Blood of the CHIMERAby discordjediknightChaptersChapter 2 A Rarity...Chapter 3 something fishychapter 4 DNAChapter 5 introductionsChap 6 updatesChapter 7 The GallaChap 8 Christmas ReunionChapter 9 No Sense.Chapter 10 School LifeChapter 11 A Vilian, A Hero, Or A Ponychapter 12 Drunk LeadsChapter 13 The Game BeginsChapter 14 ScarsChapter 15 Unanswered Questionschapter 16 Break throughchapter 17 cross lines.chapter 19 Future Warning'schapter 20 Traps and SpringsChapter 21 CheckmateChapter 22 Just A Gamechapter 23 Family At Warchapter 24 Ancient HistoryChapter 25 Wolf PackprologueChapter 1: A lone wolf or was it a pony?Chapter 18 RevelationsChapter 2 A Rarity...Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 3 something fishyChapter 3 Something Fishy November 3, ---- 11:00am "Wow, this made the front paper," Twilight said as she set the newspaper on the table for all to see. They were all eating lunch underneath a large tent. "Yeah, the whole campus is talking about it," AJ replied looking at the front paper as she began drinking from a juice box. "Yeah, but who would want to hurt her? And why." Asked Fluttershy. "Heh, I can think of a few good reasons," Dash muttered. "Dash," AJ yelled. "Rarity is unconscious in a hospital bed, She was attacked last night!" "Serves her right," Dash replied. Twilight quickly turned to Dash with a burning glare. Her eyes begged to glow amber and red. "Look, I don't know what your history with her is, but no one deserves to be attacked. GOT THAT!" Dash's eyes widened, realizing what she just said. She turned away from Twilight knowing all too well what had happened to her family, and felt ashamed that she could ever say anything like that, even if it was Rarity. The airfield’s silence and tension was finally broken by Twilight. "Anyway. It seems she was shot with a dart. Not a bullet. It's most likely someone was trying to kidnap her. I mean, why else…?" Twilight froze as a thought came to her mind. A look of fear struck her face. "Twilight?" AJ asked slowly. "Guys, we need to get to the scene of the crime." "And how are we gonna do that?" Complained Dash. "Yeah, they have Rarity's room all blocked off by cops, why do you want to go see this so badly?" AJ asked with skepticism in her voice. "A hunch. A hunch that I hope is dead wrong. Meet me later tonight just outside the building with Spike. Oh and try to disguise yourselves," she said as if it were obvious. As the clock turned one in the morning, several shadows crept onto the building. Several police guards stood by. The window that was smashed was boarded up and covered with police tape. Shadow star aka Twilight jumped onto a tall branch. She helped them by a rope that a cowgirl with a bandana held tightly onto. After looking through a pair of binoculars, Twilight gave the signal and AJ lowered her down and back into the bushes. "Ok, guys. There are two officers there and they're still waiting for the inspector. Fluttershy, you got your fake ID?" Fluttershy, dressed in a police costume from the party store, nodded her head. “Uh, you sure this is gonna work?" She asked timidly. "Eh, fifty, fifty," Spike smirked. "All you and Spike need to do is enter the room and undo the latch on the other window. Then Dash flies me in. AJ will stay on the lookout for the real inspector. We have about fifteen minutes before they show up. Should be plenty of time." Twilight shrugged. "Ok, ok, but I gotta ask what's up with these terrible get-ups." Spike giggled. AJ was in a cowboy hat and a bandana with overalls. "AJ, you look like a bank robber from a Western movie." AJ rolled her eyes. "And dash." Spike chuckled. "Dash, you look like a Roman gladiator." "Oh yeah because yours is any better," Dash said as she lowered her helmet covering her face. "This whole thing was on such short notice. These were cheap at the party store." AJ said as she pulled the bandana over her face. "Well as long as you won't get recognized if seen." Twilight told them. "Ok, mission set, let's go. And don't forget your walky-talky." Spike handed out several walkie-talkies to everyone. "It definitely fits Fluttershy's look at least." The plan went as planned with no complications. The copes believed Fluttershy was an investigator and she unlocked the window before she headed out. Twilight and Dash got inside and began searching for clues. "See anything?" Twilight asked. "Uh, no. unless you mean how stupidly fancy this place is." "Focus," Twilight told Dash. Dash rolled her eyes and got back to searching for clues. Then she stepped in something and looked down. "Uh, hey, Twilight over here." Twilight got up and walked over to see what Dash was looking at. Stuck on the table was a dart. A purple liquid oozed out of it and seemed to dry on the tail solid. Twilight brought out a plastic bag and a screwdriver. She quickly broke off some of the dry purple subsistence and bagged it. She then grabbed the dart. It still had just a little bit of substance in it in a liquid form. She set that in a second bag. "Good find Dash." She whispered as she eyed it. Suddenly, the radio went off. "Shadow Star, this is Bank Robber, over. " Twilight giggled a little and called back, "What's the situation." "The real investigator just showed up. Time to high-tail it." Twilight turned to Dash, who nodded. The two of them flew out quickly, just in time as the investigator walked in. The door slammed open. Twilight rushed over to her room and pulled out a microscope. She also brought out her laptop and set them on the counter. "Ok, Twi mind telling us what's this all about?" AJ asked, taking off her disguise. "Give me a moment," Twilight replied as she looked at the purple substance under a microscope. Her eyes widened. "I knew it." She raised her head. "Guys, we need to get to Rarity before…" A large boom was heard from the hospital on campus. "Too late.” Twilight nervously smiled. “Suit back up Apple Jack, we're gonna have a long night." "What was that?" Dash asked. "That, Dash, would be Rarity Shine, transforming into a mutant.” Twilight replied. Dash's eyes widened as she slapped her forehead. "Of course." “Dash, AJ, you and I will deal with Rarity. Spike, Fluttershy try to keep any nearby civilians safe. It's all hands on deck guys, let's move out." "On it." They simultaneously replied. As they got to the hospital, people were quickly trying to get out of the way of a giant sparkling sea pony. AJ's mouth dropped. "Uh, you seeing what I’m seeing." Dash nodded as Twilight shrugged... Many creatures were screaming at the top of their lungs as they ran away from Rarity. Rarity roared like an angry bear and whipped her tail at them. She tried to stand but with no legs and just flippers, she was anything but graceful. She whipped around and smashed into the side of the hospital, breaking glass and steel poles. A pipe burst and water came flooding out, that's when the Rarity seahorse chimera eyes widened, and she rushed over to the water to get under its spout. She took a long drink and then seemed to swim in the growing pool of water, flapping her fins as if she were happy. As the water poured into her, she seemed to gain strength. Her scales began to shine, and her fins began to fan out. "Uh oh. Guys, if she keeps doing that the hospitals gonna collapse." Fluttershy squealed. "Ok, we gotta stop her, and we gotta do it now." AJ charged in, using her cat-like reflexes and her scorpion-like tail she broke some telephone poles and used the wires to try and tie her up. Rarity saw this and her happy floppy dance came to an end as she roared at them, baring her teeth. Twilight tried to zap her with lightning and fire, but nothing could stop Rarity’s powers. Next Twilight tried shooting a tranquilizer dart, but it bounced off her scales. "Her scales are too strong!" "No duh," Dash yelled back as she used her powers to create a large gust of wind. It blew Rarity back against the hospital, breaking more glass. As glass rained, more creatures ran inside. "Dash, ya should be stopping her from dishing out more damage, not creating it," AJ complained. "Sorry." Dash replied and ran down to save some civilians from the raining glass. "Uh, now what?" Spike asked. "Any ideas?" AJ yelled called out. "I'm thinking, I'm thinking," Twilight said as she looked around with a hoof on her chin. "Ugh, if only my wounds were fully healed." She thought as she set a hoof to her rib. Her eyes widened and she turned to Fluttershy. "Uh, Fluttershy." Fluttershy peeked her head up from behind a car. "Yes, Twilight?" "We need you. Need your powers." Fluttershy squeaked in fear. “Oh, no, no no, no no. I can't. I don't even know how it works." "It works with anger. So get angry." "Uh, but what if I can't control it?" "We can tranquilize you if need be. But right now you are the only one who can take on Rarity." "What but I, I." She stuttered. "Fluttershy!" Dash screamed out as a giant back tail whacked her across the face. Fluttershy eyes began to glow. "Dash!" she screamed out. Suddenly, she grew twice her size and became a vampire, along with her muscles. She charged at Dash and smashed into the wall. She then began to punch Rarity, who tried to fight back as she roared. Fluttershy roared back, punching more fiercely. Fluttershy began to grow angrier with her punches. She also grew till she was five times the size of her original height. She punched down on Rarity one more time. The punch shattered some of Rarity's scale and then her face. The force of the impact flung her into the ground. Fluttershy wasn't done, tho. She then proceeded to pick up a car and was going to throw it down on the now unconscious Rarity. "Uh oh," Twilight muttered and quickly shot a tranquilizer dart at Fluttershy. AJ then used her tail to take the car out of her hooves as she began to shrink back down. "Ugh. What happened?” "You just saved my life, that's what happened. You're feeling alright?" Dash asked excitedly . "Uh yeah but..." She shook her head clearly. "That rage. It's scary." She mumbled and began to tear up. "Don't worry, I used a tranquilizer dart on you, so you're gonna feel a little tired." Some of the folks around began to look, noticing the two monsters were now down. Some began to cheer as others cowered in fear of the other mutants. Twilight shot a dart at Rarity. "That should calm her down. Quickly, we have to get her out of here and back to our apartments". Twilight looked around. "We've been seen enough." Dash picked up Fluttershy and threw her over her shoulder, as AJ and Spike picked up Rarity. Twilight threw a ball from her belt. It was a smoke screen. Once the smoke surrounded them she guided her friends into the shadows and with that, they disappeared Rarity slowly opened her eyes. A young purple lizard stood over her. He gasped. "Guys, guys she's waking up." "Uh, what?" She sat up. "What happened and who are you?" Spike finally seeing her up fully widened his eyes. His heart began to race. "Uh umm, I'm. Uh." "That's my little cousin Spike. He's like a brother to me." A voice said from the kitchen. "Ugh". Rarity was about to barf. "And why am I in a torn-up hospital gown?" The gown was a dirty green. “Ugh, green is so not my color.” Fluttershy chuckled. "I'm glad to see you are awake." "Oh, Fluttershy is this." She looked around. "Your apartment." "Yep, and I'm her roommate," Twilight said as she walked over and sat down. "How are you feeling, Rarity?" Rarity put a hoof on her head. "Ugh, like I got hit by a truck." Fluttershy's eyes widened and she nervously smiled. "Uhh, and why do I smell like a fish?" "Well, Rarity you're kinda a mutant now, and when you get near water I think it makes you grow stronger. It's ok, we're all mutants, AJ shrugged." Fluttershy spread out her wings to show Rarity. Rarity froze in fright. "You, you’re..." "Uh, Rarity calm down." At that, Rarity fainted. Ten minutes later, Rarity woke back up. "Uh. Um, hey Fluttershy. I had the oddest dream. I was at your place with your roommate, and you had..." She froze as she realized Fluttershy had bat wings. "Oh my god, it wasn't a dream." She said and taped her head. "No, it wasn't," Twilight said, bringing her head out of a book. She was sitting down on the chair next to Rarity. "I'm afraid as a mutant, you have a choice to make." Rarity nodded, still shocked and taking in all that she'd learned. "You can either.Go turn yourself in and get help. Or." Fluttershy chimed in. “You can stay with us and live a normal life till Twilight can find a cure." Rarity turned her head to Fluttershy. "What she means is you can live a normal life for the most part. But you have to take relaxants on occasion to calm your anger. And help me with my research whenever I require it. Oh, and be careful about getting wet. You seem to grow a tail when you do." "And in the meantime act as a superhero." Spike grinned. Rarity turned her attention to him. Her face was still in shock. "A… A superhero." "Yeah," Spike handed his phone over to Rarity. "And with powers like yours, you could really help us." Rarity looked at the phone. It was hard to tell, but there was a giant seahorse that looked just like her fighting a giant yellow monster with bat wings. "Am I, the yellow monster?" She shouted in horror. "No, that would be me." Fluttershy nervously giggled. "You are the one I'm fighting." The door then flew open. "We’re back," AJ said alongside Dash. "We got hay burgers and shakes for everyone." Dash then spread out the bag contents to her friends. "Oh, the good rarity up." Rarity noticed Dash had wings and stared wide-eyed. "You, you too. You're all mutants." "No, I'm not." Spike said. "I'm just a little lizard here to help my mutant friends." at that moment He bit into his burger. Instead of meat or hay, it was filled with a large red gem. "We're all trying our best here". AJ told Rarity as she held a strawberry shake out to her. "Ok then. I'll join you, I suppose." She took the shake with shaking hooves and began to drink. "That's good Rarity. Now I have a few questions for you. " Rarity nodded but didn't look up from her drink. "Who did this to you? Did you see them?" that made Rarity jump with surprise. "And did he have a goat horn and antler on his head?" The others stopped eating and turned their gaze to Twilight in surprise. Even Spike tilted his head in confusion. Rarity set her drink down and stood up, wobbly. Spike quickly caught her hoof to help her balance. She gave him a little smile as if to say thank you. She then took a few more steps as she rubbed her forehead, feeling her horn and trying to think of what she saw. "No. No, I didn't see that." She closed her eyes. "No, but. I was sitting reading my favorite book when someone broke through my window." "And did he have an antler and horn?" Twilight asked coldly. Her eyes began to glow red ever so slightly. "No, no, it was a pony. A colt. He… he had a gun and shot something at me." She looked up. Her eyes widened as terror filled her face. She pointed at something on the counter. "There. That, that guy." Twilight turned to see what she was pointing at. "Someone in the photo." Asked Fluttershy. "Yes, the white one." Twilight got up as terror filled her face, color draining from it. "Twilight, who is that?" Rarity asked. "That's my brother…" Rarity gasped and turned to her along with the others. "My dead brother." Author's Note Dun Dun Dun!!!! UPDATE 9/4/23 this chapter has been edit, specil thanls to my editor. chapter 4 DNAChapter 4: DNA **November 15, ---- 2:00 PM** Twilight stood over a microscope watching something. She then took a small syringe filled with blood and squirted it onto the purple liquid. She examined the two mixed together and began to boil until it completely turned red. "Fascinating," she stated. "What is?" asked Fluttershy, petting a very angry bunny rabbit with a band-aid on its arm. Twilight wrote a few things down on her clipboard. "Whatever this purple substance is, it's organic. The purple stuff contains some type of DNA or RNA strand that for some reason keeps changing." Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion. Twilight rolled her eyes. "DNA is..." "No, I know what DNA is; I'm not Dash. I mean, what do you mean it keeps changing?" she said worriedly. Twilight shrugged. "I mean, it's genetic code. All DNA strands are usually locked into place, and the gene is either turned on or off. If on, it gives you that feature. But DNA does not change unless mutated. This, however." She pointed at the microscope with her pen. "Keeps mutating until it comes in contact with another DNA sample. Thanks, by the way, for letting me use some of your rabbit's blood." "No problem," Fluttershy replied sweetly, but the rabbit squeaked its annoyance as it rubbed its arm with the bandage. "So that stuff?" she questioned. "Yeah, it merges with any DNA it comes in contact with, changing its genetic makeup until it stabilizes. Really advanced stuff, but in simple terms, it's what gave us all powers." Twilight shrugged. Someone knocked on the door. "Who is it?" Twilight asked. "It is I," Rarity sang. "The door's open." Rarity walked in with a few bags. "Oh my gosh, that's what I really needed: a big old shopping spree day to get my mind off all this." She giggled as Spike struggled inside, carrying most of her bags. "So anything new?" she asked curiously. "Nope, just researching the cure," Twilight smiled. "Oh, found anything yet?" "Afraid not. I just found out that whatever caused it changed us at the genetic level." "Any way to undo it?" Rarity wondered out loud. "Well, not if you like being alive," sighed Twilight. "Only acid can destroy DNA strands like that. It's not often you can change DNA structures so easily. What's amazing is that it's so well put together, it…" "Well, on that note, any ideas about—" Rarity interrupted her with a nervous chuckle. "I don't want to talk about it." "Twilight," Spike said with a look of concern. "No!" Twilight demanded. "There's got to be some mistake. My brother's dead. Maybe you just saw a guy that looked like him." "Either way, dear, it's been two weeks. Shouldn't we be...?" Rarity shrugged. "I don't know, out searching for this guy?" Twilight slumped into a chair. Spike walked over and set a claw on her hoof. "Twilight, there are tons of surveillance cameras and photos everywhere." "Yeah, well, why don't you search for him then?" she snapped at him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap. I just..." Twilight turned her head away from the lizard. Rarity looked at Fluttershy, who gave a slight nod and set her bunny down. She then walked over and hugged her friend. They all group-hugged Twilight, who stood quietly. The silence broke when Dash rushed into the room. "Hey guys, guess what? The author of Daring Do is coming to town,” she cheered. “I got to get an autograph." She jumped excitedly but turned to see them all hugging a very sad Twilight. "Uh, did I miss something?" "Nope, I'm fine," Twilight said, pushing her friends off. "I just have research to do." She then went to her room. "Um, let me guess, is this about her brother?" Dash asked. They all nodded. "It's been like, what, two weeks?" Dash complained. "Hey, cut her some slack; it's her family," Spike told her. "And what about the guy with horns and antlers? What does that have anything to do with this?" Spike shrugged. "She never said that before. Not to me, anyway." "Well, you know what? Time's a-wasting. I say it's time to bring this guy down before he strikes again." "I agree with you, darling. But what if we do find him, and what if it's really her brother? I believe that's why our friend is most hesitant about finding out." "Yeah, well, she can play lab scientist all day. I'm gonna get out there and start looking around. You with me?" Fluttershy hesitated and looked away, but slowly nodded. "Considering he's the one who did this to me and possibly all of us, I'm in too," Rarity nodded. Dash nodded back. "And you?" Spike took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm not a tech wiz like Twilight. But I think I can copy and paste surveillance footage onto a thumb drive at least." He clenched his fist. "We’ve got to try, right? For Twilight's sake." "For Twilight's sake," they all said and put their hooves and claws together before running out of the apartment, leaving Twilight in her room. She sighed and laid down in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She looked over to a little photo she kept on her dresser. It was her as a baby being helped by her big brother. Above them were her parents. "It can't be you. Can it?" Here is your text with corrections for spelling, grammar, and punctuation, while preserving your original wording and style: "Twilight…" a voice whispered to her. Twilight opened her eyes. She must have fallen asleep; she was in her room. "Twilight." She heard the whisper. "Um, hello." "Twilight… it's gonna be okay," the whisper shouted. Twilight got up and out of bed, walking right past her photo of her brother. "Twilight, everything's gonna be alright, I promise." She approached her bedroom door. As she did, she heard a gunshot along with a scream. She rushed out of the bedroom door and found herself on the street. "Run, Twilight, run!" She saw her brother cry out. Manic laughter filled the air as her father pleaded, "Please stop this! Don't hurt them! Don't, I'll help, just don't—" “Hahahahahahha.” A shadow just out of the streetlight rose from the ground. Its eyes glowed a burning amber color. Lightning struck from the sky, showing a quick look at the creature. It had an antler on one side of its head and a goat horn on the other. It grinned and laughed again as it raised a gun sitting in an eagle claw. Twilight froze, not able to move as her mother shouted no. "Twilight, run, please, run." A shot went off, and Twilight screamed as she jumped awake, breathing heavily. She shook her head. At that moment, Fluttershy opened the door. "Are you okay, Twilight?" she asked. Twilight looked at the clock; it was nearly eleven. "I slept that long?" she asked. "Yeah, there's leftover pizza in the fridge if you want any. You seemed like you needed your rest, so we decided not to wake you." Twilight nodded. "Thanks, but I'm not hungry." She got out of bed slowly. She then walked over to an odd piece of furniture that was still under a blanket. She pulled the blanket off, revealing a strange cabinet that held an even stranger device. "What is that?" Fluttershy asked with a raised eyebrow. "A little science fair project I started years ago." She then grabbed a wrench and began tinkering with some of the bolts. "It's never gonna work, but I just can't give up on it," she said as she worked on it. "What's it supposed to do?" Fluttershy asked. Twilight gave no answer as she got lost in her work. After a few moments of silence, Fluttershy decided it was best not to ask again and to leave her to her work. Author's Note update 9/6/23 this chapter has been edit by my editor Chapter 5 introductionsChapter 5 Introductions **November 18, ---- 2:00 PM** Rainbow walked in the door with a look of frustration on her face. "Ahh. How hard is it to find one guy?" she complained. She was not alone, however. "I searched through all the footage I could get from the school surveillance cameras. He didn't appear in any of them. Even the night of the attack." He was like a ghost, Spike shrugged. "Oh great, so what, we're being mutated by a phantom?" Rarity complained. "I mean, Twilight's brother is dead, right?" AJ sighed. "And between classes and searching for him, we've barely had any time to sleep," Fluttershy yawned. "And what of Twilight? Is she feeling any better?" AJ asked. "Afraid not. It's been a whole ‘nother week. And she still isn't coming around," Spike muttered. "She's been going out every night to get fresh air. And when she's not, she works on that thing in her room. I'm starting to get worried about her," Fluttershy said just loud enough for the others to hear, as she hid behind her pink mane. "What thing?" asked Spike. "Is it that science project with all the weird nuts and bolts sticking out?" "Yeah, but she won't tell me what it is," Fluttershy said. "She never told me either; she's been working on that thing since before I even knew her. I have no idea what that strange device is supposed to be." "Well, whatever it is, it seems important to her," Fluttershy replied. "Oh, there's got to be a way to cheer her up," AJ exclaimed. "Yeah, but how?" Dash replied. "Oh, oh! I know!" Rarity jumped up. "The holiday gala!" "The what?" AJ and Dash asked simultaneously. "The holiday gala," Rarity repeated excitedly. "It's coming up. All the fancy, most well-known people are gonna be there. It's hosted by the president himself, and this year it's gonna be held right here in our town; it's only an hour away. And it might be great to get her head off, well, you know. We could all go. We could have a blast." Dash and AJ looked at each other with the same worried look. "Yeah, dances and gowns aren't my thing." "Me neither," AJ commented. "I think it's a wonderful idea," Fluttershy smiled through her bangs. "Well, that's great and all, but now there's a whole ‘nother thing to deal with," said Spike, who grumbled a little. "Oh yeah? And what's that, darling?" Rarity asked. "The night we first met Fluttershy, there was someone following us. And from time to time, I keep seeing those two around." The entire room shouted in unison, "What? Someone knows we’re mutants?! Why haven't you said something before?" Dash shook him. "Umm, I tried; no one ever listens to me." "Now you know how I feel," Fluttershy muttered with an eye roll. "Well, we can't wait for them to make a move. If they're following us around, I think it's about time we catch them in the act." "Wait, wait, we don't even know who they are or what they want," Rarity chimed in. "That's the point, Rarity; let's get them and make sure they don't tell anyone we're mutants." "Don't you think we should tell Twilight first?" "She already has enough to worry about. What about you, Fluttershy?" asked Rainbow. Fluttershy was surprised to be addressed at first but shrugged. "It wouldn't be a bad idea to make sure we know what they want." "See, Flutters is with me," Rainbow cheered. "Oh, but we shouldn't hurt them until we know for sure. Why don't we just ask?" she said worriedly. "I think that's a good compromise: we'll go find them, ask why they're following us, and if it's something to be concerned about, we’ll take care of them. Who knows, they might be mutants like us," AJ told the crowd. "Okay, well, I'm going shopping for dresses. Spike, you come with me," Rarity said. "Why me?" Spike asked, but with a smile. "I need someone to carry the bags. Anyway, why don't the rest of you find out about these stalkers?" "And I'll stay here in case Twilight needs help," Fluttershy added quietly. "Plus, I have my family coming for Thanksgiving, so I'm gonna be busy too." "Perfect, let's go, team," Dash said, raising her hoof, hoping someone would hoof-bump her. But no one did, and they walked right past her. She just shrugged and followed AJ out. **7:00** A motorcycle rode up to the end of the street. On it