and got in the elevator to get down to the garage. Inside the elevator was Mr. Waddle. “Oh hello, Jiraiya.”

“Hello, Mr. Waddle.”, Jiraiya said cordially but remained facing the door.

“Say, you’re a doctor, right?”

“That I am.”

“Well, I have this weird rash on my butt. Could you take a look at it?”

Horror arised in Jiraiya as Mr. Waddle placed his hands in the waistband of his pants. “Oh, no no no, I don’t need to see your rash.”, Jiraiya tried to say faster than his mouth could move while frantically waving his hands. “I work in the burn unit. Unless you have a burn, I can’t help you.”

“Oh, okay.”, Mr. Waddle said as he removed his hands from his pants.

As soon as the elevator reached the garage, Jiraiya got out of there as quickly as was polite. If he was a younger man, he would’ve taken the stairs. That’s the real occupational hazard of being a doctor.

Outside CMS

Date: May 12th, time: 3:30 pm

*Flash’s perspective*

Flash and Sunset exited the school and began walking to the parking lot. As has become the norm, Dad was waiting instead of Mom. What was new is that Andy and Borago were with him. “Hey Dad, what’s up?”

“Hey Flash, we’re gonna have a guys’ day out for your birthday.”, Dad said excitedly.

“Okay”, Flash said flatly.

“Aw come on, it will be great. We’ll go to the arcade and go go-kart racing, just like when you were a kid.”

“That sounds like fun.”, Flash said with some enthusiasm.

“Ehem”, Sunset said.

“Oh right, Sunset, this is Borago, Andy’s fiancé. Borago, this is Sunset, my girlfriend.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Sunset.” Borago and Sunset shook hands, and Sunset looked Borago over, for whatever reason. “What?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be gay?”

Borago looked himself over, and Flash noticed what Sunset was talking about. Andy was wearing a plum - Flash thought he called it - and black suit with a matching, wide brimmed fedora with a large feather dyed the gay male flag colors. The only subtle thing he was wearing was his black tactical boots, and even they had their standard laces replaced by blue laces. On the other hand, Borago was wearing a plain white t-shirt with blue jeans and a black, leather belt and his own military issue combat boots with the only noteworthy thing on him being a chain on his pants that held a metal plate of his symbol, a rifle with borage flowers engraved in it. “I never said I was good at it.”, Borago defended.

“Oh, you’re fine just the way you are.”, Andy said in his deep, somewhat gravelly voice. It shocked more than a few people to hear such a voice come out of a fairly averagely built and flamboyant guy. “It’s your fashion, and you pull it off perfectly, what with your big, strong muscles and all.”, Andy said while caressing Borago’s bicep.

Borago blushed, and Sunset looked over to Flash and shrugged. “So Borago, how’d you end up with your name?”, Sunset asked.

“My parents are obsessed with flowers and own a flower shop, so my siblings and I are all named after flowers.” Where Andy’s voice was deep and gravely, Borago’s was soft and gentle. It wasn’t effeminate, but it was still more of what you would expect to come out of Andy’s mouth.

“Cute”

“We should get going.”, Dad said. “See you tomorrow, Sunset.”

“Bye, Sunset.”, Flash said as he and the rest of his family got into the car. Dad drove them to Kablamers Park. It had been some time since Flash was last there, but it hardly changed. Along with the arcade, there are go-karts, mini-golf, and a pizza parlor. It was a fun place. Flash wished to take Sunset here on a date as soon as he had enough money.

The four of them exited the car and went inside. The sound of blasters firing, children screaming and cheering, and various other video game sounds hit the men’s ears as soon as they walked through the doors. The four of them headed to the front desk, and Dad got them their game tokens. They separated into two groups, Andy with Borago and Dad with Flash.

“So, what do you want to play first?”, Dad asked.

Flash looked around the place and spotted a zombie shooter with those plastic blasters. “That one.”, Flash said, and the two of them headed over. Dad put the tokens in, and they began shooting. “Watch your nine.” During the whole game, Dad kept a cool head. Guess being in the military makes you good at video games.

“That was fun. What do you want to do next?”, Dad said once the game was finished. They continued playing various games and having fun with each other until they heard a woman getting upset. Flash looked over to where he heard it and saw Andy’s feather. He looked up at Dad and saw that his face was one of recognition and annoyance. That got it to click in Flash’s mind, and the two marched over to the ruckus.

“You two should be ashamed of yourselves. What are you two doing, spreading your perversion in a place filled with children? What would your parents think?”, the irate woman ranted.

“I think that they are a lovely couple and am happy that they can finally be their true selves.”, Dad said.

“And who are you?”, the woman said indignantly.

“I’m the father of the fabulously dressed young man you were just berating. Now, what are you doing, spoiling my son’s birthday?”, Dad said like a CO addressing an irritating subordinate.

“It’s my birthday, by the way. That’s what we’re doing here, and my brothers aren’t bothering anyone.”, Flash added, trying to defend his family.

“Well, you should be ashamed for raising such a disgrace.”, the woman said, addressing Dad.

“I pray that God has mercy on you, and may Jesus teach you kindness and compassion. I’m sorry that the devil has made his home in your heart.”, Dad said with a face of ‘I’m done with this’. Andy and Borago began chuckling to each other, either about the woman or what Dad said or both. Dad really did mean what he said, but it was also code for “go fuck yourself”.

The woman stammered out some Bible passage, but Dad was having none of it. “Yes, the devil can quote the Bible too, but that doesn’t mean he understands it.”

The woman looked shocked, enraged, and - well, whatever that was. Flash wasn’t quite sure how to describe it, but it was kinda like disgust, so she looked shocked, enraged, and disgusted, which Andy was keen to take advantage of. “Oh, don’t worry, Dad. This unfashionable witch’s mean comments mean nothing. She’s just jealous we get more action in a week than she gets all year.”

The woman’s mouth gaped like a fish then she spun on her heels and walked away, past the employee that was finally showing up. As the woman walked away, Flash noticed her grab a thoroughly embarrassed kid from behind one of the games. The boy mouthed “Sorry” as he was being pulled away. Flash waved at the kid as Dad, Andy, and Borago explained what was going on to the employee.