were a girl driving and some dude in a lab coat holding onto her… "Any luck on his whereabouts?" said the girl. "Unfortunately, no. It will take time for the two to meet after all. Did we go too far?" she asked. "Nope, not according to the video." She rolled her eyes. "You and that video." The two then rolled off when the light turned green. What they didn't notice was the shadows following them. Dash, in her griffin form, peered over the side of a building. "Alright, Spike, so are those the two she asked about?" The little lizard nodded. Dash nodded back before she pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Okay, AJ, you're up." "Roger that. Ready?" she said, turning to Rarity. Rarity nodded. The two of them were in the alleyway and watched the two on the bike. As the two approached and stopped at the next stoplight, Rarity jumped out, and Applejack quickly tied the two up. "Hey, what the..." shouted the colt. "Let us go now, or you'll be sorry," said the mare. "Calm down, calm down, we're just here to ask a few questions," AJ told them. "Like?" grumbled the girl. "Like why you're following us around," said the griffin that flew down. "Oh, it's you, the mutants. Yeah, we were following you around. Got a problem?" said the girl with a sly smile. "Yeah, we do. Why are you following us around like that?" Dash yelled, getting into the girl's face. "None of your business," shouted the girl back as she pushed her face into Dash’s. "What she means to say is we're not looking for trouble," said the colt. "Okay, what then? Why are you following us?" The girl shook her head to the other to say no, but he smiled. "We're only looking for our pops." "Ugh," the girl groaned and shook her head. "What do you mean?" asked Spike. "Not much. Our pops is a mutant; we were hoping to track him down by following other mutants." "And so you're following us around? Why do you think we know where your father is?" The mare sighed and started talking. "Ignore my little brother, please." "Little!" he shouted. "Look, we're just trying to track down our father. We saw you were mutants and thought perhaps we could find others until we caught up to him," she said, annoyed. "You're only older than me by five minutes." "Five minutes is still being born first, little bro," she spat back. He just rolled his eyes. "Look, we're not interested in fighting, and we're not gonna tell anyone you're mutants either; we simply don't care." "Yeah, well, we can't let you go now that we know. Besides, you're just a couple of kids." "Are not! We're sixteen!" shouted the girl. "What she means to say is we're quite fine on our own," her brother said. "Uh-huh. And what makes you think we can trust you? Give us a good reason or…" "Or what?" the mare spat. "Look, you can't kidnap us or anything, and the moment we tell anyone about you…" "Which we won't do," her brother chimed in. "Then you'll be arrested and thrown in the hospital like the others." "And what about your dad, the mutant? Isn't he in the hospital?" "No, he's out running around somewhere; that's why we're looking for him," she said as if it was obvious. Dash growled, "Okay, okay, Dash, back up; they're just kids." "We're practically your age," the mare complained. "Look, we were just being cautious of you guys; that’s all. We really don't want to be caught up by the cops. We're trying to find a cure to all this ourselves. I'm sorry about your dad. Maybe we can help you find him. But we can't let you just run around unsupervised with what you know, okay?" The mare rolled her eyes. "So annoying," she grumbled. "What's your names anyway?" asked AJ as she untied the two of them. "I'm Junior, and this is Mells." "Really?" she questioned. "Okay, Junior, Mells," AJ repeated, raising an eyebrow at the unusual names. "Do you at least know where to start looking for him?" "Sort of. But don't worry about it. My sister's right; we'll let you tag along, but we're not planning to get involved with you, and please don't get involved with us. We can do this on our own." "Okay, got a place to stay then?" asked Rarity. The two shook their heads. "We just want to ride until we can find him; we're fine with sleeping on the side of the road." "Oh, come now. Look at the two of you. Both of you look tired and filthy, and your fashion choices could use some sprucing up. I say come by my place; we'll fix you right up." The one girl grumbled something under her breath. "That's very generous of you, but really, we can't." "Oh no, we insist," said the griffin. "Alright then," Junior answered. His sister pulled him by the ear. "Give us a moment, will ya?" She smiled irritably. She then pulled him over to a wall and whispered in an angry tone, "What are you thinking? We can't get too close to them; it could ruin the whole mission." " Sis, I'm tired; you're tired. One night and we'll leave. Besides, if we do get closer to them, we might find Mom, and she could lead us straight to him." "But Mom's not even with them!" she growled. "Not tonight, but they're close, right? According to the professor." "Ugh. Fine, but don't forget, brother, I'm in charge here." "Just because you're older doesn't make you in charge." "You just didn't want to get into a fight." "Of course not; I hate fights!" he growled as he stood at eye level with her. She then smiled and rubbed his head. "I know, brother. I know." She then walked back to them and sighed in defeat. "Fine. One night." "Yay!" shouted Rarity excitedly. Rarity and AJ walked her home as Dash took Spike home and headed back to the apartments to tell Fluttershy and Twilight. She walked in the door, and Twilight was eating soup along with Fluttershy's brother. "And then I told her just to go for it. Oh, you should have seen how much the girl swooned over me." "Uh," Twilight said, barely paying attention. "Oh, hey look, it's Dash. Hey, Dash, maybe you can entertain him for a minute." She smiled nervously and mouthed the words please and thank you. Dash's eyes flew wide. "Oh, no. Oh, no—not him," she muttered. "Oh, Dash, nice to see ya. It's been a while, huh?" "Uh, hi, Zephyr," she said, throwing a forced smile. "Uh, where's Fluttershy...?" "Oh, she's on her date; can you believe it?" Dash's jaw dropped, "What!?" Fluttershy walked down the street. The night air was growing colder with every step. And why wouldn't it? It was only a week away from December. Some of the stores started to show Christmas decorations in the window, but mostly there were still November turkey day advertisements. The more she walked, the more nervous she began to feel. She wore a simple blue dress and a pair of dress pants, complemented by a warm, somewhat wool and leather jacket. Though it wasn't real leather; she never wore real leather, but it did complete the look. As she saw her reflection, it wasn't her outfit that she was worried about. She kept putting a hoof over her mouth, hoping her fangs would not come out tonight. The last thing she needed was for her date to find out she was a mutant freak crossed with a vampire. And if that wasn't bad enough, it was the fact that she was going on a date in the first place that had her on edge the most... How did she get into this mess, she asked herself...? It was her brother's fault... "Hey, sis," her brother said as he walked through the door. He was a mint green pony, and other than his height, he looked just like their father when he was younger. He was the tallest in the family, but that wasn't saying much. Most of the Breeze family were short, and Fluttershy was no different. Even among her friends, she was the shortest. However, ever since becoming a mutant pony, she began to get skinnier, making her look taller. "Wow, uh, you okay?" he asked. "Hmm, yeah, I'm fine. Why?" "Well, look at you. Have you eaten anything? You look so pale; are you sick?" He set a hoof on her head. This action seemed out of character for him. "Zephyr, I'm fine. College has changed me a bit, that's all. It's stressful, but I assure you, I'm fine." She raised her eyebrows at how oddly concerned he was for her at the moment. "Oh good, 'cause if you were sick, Mom would kill me. Hey, I gotta ask, how's Rainbow?" And there it was, the brother she knew. With a deadpan expression, she replied, "She's good." "That's good, because after not having the pleasure of seeing me for months, I was worried about her mental health... after all, she did always have a thing for me." He flipped back his hair and gave a sly smile. Dash—Rainbow—never liked her brother. She tolerated him since she and Dash were friends, but her brother was always a bad flirt. Keyword: bad. "Especially since I have to break her heart and let her know I, myself, am dating." "You have a girlfriend?" she asked. "Oh no. I've just been dating. I got to tell you about this one girl I met. She was quite the feline, and not just because she was a cat." He winked at her. "But I, of course, have to keep my options open, so I only go on first dates." He shrugged and smiled. It was clear that he could never get a second date. But Fluttershy was too kind to point that out and let her brother just tell his tall tales. He was going to be staying the week with her at the apartment; Dad and Mom would be there the day before Thanksgiving. "So tell me, sis, how's your guy?" Fluttershy jumped at that. "Zephyr, I'm not dating." She blushed, embarrassed to talk about this. "I'm studying." "What, you really came to Canterlot, one of the most esteemed schools full of great lookers, just to study? Oh, please, sis, I'm your little brother. You can tell me." "No, I'm not lying. I am not dating anyone." "Oh, I see," he said slyly, keeping an eye on her. "It's a secret romance then, isn't it?" "No, no," she insisted. "Okay, whatever, don't tell me. It's a good thing I made you a dating profile then." "What!?" "Your first date's tonight, actually. Have fun," he winked. "Unless you actually have someone." "No, I don't," she said, petting her snake and glaring at him. Her eyes were close to turning red. "Then I did you a favor! You need a chance to loosen up and find a special someone." "Zephyr, I—" "It’d be rude not to show up," he grinned. At that, she was defeated. And here she was, on a Saturday night, dressed up, going to meet a blind date. "Darn you, brother," she muttered between her teeth. Soon, she was near the fancy restaurant where apparently she was supposed to meet her date. She took a step towards it but then stepped back. She quickly walked down the alleyway. As she did, she grew more and more nervous, and her breath quickly became erratic. "I can't do this," she uttered to herself. "I am not ready for this." She muttered as she shook her head. She got control of her breath and sighed. "Okay, it's just dinner. You can then tell whoever he is that you're not looking for someone and that it was your brother who set you up... oh come on, that would be so mean. What if he's a really nice guy?" She paused. What if he was a cute guy? Would she stay then? Could she? A relationship. She knew that one day she wanted to have a family, wanted to meet someone kind, strong, tall, and handsome. But between her schoolwork, her being a mutant pony, and becoming a superhero on a mission to stop other mutants with her friends, was this really a good time to start a relationship? Would she ever get another chance? All these questions ran through her mind. She didn't even notice the guys who walked up to her. One was a short cat dressed in a pair of dirty clothes; the other was a pony just over her height, dressed worse than the cat. Both reeked of alcohol, and it took everything Fluttershy had not to gag. The cat grabbed her arm while the pony pulled out a knife. The cat set a paw over her mouth. "No need to scream, mare. We're not gonna hurt you; we're just here to rob you," the cat said. "Sorry, we need the cash," said the pony, continuing, "Just hand over what you have, and no one gets hurt." She wanted to scream but couldn't. However, was it a scream or a yell? As the pony went to grab her saddlebag, her bat-like instincts began to kick in. The moment he grabbed her bag, she was going to drop-kick him and tear apart that cat. She seemed like a little shy pony, but she had quite the wild side. Especially being a mutant. But as the pony went for the bag, another shadow fell over them. The two looked at the figure and shouted, "Get out of here!" In a deep, dark voice, a response came that made a cold chill run down everyone's spine. "You two again, huh? Never learn, do you?" The two's eyes widened, and they shook in fear when they saw him. "This is the third time I've caught you robbing a mare." The shadow took a step forward. "Hey, we uh— we got a knife. Now back off," the pony said with fear in his voice. "If you were smart, you'd let go of that knife." The pony and cat stood, not being able to move a muscle. Fluttershy wanted to kick that cat's head off. But she was too interested in her savior. He took another step, and the pony with the knife lunged at him. He grabbed the pony's hoof, and with his free one, he punched him right in the jaw, making him drop to his knees. The cat pulled out his claws and swiped at the shadow, but he seemed to come in contact with nothing but air. A punch came to his gut, and the two robbers could do nothing but run from their attacker. The tall figure, who Fluttershy still could make no detail of, stood at his full height. As if he were the shadow itself. He dusted off his shoulders with a slight chuckle. She watched as, with each laugh, the shadow shook with amusement. He then began to walk away back into the dark corner of the alley. "Wait, stop, please," Fluttershy shyly said, not knowing why. The figure stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Ah, you're still here, huh?" "I, uh..." She stuttered. She still had a little bit of instinctual fear telling her to run. But she stood still. "Thank you for, uh..." The shadow turned completely towards her but she couldn't make out any features. "What's a little filly like you doing in a place like this, anyway? A dark alley on the south side of town. Not a good place to be in the middle of the night." He spoke with a bit of amusement in his voice, yet a hint of boredom was there too. The conflicting tone made Fluttershy even more cautious of him. But she had to thank him for doing what he did. He acted like a true hero. "I, uh... I'm supposed to be on a blind date, but my brother is the one who set me up. I don't know the guy, and I just needed some air when those two mugged me." Why she was saying any of this was clearly out of nerves alone. "Well, you're clearly not used to the south side of town. This is the roughest part of the city. Many of the neighborhoods around here are not the friendliest." "I was supposed to go to Landy's for dinner." "You would have been fine had you not taken the back alleyway. Landy, huh? Funny, I'm on my way there myself," he said as he knelt over and picked up a briefcase. "Your date is probably waiting there. Come on then; I'll walk you to it." He said and walked over toward her. She nodded and didn't say another word as the two quietly walked out of the alley back toward the restaurant. She stepped into the light first, and he stopped just before the light of the street lamps could hit him, almost as if a barrier stopped him from moving forward. "Ugh, such a ridiculous restaurant. Most of its love-struck couples." "So, are you on a date too, then?" she asked. She regretted it, thinking to herself that it was a stupid question. She should just walk away from him. Why was she still walking beside him? She's supposed to be on a date. What if the guy she's supposed to be with sees them walk in together? She didn't want to give the wrong idea. "I'm here on business. An associate of mine set up a meeting with a potential client." "Miss Beez, I think," he said, taking a step into the light, allowing Fluttershy to finally see some detail on him. He was a tall pony, nearly twice her height. She wasn't the tallest pony ever, but she barely stood above his stomach. He was dressed in a dark gray trench coat and a matching hat with a large brim that was just a shade darker than his own fur. He wore large red sunglasses; she could barely see the hint of two sunken eyeballs underneath them. It was strange since it was night. Even with the trench coat giving him some size, it was clear he was very skinny, especially his face. He looked as if he were death itself—a head of a pony, no doubt, but a rather skull-like one. She was so taken aback by his appearance that what he said hardly registered with her. "Miss. Breeze. Um, Breeze." He finally set his eyes on her, still under the sunglasses. "You know her?" he questioned. "I, uh, yes. I'm Fluttershy, Fluttershy Breeze." A moment of awkward silence sat between them, only to be broken by his laughter. "Oh, great," he smiled and said in an amused tone. "Oh." He shook his head. "I am so gonna get him back for this." "For what?" she asked, intrigued. "My apologies, Miss—" "Breeze," she told him. "Miss Breeze. A business partner I'm associated with told me I was to meet a client for our new product. I don't normally go to meetings unless I absolutely have to… he insisted I come. Haha. You're not here for our new line of joke books. That guy set me up on a blind date. Oh, how amusing!" He laughed as he gripped his stomach with his free hoof. "And the best part about it is you don't want to be here either. Haha." He slapped his own leg. He was clearly losing it, and his laughter was contagious. Watching him, for some reason, all the nervousness and fear she had of the night just melted away, and she felt a small giggle rising in her throat. The way he was handling this situation made her relax. When he finally stopped laughing, he turned to her. "Well, with this odd occurrence, I don't think a romantic candle-lit dinner at a fancy restaurant fits. But it wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me to waste your time. You did get all dressed up, after all." He waved his hoof in her direction. She looked down at herself with a small smile. "I know a great little coffee shop just down the street. Instead of a date, why don't you let me buy you a cup, and we'll chat for a bit before I give you a ride home?" At that, her expression grew slightly surprised. "Um, give me a ride?" "Yes, I can't let you walk home. It will soon be late, and the later the night, the more dangerous these streets get." He smiled. "Believe me, I'm only being courteous, just like you have no interest in a relationship." This made her completely comfortable. He was only trying to be nice. And a simple cup of coffee at a little shop sounded way better than a full romantic dinner. She gave him a slight nod, and with that, the two set off. Down the street and around the corner, actually on the corner itself, was a little coffee shop called Sugar Cube Corner. "Here we are," he said as he opened the door for her. She walked in, and the smell of cinnamon, sugar, and coffee filled her nostrils. It was a very nice little mom-and-pop shop, and it was just on the edge of the south and east parts of town. She had never been this way, but she really liked this small part of the city. There were a few booths by the window, a few tables in the center, and an outside seating area. An old fellow was wiping down tables when the two walked in. He looked up when he noticed the door open. "Welcome to Sugar Cube Corner, the sugariest corner in the city. I'll be with you in a minute," the tall old pony said. There were a few customers inside, but otherwise, it was quite empty. A blue mare with pink hair was at the counter, serving coffee. The colt's eyes widened when he saw who stepped in behind Fluttershy. He gasped. "Oh, oh, it's you, sir. Please sit down." "Please, Mr. Cake. I'm just a customer," her date said. "Of course, of course. And who is this?" "I'm Fluttershy, Fluttershy Breeze." "Oh my, such a lovely date! Honey, look who's come and brought his date." His wife at the cash register looked up and gasped as she waved excitedly. "Haha, not a date. She is just a friend… mind if I get a table near the window?" he asked as he waved hi to the others. "Of course, of course! The back corner is clean. Let me get you some menus." "You're a regular here?" she asked as she took her seat. "I wish. No, I don't get enough time to come down here myself. I usually send my assistant to fetch me something." Mr. Cake returned to the two of them. He placed the menus down. "I suppose you want your usual?" The tall gray pony took off his sunglasses and pulled out a pair of reading glasses. "Yes," he said as he took a look at the menu. His eyes were a bright crimson, but nothing out of the ordinary. "Two chocolate muffins and a nice ginseng tea." "You like tea?" she asked. "Yes, trust me..." he said as he took his glasses off and set his hoof on the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes tightly... "If I drink coffee, I'm as hyper as a little filly. I won't be able to sleep tonight." "And you, ma'am?" Mr. Cake asked. She looked at the menu but quickly found her answer. "I'll have what he's having, only, um, one muffin, please." "Of course, ma'am," Mr. Cake said, grabbing the menus and heading back to the counter. "Believe me, they have the best muffins in the city. I've tried forever to get them to give me their secret, but they always refuse. Which is fine; it just means I'm always ordering from here. They also deliver. And while their tea is great, their shakes are not bad either," he said as he once again traded glasses. He looked out the window with a somewhat bored expression. Fluttershy didn't notice the smile on her face the entire time she was there until she felt her expression slightly frown at how sad he looked for just a very brief moment. But it was brief as the food and tea came to the table. He turned and perked right up as he ate his muffin. He took a few sips of his tea but stayed very quiet and seemed mostly uninterested in anything else, including her. Still, it gave her, for some unknown reason, the confidence to start small talk, which was a surprise even to her. She was never the one to start a conversation... she was always shy and nervous. But something about him made her feel relaxed, as if she were talking to an old friend she had known for many years. He wasn't exactly handsome. In fact, he looked almost sick due to how skinny he was. But his appetite showed anything but that, as he quickly scarfed down one of his two muffins before she could even comment. "So, um, what is it you do? What is the product that you were going to show me?" she asked as she took a bite of her muffin. He looked up from his almost-gone muffin, crumbs all over his face, which made her stifle a giggle. "Oh, I tend to be a profit manager. I have many contracts with many accounts. This one, though, is for a corporation called Cheese's Jokes Imports. Have you heard of it?" "Oh yes, my friend loves that place. She's really into playing pranks and stuff." "Yes, well, Mr. Cheese does many things trying to make people laugh. For one thing, we have pranks galore for sale, many party supplies, and tonight..." He brought up his briefcase and opened it. He sifted through a few files and pulled out a book—a joke book, to be exact—and handed it to her. "A joke book co-written by both he and me. I used to be an upstage comedian and met him long ago. He asked me to join him and be his money manager. Considering my position in the banks, I couldn't refuse." She flipped through the book and skimmed through some of the jokes. They were mostly bad dad jokes, and it made her chuckle. He returned the laugh as he wiped his tea. "No offense, but these are terrible," she told him, handing back the book. "Ah, but a bad joke that makes you smile is a good joke in my opinion," he said with a grin and placed her book in his briefcase. "It's a shame you're not truly a client wanting to endorse the book; it seems you don't mind the humor." She shrugged with a smile. "And what about you, Miss Breeze?" he asked as his smile faded away, and he looked out the window. He seemed uninterested again. "What is it that you do?" "Oh, I'm studying to become a veterinarian at Canterlot College." "Canterlot, eh? That's quite a prestigious school," he said with a bored tone, still sounding uninterested. "Quite difficult to get into." "Oh yes, I'd never get in if not for my modeling and singing jobs." "You're a model and a singer, eh? Makes sense." "What do you mean by that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. How she was able to say this without an ounce of nervousness at all, she had no idea. While his tone and position didn't change as he looked out the window, he said something very kind that took her completely by surprise. "While I think a compliment might be too much, if I may be so bold, you do look rather pretty." A surprise to be sure, but while she didn't blush or anything, she could feel her face grow warm, and she looked away, hoping nothing more would come. "Still, looks aren't everything, especially in this city. You have to be smart to get anywhere. If you're studying to be a veterinarian at one of the most esteemed schools in the country, you're well on your way." Two compliments in the same sentence. Fluttershy didn't know what to say and returned to her tea. "Personally," he continued, "I am not one for pets. Though I do have a jellyfish sitting in a fish tank at home." Fluttershy almost choked. "Ah, jellyfish." "Yes, quite interesting creatures. No heart, no brain, yet still alive. And dangerous if you get too close." He continued his drink and ate his last muffin while staring out the window. Something about the way he said the last part almost seemed like a warning. Feeling a bit put off by that, she didn't say much else and finished her muffin. When she was done, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill, setting it on the table. "Oh no, no, it's on the house," Mr. Cake said. "Absolutely not, I refuse," the colt said. "Oh please, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't be in business. I must insist it's on the house. Besides, it was only fifteen dollars." "Fine, consider it a tip," he told Mr. Cake. "Oh no, please, I can't accept a hundred." "Take it before I change my mind." He shrugged and headed to the door. Mr. Cake smiled and gave Fluttershy a nod. Goodbye. She returned the gesture and ran after her companion, who had already left the small store. "That was kind of you," she said as she exited the door. "That little shop has been there since I was a kid. Most places like that have all but disappeared as the city's progression has bought up property. I hope they never close," he told her while his back was turned to her. "Now let's get you home." "Yes, yes, of course. Um, where's your car?" "Who said anything about a car?" he chuckled as he got on the back of a motorcycle. Her eyes widened at the sight of it. Seeing her hesitation, he gave a little shrug and gestured with a motion of his head for her to come on. She gulped for a second and then got on the back of the cycle. He revved the engine, making her jump, which only made him smirk. "Hold on to me now. I don't want you falling off." She nervously wrapped her hooves around him as he set off. The two rode down the streets, the wind blowing through Fluttershy's pink hair. She didn't want to admit it, but it was clear by the look on her face that she was having fun. He saw her expression in the mirror of the bike and grinned at it. He wouldn’t admit it either, but the date was going well. Finally, he asked for her address while they stopped at a stoplight. She told him about the apartment, and he drove her home. He came to a stop just in front of the building. She was smiling and having such a blast on the back of his motorcycle that when it was all over, she felt a bit disappointed as she got off. It was almost eleven by the time she got home. "Umm, thank you again for saving me. And, uh, for the night. Tonight was fun." "No problem, Miss Breeze. I had a good time. You’re probably the only one I've gotten along with in years. I hope you have a good holiday." She jumped as she realized it was Thanksgiving in a few days. "Goodbye." This was goodbye. It was a big city, and the very idea that they'd ever meet again was slim. But she said goodbye and went inside. As soon as he could no longer see her, he left on his bike. She could hear him ride away. Finally, a smile spread across her face. A sad one, but a smile nonetheless. At least she had fun. As she put the key in the lock, her brother's annoying snores filled the air. But it was Dash who looked up from the couch. "Dash, what are you doing here?" "I came looking for you, but your brother said you were on a date." She yawned. "Who is it? Was he a jerk? Just tell me what he looks like, and I'll clobber him for ya." Fluttershy shook her head. “No, no, it’s not like that.” "Okay, then, why do you look so sad?" "Oh, uh. Do I? I, uh... well," she said, wincing as if in pain. "The thing is, I actually had a good time. He was a great guy, and... and I'll never see him again." "What do you mean?" Dash asked. "Did he not ask you out again? Did he not give you his phone number? Oh, okay, that's it; just tell me his name, and I'll clobber him." Dash said as she punched her hoof. "No, no, we both didn’t want to. I mean, at first, but then..." She sighed. Then her eyes grew wide. His name! She never asked him what his name was. She went on a blind date and had the time of her life, but never learned the guy's name. "Great, Fluttershy, you feather-brain,” she muttered to herself. "Dash, I don't know his name; I never asked for it." Author's Note YOU DIDNT ASK FOR HIS NAME!!! 😆 Well I hope you all have enjoyed this chapter and you don't mind the fluttercord B plot. Chap 6 updates“Fascinating,” Twilight said as she examined a scale marked in red with a power number. “What is it, Twilight?” asked Applejack, in a lab coat. “Well, these readings are off-the-charts in terms of electromagnetic power…” “Hun, I’m a biologist of fruit; you’re gonna have to explain a bit.” Twilight grinned ear to ear, excited about the possibilities. “Well, AJ, you know how this purple liquid keeps changing?” AJ nodded. “The power to do that is incredible. I have never seen anything like it. It's like the molecules, the very atoms of the DNA structure, are constantly changing—broken down, split, and reattached in all sorts of ways.” She showed AJ the device in her hoof, still with a huge grin on her face. “This measures power output. And from these readings, what we have here is close enough to the power a nuclear plant puts out.” At that, AJ jumped. “So uh, does that mean it’s radioactive?” “That’s the biggest shock, AJ. It doesn’t put out anything harmful like radio waves; all it puts out is an electromagnetic field of energy.” Twilight opened a drawer and pulled out a compass, and it pointed straight to the substance. “It just holds a very strong magnetic field. There are no ill effects from it at all, unless it comes in contact with any living strand of DNA. Then it solidifies into gold.” “Gold?” asked AJ. “Yeah. All our blood, our DNA samples, hold a golden compound right in the middle of our genome.” “Well, that’s strange.” “Yeah. It's a darn shame. This could be used to help many people. We could power an entire city with just a gallon of this stuff. But instead, it’s…” She frowned. “It’s being used to do evil.” “Okay, well now we know how it works. Is there any way to reverse it?” “No idea, AJ. Once it solidifies the gene, it would take just as much energy to remove it. But the chances of anyone surviving a treatment like that…” Twilight didn’t finish her sentence. She didn’t have to. AJ already got the idea. “So, okay, if we can’t cure it, at least we can stop others from using it, right?” “Right,” Twilight replied. “Any leads as to where this stuff came from?” “Me and the gang have been trying to track down, well, you know,” she said, a bit apprehensively. “But we still got no leads.” Twilight looked away from her in thought. “Twi, we could really use your…” Before AJ could finish her sentence, Rarity came bursting through the door. In a sing-song voice, she said, “We’re back, and look at what I brought!” Not far behind her was Fluttershy, shy as always with half her hair covering her face, but a smile nonetheless. Twilight was thankful to be interrupted; she still didn't want to talk about her brother. “Are those our new costumes?” asked AJ. “Yes, darling! Finished them only this morning. Here’s yours and Twi, here’s yours.” She looked around, “Where’s Dash?” “Out on patrol with Spike,” Twilight told her. Just then, the TV, which was on in the background, playing the basic news channel, erupted to life. “Breaking news, everybody, breaking news,” said the female cat reporter. “This just in: a chimera attack on the east side of the city down Candy Lane. To my surprise, it’s two chimeras. A blue griffin is fighting what looks to be a cross between a wild boar and a dog. If you are in the vicinity, you should evacuate immediately for safety.” “Well, a good time to try our new costumes,” AJ said. Twilight nodded. “Okay, team, get ready as quickly as you can. Looks like Dash is already on the…” Just then, Spike called, “Hello." Fluttershy said, answering the phone. “HELP!!! Dash is fighting off a—” “We know; we saw it on the news. We’ll be right there,” Fluttershy told him. “Hey, that reminds me, Spike. Did you ever find those two you were searching for?” “Not yet, Twi,” he replied. “They’ve totally escaped.” Down an alleyway sat the two odd siblings in questioning. “You know we didn’t have to run away like that. They could have helped us find him,” said Jr., trying to fix his watch. “They are not supposed to know we exist, dumb-dumb,” his sister said, fixing the bike… again. “Hey, that bed was comfortable! We haven’t slept in a nice bed like that since we were seven.” “And if you want the world to sleep in nice beds, we have a mission to complete.” “But…” “But nothing!” she yelled, catching him off guard. Seeing a look of hurt in her brother's eyes, she sighed. “Look, I’m sorry, okay? I know ever since Mom died we’ve been on the run, and it hasn’t been easy.” Her brother crossed his arms with a sulking face. “And I know that after all we've been through, a world like this, with great comfort, is tempting.” He looked away from her, but she got up and pulled his chin to look at her. “But don't forget why we came,” she said in a pleading tone. “I’m not, sis. I just don’t see why we can’t enjoy this time too,” he said, removing her hoof from his chin. “I mean, look, we have at least a year—plenty of time to live the good life and complete the mission. I'm just tired of living on the streets. That place back there had pancakes. Pancakes, like Mom used to make. I mean, don’t you want to at least eat pancakes?” At that, her stomach gurgled her answer. She sighed. “Bro, I'll make you a deal. We’ll get pancakes at the next diner.” He smiled excitedly at that. “But…” He rolled his eyes at her shift in tone. “We've got to keep moving. We have to find Pops or we’ll never be able to stop what’s coming.” With that, Jr.'s expression turned to a concerned one, and he then gave her a swift and determined nod. “Good, because we're never going back there, not ever again. Now come on, help me fix this bike.” “Okay. But perhaps we should find some new parts for it.” “No,” she said, determined. “This bike is original. What about you? You want to get a new watch?” “Just a part or two.” “And how many parts do we get before it's a totally different object?” she said with a scowl. He looked at his watch and then back to her. “Okay, okay, I get it,” he said, grabbing the wrench out of her hoof and getting to work. A wild boar-like chimera, originally a dog, terrorized the town. Dash, in her griffin form, flew right into him, using a little storm of wind behind her to give her a boost. It sent the chimera flying across the street and into a building. Unfortunately, it just wasn't enough to take it out. It kicked back and flung her across the street. She hit a car, just missing Spike on the side. “Uh, what's it gonna take to finish this guy?” “Don't worry, backup's coming, Dash.” “By the time they get here, I might be dead,” she joked. “Yeah, you look pretty dead,” AJ’s voice replied. Dash looked over and saw AJ dressed in a red jumpsuit, a black mask, a cowboy hat, with a rope hanging from her belt along with other small gadgets. Her lion's mane and claws were fresh from the fight as she brought up her scorpion tail. “Applejack...” Dash said with relief. “Nope, not anymore. Call me,” she winked, “Mistress Mare-velous.” She then grabbed her rope with her scorpion tail and spun it around until she threw it over the beast. The boar-headed dog didn't like being roped and tugged at it. Mistress Mare-velous struggled to keep her footing. “Don't worry, I've got you covered,” Fluttershy said as she grabbed the rope too. She was dressed in a green jumpsuit, blue mask, and matching boots and belt. No gadgets. She flung out her bat-like wings, trying to flap them to hold herself in place. “Just make sure you don't go crazy on us, Saddle Rager,” Mistress Mare-velous called out. The bat pony nodded and continued to struggle against the rope holding down the chimera. “Oh, those are awesome suits,” Dash chimed in. Someone jumped on top of the car over her head. “Yes, well, there is one for you too, darling,” said Rarity, poking her head over. She was dressed in a sparkly dark blue diving uniform with purple crystals on her suit. She wore a matching mask over her eyes. “If we're going to be heroes, might as well look the part.” “Rarity, is that you?” asked Dash. “Rarity? Ha! I think you mean RADIANCE! And the best part about these suits is I’ve made them stretchable, elastic, beautiful, and comfortable. Even when I’m in my sea pony form, it will change right with me,” she said as she grabbed a bottle from her belt. One sip of water, and she turned into a sea pony. She jumped and slapped the beast with her fin-like tail; it was enough of a blow that it knocked out the chimera. “Good work, everyone,” said Shadow Star in her new outfit. She wore a maroon-purple suit, a matching mask, a blue color that matched her horn, and a matching belt with tons of gadgets on it, along with a black cape. She pulled out a syringe and then gave the knocked-out creature the medicine. “There, and now I don’t even have to shoot a dart at him. You guys did great.” “Yeah, good work team,” Dash said, clearly dizzy. “We'll have your injuries looked at as soon as we get back,” Twilight told her. “We also have your suit there,” said Radiance. Just then, they heard the sound of sirens. “Time to go,” Mistress Mare-velous commented. She pulled out a ball and threw it on the floor. When the ball popped, a smoke screen was created, and the mutant heroes left, leaving no trace. The boar-headed dog lay there, knocked out perfectly, ready to be taken into police custody without issue. “This just in: according to witnesses, a whole team of mutants in costumes were battling it out with the crazy out-of-control boar chimera. While he was knocked out and captured by the police, the others escaped. Who are these other chimeras, and can we really trust them?” said the reporter over the radio. “Ha! Did you hear that, boss? A squad of superheroes or something. Strange time we're living in, huh?” Fito asked as he drove the car. “Um, boss?” He gave a slight look over his shoulder, but the boss gave no response. Instead, he sat staring down at a photograph. His expression was unreadable. Fito decided it was best not to ask. As for Mr. Ghost, his mind was elsewhere as he moved his hoof slightly, revealing the final details of the photo. The photo was a family one by the looks of it—a happy family at that. A white stallion with blue hair and a hero's smile stood over what looked like a mini clone of himself. A little lower in the frame was a little purple, wide-eyed filly with a grin only a filly could produce. His hoof covered the mother's face, but she seemed to match her daughter. His eyes were focused on the young colt who matched his father in every way as the last conversation he had with the boy came to his mind. “You failed me again, I see,” he said, with an amused tone to his voice. Shining Armor had a stern face and didn't look one bit scared of the figure in the shadows. “It was dark; I must have gotten the darts mixed up. I’m sorry, sir,” he said, putting as much distaste into the word “sir” as he could. A detail that didn't go unnoticed by Mr. Ghost. “Yes, well, your little attempts at sabotage are of no use to me.” “I don't know what you're talking about.” he said with a straight face. “Oh yes, I'm sure. Like I wouldn't know the difference between pig's blood and pony blood. Lucky for you, I had another vendor that was picked up by another agent of mine.” Shiny continued to play dumb. “Or the painkillers laced with poison. Again, creative, but not enough.” “Maybe your clients are trying to kill you, sir,” he said unamused. “Oh yes, that must be it. It's not like you mutated an innocent girl just so I wouldn't be able to work on her, is it?” He said with a wide grin. Shining continued to play dumb and said nothing, looking as if he didn't know what Mr. Ghost was talking about. The figure then grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, raising him off his back hooves. This made Shining finally break his expression. A look of fear struck his face now. “I have had just about enough of you. If I wasn’t in charge of your well-being, I’d have gotten rid of you a long time ago.” The creature known as Mr. Ghost snarled. “I'll never stop. Never,” Shining repeated. He was scared, he was nervous, but he was brave too, and Mr. Ghost had to give him at least that much. Mr. Ghost was close to strangling the colt right there, but he let him go free. Shining dropped to the ground at his feet, coughing as he regained his oxygen. “Well, you’ll be glad to know your little attempts have done nothing to stop my research.” “You’ll never get those files,” the pony on the ground coughed. “Oh, there are plenty of ways to get the files I need. Granted, holding Mr. Shine’s daughter as hostage would make the deal that much quicker, but I assure you, Mr. Sparky, I have other ways of getting what I want.” He articulated his voice in such a way that disturbed Shining. “I'll go to the police; I'll—” “Oh yes, yes, and look like an insane pony? You don't even know who I am.” He chuckled darkly. “Good luck with that, Sparky,” he said before walking away, leaving the terrified colt on the floor. Mr. Ghost stared at the happy young colt in the photo, remembering the face he made last night. He then moved the edge of his hoof away from the upper corner, revealing the mother's face. She was a dark purple pony, a shade darker than her daughter, and had reddish hot pink hair. He looked at her, his expression never changing. “Oh, if only you knew my boy. If only you knew,” he said, eyeing the mother. Just then, the car stopped, and the door opened as someone got in. Mr. Ghost put the photo in the pocket of his jacket as he turned to his assistant. “We’re all set, boss,” Capper said as he held up some dry-cleaning. In his paw was a nice business suit that fit him. “Good, I can't have you dressed for the prom this time, now can I?” Capper smiled nervously at that. “So we're going to be crashing the party then…” “Technically no; I mean, I am invited, after all,” he said as the car began to roll away. Chapter 7 The GallaChapter 7 The Galla Twilight, as always, was dressed in her lab coat, examining the strange purple liquid. Applejack pulled out a tray of cold, strange red vials and placed it next to Twilight. Never taking her eyes off the purple liquid, she picked up a vial and carefully dropped a single red drop on the substance. As soon as it hit, the liquid froze solid. “Ugh.” Twilight pulled back her head, taking off her safety glasses. “Well, that worked,” AJ chuckled. “We weren’t trying to freeze the substance; we were trying to undo it.” She sighed as she typed into her computer. “Vial number six froze the subject, most likely lethal; test number 7018 failed,” she deadpanned. AJ smiled. “Look at it this way, Twi, at least we know what doesn’t work.” Twilight smiled at that. As much as she didn't want to admit it, having an assistant— a real one that actually, for the most part, understood what she was trying to accomplish—helped greatly. It was even better that she was also a chimera and understood why this was so important. A fellow scientist as well, if not a little country. Unlike Twilight, who tried her best to keep everything sterile, AJ had dirt and other stuff all over her lab coat, along with lion hair due to her mane. She finally had friends; friends willing to actually help. Just then, the door slammed open. “Hello everyone,” sang Rarity. Behind her was a very annoyed Dash in a frilly dress. Rarity smiled as she looked at her work on Dash. Dash looked, well, like a girl; everything the mare hated was on her. She was more of a tomboy and hated the fancy stuff. She had makeup on her lips, her mane all done up in a bun, and eyeliner. And then there was the dress. It was a nice silver dress with a rainbow sheen to it. It almost looked sci-fi and futuristic. It was a nice dress, but seeing it on Dash was quite a surprise since it just didn't match her usual style. AJ covered her mouth with a lion-like paw, trying to stifle her laughter. Dash looked over and glared at her. Twilight was also trying her best not to say anything. “Oh, isn’t she just beautiful?” Rarity boasted. “She looks wonderful, Rare,” Twilight replied nicely. “Ugh, why me?” Dash complained. “Oh, come now, Dash, you look well.” AJ rolled over laughing, making Dash's face grow red. “Dash, Dash, Dash,” Rarity smiled. “DON’T listen to AJ; you look great. Besides, now that you and Fluttershy are done, it’s Twilight and AJ’s turn.” “Hey, where's Fluttershy?” asked Twilight. “Um, over here,” said a small voice just outside the door. “Rarity, are you sure about this?” She asked, sticking her head in the door. All that was seen was a little pink hair and a blue eye. “Come on, Flutters, you look great.” “Uh, well, okay,” she said in a shaky voice. She then stepped into the doorway. Fluttershy wore a rather simple dress with a jacket that hid her wings. The end of the dress flowered out like a black rose. But her dress was mostly a strawberry red with green and blue stitching, and a green jacket to match. It was a very beautiful dress, but Fluttershy did wish it was a little less eye-catching. She didn't like bringing attention to herself. Everyone in the room, except Rarity, stopped for a moment in surprise. “Woah, Fluttershy, you are definitely a model, that’s for sure,” AJ said. She then looked at herself. “Wish I had your look; I'm a bit too bulky to pull off a dress like that.” Fluttershy gave a slight blush and hid behind her hair. In it was a simple arrangement of flowers that matched the dress, braided in but nothing too noticeable. “Umm, thank you.” “Well, it took an hour, but you two look great. Next!” Rarity sang, pulling out two more dress bags. Twilight looked at them with a warm feeling building up in her. She never went to prom since she was homeschooled, and a bit of her wondered if this is what it would have been like. Of course, this was no high school dance she was going to; she was going to attend a very important high-class party. “You guys are certain about this, right?” asked Twilight. “I mean, the gala is such a pristine party and…” “And nothing! I’ve been there the last two years, darling. It’s a fun party, and anyone who’s anyone will be there. All high class, 18 and over are invited. I tried to get Fluttershy last year to join me, but she refused to go.” “Yes, well, it will be good to have some fun for a change,” she softly said. “I mean, we’ve worked so hard with school, work, and being heroes.” “Fluttershy’s right; we deserve a night’s break to be normal and have fun like college students do,” AJ chimed in. “Granted, I'm not really into dresses either.” She rolled her head. “Oh, come on! Now let’s get you two ready, shall we?” Rarity sang. An hour later, it was close to 7:00. Fluttershy was playing a game of chess with Dash. "Checkmate," she softly said as Dash still looked upset about her appearance. "Oh good. Hey, are you ready yet? The party starts soon!" she complained. "Almost!" Rarity called out. Dash sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror. "What is it, Dash, do you not like your dress?" Fluttershy asked. "The dress is fine; it's the hair and makeup. It sucks. I look like a—" "A girl," said Twilight with an amused look. "Yeah, and..." She stopped when she saw Twilight. She wore a purple outfit that faded into a blue starry night sky-like pattern. Her hair was done up, with makeup matching Dash's. "Oh, you look great, Twi. The hair looks good on you." "Thank you, Flutters," Twilight replied. Rarity stepped out in a pretty crystal dress with a matching hat and makeup. "Oh, isn't this fun?" she squealed. "Applejack, come on!" she shouted for her. "I am not going!" Applejack shouted back in the most country accent ever heard, even for her. "What!? Oh, come on, you look fine, darling!" said Rarity. "Come on, I'm wearing it!" yelled Dash. "Y'all gonna laugh." "No, we won't..." "Hey, you laughed at me," Dash replied. "That, of course, is because we're not used to you, Dash. AJ, come on; it's just us," Twilight told her. With a grumpy sigh, the mare in question finally came out. Her dress was almost Cinderella-like with a country twist. She wore high heels that almost looked like glass. Her straw-like hair was all done up in a bow. Her lion-like mane draped around her neck like a fur coat. She wore less makeup than Dash, but there was an annoyed look on her face. Dash laughed hard at her. "Wow, and I thought my dress was a lot." Applejack glared at Dash, who only shrugged. "Oh come on, you did it to me. You look fine." "Rarity, I'm not going out looking like a monkey." She grabbed a napkin, wiping off her face. "Oh come now, that makeup took forever!" Rarity complained. "And these darn shoes too!" She kicked them off and grabbed her dirty cowboy boots. “There, that’s better.” "What? But, but..." "I'm with you, AJ," Dash said, wiping off her makeup and ripping out her hairpins, letting her mane fall back into its normal rainbow look. Except the front stuck up a bit, but she didn't mind. "Oh fine. You look better anyway," Rarity shrugged. Twilight smiled and snickered a bit. She remembered when they first told her they were going to the gala. She had been working on her computer, cross-referencing data in hopes of finding out who had turned the others into chimerae. She hoped with every bit of her heart it wasn’t her brother. "It just can't be him. It can't be," she thought. Just then, the four girls walked in and headed to Twilight all at once. She glanced over but continued her work. "What is it?" she asked. The four just smiled. "Well, you see, darling, you know of the grand gala, right?" "You mean that big fancy party my godfather throws every year?" They all gasped. "Oh right, you met my godmother, but didn't realize that was Celestia Kang, mayor of the town." After a few moments of surprise, Rarity shook her head and continued. "Well, with you being 18, you can officially join the party... but no drinks." "I wasn't planning to go. Why do you ask?" "Well, being the daughter of the regal shine, I go every year since I was 18, and well..." She looked at the others. "We all thought perhaps you could use some fun for a night," AJ finished. "So we all got tickets to go weeks ago," Dash chimed in. "It seemed like a good idea at the time," Fluttershy said softly, a bit nervous, hiding under her hair. Twilight's eyes widened at this. "Uhh, guys, I really don’t think..." "Come on, we'll all be each other's dates and have fun together—just the five of us." "No," said Twilight. "Why not?" Dash exclaimed. "Because we're a bunch of chimera mutant freaks. One hint of our powers, and we're arrested and thrown into a lab cage. No, it isn't a good idea," Twilight said as she stood up from her computer. "Besides, there is so much work to do right now; I just don’t have the time to—" "To have fun," AJ deadpanned. "Fun? I have fun; reading books and research is my fun." She crossed her arms. "Mhm." "I can't believe this, coming from you of all ponies, AJ." "Twi, I get it. I used to believe that if you got something to do, you do it right there and then, and without any pony or anyone else. But I learned a long time ago—when I tried to farm the entire apple tree farm by myself and all in one day—I got so tired that I didn’t make a mark on the work. I learned you can’t do it all by yourself, and you can relax a little and have fun. The work will still be there tomorrow. One day won’t hurt you." Twilight was annoyed at that but understood what her friend was saying. She took on the work herself and wouldn’t let anyone touch it. She herself had also been at it constantly and without fail. "Look, Twi, I'll help you with the research, and I'll do more than be a test subject if..." She raised an eyebrow. "You give us one night to give you a break." Twilight sighed in defeat at her friend’s words and finally gave in. "Alright, but remember, our secret must be preserved at all costs. How are we gonna wear dresses and stuff when we all look, well, like this?" she said, turning a mirror on them. Dash was able to hide her beak with a fake muzzle, but AJ hid her tail and told people it got cut off in a farming accident. She also had quite the wild lion-like mane, which she told people was her favorite scarf. Fluttershy had wings, and even with a closed back, a nice dress would show them. Then there was Rarity with her fish-like tail and horn; she always had to wear a hat to cover it. "Leave it all to me, darling. I can come up with some fabulous dresses for the occasion." "And I can help stitch them," Fluttershy said sweetly. "See, we got the plan down!" Dash chimed in. Twilight had a worried look on her face