“Sigh, I’m sorry about what happened. Let me talk to my manager, and we can get you compensated for the incident.”, the employee said.

“That won’t be necessary. You had nothing to do with it. You shouldn’t be held responsible.”, Dad said.

“I insist. We want everyone that visits Kablammers to have a good experience. Wait here, I’ll be right back.” The employee walked off quickly and soon returned with a piece of paper and handed it to Dad. It was a voucher for a free pizza.

“Thank you.”, Dad said.

“I hope you have a good rest of your day.” The employee walked off while Flash, Andy, and Borago crowded around Dad.

“Nice.”, Borago said.

“So, do you want pizza?”, Dad asked. Affirmative nods came from the rest of them. “Alright, let’s go.” The four of them headed to the pizzeria and got their preferred pizzas. They ended up with two split pizzas and began chowing down.

“I’ll be right back. I need to use the jhons.”, Andy said, then got up.

“I need to go too.”, Flash said quickly and hurried to catch up. “Hey Andy, can we talk for a minute.?”

“Sure, what’s up?”, Andy said as they continued walking.

“I’m impressed with how you dealt with that woman, but next time, can you not use witch to replace the ‘b’ word.”

“Why?”, Andy asked confusedly.

“Well, I know some witches, and they are very nice people.”

“You know witches?”, Andy asked skeptically.

“Yeah, they don’t throw fireballs from their hands, but they do use the natural magical properties of the Earth to cast their spells.”

“Okay”, Andy said somewhat dismissively as they entered the bathroom.

“Don’t say it like that. You were just talking to one when you and Dad picked me up from school.”

“Sunset’s a witch?”, Andy asked, surprised.

Flash nodded his head. “Yeah, but don’t tell Mom or Dad. They’d freak out.”

“Okay, yeah.”, Andy said more seriously.

The two of them finished their business, washed their hands, and rejoined their family. “So, what do you want to do next?”, Dad asked Flash as they sat down.

“The go-karts.”, Flash said.

“Alright, we’ll do that next.”

The four of them finished their pizzas, paid for some go-kart tickets at the desk, and headed outside. The registration booth thing for the mini golf was to their right as they exited, and the entrance to the go-karts was to their left, along the side of the building. The track was built in what used to be part of the parking lot. The four got in line, which was kinda long. As they got closer, Flash could see more of the races. Most of the kids were your average go-karters, but a couple here and there actually looked like they knew what they were doing. Eventually, it was their turn, they gave the tickets to the worker, and they entered the go-karts.

“Ready to lose?”, Andy asked Borago.

“Are you kidding me? ‘Go’ is part of my name.”

Flash didn’t pay much attention to them as he was focused on showing them just how good he’s gotten in the last three years. The light turned green, and the drivers sped out. Flash kept better control over his kart than most other people on the track. He was able to take the turns tighter and not bump into the side walls. He didn’t even know where the other three were, but he hadn’t lapped them, so they must be doing okay.

The stop light flashed, and the racers pulled into the loading bay. Flash entered first, followed by Dad, then a couple other kids, then Andy and Borago, then the rest of the kids. The employee escorted them out, and the four of them moved away from the gates.

“When did you get so good at driving?”, Dad asked.

“Over the three years you were gone.”, Flash said with a bit more than zero venom.

“Oh” It was a few moments before Dad spoke again after looking at his watch. “It’s getting late. Your mom is waiting for us.” The four of them headed out to the parking lot. “Flash, I hope that, one day, we can repair our relationship and go back to the way things used to be.”

“That’s not exactly going to be possible when you get back on your ship.”, Flash spat.

“Actually, I’m looking to find a job that will keep me in the states. I’ll still be in the military, but I’ll be able to stay with you and your mom.”

Flash looked up at his father, surprised. “You really mean that?”

“Yeah, I plan on fixing my mistakes.”

“You can’t fix your mistakes.”, Flash said while shaking his head then looked up at his dad again. “But you can make up for them.”

Coddler Inn, Vanhoover

Date: 29th day of the 3rd month of the 1119th year, time: 3rd hour AMR

*Shadow’s perspective*

Shadow Walker stared at the necklace around his neck in the mirror while picturing the pony he is impersonating in his mind. The necklace was made up of a series of amulets he uses to go undercover. He has a disguise charm that can make him look, sound, and feel just like any other pony, a telepathy charm that allowed him to listen in on ponies’ surface thoughts within a couple trots of him and adjust his behavior to match how the other pony thinks he shout act, a magic masking charm that prevents others from detecting all the magic on him other than standard magic of the tribe he’s disguised as and can be dialed up to completely conceal him, a telekinesis charm so he can impersonate unicorns and other telekinetic species, a strength enhancement charm to impersonate earth ponies and other physically capable species, and a poison detection charm for obvious reasons. All these different gems were held in place by a black metal band and black cords. In the center of the necklace was a recording stone. It can record everything Shadow sees and play it back later.

He pictured everything from his new form’s height and weight to the texture of her fur and horn. Once the image was clear in his mind, the magic swirled around him, and when it dissipated, a unicorn mare with a raspberry coat, fluffy, rich maroon mane and tail, wine purple eyes, and grapes for a cutie mark stared back at him. He could still feel his wings and the things he has in his wing pockets, but so long as he keeps his wings tucked in, they won’t give him away.

With his disguise in place, Shadow put his saddlebags on, exited his room, and began walking down the streets. Even after all these years, using telekinesis still felt strange. That’s why unicorns are his least favorite disguise, but the Night Guard couldn’t detain anypony else. After having to double check his map a couple of times, Shadow eventually found the meeting spot. It was in the back of a closed down dive bar. There was a security pony checking everypony’s cutie mark against a reference book. They clearly didn’t suspect anything. Otherwise, they would have somepony with an identification charm scanning everypony. As rare and restricted Shadow’s grade of disguise charm is, anypony can pick up any grade identification charm at any magic shop. Though, the high grade ones can be a bit pricey. Shadow got in line and it was soon his turn.

“Name?”, the security pony asked.

“Fine Brew.”, Shadow said. His voice was just like Fine Brew’s, feminen, snotty, and high pitched.

The security pony checked Fine’s cutie mark and waved Shadow through. Shadow walked into the meeting room. Several of Vanhoover’s crime dons were in attendance with their entourages. Anypony that was anypony in the crime world had a hoof in the illegal alcohol business. It was very profitable. Who wouldn’t want to skirt around the steep alcohol tax when you can transport it as medical alcohol, then filter out the toxins, and sell it in seedy bars. Who cares if they could possibly be poisoning your patrons. It was good money.

Shadow could see several of those alcohol purification systems lining the walls of the meeting room. They were all in sorry states. Each one was so dirty that it looked like any alcohol ran through them would come out more contaminated. He took Fine’s seat at the table. She was the one of the brewers at Wine Taster’s Brewery, which made both medical grade and consumption grade alcohol. Shadow sat next to Wine Taster herself. Shadow gave her a look that said “Do what you were told, and you get what we talked about.” and settled in.

The meeting started, and the dons began talking business. Shadow merely made sure that everything was recorded while Wine Taster did all the talking. Shadow began reading the surface thoughts of everypony that wasn’t talking. Most of them were very bored and weren't paying attention to Fine Brew. They were just the escorts of their respective don. Good. The ponies that were talking were too wrapped up in their conversation to pay attention to him also. This is exactly why you impersonate low ranking members of an organization.

“Now that that matter is settled, let’s move onto payment.”, Wine Taster said.

“Yes, of course.”, Don Spur said and pulled out a bag of bits. Wine Taster took it in her own magic and began counting its contents. “Don’t insult me. It’s all there.”, Don Spur barked. Wine Taster merely glared up at the don and silently looked around at the other dons. Even Shadow knew that Don Spur had a habit of short changing his business partners. It was no wonder why he only did business with other ponies and didn’t dare to even go near another race that might react more violently to his antics. Don Spur snorted as the other dons chuckled to each other.

Wine finished counting and placed the bag in her saddlebags. The dons in the meeting moved to continue, but the door leading to the bar was bucked open and dozens of ponies rushed in. It was utter chaos, and everypony that was at the meeting was trying to escape. Shadow saw several of the dons running out through the back door, and he ran after them, but he didn’t even get out to the street before he was jumped and taken to the ground. “Let go of me! They’re getting away!” Shadow tried to reach for his disguise charm to dispel it, but his hooves were restrained, the officers were on top of his wings, and a magic inhibitor ring was placed on his horn. “Release me! I am an officer of the crown! You are impeding my investigation!”

“Yeah right.”, one officer said.

“We know who you are, and you’re coming with us.”, the other officer said. Shadow stopped struggling and let them haul him off. There was nothing he could do right now, and he could chew them out when they got to questioning him.

Shadow was taken around to the front where there were a couple prisoner transport carriages. He was thrown into one of the carriages with a few of the meeting attendees, none of them were of any noteworthy rank. Shadow had no idea who was in the other carriage, but he doubted they got any of the dons.

“Man, that was intense.”, one of the lackeys said.

“Yeah, good thing the bosses got away though. We’ll be out by the end of the moon.”, another lackey said.

“Speaking of which, would any of you know where they’re hiding out?”, Shadow asked.

“Oh yeah, they’re somewhere up in the Unicorn Range. You know, someday, I would like to go up there. I heard that they have log cabins with indoor hot springs.”

“That does sound nice.”, Shadow said as they were hauled off to the local jail. As soon as they got there, they were thrown into a cell, in which there wasn’t a single individual of notable rank, and one by one, were taken for questioning. It was Shadow’s turn before long, and he was sat in front of two detectives, each one in Solar Guard armor and looking fed up with the whole situation.

“Alright, what’s your name?”, detective one asked.

“I am Colonel Shadow Walker of the Night Guard, and you fools blew my whole operation. There were four dons there, and you didn’t manage to grab one of them.”

“Ha, yeah right. We know who you really are. This was just a test to see how truthful you’re going to be. Now, then-” As detective two was talking, Shadow unfurled his wings and used them to press his disguise charm, revealing the slitted yellow eyes, sharp fangs, and gray feathered wings of his true form in his Night Guard armor and causing the magic inhibitor ring to clatter onto the floor. He let out a hiss to punctuate his point, and both of the detectives fearfully scrambled away from his predatory display.

“Get me out of these chains.”, Shadow growled in his much more intimidating, deeper and gruffer natural voice.

“U-um, yes sir.” Detective one scrambled to unlock Shadow’s shackles, and they too clattered to the floor.

“That’s better.”, Shadow growled as he got up and glared at the bumbling fools. He turned off his recording charm and headed straight up to the city guard commissioner's office and barged in, with Wreath’s secretary being too scared to try and stop him. Commissioner Wreath Leaf was sitting at his desk with piles of paperwork and his helmet on it. “Do you really have so little control over your soldiers?”, Shadow accused.

“Colonel Shadow Walker, I don’t know what you’re accusing, but I don’t like the tone of your voice.”, Commissioner Wreath said.

“I have it recorded that your officers raided a meeting that I was infiltrating and let all of the higher ups get away.” Shadow activated his recording charm and played back the events of his capture. The commissioner’s eyes grew dangerously narrow as the recording continued. By the time the recording was finished, the commissioner looked like he was ready to put his horn through his subordinates.

“Thank you for showing me this. I’ll let you handle the Unicorn Range escapees. I’ll be busy dealing with internal matters.” The commissioner put his helmet back on and marched out of his office. Shadow saw the writing on the wall and left to report back to his superiors.

Hothoof home

Date: May 16th, time: 5:30 pm

*Bow’s perspective*

The doorbell rang, and Bow got up to answer the door, and on the other side was the priest. “Hello, I am Father Mark. Are you Bow Alejandro Angelo Hothoof López?”