but reluctantly agreed. ... That was nearly a month ago. It was near the holidays. So why not give them this little Christmas present? Twilight smiled at the memory and the thought. "Okay, gals, come on! My dad will be waiting in the limo," said Rarity. "Wait, a limo?!" the girls shouted at once. "Hello, everyone! I am your host for the night show, Candy Tails," said a cat reporter in front of her camera. "Tonight we have a big night for all of you, since we have one of the fanciest hotels all bought out for a grand night of dancing. The gala is sure to be a hit." She purred, "As you can see, the Kangs, Sombra, and his wife are indeed standing at the front of the hotel ready to greet their guests. And the first car on the red carpet is just opening up. Let's see who it is." The door opened, and a white pony dressed in a fine suit walked out, his wife in daisy yellow with a warm jacket on since it was winter, accompanying him. "Oh look, it's the Shines," said the reporter. The two stepped aside, and with them came Rarity, who waved at the cameras. "And with them, their daughter... oh, and who's that?" Fluttershy walked out next. "Oh, it's Rarity's top model, Mrs. Breeze." Then Dash and Twilight followed, along with AJ. "Oh, look folks! We got all of Rarity's friends, I'm assuming coming along. Oh, how nice for her to invite her friends... Oh, and oh. My gosh, is that Twilight Sparkle?" Twilight and her friends waved as they walked down the carpet to greet the party host. "Twilight, I'm so glad you came," Celestia said, hugging her. "Yes, it's nice to see you," said a grey pony the same height as Celestia. He had a very stylized, somewhat greasy black mane but wore a blue business suit that matched his eye color. "Hi, Uncle! It's so good to see you," Twilight said, shaking his hoof. "Likewise, Twilight, always a pleasure. I hope you have a good time; these parties can be a little boring." Celestia rolled her eyes. "You and your friends are welcome to go in." "Uh, actually, we want to see who else shows up. Do you mind if we watch from the side?" "Of course not, glad to see you," Sombra said as the next car rolled up. An hour went by as the cars rolled in with the fanciest guests—top businessmen, politicians, and some who just enjoyed the fancy life. Twilight and her friends stood by the front door, excited to see who would show up next. A car pulled up by the red carpet. When a servant opened the car door, it was none other than Filthy Rich and his wife. Their daughter was too young to come to such a party, but even as a child, everyone knew about her. A reporter pony jumped up and asked, "How is Tiara's project going?" "Oh, great," Mr. Rich said. "Our daughter is so thoughtful, making a new playground for the kids at her school. Wonderful! Thank you for asking." He said and waved to the crowd. His wife smiled but said nothing. As soon as she was turned out, she pulled out her phone and never looked up from it again as they headed inside. Filthy Rich met up with Celestia and Sombra. "Great turnout tonight, huh?" Mr. Rich complimented the party hosts. "So that’s everyone then?" "No, not quite," Celestia told them. "Oh, come now. He'll never show up," Sombra commented. "Who's that?" Mr. Rich asked. "Oh, you know. The mayor invites him every year as a complimentary gesture, but even as the richest man, he refuses to..." Just then, a black car pulled up. Mr. Rich nearly turned to ice at the sight of it. "Him?" he said, star-struck. Just then, two figures walked out. One was a cat with sunglasses dressed in a work suit like a bodyguard, and the other was a tall, lengthy stallion dressed in a slim, almost skin-tight suit with a top hat, dressed as if from the olden days. He was quite slim and tall but was a pony nonetheless. He had a fang-like overbite tooth that hung out of his mouth. He kept his eyes closed as he walked at a leisurely pace with his arms behind his back in a rather almost soldier-like stance. But it was his face that sparked the most interest. It was almost skull-like. The crowd was silent for a moment, but as he began to walk toward them, the cameras and the reporters all jumped for a photo or a word from the strange tall figure. "Who is that?" asked Dash with a raised eyebrow. "That is none other than the infamous Mr. Ghost," Rarity said, star-struck. "Famous?" Fluttershy asked. "No, not famous, Fluttershy. Infamous. He's not only a high-class businessman; he's also a banker, a war hero, and a dealer who holds most of the rights to top manufacturing plants. And if that’s not enough, he’s a lord." "A lord?" they all said in unison in response to Rarity's claims. "Yes, but he has quite the reputation for being a secretive man. Tons of rumors have spread about him." "What kind of rumors?" asked Applejack. "Oh, from being involved with the black market to being secretly a government spy for the enemy. No one knows. The only thing that is clear: Lord Ghost is a mystery." Fluttershy said nothing as the memory of her date a month ago ran through her mind. "It’s not possible, is it? Surely she must have just met someone who looks like him... Or was it that she actually went on a date with the infamous Lord Ghost?" "Lord Ghost! Mr. Ghost, please!" said a few reporters. "Tell us, is it true you work with the government? What about the rumors of your scientific research or the claims about your relationships with the wealthy females? Mr. Ghost, tell us your opinion on the chimera incidents." Mr. Ghost said nothing as he approached the front entrance. "Well, well, well," Sombra said in a surprised tone. "Welcome, Lord Ghost." "Please, please, the pleasure is all yours." He then straightened his jacket. "I am here for business matters. If I don't make an appearance here and there, people might actually think I am what my name implies," he said, as he opened his eyes half-lidded and offered an uncanny smile. It was the first time anyone could see his eyes; Fluttershy recognized them. There was no mistaking it now. The red eyes gave him away. They were a simple crimson, almost blood in color. The fur on the back of Fluttershy’s neck stood up. "No, there’s no way it's him. No way. He might look similar, but... his eyes." She remembered back. While she didn't get a good look at them exactly, she did see, in a strange way, a hint of emotion. This man. This man was emotionless in every way. Even his smile was obviously forced and not genuine. The way he walked, the way he talked. The look in his eyes. Why, it was almost sad. "Oh, thank you for coming, Mr. Ghost," Celestia said. "Here, you must meet my goddaughter. For the first time, she actually came, just like yourself. Twilight," Celestia called out. Twilight and her friends walked over, huddled in a little group. Fluttershy hid in the back as much as she could. "Hello, Lord Ghost. I'm Twilight Sparkle." "Charmed," he said with a roll of the eyes. "Uh, yes, well, it is very nice to—" "Your father, quite a pain in my side, but a good one nonetheless. My condolences, Mrs. Sparky." He gave a convincing low chuckle. "Sorry, that was always my nickname for him. I'm rather surprised; I didn't know you survived that night. As the daughter of a politician, I expect great things from you." He said it in a tone that was both convincing and yet slightly sarcastic. The conflicting tone in his voice gave no clue as to what he truly meant, and it was unnerving to Twilight. "Oh, uh... of course." She gave a slight curtsy. But as she went down out of sight, a look of annoyance crossed her face. "Who does he think he is, speaking to anyone like that? I don't care if he's a lord; I'd like to slap him," she said to herself in her mind. Mr. Ghost gave no such gesture in return and simply walked past the group entirely, entering the building. A few minutes later, someone asked to take his coat and hat, which he declined. As soon as he was far enough away, Sombra turned to his wife. "How in blue blazes did you get him to come?" "Believe me, I never expected him to," Celestia said before turning to Mr. Rich. "Well, this will be a fine evening," he smiled. "Now we truly have all the top business partners here tonight." Luna narrowed her eyes at that. She sighed. "Politics." On the other end, as soon as Mr. Ghost was far enough away, Twilight turned to her friends. "Dear me, how rude was that?" Rarity spat. "Yeah, I’d like to give him a piece of my mind," Dash replied. "Just let it go, girls. We can still have a good time, so long as none of us go near that guy," Twilight told them. "You're right, Twilight. Let's just all enjoy tonight," Applejack said. The only one not paying any attention was Fluttershy, who was lost in thought. "Fluttershy, you alright there?" asked AJ. "Huh? Oh, yes, yes, I was just, uh, thinking about something," she said, a bit startled to be addressed. "Well, in any case, let's not waste our night here," said Rarity. "Yeah, let's go in," Dash replied. "Okay, but girls, remember: Rarity doesn't drink anything. AJ, keep your claws in and your tail hidden. Dash, you barely look like a pony, so don't pull any stunts with your disguise. And Fluttershy, just keep calm." "We know, we know," Dash complained. "Seriously, I know you mean well, but we’ve got a hold of this. Nothing's gonna go wrong, sugarcube," AJ told her. Twilight sighed with a roll of her eyes, but smiled and gave a short nod afterward. The girls all giggled and decided to head in for a good night at the gala. An hour later... "Oh yes, and then I said, 'What jar?'" Hahaha, said Mr. Cheese. The group around him chuckled, except for Mr. Ghost, who had a wine glass in his hand. "If you truly need a jar, I say look for one to go over your head, 'cause that joke was awful." He smiled and took a sip of his drink. "Haha, maybe. Hey, it's really nice to see you out here," Cheese told him. "Yes, yes, I know. Unfortunately, I don't get to..." He narrowed his eyes. "party with the likes of you as often as I'd like to." His tone still seemed bored and sarcastic. Yet with his smile, they assumed he was being sincere. "Yes, well, come on now, are we all going to just stand here and drink, or are we going to dance? This is a gala, after all," said Mrs. Rich. "Yes, yes. Oh, I know! Hey, Mr. Ghost, why don't you dance with someone? I'll even hand you my wife's hand for a dance, huh?" Mr. Ghost held up his free hoof as he took a drink. "No, no, come on, you don't need me to dance." "Oh, come now," Sombra said. "Surely a dance won't hurt you. What do you think, Celestia? Why don't you take him for a dance, if not my girl?" "No, no, I refuse to dance with anyone's wife—especially yours, Mr. shine, same goes for the mayor" Mr. Ghost said with a sly grin. She narrowed her eyes at that. "Alright, fine. Suit yourself," Celestia said and took her husband's hoof, joining him for a waltz. "And what of you, Luna? Come and join in," Celestia beckoned as she broke her sister midway through the dance. "I'd rather not. Looks like you two are doing fine by yourselves." As she sat there, other ladies, married or not, began asking the infamous Mr. Ghost for a dance. He then grew a rather innocent grin that didn’t look so innocent. "Please, ladies, please." He turned to Luna, who was still sitting in the corner checking her phone for security. He raised an eyebrow and gestured to his assistant, who nodded and pulled out a flash drive. The assistant then walked over to a computer and began to work, handing his boss a mic. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said, taking everyone's notice. "Oh, what is he up to now?" Luna grumbled. He smiled widely. "I have an idea. You all want me to donate to the research fund on the chimera? Well, how about this? I’ll give the fund a hundred thousand dollars if..." He held up his hoof as the crowd gasped and whispered among themselves. "If I can get every single one of you here to dance to a little music—one of my favorite songs. It's about four minutes long, so here’s the deal: I’ll even dance twice with everyone. We’ll all switch partners every time the beat changes." Some laughed, and some were happy about it. Luna just rolled her eyes. "Oh, but everyone, including staff, must participate. That includes you, Lulu." Luna spun around towards him, furious. "Tia, you never got your sister to lighten up, did you?" Celestia just put a hoof on her head. "Oh, this isn’t gonna go well," she muttered. "I say it’s a splendid idea, Mr. Ghost," Sombra announced. Luna looked a bit annoyed at that. Twilight and her friends didn't know what to think, especially Fluttershy. Just then, the music started. To everyone's surprise, it was a popular pop song from Rara: "I Will Survive!!" It was a poppy, almost jazzy remix of the song, not the original. "Now I won’t give a dime unless I see everyone dancing, alright?" Mr. Ghost called out. As the lyrics "First, I was afraid..." began, the dancing commenced. It was something different for sure. Most high-class parties like these only had ballroom music to play, and mostly only a few danced while the others conversed. The staff itself never danced along, but tonight, with this new claim, everyone just got into the beat of the music. People swung their hips and moved their arms to the jazzy beat; everyone except Luna, who sat there annoyed at the whole situation. "Oh, come now, Luna. Find a dance partner, or all this is for nothing," Mr. Ghost called out while he stepped into a dance with a few ladies surrounding him who were more than happy to dance beside the infamous lord. Luna huffed. "Oh come now! Is it really because you can't dance? Look, everyone, your pride and joy general is scared a bit of dancing." "I am not!" Luna shouted. "Bawk, bawk!" Mr. Ghost started clucking like a chicken. The crowd joined him in clucking at her. She grew furious. "Oh, that's it! You want a dance? I'll give you a dance..." She shouted and tore off her jacket. She then stepped perfectly into the groove of the music, swinging her hips and twirling like a ballerina until she met Mr. Ghost himself, who caught her. "Haha, now that's the general I know. After all these years, you gotta lighten up a bit," he said, setting his hooves on her hips and joining her for the dance. Luna finally broke free and gave a little giggle. "Alright, I must admit, it is a bit of fun." "Right. Alright everybody, switch partners," he said as he swung around, meeting Celestia as Sombra took Luna. "This was rather kind of you, Mr. Ghost. I'm a bit surprised," she smirked, narrowing her eyes, wondering what he was up to. "Oh no, I was just hating the party, Tia. You know I'd rather enjoy some real music." She smiled at him with a raised eyebrow. "Well, you always were the life of the party." "Yes, and with that, goodbye, princess," he said as he twirled her into someone else's arms. He took up Dash next, who was starting to do the sprinkler. "Ha ha, now that's old school!" he said as he began doing the wave. Dash couldn't help but enjoy the dance, only for him to twirl her out and turn to Twilight. Twilight was having fun, doing her best to keep up with the music. But she was less than graceful and couldn't get the beat down. "Haha, don't worry, Sparky. Your father couldn't dance either," Mr. Ghost said as he started snapping to the beat. He eventually twirled her into her next dance partner, a yellow-orange colt with a fiery mane and glasses. "Okay, people! Jump back, boys on the left, girls on the right." They did as they were instructed. "That's it, that's it! Now follow me," he said as he took control of the dance floor. The boys went left and the girls went right. "That's it! Now reverse it! Come on, people!" He said, pulling it back and then rejoining his dance partner, Rarity. Rarity gave no hesitation as she enjoyed the music. But then, when he twirled her out, she found herself dancing with Spike. She was still enjoying herself. As for Mr. Ghost, Applejack was his next partner. "Ahh, a country girl, huh?" he said, jumping into a bit of a country dance that still fit the jazz beat. Applejack enjoyed herself, but ultimately he twirled her out and turned to his next dance partner. He grew a slight surprised look for a second, only to turn back into an amused one. "Well, well, well, fancy meeting you here, Miss. Breeze." Fluttershy stopped dancing for a moment and looked at him, her face growing a bit pink. "Uhh, so you remember me?" "If I may be so bold, I wouldn't forget a pretty thing like you. It was a fun night after all," he said as he took her hoof. She slowly slipped back into the notion of the dance as he took her hoof. He held it as if she were made of glass: too loose, and she would slip and break; too strong, and he would break her. In a strange way, it felt so right to be in his arms, and quickly she lost her sense of shyness with his next words. "And if I may be bolder still, that's quite the dress you have on, definitely a top model for sure." She blushed at that. "I, uh, I never did ask your name that night," she stuttered. "Mr. Ghost. Funny, I didn't think I'd see you ever again." "Yeah, same," she said, beginning to relax thanks to his tone. He still had a look of disinterest yet kept a convincing smile on his face. "So this is fun," she told him. "Yes, you see, it's why I don't come to these that often. The average ball is so boring and over the top. However, a bit of money is worth it to see the rich snobby people actually act like real people for a change. I had to do something or I'd go mad with how this ball was turning out," he said as he twirled along with her, instead of twirling her away from him. "Yeah, I must admit," she said as she stepped into the beat with him. "This party definitely picked up thanks to you." She grinned. Mr. Ghost gave a slight chuckle—a real chuckle, not like the forced ones she heard from him all night. "Well, Miss. Breeze, thank you for the dance." He twirled her away from him and into her next dance partner, a cat. "Oh," she said a bit let down. She kind of wanted to stay with him and get to know him. With that, Mr. Ghost didn't take another dance partner after the cat, but as the drums of the music kicked up, he did a solo spin. First spinning in place, then down, spinning faster and faster, meeting the comedic beat of the drums only to come up as the drums ended and the jazzy beat took over. He flung his arms out and held out his hat, doing a slight kick mid-air, catching himself on his feet. The crowd all clapped at his solo act and started dancing alongside the music again. He slipped back into the crowd and danced with another random partner for a moment before leaving it entirely. As the song came to an end, the crowd all stopped dancing and started clapping for each other and for Mr. Ghost. But to their surprise, Mr. Ghost wasn't anywhere to be seen. Nor was his servant. Instead, where he stood was a stack of cash. Luna took the money and smiled at it—not at the bills themselves, but at the memory this night had brought to her and everyone else. Celestia walked up to her. "Well, I have to admit, sister, I didn't know you could dance so well." "I never stopped those ballerina lessons Mom had us take, like you did. I just..." She blushed. "Don't like showing it." Celestia nodded, knowing all too well her sister really loved tonight. And she had Mr. Ghost to thank for it. "So where is he?" Sombra asked. "Oh, I'm afraid there will be no trace of him. He always disappears when it’s convenient for him," Luna told him. "You seem to know him quite well," Sombra remarked. "Uh, yeah. It's a long story for another time. I'm quite tired after all that dancing, so if you'll excuse me." Sombra just nodded, and Celestia hugged Luna before she left. Capper got into the car after Mr. Ghost closed the door. The driver of the car was a dog. "How'd it go, Mr. Ghost?" he asked. "Well enough, Fido," Mr. Ghost smiled. "Capper, did you get what we came for?" he asked, amused. Capper pulled out the flash drive and handed it to him. "Right here, boss." "What's wrong then, Capper?" "I just think that went too easy, sir. What if they trace the hack?" "Oh, Capper, they will trace the hack. That's the trick," he said, eyeing the flash drive. "To anyone who looks into it, I made sure it will look like another routine update. Even if they trace it, all they'll get is an unscheduled security update made by their own systems. By the time anyone finds out that those files have been copied, our trail will run stone cold." He said as he tossed the drive and caught it with his hoof, smiling a wicked toothy grin. "So back to the lab then, boss?" asked Fido. "No." The two others were surprised by this. "There is a bit of another security risk I have to deal with." Shining Armor walked out into the small living room of his apartment, holding his head as if he had a headache. "What have I done?" he muttered as he took a drink from a bottle. "Don't worry too much, Sparky," a voice called out. Shiny jumped and spun around to the voice behind him. Sitting on the couch in the dark was none other than him. Shining tried to turn on the light, but nothing came on. He flipped the switches a few times, but nothing came on. "Hmm, seems like the power's out. You really should have that looked at. And for God's sake, boy, clean up a bit. I mean, you never know when you're going to be expecting company, after all." "What are you doing here? Get out!" "Oh, yes, look at that fiery spirit of yours." "What do you want?" "I have some good news for you." "I'm not gonna do your dirty work anymore." "Oh, but I think you'll be interested in this, and you'll have to deal with it for me." Shinny narrowed his eyes. "Twilight is alive." Shinny's eyes widened. "That's—" he shook his head as he gulped. "That's impossible." "Oh, but I saw her. And she looks to have no mutant features." Shiny gritted his teeth. "Most likely she is hiding her true form and using medicine to stay sane. I highly doubt they found a cure for her. But just in case they have, I think it's time for a little family reunion. Find out everything you can and report back to me," he said, getting up and heading to the window. "Oh, and Shiny, do remember I have my ways of knowing if you lie to me." He then slipped through the window, leaving a discouraged, drunken Shiny. Author's Note The plot thickness, What do you all think 🤔? Chap 8 Christmas ReunionChapter 8 Christmas Reunion I am dreaming... of a white Christmas, just like the one I used to know, Sang the radio. Snow began gently falling outside the window. December 24____, 6:00 a.m. Christmas Eve. Fluttershy was just finishing her chores of feeding her pets and listening to the radio. To her surprise, it was still dark out; the sun wouldn't be up for another hour due to it being the dead of winter. She was an early bird, always waking up at dawn to get a start on the day, even when she went to bed late. It wasn't easy trying to get up for her anymore since being part vampire bat now meant her body insisted on staying up at night. Tired as she was, she had to get up today. She didn't know why, but she had a strange feeling something was going to happen. Bad or good, she didn't know. Just a strange intuition she got from time to time. After her stubborn rabbit finally ate his food, she decided to check on Twilight. Twilight was a morning person too, or at least tried to be. The truth is, with so much stress on her, Twilight often stayed up in the late hours working on something—anything. Anything that would take her mind off of whatever was bothering her. And everyone knew what was bothering her. She knocked on the door slightly, and when she got no answer, she opened it slightly and peeked her head in. Fluttershy jumped back when she saw no one in her roommate's bed and rushed in to search. She immediately calmed down at the sound of the muffled snores. She turned to Twilight's desk. Not her work desk but her project desk. There was the device, the strange steampunk-esque device with pipes and circuits and dials all over, on top of a half dome-shaped object. It also had gauges and a cellphone screen for a monitor hooked up to it. The question was, what was the device? Every time anyone, including Spike, asked what the machine was or what it did, Twilight shrugged and gave a non-answer or no answer at all. "The answer to my problems," she would say in a dull tone. "Don't worry about it; it has nothing to do with the cure. Focus on what needs to be done; this is just a science fair project of mine from long ago." That gave no answer to what it did, or why she continued to work on it after so many years. Twilight, with a bit of drool on her arm, her head just above it with a screwdriver in her hoof and a pair of safety goggles on her head, was sleeping right beside the strange device that morning. Fluttershy tapped on Twilight's shoulder to see if she would wake up, but to no avail. She probably was up all night working on whatever that machine was. Fluttershy decided to write down a note for Twilight instead and left it by her. "Twilight, I went out to get some last-minute shopping done for the holidays. Be back before the party... Fluttershy." After that, she left the room, grabbed a big warm green holiday coat, and pulled on a warm face mask that hid her muzzle from the icy air before she walked out wearing snow boots. As soon as she got around the corner, she felt something grab her. She struggled at first, but with a hard hit to the head by something that felt like metal, she was out. 9:28 Twilight finally stirred awake in her room. She saw the little note left by Fluttershy and gave it no thought. She got up with a stretch and walked out of the room with a yawn. The main apartment, while still having lots of science and pet stuff, was lightly decorated for the holiday. Tinsel was carefully placed over the fireplace, the radio playing Christmas music, and a tree in the corner of the room next to the couch. It wasn't the largest tree ever, but then again, it wasn't that large of a place. The tree had a mix of decorations, not all from Twilight's, but all her friends. She made a bowl of cereal and sat down on the couch. Eating it, she enjoyed the Christmas atmosphere of her home. Her new home. Her new life with her friends. She looked at the tree. Decorated with the finest silk ribbons from Rarity and a few country Santa cat decorations from AJ. The Santa cat wore red and white but had a cowboy hat on riding a bull. Trophy-shaped ornaments from Dash, a few dove and blue jay ornaments from Fluttershy, red and gold Christmas balls, and an eight-pointed star on top finishing the entire look. The star was what she was focusing on the most. While it was great to see the combination of her friends on the Christmas tree, it was the star—her star—that only brought up the memories of the past. Memories that she would never want to forget, even if they now brought her sadness on the holidays. She was a little filly, decorating the tree with her parents. Her mom, a dark purple mare with fiery hair, was humming a tune. Not a Christmas tune, but a tune she always hummed and used to sing to her children. Twilight pulled out a red ball and walked over to the