“That’s me, and thank you for coming.” Bow reached his hand out for a shake, which Father Mark returned.

“May I come in. I would like to talk to your daughter.”

“Of course, Father.” Bow moved out of the way and held the door open. Once Father Mark was inside, Bow closed the door, offered Father Mark a seat, then went to get Rainbow. She was in her room, listening to music while doing homework. “Rainbow!”, Bow said forcefully enough to get her attention. Rainbow took off her headphones and looked up at Bow. “The priest is here. He would like to talk to you.”

Rainbow got up and followed Bow to the living room. Father Mark was sitting on the couch, where Bow left him. Rainbow approached him with trepidation, which Bow didn’t blame her for. The last one she had any contact with was homophobic and about as subtle about it as a freight train. He was also the reason Bow stopped going to church entirely. He doesn’t need a bunch of out of touch white men telling him what his relationship with God should be like. Rainbow and Bow grabbed chairs from the dining room so they could both face him.

“Hello Ms. López, I’m Father Mark. I’ve been told you were the one to experience this spirit. I would like to hear what happened.”

“Alright, but my name is Hothoof Whistle or just Hothoof. It's a Mexican naming convention thing. A little over a year ago, I developed the ability to see spirits, and one of them, I called Moper. On April twenty-ninth, I was doing the laundry like I normally would, and for whatever reason, Moper attacked me. He threw a bottle of laundry detergent at my head. There’s security footage of it.”

“That will not be needed. I believe you. Could you take me to where it happened?”

Rainbow nodded and got up to lead Father Mark with Bow following them. The three of them headed to the laundry hall, and immediately, the hairs on the back of Bow’s neck stood on end. “There he is.”, Rainbow said as she pointed to the wall across from the laundry room door.

“Hm, alright.” Father Mark began the exorcism, and Rainbow hid behind Bow.

“Is it working?”, Bow asked Rainbow some time into the exorcism.

“He’s not looking happy.”, Rainbow said. The exorcism continued, and close to the end, Rainbow pushed in front of Bow. “No!” Rainbow shot her hands into the air, and Bow felt a wave of energy emit from Rainbow. It was powerful enough to cause Father Mark and Bow to stagger.

“What was that?”, Father Mark asked. Rainbow didn’t answer and didn’t look to have heard him.

“Rainbow?”, Bow asked.

“He’s gone.”, Rainbow whispered.

“Who’s gone? Moper?”

“He was coming at you, then he was gone.”

Now that he thought about it, that feeling of imminent threat Bow was feeling was gone. Did Rainbow do that? It did come from her. “Are you sure he’s gone?”

“I’m - not sure.”

Not knowing what else to do, Bow decided to remove them from the situation. “Thank you, Father. You’ve been a great service to us.” Bow guided Rainbow back to their apartment. Rainbow looked at her hands as if they were not her own. “Rainbow, are you okay?”

“I-I don’t know. How did I do that?”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know. Can you tell me what happened?”

Rainbow sat down on the couch, followed by Bow. “I just saw Moper charging at us, and I acted. I have no idea how I did that spirit blast thing.”

Bow rubbed his daughter’s shoulder. “It's okay. We’ll figure it out. You can’t be the first person this has ever happened to. As Abuela always says “Nothing has never happened before”.”

“Yeah, I’m actually kinda tired. Whatever I did was kinda draining. I’m going to lie down.” Rainbow got up from the couch and headed to her room.

“Okay, good night.” Bow went over to the computer and began researching ghosts and people who can see them. There has to be some sort of explanation.

Unicorn Range

Date: 30th of the 3rd month of the 1119th year, time: 3rd hour AMR

*Shadow’s perspective*

Colonel Shadow Walker and his soldiers marched through the snow as they approached the cabin. Some of Shadow’s soldiers wore snow boots that reached their knees along with armor warded against the cold. Shadow himself and the other thestrals in his unit did not need such measures. Their species evolved in colder and snowier conditions than this. Their thick fur kept them warm, and their outer coat kept them dry. It wouldn’t stop them getting wet if they jumped in a bath, but it worked perfectly in the snow. Instead of their standard midnight blue armor, they all wore snow white armor. The tops of the mountains were never not snow covered.

Shadow and his soldiers approached the cabin and hid behind a snowbank. The log cabin was large and quite nice, clearly the property of somepony very wealthy. It was the kind of place Shadow wished he could afford for his family. Sunset, like all thestrals, loved the snow, even if she hated being wet and cold, Spitfire would love playing chicken off the surrounding cliffs, and Stormy would’ve just liked getting out of Canterlot. The pony who owned the cabin would have been admirable if the money likely used to purchase it wasn’t obtained by illegal means.

Shadow activated his special ability, ‘Investigate’. His eyes glowed bright enough for his non-thestrals to see. He could see the heat signatures of every notable source inside along with what the building was made of and what was in it. “By the sovereign, they actually have an indoor hot spring.”, Shadow said out loud.

“Seems like I chose the wrong profession.”, Privet Leadwing joked. Leadwing was an earth pony and good kid, but he wasn’t likely to become a career soldier. The only reason he was in the Night Guard in the first place was because of the return of the sovereign and his thestral heritage. This isn’t to say he’s a bad soldier. He just wasn’t going to be around long enough to get an officer rank. He was far less thestral than Shadow, but he still had the dark colors, nigh vision, and bat related cutie mark common amongst thestrals. The first one is not exclusive to thestrals, but the latter two are.

“How many are inside?”, Captain Fire March asked. She was a unicorn and a career soldier, and she followed Shadow into the Night Guard since he trained her. She was previously a part of the Air Guard intel corps as a stealth blimp captain.

“I see ten ponies that look like guards along with seven others, but there might be more hidden because of the hot springs. It’s hard to tell. Okay, let’s move.”, Shadow ordered.

The unit snuck to the doors and windows, Shadow gave the signal, and they began the raid. The earth ponies bashed in the doors, and the ram wielding pegusi broke the windows. “Night Guard! Get on the floor!”, the unit shouted. The earth ponies dealt with the guards, the unicorns captured whoever they could, and the pegasi took down any escapees. The operation was quick, efficient, and effective. They would not let them escape this time. Suspects were tackled to the ground, and hooves were shackled, horns were sealed, and wings were clamped. Some did try to fight back, but each one had to fight three ponies, one of each tribe, who were all well trained and heavily armored. They stood no chance.

Once everypony was captured, they were all collared and chained and led outside. “Hope y’all’re happy with yourselves. We couldn’t get da snow carriages up ‘ere, so we’re gonna have ta walk y’all down da mountain, and y’all ain’t gettin’ boots. Hehe.”, Major Hoedown Jamboree said. Hoedown was an odd one, especially in his hometown. He was from a very rural farming town but was always a night owl, preferring to stay up late to party and make music. He joined the guards to get out of his hometown and jumped at the chance to join the Night Guard. In his words, “Ah get ta sleep all day and stay up all night and nopony will git mad at me? Sign me up!”. Plus, Luna loved his songs and parties. He plays one of the most physically challenging instruments to play, the guitar.

Shadow looked back at the cabin before they left. Privet Kaydet, a pegasus a part of the second chance program, came up and stood next to him. “Yeah know, this is wha’ I wanted too. A nice place to call my own. Though, I never imagined it to be this fancy.”

“Yeah, it would be nice to live in a place like this.”, Shadow said.

“Y’know, this place will likely go into auction once the investigation is over.”

“Ha, do you really think I could buy this place, even with all the doors and windows smashed in?”, Shadow said disbelievingly. Kaydet padded Shadow on the shoulder and rejoined his team.

The unit dragged the suspects down the mountains, to the point the transport carriages had to stop, with the unicorns guiding the way with their light spells. Some of the dons were whining and complaining barely five minutes in. “I’m too cold. You have to give me a set of boots.”, one of them said. “This is unfair treatment. I demand to speak to your superior.”, a second one said.

“I am the commanding officer here,” Shadow informed, “and I don’t care about your discomfort. You’ll live. I can’t say the same about some of your victims. I swear on the name of Po’hahnd, you will be brought to justice!”

“Haza! Honor to the gods! Honor to justice! Honor to Equestria!”, the rest of the unit cheered.

The sun was beginning its ascent by the time they were close to the transport carriages. The snow reflected the light back into their eyes. The normal ponies were able to adjust to the light fairly quickly, but the thestrals had to put on sunglasses. A group of tired looking Solar Guard stood guard around the carriages. Their commander hurried them all awake as she saw them approach. The Solar Guard took over the suspects as they were given jurisdiction over prisoner transport and containment and the detention facilities during the guard split. The suspects were loaded up and taken away by the Solar Guard, leaving the Lunar Guard to their own devices.

“We should set up camp. I’m sure everypony’s tired.”, Shadow announced. Everypony nodded and began setting up the tents and space heating stones. They would move out again a couple hours before sundown.

Inari’s shrine, Amigata

Date: May 26th, time: 3:00 pm

*Oda’s perspective*

Oda and Ryoko were praying in front of the shrine. Inari had protected the land since the village’s founding. They were the kami and protector of rice cultivation, merchants, and tradesmen, which were the primary industries in the village. They were also the patron of swordsmiths, entertainers, and, well, brothels, which were also present in the village. Inari was very important to them. Their shrine was littered with fox imagery and statues. Not only was Inari sometimes depicted as a white fox, kitsune were also their messengers. Ryoko even said that she sometimes heard their voice.

“We need to tell your family at some point.”, Oda said.

“Not yet. You know my brother’s situation. I want to wait another month at least.”, Ryoko said.

A little while later. Oda looked over at Ryoko and saw her ear twitching. It was a habit she inherited from her mother, despite not having fox ears, and meant she was trying to hear something. Oda stayed quiet, not wanting to disturb her.

“We need to go.”, Ryoko said, then turned about face and began walking out of the shrine.

“Where are we going?”, Oda asked, following Ryoko.

“To do peacekeeping work.”

Oda groaned at that. After the three wannabes were run out of town, the village heads decided Amigata needed some sort of policing force in case something like that happened again. The village only has a population of a little over a thousand, so they aren’t big enough for a proper station. That left it up to a volunteer service. The two of them volunteered because he was a big guy, by Japan’s standards, and she knew how to scare the ever living crap out of anyone with the magic she inherited from her mom. It wasn’t much, but a little can go a long way. As much as Oda wanted to protect his home, he didn’t like the idea of having to fight someone. This would be the first time they ever actually had to do their peacekeeping thing.

Ryoko led them to the village community center, which served as the meeting place for the village heads. They entered one of the smaller rooms that served as the “council room”, which meant it had a table and chairs in it, but it was really an all purpose room, just like the rest of the building. The rest of the council of village heads, the people responsible for governing the village, were already in the room, talking to some guy in a fancy business suit with slicked back hair. He just oozed sleaze.

“Ah, Ms. Katon, we were just about to call you. Mr. Sato, this is Katon Ryoko, head of the Katon clan, head of village security, and owner of the Sleeping Fox inn. Now that we are all here, we can talk business.”, Yamada Asahi, head of the Yamada clan, said. The Yamada clan were the first people to cultivate these mountains, followed by the other three founding clans that make up the council, and they own most of the rice fields. Mr. Yamada was currently the oldest council member at seventy.

Ryoko scrunched her nose up as she took her seat. The business man was wearing some strong perfume. It didn’t smell bad, it was just over powering, and that was what Oda thought with his normal human nose. He had to wonder why Ryoko hadn’t thrown up yet. Oda took one of the extra chairs and took a seat behind Ryoko. One of the other council members, Hayashi Kyo, head of the Hayashi clan, noticed Ryoko’s discomfort and opened up a window.

“Hello, Ms. Katon, I am Sato Junichiro. I believe that we’re going to be able to make some profitable business together.”, Mr. Sato said while holding his hand out to shake. Ryoko accepted it but looked at the other heads worriedly.

“What does he want?”, Ryoko asked the other heads.