tree. "Carefully, Twilight, those are glass," her mother said softly. "I know, Mom," she said, placing it on the tree. Her father walked in; he was a white stallion with blue hair. He only stood and watched as his family put together the tree. On a ladder fixing the candy canes was none other than her brother, who looked up and said, "Hi Dad." "Looks like I got here just in time, huh?" he said as he set his files down. "Oh hi, honey! We were hoping to surprise you by the time you got home," said Twilight's mother. Just then, her brother slid down the ladder and went to open another box; he pulled out the tree topper. "Hey, sis, want to help me with Star?" "Yeah," Twilight said excitedly. Her brother handed her the star and then lifted her up onto his back. She was a little wobbly up there. "Oh, careful, you two," her mother scolded. "We got it, we got it," Twilight said, putting the tree topper on the tree. "Hurry up, Twilight, you're heavy," complained her brother. "I am not; you're just weak," shouted Twilight back to him. Their dad only laughed at the sight as he put his arm around their mother. Twilight then finally set the tree topper on the tree, finishing the decorations. The tree topper was the same star that sat on her tree today. She sighed at the memory as she was brought back to the bleak present. Her family was gone now, but she did have Spike and her friends. Something that her friend Applejack said chimed in her ear: "Yeah, I getcha. My parents passed away a few years back. While I have a large family, it's mostly just me, my little sis, and my big brother. It's never the same without the whole family, but…" Applejack walked over and flung an arm around her friend. "There's always room in your heart for more friends and family along the way. That's what my granny always told me, anyway." Her friend was right, of course. While she missed her family, she had her friends. Just then, Rarity walked in. "Hello, my friends. Are we ready for the best Christmas party ever?" she sang. "Rarity, the party's not till tonight," Twilight told her. Rarity smiled anyway. "Who is coming, anyway?" she asked. "Well, you guys, my godmothers, and Spike. Just a little get-together before Christmas Day is all," she told her. Rarity smiled. "I'm gonna miss my family this year. Normally I'd head back home to see my sister, but since I get wet and grow a fish tail, I think it's best I stay." "Yeah, no doubt," Dash said, walking in, overhearing. "Me, Applejack, and Fluttershy all have the same issue. I never spent the holidays not going back to meet my family," she sighed, half sad, half happy. "Well, we got each other," said AJ, who walked in after her; she had a bag of letters. "Oh, uh, AJ, who are those for?" asked Twilight. "Me, actually. I told you, my family's kinda big; these are all letters from my family members." She said as she opened the bag; Christmas cards fell out all over the counter. "This one from my sister, oh this one from my aunt and uncle. Oh, and this one," she said, grabbing a pink one that looked like a cupcake. "This one's from my cousin Pinkie." "Oh yeah, I haven't seen Pinkie in forever," Dash asked. "You know her?" asked Twi. "Yeah, me and her are pranking buddies," Dash replied. "Haha, you two used to terrorize Cloudsdale." "That we sure did," Dash replied to AJ's comment. "Believe it or not, she just turned 18 a few months ago, and she'll be starting school here next month. I'll let you meet her, Twi." "Oh, that'd be nice. Someone my own age," she grinned. "Yeah, but Twilight, let me tell ya, if anyone has energy, it's Pinkie," Dash smiled. "Yeah, no one can keep up with her," AJ laughed. "Well, she does sound like a fun one," Rarity chimed in. "Fun? She's like the coolest," said Dash. "Right, Flutters?" Dash said, looking for Fluttershy. "Oh, she went out for last-minute Christmas shopping," Twi told her. "Well, as long as she'll be back for the party," Rarity sang. Here’s your text with spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections made while keeping your original wording and writing style intact: Fluttershy slowly began to come to. She opened her eyes only to realize she could see nothing but the inside of a bag. She panicked for a moment, and the bag thrashed around until she got the bag off her head. Her arms and legs were duct-taped together tightly. Unfortunately for her, whoever her kidnapper was, she was not an ordinary little mare; she was a mutant. Her eyes immediately turned red with a yellow glow. She bared her teeth, which were actually fangs. Though she still wore her warm mask from earlier, with a loud hiss, she let her wings spread out, breaking through her cozy jacket. She quickly pulled her arms and legs apart, ripping the duct tape in an instant. As she did so, the sound of a gunshot went off. Her eyes widened, but when she went to touch her neck, no blood was spilled; instead, it was a tranquilizer. She began to feel a bit woozy and collapsed as she saw some hooves walking up to her. The next time she woke, she thrashed around but found herself locked up in chains. "Easy, easy," said a male voice. Fluttershy looked up in the direction of the sound. It wasn't too hard to figure out who he was. It was none other than Twilight's brother, except he had a robotic green eye. "You're not the one I was aiming for." Fluttershy jumped with a hiss but was held back by the chains. "But you're definitely a chimera," he said, throwing his head back away from her. "You're Twilight's brother, how could you?" Fluttershy gritted her teeth but then almost fell over; she barely caught herself. "Easy, easy; that tranquilizer is still in your system." "Why am I here?" she shouted. "I wanted my sister; you were not the plan. Guess you're her roommate then. Surprising since I am the one who accidentally turned you into this. Um, sorry," he grinned innocently. Fluttershy deadpanned, her eyes still filled with rage. "So how is she? Is she doing okay?" "She'd do a lot better if her brother wasn’t turning creatures into mutants." "Believe it or not, this isn't what I intended to do with my life." "So what now?" she asked. "Now I am going to send a message to my sister using your phone and tell her to come. I'll set up a little trap for her and the rest of you freaks." "Twilight is strong; you'll never beat her." "Oh, I know about my sister’s strength. I know all too well what you chimera can do. Night-night," he said and shot her with another dart. 5:48 The party started in twelve minutes, yet everyone was already there, everyone except one person, that is. Dash was lying on the couch, reading an airplane magazine. She flipped the page, but as she did so, she looked up at the clock... "Uh, hey guys, does anyone know where Fluttershy is?" she asked. "She said she was going to do some last-minute shopping earlier today," Twilight said, fetching her cup of hot chocolate. "Well, don't you think it's odd of her to be so late and not call?" said Rarity, who was on her phone. "Guys, she still has some time," said Spike. "Who wants another round of candy canes?" he cheered. Applejack had a concerned look on her face, but it was Luna who assured her. "Now I know you're all waiting for your friend, but I'm sure she's fine on this night." "Did anyone try to call her?" asked Celestia. "Twice," replied Dash. Just then, Twilight's phone rang. "And there she is," Celestia said, sounding wise. Twilight smiled and picked up the phone. "Hello, Twilight." Twilight froze when she heard the voice. Celestia was the first to notice and asked her what was wrong. She said nothing as he continued to speak. "Been a long time, hasn't it? All these years." His voice was deeper, but it still held that hint of brotherly love in it; there was no mistake about who Twilight was talking to. She put a hoof to her mouth, still frozen in fear. "How did you get this phone?" she asked. "I borrowed it from your roommate; of course, she's taking a nap." "What did you do with her?" she yelled furiously, struggling not to turn into a chimera in front of her godmother. "Nothing; she's fine. You need to come pick her up at my place. Considering it's Christmas, I'd like to see you. We haven't seen each other in so long. I don't really have any decorations up, but I'm sure we can trade a few family stories for the holidays," he said with a sigh. "Where are you?" "I'm gonna text you the address, and come alone, ya got that?" He then hung up, and as he did, a text was sent to Twilight's phone. "What happened? Who was that?" asked Celestia. Twilight thought of something quick to tell the room. "Uh, well, uh, Fluttershy's fine. She got hit by a car, yeah, a car; she's at the hospital waiting to come to the party. That was the nurse calling me. She told her to call me since we live at the same apartment." She said with a nervous smile as the room gasped. "Wow, ran over on Christmas Eve? That sucks," Spike commented. "Oh, the poor dear! I'll drive you over," said Celestia. "No, no, that—that's fine. Fluttershy said to start the party without her. She asked I come to pick her up. Umm, AJ, can I get some help getting ready to go for a sec?" she said, heading to her door. "Uh, of course, but why me and not Rarity?" "Because I need your help, come on!" Twilight deadpanned and walked into her room. AJ turned to the crowd in the small apartment with a shrug and then headed inside the room, closing the door behind her... "Twi, what's going on?" she asked as she walked over to her. Twilight immediately ran to her chest on the floor where she kept her hero costume. "Shh, keep it down." "My brother, he's, uh, alive and kidnapped Fluttershy." "What!? Uh, I mean, what!?" she said in a more hushed tone than before. "He wants me to meet him alone at this address he texted me. I'm gonna go get Fluttershy." "Okay, I'll tell the team, and—" "No, no, AJ, we got my godmothers here. It's why I told you and not the others. You gotta keep the party going and convince everyone that everything is alright." She said, finishing putting on her super suit. "And what about you? What if it's a trap?" "I..." She froze. "I don't know," she said, grabbing a large coat and placing it over her super suit. "Twilight, this is your family, your brother, and—" "I know!" she yelled in a quiet tone. She was frantic, jumping from one side of the room to the other getting ready. "I don't really know what I'm gonna do, AJ, when I find him, but Fluttershy is what's important now." "Okay, but what if you need help?" "If I don't come back in one hour, gather the team and come after me at this address." She quickly wrote something down on a piece of paper. AJ took it and stuffed it in her back pocket. Twilight, now dressed for the winter with her super suit underneath, walked out of the room with a fake calm smile. She waved goodbye to everyone and headed out the door as quickly as she could without raising suspicion. Twilight ran over to the south side of town. An old, decrepit apartment building with faulty wiring was standing in the rather dark shadow of the city. Even though it should seem creepy, a sense of Christmas warmth could still be found in most of the windows along the apartment building; all but one. The top floor, third to the right, was as quiet and lifeless as a graveyard in winter. It was here she knew her brother would be waiting for her. "Of course, it has to be the gloomy one," she muttered with an eye roll. Using her powers made for a nice walk as she slid down it. The dead of winter allowed her powers to match the season. She quickly got to the roof of the building, planning to go through the fire escape to the window. She walked close to it, only for a gunshot to go off. Twilight ducked just in time. "That was a warning, chimera!" yelled an angry voice behind her. She looked up, and to her surprise, there he was. She remembered his face so well. What was worse was the fact that not only did she recognize him; she saw her father— their father—in his face. A bright, happy young colt with a grin on his face, ready to be a good brother and help his little sister with the star, was now replaced with a wild blue mane, sickly pale skin, gritting his teeth, and an angry expression on his face. An eye patch covered his left eye. With a gun in hoof, he was wrapped up in a black coat that did nothing against the cold, icy wind. This was not the Shining Armor she remembered. The colt studying to be in the military, just like his father. The colt that acted brotherly to her no matter what—only two years apart in age, they were always so close when they were little. Only seven years ago. At the sight of him, she couldn't help but glare, her eyes burning red with a yellowish glow. "And there it is," he deadpanned, raising the gun to her again. "What's your game, brother?" she snarled. "Game? I wish this was a game." He then moved downward, making Twilight step into a fighting stance. He raised a hoof to stop her, which she did, waiting for his next move. She was expecting him to slowly lay the gun on the ground and walk toward her unarmed. "Twilight, it's me," he said softly. Twilight stood her ground. "I'm here to help you; you need help." "Help me? You turned my friends into chimera!" "Trust me, if I didn't, something worse would have come to them..." he said as he kept his arms up. The look on his face was still not a trustworthy one, but a serious tone to it made Twilight want to understand more. So she let him speak. "You're a chimera, as are all your friends. You need help; you need to turn yourselves in. Just come with me, and I'll escort you to the hospital." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Are you crazy? You want me to trust you after everything you did?" "I don't want to hurt you, sis." "Oh, that's rich. Who are you working for? Who is the antler and horn guy? Who did this to me?" She grew angrier and angrier. She began to shake with rage, her eyes glowing dangerously. "Twilight, calm down." "Don't tell me to calm down!" Shining took a step back, frightened by her. "Tell me who is doing this, who is making the chimera, so I can stop him." "You can't stop him, not in your condition. Leave that to me." "Explain! Who is he?" she growled like a wild animal. "Please, I'm only trying to help." "You kidnapped my friend and turned my others into chimera!" "Okay, okay; just calm down before you do something you'll regret again." "Again?" she asked, still furious... "You don't remember that night, do you?" Twilight shook her head. "I remember a goat-horned pony and terrible laughter." "Sister, that was you." "Huh?" she said in disbelief. "Seven years ago, it was the night of your science fair." "You were trying to build a working model of a time machine based on Star Swirl designs and explanations. Though the machine never worked, you did get first place for being the youngest scientist to ever attempt such advanced science. The whole family was very proud of you that night. Walking home from a restaurant, we lived in the fanciest area of the city, thanks to our dad being a politician. Someone he was an associate of Mom and Dad wanted a meeting with them, and they refused because it was your big night. I remember overhearing something from them. He told her..." "He's not one of us," said Twilight's father. "But—" went the mother. "You don't owe him anything." "He only wants a meeting." "Not tonight, not with..." Just then, a shadowy figure walked up to them; he never stepped out of the shadow of the building, so Shining never got a good look at him. He was mostly paying attention to his sister, who was galloping around with her first-place ribbon. "You know what? I'm going to finish this right now," said the father, and he marched off to the colt in the shadows. The two began immediately arguing. "Oh dear, Shiny, watch your sister, will you?" asked the mother in an annoyed tone. "Okay, Mom," said a young Shining, who was holding his sister's science fair project that he helped put together. "Um, Shiny, who is that?" asked the little filly. "Beats me; I've never seen him," said her older brother. Just then, while it was difficult to see in the dark shadows of the night, the three adults began fighting. The stranger with a hat on had something in his hand. Eventually, his hat was knocked off, revealing an antler and horn on top of his head. "I'm only asking you for help, and this is the way you treat me," he chuckled darkly. "Typical, I suppose," he said with an evil grin. "You give me no choice." Just then, Twilight decided she was going to be the voice of reason; she slipped over, not even realizing what the other colt had in his hand. "No, Twilight, don't come over here!" shouted her father, making the little filly freeze in fear. Just then, a shot went off. "Mommy!" she said and ran to her in fear of the loud noise, not realizing she was heading in its direction. Her mother screamed. Then the bullet hit her, but was it a bullet? No. Her dad was the first to run up to her. "Twilight! Twilight! Oh God!" Twilight was crying. "It's gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay," he said as he looked over her. "Twilight, everything's gonna be okay, I promise." "You shot her! You shot my daughter!" Lightning crackled in the air as it began to rain. The creature stood up. "I was aiming for you," he punched her father. None of the words registered with the little filly as she stood up. "Run, Twilight, run!" She saw her brother cry out. Crazy laughter filled the air as her father pleaded. "Please stop this. Don't hurt them. Don't! I'll help you; just don't." Hahahahahaha. The creature laughed, and it stood up, towering over all of them. Its eyes glowed a burning amber color. Lightning struck from the sky, giving a quick look at the creature. It had an antler on one side of the head and a goat horn on the other. It grinned and laughed again as it raised a gun sitting in an eagle claw. Twilight froze, not able to move as her mother shouted, "No! Twilight, run please, run!" Just then, Shining got to her just as she collapsed to the ground. "Twily! Twily!" he shouted again and again. "Mom! Twily!" Just then, Twilight grew bigger and stronger; a horn sprouted out of her head, and her eyes glowed furiously. Shining didn't know what to do as the creature that was once his sister punched him in the face. She jumped over, and both the creature and Shining watched in horror as the creature tore apart their father and most likely their mother. He tried to stop her, but the creature turned around and stuck him in the eye. As he blacked out, the last thing he remembered was the blurry image of a claw over his face. "So you see, sister, it was you— you who killed our parents because he mutated you." Twilight then lost it. "NOOOOOOOOO!" she shouted. "NO, NO, NO! HE DID THIS!" Twilight didn't realize her brother had a rifle on his arm. He shot a tranquilizer dart from it, and it hit her square in the arm. She looked up and saw he had torn off his eye patch. He had a robotic eye in its place, most likely with a targeting computer. She collapsed as he caught her. "Easy, easy. Don't worry, sis; I'm gonna get you some help, you and all your friends." To his surprise, Twilight did not pass out. Instead, her eyes turned back to normal, with her horn retreating back into her forehead. "You're not the bad guy here," she said softly, giving him a hug. It surprised him at first, but he returned the gesture. "No, but I will get the bad guys so you don't have to." "I'm sorry, brother, but no; I can't." She pushed him away gently. "I know it seems crazy, but I know how to control my mutant powers. And so do my friends. We're trying to create a cure for all those who were turned, but I can't do that locked up." "Twilight, this is..." "I know. But you're gonna have to trust me on this. Besides, it's Christmas Eve." She set her head against his shoulder. "I'm so happy to have my big brother back. What a Christmas present this is," she choked and began to cry. He put his arm around her and gave her a brotherly hug. "Remember all those times we decorated the tree together?" "Yep, I do." They then separated from the hug. "Where's Fluttershy?" "Uh, she's knocked out. I had to give her a higher dosage, so she's gonna be out till tomorrow. Your friend’s quite the strong one." He nervously smiled. She just shrugged and texted AJ. "What are you doing?" "Making sure my friends don't come to kill you in avenger of me." "Yeah, that would be helpful," he smirked. "Well, this is some Christmas Eve, isn't it?" she said with an awkward smile. He only nodded as the snow fell over the top of them. "Come on, let's go in. I have some hot chocolate, and I think we could catch Rudolf the Snowcat on TV." She laughed at that. "Just like in old times." She stood up and looked over the city covered in a light blanket of snow. "He's out there." "Somewhere," she said. Watching her carefully through a telescope was none other than an orange cat. He had an earpiece in and was talking into it. "Boss, we have contact with the girl. What do you want to do?" Down below in the shadows, sitting on a motorcycle, was Mr. Ghost, dressed in his trench coat and signature hat. "I knew it," he muttered back. "I recorded the whole thing." "How do you want to proceed, sir?" asked Capper over the radio. "Let them go," he sighed. "What, sir?" "Let them go; they hold no information," he said as he took out a family photo from his pocket and eyed it carefully. "They are of no use to us." "Sir, the boy..." asked Capper in a concerned voice. Mr. Ghost then pulled out a lighter and turned it on, illuminating his face in the dim light of the shadows. "I'm cutting all ties with him; he's of no use to me." Capper said nothing. He just stood up and put away his telescope. With the radio off, Mr. Ghost then took the flame of the lighter and burned the family photo. Watching the mother carefully, he said, "Goodbye, Sparky." He said it emotionlessly. As the last of the image burned away, he uttered the words a bit grumpily, "Merry Christmas." He then drove away on his bike, leaving the ashes of the picture on the side of the road in the cold snow. Chapter 9 No Sense.Chapter 9 No Sense **January 12—11:30 AM** Sitting at a lunch table together were Rarity, Dash, Twilight, and even Shining Armor, who was surprised to be asked to hang out that day. He was eating a sandwich and talking military with Dash. "My father flew over the battlefield in the last war. He showed me his jet when I was little. Ever since then, I knew I wanted to be the fastest flying around." "Funny, aren't you now faster than a jet?" Shining asked. "Yeah, but it's not really the same. I still want to get into the academy, but the qualifications say I need at least three years of engineering to attend. Lucky for me, I got in here on my scholarship. I'm not exactly the most brainy person around." "Well, at least you got a goal. I'd say you'll make a fine pilot," Rarity added to the conversation. "Umm, thanks, Rare," Dash said a bit apprehensively. She still didn't like Rarity very much but was trying her best to make friends with her. "Well, my daddy does have access to some of the military's best. I could put in a good word for you, dear." And there it is, Dash thought to herself. She smiled as best she could, but it was clear how irritated she was. Rarity never missed an opportunity to boast about her high-class family, even though they weren't very high-class at all. "Thanks, Rare, but I'd rather get in based on skills alone. I don't need you to put in a good word for me." Rarity smiled and shrugged. "If you ever need a bit of help, just let me know." "That's very generous of you, Mrs. Shine," Shining said before he took another bite of his sandwich. "Oh, come now, Shiny, we're all friends here. Dash and I even began to bond over our interest in Daring Do. Not my favorite book, but it is a fantastic read. I can't wait for the next one to come out in a few months." "Yeah, me neither, and Daring Do's author, A.K. Yearling, is also gonna be in town for all the events going on." Dash nearly squealed at the idea. "Didn't you already get an autograph?" "No, I missed it due to school," she rolled her eyes. Twilight was looking at her laptop as she ate a carrot, listening to the conversation beside her. "By the way, Shiny," she spoke in a happy tone but never took her eyes off her work, "is there any word from you-know-who?" Just the mention of that shifted the entire mood of the conversation. "No. He completely disappeared from what I can tell. He left me a few stacks of bills and took off. It's enough to pay for my apartment for the next few months until I get a job, I guess. But he left no trace of existence in any way—no leads. I've tried all week ever since that night to pick up a trail, but nothing's come up. It's like he never existed at all." With this news, Twilight stared at her computer. On it were several websites opened up— all about several different people, by the look of it. Several new files and dark web websites depicted something or someone. She remembered the next day after Christmas. Christmas night she took Fluttershy home, enjoyed the party, then told her friends. Christmas day was uneventful, but after that, she and her friends went back to meet up with her brother. "What do you know about him?" AJ asked. "Nothing." He shook his head. "He goes by many names: Kaas, Konton, and many more in so many languages. The only thing all the names have in common is one thing." "Chaos," Twilight answered him. "Yep, some even call him king or lord or ruler or god. He's a devil, that's for sure—a mutant. A chimera." "You said we faced a worse threat if you didn't mutate us," asked Rarity, who was the most skeptical of Shining due to her experience with him. "He's conducting these odd experiments. Once a month, he gets a shipment in of..." He grimaced at the thought. "Blood and painkillers." "Blood and painkillers?" Rarity repeated, a bit sickly. "He's the one who creates the mutation gel. How, I don't know, but I'm more than certain he's conducting terrible experiments. I mean, for anyone to have that many painkillers delivered..." "Why would he need those? I mean, it's not like he'll be nice to his victims," asked Dash. AJ shrugged as she crossed her arms. "Well, if you need them to stay quiet but not be under anesthetic, then yeah, painkillers would work, wouldn't they?" "Whatever he's doing with them, this is the guy who turned me and all of you into chimera," Twilight sighed. "So why did he send you after me?" asked Rarity. "I was only supposed to kidnap you. I didn't want him to work on you, mutating you, ruining his chances to get to his work. I thought I could capture you, mutate you, then send you to him, having you destroy his entire operation. But that night I never got close enough to grab you. As for what he wanted with you, he said he was gonna use you to get to your dad. He wants some type of government files, I don't know what, but he was certain your dad would be able to get them." "Unfortunately, my delay went nowhere. Apparently, he always has a backup plan, and he never trusted me. I'm sure he got those files somehow." Shining