“He wants to build a factory, and we already said no, but he refuses to leave until he talks to all of us.”, Inoue Hotaru, head of the Inoue clan, said. His clan were the last of the original four to settle here, and they are performers and entertainers, of all kinds, and got the looks too. That’s why they’re all named after flashy or nocturnal animals.

“Where does he want to build it?”

“Well, that’s what I would like to discuss.-”, Mr. Sato tried to say but was interrupted.

“He wants to chop down large sections of our forests to build it and the roads needed to transport the materials.”, Ms. Hayashi said angrily. Her clan were the second to settle, and used to make the tools the Yamada used and would defend the village with their blades. Nowadays the clan consists of construction workers, hunters, and forestry conservationists. Any construction project that takes place within the Haunted Woods needs to get her family’s stamp of approval that it won’t have a major impact on the environment.

“I bet you were real happy about that.”, Ryoko said sarcastically. Ms. Hayashi merely let out a low growl. If tengu were known to breed with humans, Oda would’ve thought the Hayashis were descended from them based on just how territorial they were of the mountains.

“I understand your forests are important to you, but think about the prosperity it will bring to your village. People will move here to work, and the factory will bring money in.”, Mr. Sato said.

The village heads all looked at each other and collectively made their decision. “No”

“Our hot springs and rice fields already provide for our village, and we hunt in those woods. We enjoy our traditional way of life. Your factory will not be built on our land.”, Mr. Yamada added.

“Please, let’s not be hasty about this. I’m sure you want your little one to have prospects for their future.”, Mr. Sato said to Ryoko, referring to her two month pregnant belly.

Oda and Mr. Yamada grabbed Ryoko’s shoulders as they heard her begin to snarl, and Oda felt her fear aura begin to permeate the room. “You leave my child out of this.”, Ryoko growled. The other council members visibly became unnerved by the effect but remained professional.

Mr. Sato looked to be unfazed by this, and his expression remained unchanged. “I am merely trying to bring prosperity to your village.”

“No, you are an invader. My family has always protected this village. We burned invaders alive and strung their bodies up around the forest. We are the reason these are called the Haunted Woods, and I will protect our village from people that wish to exploit us, people like you.”, Ryoko snarled.

Before Mr. Sato could say another word, he was pulled up from his seat and escorted from the room by Mr. Inoue and Ms. Hayashi. Oda and Mr. Yamada only let go of Ryoko after the door was closed and they felt the abeyance return to normal.

“Oh boy, did your wife have this much of a personality shift when she got pregnant?”, Oda asked Mr. Yamada.

“Oh yes, but don’t worry, it’s just hormones.”

“When will I go back to normal?”, Ryoko asked. Her hands now covered her face in clear embarrassment.

“Not until after the little one’s out. You still got incredibly horny, a lot of crying, and forgetfulness to look forward to.”, Ms. Hayashi answered.

“Ugh, pregnancy sucks.”

The other heads could only express consolation as they took this opportunity to talk about other village matters.

Founding of Amigata

This is the story about how Amigata was founded. It’s not important to the main plot, but it’s going to be gruesome. The members of the Katon clan were (and frankly are) kind fucked up.

The area near Mt. Fuji that would become Amigata and the Haunted Woods was first settled by the people that would become known as the Yamada clan about 800 years ago. They cultivated the land into rice fields, earning them the name of mountain rice field people, Yamada.

A couple decades later, the ancestors of the Hayashi came and met with the Yamada. They offered to make the Yamada better farming tools made of iron in exchange for a share of the rice. The Yamada agreed, and the Hayashi settled in the woods, becoming known as the people of the woods.

During this time, a clan of hunters were trading meat, pelts, clothes, and anything else they could forage and make with the Yamada and Hayashi for rice and iron hunting tools. They were considered weird but mostly harmless. During a hunt, the hunting clan came across some hot springs not far from a road. Realizing the proverbial gold mine they had, the clan head decided to set up home base there, and they built an inn and shop for the people traveling the road. The hunting clan, Yamada, and Hayashi all sold what they had to offer to any travelers. Most of them remained hunter gatherers to supply the store, but the clan became known as the hot water clan, but that name wouldn’t stick.

Some time later, the inn would attract the attention of a clan of somewhat unsuccessful traveling performers. Given that they were running out of supplies, they asked the hunting clan if they could live in their inn in exchange for entertaining the guests and doing odd jobs. The hunting clan decided it was no skin off their backs and said yes. The performer clan then went to the Yamada and offered their services in exchange for rice. The Yamada said yes, and the performer clan began working for the hunter clan and Yamada. The performer clan then went to the Hayashi to offer their service in exchange for tools to make their own sets. The Hayashi agreed. After some time of working for all three clans, the performer clan got to work on transforming the trade agreements into an actual village. They would put on plays for the clans, opened a brothel, performed music, and built a shrine to Inari. They got the three clans to start socializing with each other, and they started to become an actual village. Their performances were even improved by the input of the other clans, and they started to bring in more money. Because of their efforts, they became known as the people of the mountain village, Inoue, and the Inoue clan head even picked out a name for the village. They told the other clan heads it meant ‘song of the mountain’ in a far western language, but it was really the name of a mythical land in one of their flunked plays that the clan head pulled out of their ass.

As much as their new prosperity benefited the villagers, others wanted what they had. Thieves and bandits raided the village and damaged their woods. The Hayashi began forging weapons and killing bandits on sight. The Katons’ ancestors were excellent killers from their generations of hunting, but they had a better idea. They would take bandits alive, but they would not stay that way for long. They would tie up the bandits in poses that would make them look like they were incinerated on the spot and burn them alive, making sure the whole mountain heard their screams. That’s how they got their name of the people of fire. Once their victims were blackened like a hockey puck, they would place them up in the woods where they knew bandits frequented, scorch the area immediately around them, and let their old friends find the bodies. They would also create “scare crows” and disguise themselves to look like spirits of burned humans. They would then hang up the scare crows and walk around the forest.

Due to so many people not getting proper burials and that it looked like people were being burned alive where they stood, the woods were believed to be haunted. Very few people dared to leave the road afterwards, and the bandits refused to go anywhere near the village in fear that they would be targeted by whatever demons protected the mountains. To this day, any sort of crime is big news in the village, and you can still find people putting up those scare crows.

Katon family home

Date: same day, time: 6:00 pm

*Jiraiya’s perspective*

Jiraiya walked through the front door as the rain already started trickling down and took off his rain boots. A massive thunderstorm was predicted for tonight, and knowing from past experience, it was all hands on deck. Jiraiya felt safer in his kids’ basement than his high rise apartment during a storm anyways. Although spring showers were normal, this one was going to be passing straight over Canterville and thus was going to be loud. Every able body was either bringing weighted and non-weighted blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, and anything else comforting or needed to weather the storm down into the basement.

While he still had his coat on, Jiraiya went to the back door, slipped the sandals they keep for him, and went out back, where he found Brigid prepping her crops for the storm. “Anything I can do to help?”

“Huh, oh, hi, Jiraiya. Ah’m good, but ask Anzhong.”

“Alright.” Jiraiya headed inside, took his sandals off, and took his coat off and placed it on the coat rack. Anzhong was in the kitchen, and when Jiraiya went over to see what he was doing, he saw that he was packing snacks and drinks in a cooler. “Hey, do you need any help?”

“Huh, oh, hey, Dad. I’m good, but Minerva could probably use some help with the kids.”

“Got it.” Jiraiya headed down the stairs and saw Emi and Anura wrestling. Emi was wearing her fox mask while doing so, which made it look like a kabuki play. Minerva was keeping an eye on them while setting up the blankets and pillows. Jiraiya waved to her, and she nodded to acknowledge his presence. Jiraiya took over watching the girls so Minerva could focus.

Later on, Sunset came downstairs with her hand-held games and tablet in her hands, headphones around her neck, and her stuffed phoenix in her mouth. Sunset placed her games on top of the game chest, took her phoenix out of her mouth, and took a seat at the table. The first wave of thunder sounded, and the younger girls bolted into the pillow fort.

“It’s okay. It’s just thunder.”, Minerva said gently.

“It’s loud, and it hurts.”, Emi said. Brigid stomped down the stairs, placed the cooler next to the table, and went over to the fort. Emi barreled out of the fort and into Brigid’s arms. Brigid comforted Emi as Anzhong joined the rest of them.

“Here, we got dis f’r ya.” Brigid pulled a package out of her jacket pocket and handed it to Emi.

“What are these?”

“Ear plugs, dey will help with da sound.” Brigid then turned to Sunset and pulled another package of ear plugs out. “We got some f’r ya too.”

Sunset took them with a smile and signed “Thank you” but, instead of putting them in, put her headphones on. Another wave came, Emi still winced from the sound even with the ear plugs in, and Kiba and Tomiju began barking. Minerva and Brigid picked up their respective daughters and brought them over to the table and sat them in their laps. Anzhong calmed the dogs down and put them in their happy hoodies and weighted vests. Jiraiya noticed a white and gray tail under one of the locked cabinets. Ailbhe was clearly not happy.

Anzhong began setting up a game of Uno. The cards have braille lettering taped to them so Anzhong can read them. Waves of thunder continued to come, causing Anzhong, Sunset, Emi, and the dogs to wince and whine, despite every layer of ear protection they had. Emi even cried because of the pain. Brigid tried her best to calm her, but there was very little she could do. She eventually gave her an ice cream bar, but that didn’t stop the thunder.

“Mommy, why is the storm hurting Emi?”, Anura asked.

“Emi’s hearing is much stronger than ours. She’s likely hearing it as if she was directly under the storm.”, Minerva answered.

“Exactly.”, Jiraiya said. “When Anzhong and Ryoko were kids, thunderstorms were always the worst times. They clung to me and Aoi for dear life. I’m just glad they didn’t inherit their mother’s claws.”

“Y’re gettin’ chocolate everywhere.”, Brigid said and grabbed a napkin.

Another wave crashed, causing Sunset to drop her cards and clasp her ears. “Fucking Earth weather!”

“I take it Equestrian weather is calmer.”, Anzhong said.

“Of course it is. The weather teams are good at keeping on top of our water needs.”, Sunset snapped. Her eyes widened as she realized what she did and then slumped back into her chair. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap.” Anzhong gave Sunset a comforting shoulder rub, and everyone got back to playing.

“What have you been up to lately?”, Jiraiya asked Anzhong.

“I’ve been focusing on the Storm cases. The low level lackeys are easy enough, but as I start going after the higher ups, well, there’s a reason they’ve been around long enough to achieve some rank.”

“Must be pretty scary.”

“Nothing worth doing is without risk.”

“Even so,-”

“I have my shuko. I never leave the house without them.”

“He’s paranoid.”, Sunset commented.

“You mean prepared.”

“Hm”, Jiraiya chuckled to himself. Kids

It was late into the night before the storm subsided, and the children were tired and sick of the noise. Jiraiya, Minerva, and Anura stayed over, and the adults put the kids to bed, cleaned up the basement, then went to bed themselves.

Canterlot Prosecutor Office

Date: May 31st, time: 12:00 pm

*Anzhong’s perspective*

Bip bip bip

Anzhong’s lunch alarm went off, and he began locking away his sensitive documents. Once everything was in a safe place, he went to the breakroom, grabbed his lunch box, and began walking outside.

“Hey, Anzhong, come in here for a moment.”, DA Thunder Hooves said.

Anzhong entered DA Hooves’ office and stood facing him. DA Hooves was a Native-American man with a very deep voice, and from what Anzhong had been told, is a very big man. “Sir, I’d be happy to help you with whatever you need, but if it’s going to take a while, it will need to be after my lunch break.”

“Oh, nothing like that. I just wanted to say the judge on your next case is a bit of a hard-ass. You’ll need to ditch the trench coat and put on a regular suit jacket as well as find a better fitting pair of pants.”

“What is wrong with my pants?”

“They’re a bit baggy.”