shrugged. To their surprise, it was the quiet one in the back of the room that asked the most important question. In a calm, small voice, Fluttershy asked, "If you worked for him, how did you survive? You're not a mutant, so did he not experiment on you?" she asked Shiny. The room turned its eyes on him for his answer, making him feel a little uncomfortable being put on the spot like that. He gulped before speaking again. "After that night when Twilight was..." He trailed off for a moment. "Not long after that, I was taken by a random car from my apartment to school. Mostly, his assistant was the only one to ever meet me—some tall cat I never learned the name of. I tried finding out about him and came up with as little as his boss. All I know is that it was a cat, but there are tons of cats. I was told I had a very busy godfather, and he took me in after all that happened. He definitely has money, I know that. Even if it was the south side of town, I was kept well, made friends, and even had a girlfriend at one point. I tried to make something of my life. Then one night, on my eighteenth birthday, I met him for the second time." A storm covered the sky, and lightning flashed as the rain splattered across the window hard. Shiny was celebrating his birthday with a cake he bought himself in the little apartment—all alone. The lights were on, and he looked at the candles, surrounding him were photos of his family—the only ones he had from his phone. "Well, here I am, guys," he smirked. "I miss you." He then blew out the candles, and as he did, most of the lights went out except the spotlight over him. He looked around, confused, and then a little scared when he heard a clap and someone walking toward the table. "Well, well, well, look at what we have here. The birthday boy," said an unusual voice. A lighter was lit, and afterward, the smell of cigarette smoke filled the air, making the young adult cough as it filled his lungs. Shining could see the outline of the pony—or was it a pony? No. It was the outline of some terrifying monster—the same monster he remembered seeing all those years ago. It stayed just among the shadows; the only visible light from it at first was the light of the cigarette. Then it opened its eyes. Glowing yellow eyes with a red slit for a pupil stared back at him from the darkness. "Who are you?" Shining jumped up, ready to fight. "Sit down, boy; I mean you no harm. After all, is that any way to treat your godfather?" Shining froze in fear as a pit in his stomach began to form. "Yes, yes, I know, boy, I know. I've been far too busy to come and see you. Apologies," he said as a strange claw came into the light and picked up the knife to slice the birthday cake. As he cut a piece using only one arm, the other still held his cigarette in the shadows. He continued his speech. "I know what you are thinking: Why am I here, right? Simply put, I saved you from your sister. I could have left you for dead since you mean nothing to me, so why did I?" Shining stayed quiet. "Well, Sparky, it was a favor, nothing more. A favor I hope you will repay. Now that you're eighteen, a full-grown colt, you'll have to work for me. You still have a few more months of school; after that, you will work for me to make up for your expenses the last few years." "Why would I ever work for you!?" he yelled. "Oh, I was hoping you were gonna say that. Simply put, if you don't want your life to be a living hell, you'll work for me. I mean, I hate to see what would happen to your little girlfriend." His eyes widened at that. "Or your college buddies, or—" "Don't you dare touch them!" "Wouldn't dream of it. I have use for you, boy; that is all. And when I'm done, you can go free." "What do you want?" "Simple, really. I have many employees working for me. They go and run simple errands I need done. You will be one of my errand boys," he said, passing over a piece of cake before slicing another for himself. "What kind of errands?" "Oh, different things. From fetching me lunch to running files to other associates, to fetching me things for my research. I'll pay you well. You may even move to another apartment if you wish, buy a car, and whatever you want." Shining could hear a fork tapping against a plate as the creature ate the cake in the shadows. "And that's it then. I mean, what are you doing? What is your name?" "Oh, wouldn't you like to know? You can call me Chaos. As for what I do, I am a researcher. But one not supported by the government. Due to this, I have to use other means to get what I need. That is all you need to know." "What do you research?" He didn't answer, just finished his cake and continued with his cigarette. Shining asked again, but the creature seemed to ignore him, done talking. Shining Armor didn't know what to do and just decided to eat his piece of cake. When the creature placed down the plate, he then handed him a black box and a pink birthday card. Shining didn't know what to do; he just stared at the box. He listened for the sound of the creature, but as soon as the box was laid on the table and the odd yellow claw retreated back from the light, no sign of the creature existed after that. Shining opened the box, revealing a cybernetic eye. Twilight remembered her brother's story as she looked over her research. As she recalled the last of what he told them that night. "A doctor who is working for him put it in. He's apparently part of some cult called Chaos Vill. I have to go once every few months to have it checked on and make sure none of the cybernetics aren't interfering with my biological components." Twilight was looking at the website about the cult following. The website said under the rule of the Chaos King, we the citizens of Chaos Vill are here to fight back against the tyranny this world faces. If you wish to join the club, let us know by meeting us here. There was an address on the website. But it seemed too simple. The website was only found on the dark web, but it gave an address that easily. Something just didn't seem right. She tapped the next page to see the owner of the website. A photo of a familiar pony showed up. To her surprise, she actually met him before. She only raised an eyebrow at the photo as she recalled him. He was her last dance partner at the gala. There was no name, but her brother knew him as well. Dr. Cornelius Sunburst was the one who implanted the robotic eye in his head. Shining confirmed the address was the same place where he got his operation. Twilight clicked the next window she had opened on her computer—the same address where Armor got his eye transplant—and the area of the cult apparently was none other than a bar called Dragon Ponies. Located, as always, on the south side of town and almost on the outskirts of the city. By the looks of it, a lot of bikers hung around the bar, and from the online photos, it didn't look like a nice place to hang about. She looked up who the owner of the bar was and found no lead. "Well, that's troubling, isn't it?" Dash commented back to their conversation earlier with Shining. "Well, I've been trying to trace any records of bills like that being drawn, but I've come up empty too," Twilight said as she ate another carrot. "We'll find that bad guy one way or another," Rarity chimed in. "Well, for now, we'll just keep this between us," Twilight said, and they all nodded. Just then, Applejack walked up with her cousin. "Hey guys. This here is my cousin Pinky, I was telling you all about." Pinky smiled a friendly smile. "Hello there! I'm Pinkamina Pie, but you can call me Pinky. AJ told me lots about you all. Sorry I didn't get to meet you at the gala; I had to work that night. But my brother actually went; he said it was boring until the music started playing. Anyway, I'm so excited to meet you all!" She spoke so fast that it was hard to make out what she was saying. "Hello, Mr. Pirate!" she said to Shining, who chuckled. "Pinky, you remember Dash, don't ya?" "Oh yes, of course, AJ!" "What up?" Dash said, leaning back and playing it cool as always. "And you must be Rarity! I love your fashion shows!" "Thank you, Pinky, was it?" asked Rarity. Pinky nodded as she shook hooves with Rarity. "And you, you must be Twilight! AJ said she made a new friend called Twilight, who was my age," she grinned. Twilight, for the first time in that entire conversation, finally looked up from her computer. She saw Pinky. She wore a white shirt that said Sugar Cube Corner on it, blue jeans, and an orange cap— her work uniform. She was a pink mare with very curly pink hair, a shade darker than her fur. Blue eyes and a friendly smile. Despite her energetic nature, Twilight was happy to finally meet someone her own age. Everyone else, including her brother, was two years older than her—other than Fluttershy, who was the oldest in the group by three, almost four years. Twilight returned the gesture and shook her hoof, replying with, "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and the pirate," she winked, "is my brother, Shining Sparkle. I'm glad to meet you." "Pinky here wants to become a top chef; she's really good at baking." "Ha! It took me a while to get into Canterlot, but I live on the east side of Ponyville. Been here all my life! Hey, where is your other buddy, something Shy?" asked Pinky. Just then a voice called out, "I'm coming, I'm coming." She said as she rushed over to the lunch table with a pile of books and a little lunchbox. She gave a tired breath as she sat down. "Sorry I'm late, guys. Due to our, um..." she stopped, noticing Pinky there, "other activities, I barely have time to study for my next exam." "Exam? Darling, school just started..." Rarity told her. "Yeah, for you! I've been here a year longer than you guys. Remember, vet work is a bit more intense than what you guys are studying." She complained while hiding behind her hair as always. "Becoming a vet takes a lot of medical science; you have to know all sorts of things about the biology of different types of animals. I have an exam about biogenetics on animals, and I'm so behind on work. Twilight, do you think you can tutor me?" she asked with a shy squeak to her voice. "I would, but I have, um..." She stopped before she could say anything in front of Pinky. "A lot of other things I have to do." "Oh, if you need help, you should ask my brother. He could tutor you. He's a bio-geneticist; he knows all about that stuff." "Oh, that could be great," Shy said a little more cheerfully. "Oh, and hi Pinky! Long time no see, huh?" "No problem, Flutters. You know I'm supposed to deliver this," she pulled a box of muffins and tea packs out of nowhere. "Box to my brother, but then I ended up on my lunch break. I was going to deliver this, but I could just give you the address, and you can take him there and ask him while you're there." "Oh, uh, okay." "Umm, hey, yeah, Fluttershy, can I talk to you for a sec? Over here," AJ said as she pulled Fluttershy away out of earshot from Pinky. "What is it, Applejack?" asked Fluttershy. "Flutters, I hate to tell you this, but Pinky—well, my cousin—is a little crazy," she said as she moved her hoof around in a circle over her head. "She lost her real brother many years ago and persists that she has a new one. She has an imaginary friend, Fluttershy, and it helps her cope, believing he went in the army and never returned." "Oh, how do you know?" "She used to send notes to someone in the army and never got one back. It's so sad, but in the end, it's just an imaginary friend. That address she gives you will send you who knows where—just take it, but don't go, okay?" "Oh, but Jacky, what if those muffins are ordered by someone? I have to at least take a look, don't you think?" AJ facepalmed. "Okay, but if you see it's dangerous, just leave. Who knows what Pinky will send you on?" Fluttershy gave a short nod, and the two returned to their lunch with the others. Here’s your text with spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections, made while preserving your original wording and writing style: Later on, after lunch, Twilight and her brother decided to give that bar a visit. "Well, sis, here we are. Are you sure you want to do this?" Twilight nodded, and the two headed in. There seemed to be quite a few people even though it was the middle of the day. It was less of a bar and more of a club, actually, though there were plenty of bikers who hung out there, and there were several groups. If anything, it seemed more like what you would see in a high school setting—if you didn't include the drinks and the music. Well, actually it made it seem more like a high school setting, Twilight thought to herself. The bikers sat in the back, but there was a group of nerdy-looking people, popular-looking people, the ugly nobody, and every single one—whether they be a cat, dog, pony, or lizard—looked up to see the two walk in. The two headed straight to the bartender, who was a green pony dressed like a hippie. "What's up, dudes? Can I get you something?" she asked slowly. She was definitely on something. "Uh, no, we're looking for someone." "Looking? Oh hey, are you the 2:00... Hey, Smolder, the 2:00 is here!" she called back. An orange lizard with hot pink spikes dressed in a biker uniform walked up. "You're my 2:00?" asked a tough-looking orange lizard in a biker jacket. "Uh," Shiny said, not knowing what to do. "We're looking for someone who apparently goes to this bar." "Oh, so you're not with the kids' health fund." "The what...?" "This bar is part of a non-profit organization made to help the community of the city. We always donate to one of the funds," she said in a dull, bored tone. "If you're not here for that, what are you doing here?" "Uh, we're here looking for someone who goes to the bar." "This bar has a lot of people coming in and out. And we don't have cameras." "Have you seen this guy?" Twilight asked, showing her computer. "Oh, the doc! Yeah, he's one of us. So you're on our website, huh?" "Yours?" "Chaos Vill. That's the name of our organization. Like I said, we're a non-profit organization helping the community out. The doc is right now at work doing free checkups for kids right out back; that's why everyone is here, and we're hoping to donate our bills. You're not our 2:00 then, huh?" The two shook their heads, both flabbergasted at the strange situation they found themselves in. The lizard shrugged. "Well, if you're going to bug the doc, wait until after the checkups are done, please. I'll tell him you're here. Can I get you a drink?" "Uh, she's 18, and I'm 20." "Oh no, we don't sell any alcohol till five. I'm the manager of this place. Hey, bro!" she yelled. "What?" A red muscle lizard answered her from the back. He wore a biker outfit matching hers. "Get these 2 some rainbow water." The lizard nodded and headed back to the kitchen. "Carefully! It can be spicy, but it's a regular non-alcoholic drink we have here. If you need anything else, just ask for Smoldering." She smiled. She left, and the two sat down at a table, still flabbergasted. "Uh, do you really think this is the right place?" asked Twilight. "I recognize it. I come here to get my eye checked, but I, uh, didn't know about any of this." Twilight looked up more information on Chaos Vill. "Yeah, strange," she said. "The manager is right. The website says the exact same thing." "Then why is it on the dark web..." he said, trying to keep his voice down. "Oh, that's easy," said a yellow pony in a cowboy hat. He smiled wide. He had brown hair, green eyes, and was a bit jumpy. He also wore a Hawaiian shirt and nice suit pants. Saying he didn't match was an understatement. "That's because we don't want the recognition—none at all. We're all about helping the creatures, not our image." He laughed. "Uh, who are you?" asked her brother. "Cheese, from Cheese Sandwich Inc." He pulled out a rubber chicken and showed his logo to them. "I'm not good at running cash; that's what my partner is for. But I do donate whenever I can—anonymously, of course. No one here is to gain any recognition at all." Just then, the doc came in. "Sunburst!" shouted Mr. Cheese. Sunburst waved hi and walked over. "Hey, Mr. Sandwich. Nice to see you." While those two chatted, Twilight turned to her brother. "Mr. Cheese is a high-class business pony; I saw him at the gala a while back." "Weird." "Um, hey, are you the two looking for...?" He paused when he saw Shining. "Oh hey!" He friendly shook hooves with Shining. "How's your eye doing?" "Uh, fine. Actually, we were just going to, um, ask you about someone." "Oh yeah? Who...?" "Uh, the Chaos King," said Twilight, losing confidence as she looked at the doctor. He wore a doctor's uniform, glasses, and a blue shirt with stars on it. Nothing about him seemed like what she expected. "Huh? Oh, the Chaos King! Hahaha." The Chaos King! Everyone shouted and spread cheers all over, picking up their glasses and clinking glasses, making Twilight and Shining more confused than before. "Haha. The Chaos King is a metaphor! We're all the Chaos Kings. It means we all have a choice to either suffer or take control of the chaos in our lives and do what's right. Be the Chaos King. That's the slogan of the group." "Yeah!" Cheese cheered. "Uh, okay," said Twilight slowly while she tried to process all of this. "Umm, thank you for your time," she said as the red dragon brought out two rainbow-colored drinks and placed them on the table. "No problem, and if any problem comes up with your eye, let me know," he said, handing Shining his card. "Uh, sure," he said as he took the card and picked up the glass. "Umm, can I ask you, do you know the guy who hired you? You know, to do my eye." "No one hired me. You were brought by a member of Chaos Vill. We're here to help all." "Well, if that's all, then I have to get home. Goodbye, and nice seeing you, Mr. Sparkle." "Yes, thank you," he said and took a drink. The time they spat it out. "Oh my god, that's spicy!" "How is a drink spicy?" Twilight said, taking a tiny sip. But to her surprise, though it made no sense, she definitely tasted spice. She didn't have the same reaction as her brother, but she decided she wasn't going to have any more. "Uh, never mind. Let's just get out of here," she stumbled as she got up and left. Her brother got up and followed as he waved his hoof, still trying to cool down his tongue. As the two left, they didn't notice how they were being watched by the manager. She then pulled out her phone and immediately texted someone named Capper. "Tell the boss we got someone looking into him." "I'll deal with it," Capper texted back. With his response, she placed down the phone and carefully watched the two head out the doorway. Capper the cat set the phone back in his pocket just as someone knocked on the door. He looked through the peephole to see a mare holding a box. After lunch, Fluttershy took the box and headed to wherever the address led her to that she got from Pinky. It was a tall, black, shady-looking building. But nothing about it looked out of place. It was on the south side of town, and that didn't make her feel comfortable. The last time she was on this side of town, she ended up being robbed, only to be saved by a tall shadow. Her thoughts went to that night and then again to the night at the gala when she met him once again, finding out he was a lord of all things. A lord. Ha, what could a lord ever be interested in her? She thought. But he seemed like a nice guy, though definitely not one to mess with. It didn't help either that the muffins she was delivering were the exact same chocolate ones he liked so much that night. She knocked on a door and didn't have to wait long for it to open. Capper took one look at the box and instantly knew what it was. "Hey boss, your delivery is here!" he called out, stepping aside. "Right this way," he smiled. "Oh, thank you," she said, a bit hesitant to walk inside. The cat seemed friendly but also a bit sketchy at best. "Finally, Pinky!" shouted an angry voice from inside. The cat helped Fluttershy inside as the colt came from a back room. "PINKY, YOU KNOW HOW I GET WHEN I DON'T HAVE MY MORNING MUFFINS! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE HERE THREE HOURS AGO!" Fluttershy nervously smiled when she heard the colt yelling. It never occurred to her how familiar the voice was as it spoke in a rather odd accent she couldn't quite place. But then he came around the corner. Dressed in a white lab coat, a pair of reading glasses, and black gloves, was none other than Mr. Ghost. "WHY I HAVE HALF A MIND TO..." he continued, only to stop mid-sentence when he noticed it wasn't Pinky he was yelling at. His eyes widened only for a moment before his accent slipped back to the one he used at the gala—a high-class businessman-type accent. He narrowed his eyes and softened his anger a bit, but only a bit. "Oh, Miss. Breeze," he said with a bit of chill in his voice. "What are you now working for Sugar Cube Corner too?" Fluttershy didn't register a word he said. She was still in shock to find him here of all places. "Miss Breeze." He repeated. "What? Oh, uh, no, I'm—uh, what?" "I asked if you were working for Sugar Cube Corner since you have my order it seems," he said with a hint of a snarl as he crossed his arms. "Oh, uh, no, no, I just um..." She giggled a bit. "Pinky is a cousin of my friend; she came to lunch since she just got into Canterlot College." "Oh, and why hasn't she brought my muffins then?" he said through gritted teeth. He was very cross, but Fluttershy could tell it wasn't with her, so she felt no fear. At least not with him, which was strange. She normally hated to be near anyone so mad. But he seemed different. Something about his posture, something about the look on his face—though he was tall and intimidating, with a skull-like appearance, he also seemed like a child, a grumpy moody child. She often babysat foals in the past and would see the same type of behavior from them. It would quickly diminish after being dealt with in a proper manner. "Oh, I brought them because Pinky said her brother could help tutor me. I have a big test, and I need some help." Mr. Ghost rolled his eyes. "I am not her brother. She often depicts me as her adopted brother, but I have no such relation with her, although she insists. Persistent that one. Either way, I am far too busy to help you," he said as he walked over, grabbed the box from her hands, and quickly stormed off into the other room. "Oh, wait, please!" Fluttershy said as she followed him. "I really need a tutor; I can pay you." "I don't need the money," he said as he pulled out the tray of muffins and set them on the counter. They were in a little white lab. "Oh, but there must be something, please—I..." Mr. Ghost pulled out a muffin and took a bite. Almost immediately, the second the muffin touched his tongue, his expression and demeanor melted away into a smile like a child getting their favorite dessert. Fluttershy watched him as he took the first bite. He lost himself in the pleasure of the chocolate. She didn't know what to say as she watched him take another bite, moaning in delight. He then turned to her, realizing she was still there. He cleaned the crumbs off his face with a napkin he pulled out of his pocket before he continued the conversation. "I'm sorry, Miss Breeze," he said a lot more cheerfully. "I simply have far too much work to do." Fluttershy hid herself behind her hair as she often did and gave a slight, sad nod. "Thanks anyway," she said as he started heading out the door. "Well, I hope you like your muffins then. I mean, I could have bought you more or something." "At that, the colt spun around. Deal." "What?" she asked. "I said deal. Buy me muffins and tea and I'll tutor you. Friday nights from 7 to 9. Oh, but you'll regret making this deal with me, Miss Breeze," he said a bit slyly. "I can eat a lot of muffins." Fluttershy was a bit in shock. But the cat explained, "The boss is muffin crazy. If you waited till he finished one, he would have said yes. He's always in a bad mood when he doesn't have one in the morning." "Shut up, Capper, and get to work," Mr. Ghost brushed him off. Capper shrugged and did as his boss instructed. "Well, Miss Breeze, I'm glad it seemed this all worked out then, didn't it?" He gave a slight bow to her before he took his half-eaten muffin and got back to whatever it was that he was working on—something with a microscope. Fluttershy left more perplexed than she had arrived. Not only did she meet Pinky's non-existent brother, but the colt was not only the one she went on a date with; he was the infamous Mr. Ghost. And now it seemed she had a second date with him, practically out of nowhere. What are the odds of her running into him not just a second time, but a third time? Author's Note I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. the story really getting started now. let me know your thoughts. Chapter 10 School LifeAuthor's Note Sorry for the slow down, I've just been busy. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Chapter 10 School Life Chapter 10: School Life February 3rd, 6:00 AM ---- Twilight walked into class, annoyance and sleep deprivation showing across her face. Her eyes had bags under them, and her mane showed most of the wear and tear she had endured over the past few hours. "Wow, Twilight, you look..." "Don't say it, AJ," she replied with a grumpy yawn. "Was going to say great," AJ said with the widest nervous smile on her face, showing her lie. "Leave the kind lies to me, hun," Rarity commented. AJ scowled at her for that comment, but she had to admit she was a terrible liar. "Want to talk about it?" Fluttershy asked kindly. "Talk about what? The fact that my alarm clock didn't go off? I stayed up way too late last night working on my project, and then on my way to school, I ran into a chimera? No, Fluttershy, I really don't want to talk about it," she said sarcastically. Fluttershy only smiled, a sorry look in response. "You ran into a chimera!!!" yelled Pinkie. "Why do you think my hair looks like this?" Twilight replied. "Huh, good point. How did you escape? I mean, those meanies are so well-mean," Pinkie asked. Twilight didn't answer her, not wanting to give away the fact that she was a chimera too. She also didn't like being called a meanie just because she had been turned into a creature against her own will, nor did she like the others being called that, so she kept her mouth shut. She became very quiet as she sat and opened her book to take her mind off things. "Well, I'm glad you're not hurt. You know, you're always in a grumpy mood every time I see you." Twilight bit her tongue, trying not to respond. "You know what you need to turn that frown upside down?" Twilight ignored her. "A party! A college dorm party! I always wanted to throw my college party," Pinkie grinned. "Oh, there would be drinks and music and dancing! Oh oh, I know! Why don't we have a party tonight? We could invite everyone, even your brother. Why, I'll even invite my brother; he loves parties." Knowing who Pinkie was referring to, Fluttershy tilted her head in thought. She just couldn't see Mr. Ghost actually at a party like that. Not the Mr. Ghost she knew. Wait, did she even know Mr. Ghost? she questioned. But her thoughts were interrupted by Rarity. "Well, I think that's a wonderful idea! Let's have some fun; it might cheer you up." Rarity told Twilight as she began to fix her hair. Twilight raised her hoof to interject but soon set it back down, knowing all too well that her friend was right. A party actually sounded good to her, despite her own reasoning. Just then, the bell rang, and Dash moaned her annoyance. "This class is so boring," she muttered. "I mean, I'm going to be a pilot; why do I need literature? It was bad enough in high school." "Quiet down, class," Miss Cheerilee, their teacher, told them. "Now, class, today we have a guest speaker." "Not another one," Dash set her head down on her book, the title of which was *Daring Do*. "Actually, Dash, you're gonna like this one," smirked Rarity as she leaned over her. "I pulled a few strings." She winked. Dash grew immediately annoyed, wondering what she could mean by that. "What did you do?" she growled, only for the teacher to give Rarity an answer. "And now may I introduce one of the best-selling authors, Mrs. A.K. Yearling, author of *Daring Do*." With this news, Dash's eyes grew wide. She couldn't contain her inner fangirl as she slightly squealed in excitement. She watched as a pony walked up and stood next to Mrs. Cheerilee. "Yes, thank you, Mrs. Cheerilee. It is an honor to be here," said a dark purple, middle-aged pony wearing a brown lady's cap and a green sweater-like dress. Her eyes seemed to have a dull, tired look, worn beyond her years. "As a writer, literature is one of the most important subjects you should ever know. However, while most of it seems boring, it is the greatest fundamental aspect of a working society. Knowing how to communicate and use literature to your advantage can come in handy in your day-to-day life. I've been all over the world, long before I ever began writing my books. I also used a lot of my experiences from my journeys and spiced them up to create my story, *Daring Do*..." She spoke in such a monotone, unexcited voice, it was hard to believe this was the same person who would write a story like *Daring Do*. All except Dash, who hung on every word the author said. As the class ended, so did the lessons for that day. "I can't believe she actually came! Ohh, that was so cool!" Dash squealed. "Okay, take it down a notch, darling. If I knew you were gonna act this nuts, I would have done this sooner," Rarity giggled. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Dash tackled Rarity into a hug, catching the mare off guard. She, a bit in shock, patted her on the head. "Well, that was really, really cool! Hmm, I wonder if I could get her to come to the party. AJ, do you think I should invite A.K. Yearling to the party?" said Pinkie, a bit too quickly to understand. "Oh, oh yes! Please, let's go, let's go, let's go!" Dash grabbed Pinkie and Applejack, trying to rush them. "Hold on a minute, will ya?" Applejack pulled back and turned to Twilight. "Twi, what do you think? Do you want to go to a party tonight?" "I'll meet you there, but I have a bit of research I'd like to get done before then. Pinkie, do you think we can have the party at sunset?" she asked. "Oh, that's perfect! Gives me plenty of time to gather up the gear. See you then." "What about you, Shy? You coming?" "Sorry, I have my internship, but I will see you at the party." She nodded. "Good to me, let's go!" shouted Dash as they all went their separate ways. An hour later, Fluttershy sat at her internship. It was a quiet day, which, considering her job, was a good one. Suddenly, someone ran into the vet office with a bird. "Hello, hello!" said a familiar voice. Fluttershy raised an eyebrow as she turned her head to see who it was. A green pony with mid-red locks came into her vision. "Oh you there! Please, I got this bird, you see, and it broke a wing. Shame thing," said the pony. "Ah, Tree Hugger." The pony looked up. "Fluttershy? Is that you? Why, I haven't seen you since high school." "Yeah, it is. You left after that to go and find yourself—did you ever?" she asked. "Yeah, sorta. I found that helping people is the best way to clean up my inner consciousness. Hey, how've you been? You became a full-time singer, didn't you?" "Oh no, no, that was a childish dream. No, I'm a vet, or at least going to be. I'm actually an intern. I'm also in college." "College, huh? That's nice. Too much work if you ask me." She leaned against the table. "Umm, Tree Hugger..." "Yeah?" she replied. "The bird." "Oh yeah, yeah, mind taking a look at the wing? I found it on the ground, poor thing." Fluttershy took the bird and checked its wing. "Hmm, seems strange. My best guess is it must have flown into a window. I'll help it out." The bird tweeted its thanks to both ponies, and Fluttershy gave it a slight giggle as she bandaged it to take pressure off the wing and then set it in its own little cage. "The vet can have a look at it later. But for now, that should be alright." "Alright, then! Hey, I gotta go; I'm late for work." "Work? You got a job?" Fluttershy said, a bit surprised. "Yep! I work for a bar, believe it or not, as does Berry Punch. She's always with me. Hey, we should totally catch up sometime." "What are you doing Saturday night?" "Me? Oh, nothing much." "Perfect! You can come and hang out at the bar I work at." "A bar?" she repeated, questioning whether it would be good to go or not. "Yes! Oh, and don't come alone; bring a date. It'd be more fun that way." "A d-date? I'm not dating anyone." "Hmm, oh, that's not what your brother told me," she said, pulling out her phone and showing Fluttershy. "I totally got my sister to now date. I don't know who; she won't tell me, but I'm happy for her." She just needed the right push. "Zephyr!" Fluttershy muttered a bit angrily. "I am not dating at all; I am studying." "Well then, bring a friend anyway! I gotta go, bye!" she said, rushing out the door. Leaving Fluttershy nervously thinking about who to ask. A friend, she thought. But who? All my friends are underage except... Her face grew a bit embarrassed as she thought of Mr. Ghost. Twilight was tinkering with her time machine, her plans for the device spread out all over her bedroom. When she was finished with her wrench, she looked over some calculations she had on her computer. "Hmm, now, if I could just make enough energy to pass the speed of light, I should be able to time travel." She rested a hoof on her chin. "But the energy to do that..." She then walked over to what was left of the strange goo that mutated them all. Its energy output was close to what she needed for time travel. She only needed perhaps half a teaspoon to make it work. But she had so little of the strange material left; she couldn't risk using it. She then examined a pepper that was sitting by it. "Hmm, its DNA structure is bizarre, but it is DNA nonetheless. Strange that it gives off that kind of power," she said as she grabbed a soda. With it in her hoof, she stopped and looked at it. "Hmm, warm. I'll fix that." Her eyes went yellow, and she blasted the can with an ice spray, turning it cold again. She took a drink as she thought to herself, "What kind of creature has a goat horn and can blast ice rays and fire beams from it?" Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come on in," she called out. Dash walked in with a pep in her step. She was already dancing her way into the room, and in her hoof was a copy of *Daring Do*. "Wow, let me guess! Daring Do's author actually decided to join." "Uh-huh! We're actually gonna be partying with the writer of my favorite book! Oh oh, and look!" Dash showed her the book. She sighed as Dash cried joyfully. Twilight had never seen Dash act in such a manner; it was quite surprising, to be sure. Still, she was happy for her and put aside her antics. "So, ready for the party?" "Yes, yes, I suppose. By the way, Dash, have there been any developments in Chaos Vill?" "Nope, not one. As soon as I joined, they just had me either feeding school kids or picking up trash on the side of the road," Dash shrugged. "Oh, but there is this," Dash pulled a crumpled-up paper from her pocket. "I forgot to give it to you," she said, handing it over. Twilight took a look, unfolding it. "A street fighter tournament? But isn't that a video game?" "No, not this! This is apparently a fight club tournament; all forms of martial arts are a go. No weapons, except hand-to-hand combat. That Smolder girl said it's Chaos Vill's biggest fundraiser every year. And this year, they're planning to make it their biggest one yet." As Twilight looked at it, she was reminded of their conversation that night nearly a month ago after going to that bar. Here’s your text with spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections made while preserving your original writing style: "Any more clues about him?" asked Rarity. "No, both I and Twilight exhausted every resource on him," Shining said. He then pulled out the card the doctor gave him at the bar. "There's no sign of his existence." He threw the card on the table. It fell on its back. "The Chaos King is like a phantom. A ghost. There's no way to catch it." "Umm, guys, remember that thing about the creature with horns and antlers?" "Yeah, Rare, why?" "Well, I think you weren't far off after all," she said, pointing at the card. They looked and saw she was right. On the back of the card was some type of art—an abstract depiction of a creature with horns and antlers and the body of what looked to be a snake. It had wings and was surrounded by other creatures, looking as if it were a predator out to get its prey. "Wow, how did I miss that?" asked Shining. "No idea, but the thing is, you were probably talking to the lower tier," Rarity repeated. "The what?" asked Shining. "Oh, come now! Everyone knows that if you really want to know what's going on in a company, you never ask the receptionist. You go for the higher-ups. Hmm, it seems like that little organization is a lot bigger if it's involved with all of this. Well, we need to infiltrate its ranks." Rarity smiled. "Find out who the higher-up is, get close to them, and perhaps find the boss himself." Everyone stood there a bit agape. The fact that Rarity, of all people, knew any of this was a shock to the system. "What? I am the daughter of one of the richest people in town, ya know! I'm not just some airhead," she argued back. "Okay, but how are we going to infiltrate?" Spike asked. "Well, it can't be me or Shining; they saw us," Twilight replied. "I'm not getting involved; I'm too recognizable," said Rarity, who flipped her hair back. "Well, I look too inconspicuous; it can't be me," AJ shrugged. They all then turned to Dash, who was just fixing her fake muzzle, making her look like a pony again. "Me? A super spy? I like the idea of that; I'm in!" "Okay, but Dash, you've got to be careful. If this really is connected to the Chaos King..." "Yeah, yeah, I know. Look, I'll wait a few more days, then I'll go sign up. I'll try to figure out some of the ranks and report back what I know. If I don't find anything in a month or two, I'll pull out, okay?" "Sounds like a plan if I ever heard one," AJ smirked. They all nodded. "A plan at the time, perhaps, but since then, the trails have run cold," Twilight muttered to herself before looking at the date. "May tenth... it's in a few months, huh? That's convenient," she said sarcastically before placing the paper down on her desk. "Okay, let's get going to the party then." Dash squealed as she headed out, making Twilight smile and shake her head. The party was quite packed. Ponies, cats, dogs, and lizards all partied as Pinkie controlled the DJ setup with her friend, Pon-3. "Come on, Twilight! You've got to learn how to have fun!" Pinkie called out into the crowd before pulling her onto the mini dance floor they had made by moving a table out of the way. "Um, you know I'm actually a terrible dancer?" she said nervously. "Ahh, it doesn't matter! As long as you're having fun. Now just do what I do." Pinkie began tapping her toe. Twilight copied. Pinky then spun around and landed with her hooves on her hips. Twilight did so, a bit clumsily. "There! You got it!" she said, nodding her head. Dash then slid across the floor and punched the air. Pinkie followed Dash's moves as Twilight tried to copy. "Alright, you're getting better, Twilight," Dash encouraged. "No, I'm not, but thank you," she laughed. "No, but I'm gonna go hang with A.K. Yearling. You coming, Rarity?" "Right behind you, darling," she flipped her hair before leaving Twilight to dance with Pinkie. Fluttershy happily followed. A.K. Yearling was talking to a few others but stopped when she noticed the two young mares walking up to her. "Mrs. Yearling, thank you again for coming and signing our book," Rarity claimed. "Yeah, how did you ever come up with these awesome stories, anyway?" asked Dash. "Oh, well, you see, they are based off my personal life, though a bit overdramatic at moments. I'm not exactly an adventurer on the tips of saving the world," she chuckled. "Right, right." Fluttershy sighed, noticing how strange she acted when she said that. A.K. Yearling seemed to have a bored, faraway look on her face. Something about it—why, it almost reminded her of Mr. Ghost. Then again, everything reminded her of Mr. Ghost for the time being. She simply couldn't get him out of her head. Perhaps it was just because she agreed to ask him to go drinking with her and some old friends. "Well, I think I'm going to sit down for a moment, excuse me," she gave a friendly nod before leaving the little group. As she left, she heard Rarity asking something about romance in her stories. She sat down as she looked at her computer, searching all she could on the colt. What she found wasn't much—just a few rumors that had no evidence and some business records involving him. But other than the average sighting, he was, as his name implies, a ghost. Fluttershy shrugged; he was a private colt after all, and a lord at that. Still, she found a new article—new to her, for it was actually an old one from over a decade ago. Still, she decided to give it a read and see what she could find. "Young Equestrian soldier being promoted by the queen herself," said the headline. The war of today is a hard one. In these troubled times, it is good to know that there are still heroes willing to fight for our safety and well-being against the threat of the dragons. Fluttershy shook her head at that statement. Lizards were considered terrifying beasts back then, and she wanted to hear nothing of the sort. One of her own friends was a lizard, after all. Mr. Ghost, age unknown, first name unannounced, is being presented with our most esteemed honor for his bravery. He single-handedly infiltrated an enemy's base and took out the top general of the Feline Armada. We hope that with this turn of events, the war will soon come to a close. But with the fight against the dragons and the civil war in Abyssinia, who knows when this battle might finally come to an end? While he refused to give an interview, sources say he looks to be barely 19. He is now going to stand at the ranks of a three-star general, making him the youngest in existence, appointed to the position by none other than freedom fighter and future feline ruler Baast herself. The question is, is there anything going on between the two of them? Many folk believe the only reason why he's being presented with such an honor by Queen Amber and Baast is because he's dating one of them or both. When asked for a comment on the subject, the crown herself rejected the notion, but rumors are still circulating. And what of the rumors that he flirts with the princesses' sisters? We asked General Luna, Princess's own word, and she had this to say: "Preposterous! Mr. Ghost is a kind gentleman, not some ladies' man. None of this stupidity should take away from his achievements in battle, and I, as does my sister, thank him for his service to our country—nothing more." We tried to ask her for any details on her past with the fellow in question but got no answer. Is Mr. Ghost now Lord Ghost truly a hero of the day, or a wolf in sheep's clothing? All this reporter will have to say is thank you, Mr. Ghost, and congratulations on the promotion. Reading the article made Fluttershy feel both furious at the very thought of him being a scandal. Still, the article was more gossip than fact and only had one photo of a young colt in a three-star general uniform being knighted by Queen Amber. Even when young, he seemed to look less handsome and more like a skeleton. Malnourished, perhaps. Not only did he have the strange fang-like tooth, but he seemed to almost look like a skull, even back then. Still, there was something about him—something that made him seem interesting, at the very least. And to be granted such a powerful role at such a young age was nearly incredible. "Hey, Fluttershy, stop pulling a Twilight and get your flank here, ya hear?" Applejack called to her. She put the laptop aside and pushed the thought of Mr. Ghost to the back of her mind. Tonight was supposed to be a chance to relax and have some fun, and right now, that's exactly what she needed. "Sorry, sorry, I had some schoolwork to finish," she lied and danced around a bit as she came close to the window. Across the street, watching the party through a pair of goggles, was none other than the twins. "We can't just stalk them," her brother said as his sister watched through the binoculars. She put them down and shrugged. "Why not? They are our key to finding him," Mel said to her brother. "Do you even hear yourself?" he replied, typing something on his computer. "We don't even know when they meet. For all we know, she may not have met him yet, and it might take a while before they do. We have to find him now." "Oh, now you're taking this seriously," she rolled her eyes. "I've always been taking this seriously," he argued. "Says the guy whining about chocolate chip pancakes," she muttered before looking through her binoculars again, much to his frustration. "So your plan is to just follow her and see every guy she meets?" "Yep," she replied as if it were obvious. He sighed in annoyance. "According to our aunt, Dad was a chimera who was already researching a cure for the disease in a lab facility called Loco Labs that blew up. May eleventh, we have to find him and the lab before then, and we're running out of time. But I can't find anything on that lab, not in Aunt's files nor on the web." He shook his head. "None of this adds up." He sighed and lay sprawled out on the rooftop. "Well, you're the brains of the operation. Figure it out," his sister told him before getting up and leaving. "Where are you going?" he lifted his head. "To get something to eat. Don't worry, I'll bring you back something," she said nonchalantly, walking down the fire escape of the building. His only response was an annoyed grunt. Chapter 11 A Vilian, A Hero, Or A PonySomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.chapter 12 Drunk LeadsFebruary 8th, 7:59 PM ---- Twilight stood at her counter, staring into the microscope. What she was viewing was a bright white scale sample from Rarity. "Hmm, strange," she thought to herself, moving her head to a book of different fish scales. "Though she does resemble a fish with her tail and fins, her scales don't look like that of any fish at all," Twilight said in her mind. She quickly moved from one book to another. This book had lizard scales of all sorts. But as she flipped through the pages, not one matched. She then looked over to her friend's samples. "AJ's lion hair resembled less lion hair and more like proto-feathers. Her claws, however, looked like lion claws and could be retracted like ones, but they were the wrong shape; feline claws were curved, these were flat and sharp, more like a talon from a bird. Speaking of birds, on closer inspection, Dash's beak didn't resemble that of an eagle, but like a griffin's, according to mythology books. Yet it also didn't match any known bird beaks and resembled that of a reptile's beak." Twilight scratched her head before she looked over at the table where her brothers had fallen asleep playing their board game. She smiled as she grabbed some blankets from the couch and covered them gently while the sounds of them sleeping filled the room. She glanced at the clock; it was nearly 8:00. Not exactly a late hour, but she couldn't help but feel tired herself after all the work she had done. She then wondered when Fluttershy would get home as she set a hoof to her chin and grabbed a carrot out of the kitchen. She handed it to a very annoyed little bunny in its cage and then proceeded to feed the rest of Fluttershy's animals. As for Fluttershy, she stood in a dark green and black dress, nothing too fancy since she was going out for drinks and nothing more. She hoped to get a dance out of the evening with Mr. Ghost at the very least; it's been so long since he held her in such a manner. She remembered the way he held her at the gala, as if she were glass, as if she was the most important thing at that moment. With any luck, he would ask her and not the other way around. Even so, if she did ask him to dance, would it be so bad? Her mind pondered such questions as she was sitting in a car driven by Tree Hugger. The question was, was she already drunk? The way she drove didn't ease any of Fluttershy's nerves that evening. "So, you say you invited a friend, huh? What's her name, anyway? I can't wait to meet her," Tree Hugger asked. "Um, his name is..." "No way. Our old friend got herself a boyfriend, eh?" said Landy, Tree Hugger's roommate. She was also friends with Fluttershy back in the day. "No, no, it's not like that. He's just my tutor, and he's really nice, so I thought..." "Oh lighten up; I'm just teasing," snickered Landy. "If you really want to lighten up, I know one or two good drinks to get ya." She winked. "Fluttershy doesn't really drink like us. I told her it will just be a cool night," said Tree Hugger with a slow and smooth grin. "Yes, of course." She smiled nervously as they pulled up to the Dragon Pony Bar. As she waited in line, she remembered the conversation she had when she asked him out and couldn't help but feel nervous as the thought of him coming here tonight crossed her mind. Little did Fluttershy know that Dash stood inside of the bar in the back, drying dishes, alongside her cleaning them was none other than Dr. Sunburst, the very same doctor who implanted Shining's eye. He looked over with a smile and noticed her stiff posture. "Hey, you alright?" he asked in a friendly tone, making her twitch a bit. "Huh? Oh yeah, yeah, um." She thought of an excuse quickly. "It's just I'm underage; what if a cop comes in?" "You're not drinking; you're working, so don't worry about it," Sunburst assured her and got back to work. Dash nodded and turned her attention back to the cup she was drying, all the while cursing herself. "Stupid, stupid, get a hold of yourself," she thought. "Play it cool, just play it cool," she told herself. The truth is she hated it here. She was scared and nervous whenever she had to do anything involving Chaosville. But she couldn't let her friends know. No, she had to play it cool. This was important. Any intel, even the slightest bit, could help them figure out who the Chaos King was and where he was, what his plans were, and maybe even how to stop him once and for all. She had to put aside her fears and get the job done no matter what. So she loosened her posture a bit and put on a cool smile before turning her attention back to the doctor next to her. "So, how long have you worked here anyway?" she asked, trying to play it cool. "Oh, let's see, hmm, the last decade or so. I used to be a high-class doctor, and I wanted to help anyone I could, but..." he shrugged and then sighed. "Not everyone can afford to go to a doctor when they need to." His tone shifted to one of pity. "I saw how many here in the south needed my help, so I opened my office here, much to the dismay of my peers." He lowered his eyebrows. "Those stuck-up doctors, they all say they want to help people, but then don't help unless you have a bundle of cash in your wallet." He shook his head. "I knew I wasn't going to make much opening an office in a city like this. But I didn't care; I just wanted to help people, and then I learned about Chaosville. I joined almost immediately and even made their websites for them." He smiled. "And what's also nice is that some of their funds go to me to keep my office open so that I can help anyone, despite how much money they have." His story surprised Dash. She honestly didn't know what to say, and it showed in her expression as she looked away and found a framed newspaper article hanging on the wall. Dash dried her hands and took a look at it. Her eyes widened at the information as she read it. Gang crimes at an all-time low, the headline read. Gang wars over territory have now diminished, with several gangs taken out completely, according to cops. Sources say that those who were arrested said only one man did it. And this isn't the first time he's done it. The man in question, a bartender who owns the shop, has no response. There was a photo of at least fifty gang members knocked out cold on the side of the road from several different gangs. In the background, you could make out the bar, though it didn't have the Dragon Pony sign yet. Must have been an early photo before that sign was put up. Dash bit her lip as she tried to think about that, only for Sunburst to interrupt her thoughts. "Now I'll deal with the rest of these. Do me a favor and go and deliver these drinks," he gestured to a tray of orders. "We're understaffed tonight, and it's a popular night, so put on your best friendly face for the customers," he chuckled gleefully. Dash did as instructed, not wanting to give anything away that she was thinking. She picked up the tray and headed out as she read which tables they belonged to. "Table seven, ten, and twelve." She shrugged and headed back to table twelve, delivering mugs full of beer to two questionable-looking creatures. "Thank you," smirked the tall, slender cat with a sly smile and a rather smooth voice. His partner, a dirty-looking brown pony, grumbled a response but didn't say anything. Dash didn't care and barely paid attention as she continued their conversation before she got there. "Here's to a deal well made, Caballeron," the cat held his mug up. "It's a rather expensive request, Capper. Not gonna be cheap," Caballeron smiled. "Hey, since when does my boss never pay up?" Capper's smile only grew. Caballeron smiled back, matching his sly grin. "I'm just making sure I'm not getting swindled." "You're not," the cat eased him, much to Caballeron's amusement. "Well, here's to the boss." He held up his mug. "Here's to the boss," Capper joined in the toast. As for Dash, she moved swiftly to her next table, delivering drinks to Smolder and some of her friends before heading