Anzhong did have to admit his pants are a bit baggy on him, but they were what fit him best, and he liked the feel. He also has the size to get Brigid pregnant, so he needs the space, but he wasn’t going to say that to his boss. “Unfortunately, it’s hard to find pants in this country that aren’t baggy but still cover enough of my legs. That’s why I always wear tall boots. My legs are quite long.”

“I understand. I also have an oddly shaped body. I’ve been using this tailor for many years now. Bring her a pair of your pants, and she can tighten them up for you. I’m going to hand you her card.”

Anzhong extended his arm out and felt DA Hooves place the card card in his hand. “Thank you. I will consider her.” Anzhong already had a tailor. He was just hoping that excuse would get him out of buying a new pair of pants he’d only wear once.

“Thank you. You can go to lunch now.”

Anzhong nodded and quickly left. He walked out to the park to found a cool spot to sit. The collection of smells and sounds the park had to offer at this time of year was very nice. Young birds were flying, flowers were in bloom, and the squirrels were gathering nuts. Anzhong found a good spot, sat down, and let Kiba out of her service dog vest. Kiba began to run around as Anzhong ate his lunch. His lunch was mostly peaceful, with Kiba occasionally trying to get him to play. That was until he heard several people coming closer. It sounded like six people. Anzhong could smell iron and various other metals, but the most concerning smell was the gunpowder.

“Kiba, come.”, Anzhong called. Kiba trotted over and sat down for Anzhong to put her harness on. Anzhong got her harness on, but instead of grabbing her handle, he handed her his cane. “Run” Kiba immediately understood, took his cane in her mouth, and ran off back to the office. Anzhong ran off into the trees, put his shuko on, and climbed up one of the trees.

Canterlot Prosecutor Office

Date: same day, time: 12:45 pm

*Thunder Hooves’ perspective*

“Mr. Hooves, sir.”, Mr. Bolt said.

“What is it? I’m having lunch.”, Thunder said while putting his sandwich down.

“Yes, well, Kiba’s back but without Mr. Katon, and she has his cane. I think I remember him saying that if that ever happens, we should call the police.”

“Yes! What are you doing asking me? Call them!”, Thunder bellowed. Mr. Bolt bolted back to his desk and phoned the police. Thunder went to the lobby, where the nearly all black akita was holding her human’s cane. Thunder kneeled down and grabbed onto the cane. “Kiba, drop it.” Kiba released the cane from her maw, leaving it to Thunder to hold. Huh, this thing’s heavier than I thought. Thunder took Kiba outside and waited for the police. As the police cars pulled up, Thunder waved his arm to get their attention.

One of the police cars pulled over next to Thunder and rolled down their window. “Are you the one who called nine-one-one?”

“Yes, this is one of my prosecutor’s service dog. She showed back up at the office with his cane and without him.”, Thunder explained and showed the officer the cane.

“Okay, do you know where he is?”

Since he didn’t know, Thunder asked Kiba. “Kiba, where’s Anzhong?” Kiba excitedly wagged her tail and bolted into the nearby park. “Follow the dog.”, Thunder told the officer. The cops all parked their cars and ran after Kiba, into the park, with Thunder following. Kiba led them deep into the trees, where six men were searching around. One of them was wearing a sleeveless shirt, and Thunder saw the Storm gang symbol. The officers saw it too and moved in to surround them, but before they could raise their weapons, Kiba jumped on one of the men and took him to the ground. One of the other guys raised his pipe and tried to bring it down on Kiba, but she grabbed it, threw it away, and jumped on the man, taking him to the ground too. It all happened within seconds.

The other men began to raise their weapons, and that’s when the cops stepped in. “Drop your weapons! Get on the ground now!” Three out of the four remaining men complied, but one of the men holding a gun decided he was in an action movie and raised his gun at the cops. Before anyone could fire, Kiba grabbed the arm that was holding the gun, forcing it down. The man tried to hit Kiba with his free arm, but she just kept moving and yanking him around. This gave the cops enough time to restrain and cuff him. After it was all over, Kiba went back to her normal tail wagging self, with some added blood on her muzzle. Some of the cops now looked wary of her, so Thunder stood next to her to keep her safe.

“Sir, what did you say the man you were looking for’s name was?”, one of the officer’s asked.

“Anzhong Katon”, Thunder answered.

“Where is Anzhong Katon?”, the officer asked forcefully.

“I don’t know. We never found the guy.”, the Storm goon under him said.

“You really expect me to believe that? Where is Anzhong Katon?”

“I’m up here.”

Thunder, the officers, and the goons all looked up to see Mr. Katon chilling on a tree branch, at least fifteen feet up. “Stay where you are, sir. We’ll get the fire department to get you down!”, one of the officers said.

“No need, but thank you.” Before anyone could protest, Mr. Katon climbed down the tree with ease. Anzhong walked over some of the Storm goons to get to Thunder and Kiba, without even bumping into one of them. It has always somewhat unnerved Thunder how Mr. Katon could navigate the world like a fully sighted person, sometimes even better. I guess adversity really does force one to grow stronger, but how does he do it? “Ready to go back to the office? We have a case to build.”, Mr. Katon said.

“Sure, but how did you climb down that tree so easily? I’ve been climbing up and down trees, rocks, and anything else that could support my weight ever since I could walk. I’ve never seen someone climb something so easily without climbing gear.”

“Oh, but I do have climbing gear.” Mr. Katon opened his hands up so his palms faced Thunder. A strip of metal with hooks on it were strapped on each of his hands. Thunder wasn’t familiar with these specific devices, but he understood their function.

“Hm, lucky you had them on you today.”

“Not luck, sir. I keep these on me at all times, except when I’m in the courthouse, specifically for this type of situation.”, Mr. Katon explained as he removed the hook strips and placed them in his pockets. Thunder had a look like he was talking to a crazy person, and Mr. Katon could apparently sense it, somehow. “It’s only paranoia until it actually happens.”, he said as he took his dog and cane.

“Yeah, I’m just going to pretend you don’t have those.”, Thunder said as they started walking back to the office.