to table twelve. She faked her best smile and walked to the furthest back table. There sat a pony reading a newspaper. "Here, ma'am, your dri—" Dash nearly spilled the customer's martini as she realized who she was standing in front of. "Oh, hello again. I didn't know you worked here," said A.K. Yearling in a dull voice as she lowered her paper and took her drink. "A.K. Yearling," Dash nearly squealed but coughed and tried to play it cool. "Uh, what are you doing here?" "Oh, just getting a drink while I'm in town," she said, never changing her gaze from the two at table seven. The two seemed to get along just fine as they chatted. "So why are you working here? You're not drinking, are you?" She raised her eyebrows. "Me? Oh, no, no. I'm a good girl." Dash wanted to hit herself in the face. "I'm a good girl, really, so uncool," she scolded herself but continued. "You see, I joined a group of charity..." "Of charity? Really, Dash, can you even speak right?" she argued with herself. "It's called Chaosville, and they actually own this bar. All funds from it go to mostly charity around the city. We're understaffed tonight, so I'm helping out," she smiled, sounding a bit like Pinkie. "Chaosville, eh? Strange name," Yearling replied in her usual dull tone. "Oh, I suppose. Anyway, enjoy your drink. I'll just, uh, get back to work." She smiled nervously and tried to leave before she made more of a fool of herself. "Wait," A.K. called out, stopping Dash in her tracks. "Would you like to read a little bit of my next book? I would like a fan's opinion on it." "Would I?" Dash turned on her heel with the biggest smile on her face. "Uh, uh, I mean," she coughed and then played it cool. "Sure." A.K. Yearling chuckled at her enthusiasm before downing her martini in one gulp and began her way out of the building. Dash followed her, so internally excited that she didn't even realize she walked right past Fluttershy standing in line. Nor did Fluttershy see her due to her head being in the clouds, dreaming about the possibility of dancing with Mr. Ghost once again; only for her thoughts to drift away with the familiar sound of his bike. To her surprise, he was nicely dressed in a dark green hat and suit, matching hers in complete coincidence. But he wasn't so dressed up that he looked out of place for the night. Fluttershy watched as he quickly caught up to her and her friends, a soft smile on her face the entire time. His height intimidated everyone but Fluttershy, who was used to it. "You made it!" she called out, catching his attention as she stretched out her hoof. He didn't take it; instead, he straightened his jacket, much to her disliking. "Yes, well, I said I would meet you at 8, did I not? Unfortunately, I'm five minutes," he checked his watch, "and twenty-four seconds late due to work. My apologies, Mrs. Breeze." "It's fine; we haven't made it in yet." She then turned to her friends. "Tree Hugger, Landy, this is Mr. Ghost. Mr. Ghost, these are my old high school buddies from back in Cloudsdale." Mr. Ghost gave them a nod and a friendly smile, yet somehow it came off a bit off to look at. "Well, why are we all standing here? Let's go in." "But we're in line. You can't just cut in line," Fluttershy told him, a bit confused. "As the owner of the pub, I sure can," he smirked. "What?!" The three girls shouted in unison. Mr. Ghost chuckled before bypassing the short line. The three followed him, still in shock. Most were unhappy at first, but as soon as they recognized him, they all gasped and parted ways to let him through. "Boss, we, uh, we weren't expecting you," said a dog with a bit of sweat dripping off him. "No need to worry; I was invited," he chuckled. "Invited to my own bar by a friend. I had to come just to see the look on her face." He laughed more. Mr. Ghost clapped his hooves, and those in the crowd held the door for him and the three ladies who followed. The bar itself was what you would expect from a bar: a dance floor of some sort, pool tables, and, well, a large bar that took up the entire back wall from the entrance. He went to the bartender first. "Uh, sir, what are you doing here?" asked Sunburst in a stutter. "Take it easy, Mr. Burst; I'm only here to have a few drinks and relax tonight." He said, taking a shot of something random. "However, since I am here, I say get next round on me." He said with a smirk. The bar was packed with ponies, lizards, cats, and dogs. Some were bikers and some weren't. Most of them were just there for a drink. But as soon as they heard Mr. Ghost offer, the crowd all cheered in one go, making Fluttershy jump a bit. Mr. Ghost took another shot of something before turning to his guests. "Well, let's grab a table!" He clapped his hooves, and some tables in the back cleared out for him and the ladies. It was a rather large booth. In the back of the room sat Mr. Capper and Caballeron, both of which were surprised to see Mr. Ghost out for once. "Heh, well, I'll be darned," Capper smirked as he watched the boss along with the ladies. "What's he doing here?" grumbled the pony next to Capper. "No idea," the cat smirked. "Wow, I should have come here with you more often," Landy laughed as she sat down next to Tree Hugger. Fluttershy got in the booth, followed by Mr. Ghost, who set his arms out on the back of the booth like he owned the place, and for good reason; he did. Fluttershy couldn't believe it; she knew he was a drinker, but to actually own an entire bar? She knew he was a banker, but the way he always held himself made it seem like he'd never be involved with such things. Yet again, it was clear it was all an act. Even now, with the way he sat with such a laid-back posture, it all seemed as though he were acting. Some of the waitresses came to their table, much to Fluttershy's distaste; they asked him in a quietly flirty manner, "Can we get you anything, boss?" Despite their tone, Mr. Ghost shrugged and gestured with his hoof to those around him at the table. "Whatever they want," he answered back as he took off his shades, revealing his ruby eyes. "So, Mrs. Breeze, what will it be?" "Oh, I, uh, I don't drink," Fluttershy replied. "Oh, come on, Flutters! I know what to get you; it'll put you right in the mood. Just a little root beer float, except with real beer," Landy laughed as the waitress wrote it down. "In fact, make that three." "Okay, and you, boss," the waitress smiled somewhat seductively. "I'll take a few more shots. Thanks; hell, just bring the bottle," Mr. Ghost said before another voice came over the crowd. "Haha, well, isn't this quite the surprise, if it isn't the infamous Mr. Ghost," said a shady-looking gray pony with a yellow shirt and a beer in hoof. The same pony who sat with Capper a moment ago. "Ah, Mr. Caballeron… always a pleasure," smirked Mr. Ghost, but the smile said anything but friendly. As Fluttershy watched this exchange, she got the odd feeling she shouldn't be there at all. Caballeron sat down across from them. "Yes, of course! What are you doing here, sir? This isn't about our trades now, is it?" he asked a bit slyly. "Carefully, Caballeron; I didn't invite you to sit down," Mr. Ghost's grin shifted to one of annoyance, his eyes narrowing. "I am here for a night out, nothing more." Caballeron smiled, but despite it, at that very moment, it seemed as if all the confidence in the rough-looking pony's face melted away as he quickly got to his feet. "Yes, yes of course. So my mistake." To anyone else, it would seem like he only meant about their trades, but to Fluttershy, she got the feeling that he was talking about something else with that apology. "Oh, hey, I know: since you're here, why don't we hear you sing something? I haven't heard you in so long." "Sing a song, sing a song," chanted the crowd. Mr. Ghost snickered. "You sing?" asked Fluttershy. "I dabble. I'm not very good at it. I'm better at playing music than singing." "Oh, now you have to do it." "Be among the mighty, the world at our command," sang Capper from the back of the room. His boss instantly recognized his voice and shot him a dirty look, a look that, if it were given to anyone else, would make them quiver in fear, yet Capper only chuckled slyly at it. "Come on, boss! Have some fun!" he encouraged. "Fine, so long as it's anything but that," he pointed at the cat. With another gulp of liquor down his system, he mentally cursed his subordinate. "Why of all nights is he here?" he grumbled as he headed to the piano. "So, anyone here have a suggestion? One that isn't a curse," he narrowed his eyes at Capper in particular, who only shrugged in response. "Oh, I know, I know!" Landy said with an evil grin. "Fluttershy, you've got to get up there and sing with him." Fluttershy's eyes widened at that. "Me? Uh, no, no, I don't think so." "Duet, duet, duet!" chanted the crowd. Fluttershy sighed in defeat and then grabbed someone's beer, drinking half of the glass from a waitress's plate. She just wanted enough in her system so she could get past her stage fright. She got up on stage as a blue feline handed her a mic. Mr. Ghost only rolled his eyes. "Any song you'd like to sing, then?" he asked as if he was already tired. "No, not really," she answered. Mr. Ghost played with the keys a bit, but then an idea struck his face. Fluttershy tilted her head, waiting for his response. "I got it!" he laughed. "Oh, everyone knows this one." He chuckled. "Tell me, folks: you want a show tonight?" He asked the crowd, who only responded with cheers. Mr. Ghost began playing the piano. It took a second for everyone to catch on to what he was playing, but soon the crowd began clapping to the beat, knowing the song all too well. Fluttershy put a hoof to her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter. She didn't know if it was the alcohol in her system or if she was just comfortable with him, but she already knew what to do. "We're no strangers to love You know the rules and so do I A full commitment's what I'm thinking of You wouldn't get this from any other guy" Mr. Ghost sang a bit smoothly, making Fluttershy gasp at the depth of his voice, but knowing the song all too well herself, she joined in. I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling Gotta make you understand Mr. Ghost chuckled as he sang the next line. We've known each other for so long Your heart's been aching, but you're too shy to say it "That'll do," shouted Capper. Mr. Ghost's disapproving look never wavered for Capper, who could only do so much to stifle his own laughter. I'm in so much trouble later, he mentally noted as he gestured for his boss to start singing. "Inside, we both know what's been going on" "We know the game and we're gonna play it" The entire bar joined in; you could even hear the song outside. "Never gonna give you up Never gonna let you down Never gonna run around and desert you Never gonna make you cry Never gonna say goodbye Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you Never gonna give you up Never gonna let you down Never gonna run around and desert you Never gonna make you cry Never gonna say goodbye Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you" Thank you for clarifying your preference regarding the wording! I understand that you want to keep your original phrasing and style intact. In that case, I'll focus on making corrections without altering your expressed voice or combining sentences. Here's the revised approach based on your feedback, maintaining your wording while correcting spelling, grammar, punctuation, and clarity: Dash followed her hero to her car; it was the furthest car in the parking lot, and it sat in a rather dark shadow. She stopped just a foot away as A.K. Yearling opened the back seat, supposedly to get her computer. "So what's the next adventure? Are we going to finally face off the ancient mummy who was actually a long-lived alien from space or what?" Dash asked a bit over-excited. "Oh yeah, about that, you see..." A.K. Yearling backed up a bit and stretched out her back. To Dash's surprise, she was just a bit taller than her slumped old body gave her credit for. But she thought nothing of it until it was too late. As Dash became distracted by the sound coming from inside the bar, she asked, "Huh, what's going on in—" In an instant, Yearling jumped and spun mid-air, her back heel kicking Dash in the back of her head. She fell to the ground hard, unconscious, as A.K. Yearling landed. "You're kinda my next story," she smirked and took off her hat, revealing her long hot pinkish-reddish spiked hair. She had a scar just across her right eye and an evil grin in her dark green opal eyes. Finding her voice, Fluttershy sang the next line more confidently with every word, starting to get into the groove. "We've known each other for so long Your heart's been aching, but you're too shy to say it." Mr. Ghost got up, and to her surprise, spun her around as he wanted the next line. "Inside, we both know what's been going on. We know the game, and we’re gonna play it. I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling." "Gotta make you understand." Fluttershy said as she lost herself enjoying the dance, while the crowd continued the song, dancing along and snapping their fingers or clapping their hooves. "Never gonna give you up Never gonna let you down Never gonna run around and desert you Never gonna make you cry Never gonna say goodbye Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you Never gonna give you up Never gonna let you down Never gonna run around and desert you Never gonna make you cry Never gonna say goodbye Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you Never gonna give you up Never gonna let you down Never gonna run around and desert you Never gonna make you cry Never gonna say goodbye Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you." Mr. Ghost ended the song by spinning her around and catching her in a half dip. The two stood a bit out of breath, both smiling at each other for a moment as the crowd cheered and clapped. Mr. Ghost was the first to undo their stance and take a seat, but not before he nodded his approval to her singing skills. The two sat and had a few more drinks, listening to the crowd sing a few different songs, only to soon begin to tire out and want to end the night. "Welp, I have work in the morning," said Landy. "Come on, Treehugger." Treehugger didn't argue. She only looked at Fluttershy, who was currently eyeing Mr. Ghost in a drunken happy daze. "Hey, you don't mind if we head out? Maybe your friend can give you a ride," Treehugger said, tipsy herself. Fluttershy nodded as she asked, "You don't mind giving me a ride, do you?" Mr. Ghost only shrugged as he stood up. Fluttershy was in a happy daze, all that alcohol in her system as she walked out of the bar loopy. She didn't have much to drink, but it was clear she overdid it. As they walked out of the bar and parted ways with her friends, Mr. Ghost offered to take her home instead, worried about what she would do on her own in this side of town, like this. Though he had four times what she had and a lot heavier of drinks, he wasn't the least bit drunk by the looks of it. "Come on, let's get you back to where you belong." He told her with a smile as he watched the drunken mare dance around. "What? Oh come on, the night is young! Let's have some fun." She said as she began to shake around, dancing. "No, it's time to go." He muttered angrily, not liking the sound of himself. Since when was he the party pooper? "Oh come on, just dance with me a little," she spun around before humming "Never Gonna Give You Up." A bit annoyed, he spun around with her once, but only to get her closer to the bike. "There, we danced; now come on," he retorted as he sat her onto his bike. "Oh fine, fine! I like your bike anyway. At least it's better than you." What she said made no sense at all, but he just shook his head. "Why did I agree to this?" he cursed himself. "Bike rides can be so much fun," she cheered excitedly as she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Don't you think?" she asked, a bit flirty. "Oh, I know! Can we take the scenic route? I don't want it to be a short trip." "A scenic route?" His nose scrunched angrily. She pouted at the anger in his voice; the look on her face nearly made the tall pony laugh. She was rather nice-looking in her dress, and he caught himself as his gaze drifted down her body, only to snap out of it with her next plea. "Please, I don't want the night to end just yet," she whined as if she was a little filly. Seeing a full-grown and beautiful mare beg him nearly broke his composure. "A scenic route, eh?" said a sly voice. Discord growled as he turned around and saw his subordinate. "The mountain road is quite scenic, actually." He grinned. She gasped, "Oh, a mountain ride, yes, yes, yes! Can we please?" she begged, nearly falling off the bike, tipsy. Discord growled in his frustration, only making the cat smile widen. He turned to her with a groan. "If I do, will you promise to behave?" he said a bit nervously. "Mhmm, oh I promise. I promise to behave," she replied, drunk, coming off somewhat seductive. Mr. Ghost cursed himself for his own choice of words but knew it was the best way to shut her up. Capper chuckled at the scene before him. Mr. Ghost turned back, "You have a job to do, and I want it done tonight," he growled. "On my way now, I was just having a drink with Caballeron when I saw you, that's all." He held up his paws. Mr. Ghost rolled his eyes and got on the back of his bike, starting up the engine. He rode off, leaving Capper in a pile of dust, but Capper's expression never changed despite the dirt in the air. He simply put on a pair of glasses and said, "Well, time to get to work." Once Mr. Ghost was as far away from him as he couldn't see him, he let his expression soften before a new thought crossed his mind. "Hmm, I haven't been there in a while," he mumbled to himself. Author's Note RICK ROLL!!! 🤣🤣🤣 https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ?si=7FiC_bO4ISKVsVoC Hope you guys don't mind and you enjoyed the chapter. Chapter 13 The Game BeginsAuthor's Note I have finally got 400 views I would like to thank everyone who gave it a chance at the very least, for reading my work Chapter 13 The Game Begins Chapter 13: The Game Begins February 8th, 11:00 PM ---- As they drove through the streets of the town, Fluttershy marveled at the shiny lights and laughed the night away without a care in the world about where they were going. He drove her to the edge of the city and up a rather dark hill. She watched as the lights around her shined like the sky above her, humming 'Infamous Rara' as she nuzzled into him. She never even noticed how the lights of the city began to lower and lower until she was right above them. "Wow, it's like an ocean of stars," she told him happily. As for Mr. Ghost, his eyes flickered between the road and the pony in his rearview mirror, adjusting it slightly to get a better look at her for a moment before continuing on his path. Suddenly, the bike came to a halt as he switched off the engine. "Why'd we stop?" she pouted. "I was having fun." "Yes, but I thought you might enjoy this next spot, huh?" He wiggled an eyebrow and got off the bike, taking her arm. They stopped on the side of the road on a tall mountain. A little fence there to keep the cars on the road stopped the bike from going any further, but he stepped over that and onto the grass, guiding her along. She still had her pouty face and whined, "But I want to keep riding." "And we will, we will. I just thought you might want to see this." He said and gestured to the cliff. On it was a beautiful old willow-like tree that swayed in the wind. She smiled and gasped as she got to the edge. Below her was the city. It shined and looked so pretty, yet it looked so small. The cars looked like ants from this height. Normally she would be afraid of such a height, but being drunk, she had no fear at all. He chuckled as he watched her marvel at the sight below. "The city looks great, but what about the skies above?" he whispered towards her. She looked up, and there they were, just far enough away from the city lights to see the stars. Not too many, but enough to enjoy. There were a few clouds, even some below them, but otherwise it was quite clear. If anything, it looked like a painting, the city below under the stars as she stood on top of the cliffside of a mountain. "Oh Ghosty, this is amazing." "Ghosty?" He questioned in his head, but let it go, instantly knowing she was drunk. "How did you ever find this place?" she asked. "As a kid, mostly. I don't come here too often anymore, but..." He looked out at the scenery. "I used to come to this very edge and stare out into the skies above," he sighed a bit sadly. "It was so nice and I..." He let out a breath of air. "I just feel free when I'm here. And this tree," he said as if he was reminiscing, "this tree I like to think of as my thinking tree," he placed a hoof on its bark. "I come here only when I have an issue I'm trying to solve. Which back then was every day," he said with a faraway look. She looked over to the side away from the city and noticed a dense forest. "That's Everfree," he told her, noticing her gaze. "I've been there once or twice; it actually does have a little town in the middle of the forest. Otherwise, this road is the cut-off. You turn left, you head to Cloudsdale; you turn right, you come here. Just above us," he pointed at the cave up the mountain, "used to be a mining tunnel. My bar is at the foot of this hill, actually. We're just on the other side of it is all." She nodded at his words, mesmerized by the sight of it all. Dash slowly came to her senses as she heard tapping in the background. When she finally opened her eyes, she found herself tied to a chair. She found herself in a dark interrogation room, the kind a spy would use in a TV show. Only this wasn't a TV show; this was her real life, and she slowly began to panic as she heard a familiar voice call to her, but now it sent shivers down her spine. "Well, well, well, look who's finally awake," said a familiar voice. Her eyes shot wide as she looked upon the figure in the dark. She turned on a light, and it slightly blinded Dash for a moment. "A.K. Yearling?" Dash questioned. "You're one of his workers," A.K. Yearling growled before lunging at Dash, tilting her chair back. "So tell me, Colors, what do you know of the Chaos King?" "The... the Chaos King?" she asked nervously. "Your boss!" A.K. Yearling yelled. "No, no, I don't know anything, I swear." She sputtered frantically. A.K. Yearling was about to stomp on Dash's head, but Dash harnessed her chimera powers. Her boots and fake hooves fell off, revealing her claws. She shot wings through her shirt and used her agility to catch her attacker off guard. Her face quickly grew colorful feathers as her muzzle fell off, revealing her beak. A.K. Yearling was taken by surprise but quickly gained the upper hand by swiping the chimera off her feet with a kick, tripping her over. She then pulled out her own gun and pointed it at the creature's head. "Wait, wait! Let me explain! I am Zap, one of the heroes capturing mutants." A.K. Yearling nodded, "I know of you. So, are the heroes working for the Chaos King then?" "No, no! We're trying to stop him! I was undercover; I didn't know those were weapons. Had I known, I would have stopped them. My friends and I were mutated by the Chaos King, and we're trying to capture him. We just don't know who he is. Honest!" she said, a bit panicked. A.K. Yearling narrowed her eyes; she was so close to pulling the trigger when a voice called out. "Lower your weapon, Agent Tempest." Dash's eyes widened once again. "I know that voice," she said as a familiar pony stepped into the light. "I know this one personally; she is a friend of my daughter," said the white pony in a grey business suit. "Mr. Shine?" Dash asked worriedly. "Thunder King, I had this under control," Tempest announced. "Oh sure you did, and that's why you were about to shoot her." Mr. Shine narrowed his eyes at her, but then put on a friendly smile, the same friendly smile he used when they met at the gala, though he didn't say much then. "Dash Rainbow, my apologies for my subordinate's mistreatment of you. But you see, this is a national security issue." He walked over to Dash and held out his hoof. Dash looked at it and then back to him as the feathers on her back stood on all ends. After a moment of not taking his hand, Mr. Shine lowered it as he spoke again. "Yes, well, it seems we have found ourselves in quite a dilemma. The Chaos King is a serious threat to the..." "I know! That's why my friends and I want to stop him. After all, it was him who mutated us." "You and your friends," he said as sternly as possible. "Tell me the truth, Mrs. Rainbow." His voice deepened a notch to show how serious his tone was. "Is my daughter also a chimera?" Dash's eyes widened a bit more, though at this point her eyes couldn't get much bigger. She was in quite the shock, but she knew she had to come clean here. She lowered her head solemnly, closing her eyes. With her expression, Mr. Shine already knew the truth. "I see," he said with a trembling voice full of pain. "One thing I wanted more than anything was to keep my daughter..." He trailed off as he winced. Dash wished she was lying as she watched the director, but he quickly gained his friendly composure with his next words. "You're working undercover, is that right? Trying to infiltrate their ranks?" Dash nodded to confirm it. "Alright, you were there the night of the gala. Did he have you perhaps look at a computer or something?" "I wasn't working for him at the time. We just went there to have some fun," Dash shrugged, trying to ease the tension in the room. "The night of the gala, we had a security breach; data showing the locations of our bases were copied and downloaded by the Chaos King. How, I am not sure," Mr. Shine stepped past Dash with his arms behind his back. "The Chaos King is planning something, something that could put this whole city, if not the world, in jeopardy. The question is, what?" January 18 ---- 9:05 "Sigh. It's begun," said Junior as he looked at his sister. "Our mission isn't to stop the outbreak; it's to stop him," she reminded her brother. Snow then began to fall, and the two of them looked up at the dark grey skies. The two, as always, sat on the back of their motorcycle. "I hope Aunty was right about all this," he said with a tired voice, as if he aged a hundred years right then and there. "Did you find Sugar Cube Corner yet?" she asked. Still looking up at the snow, he handed her a piece of paper. "Here's the address." She took it, scanning it with her eyes. "Hopefully, we can get there before it's too late," she said as she revved up the engine and took off. Celestia walked up onto the stage in front of her town hall. Cameras flashed, and the reporters lifted their mics and recorders, all excited to hear what she would have to say. She gave a smile as she always did but wasted no time getting into the nitty-gritty of the situation. "My fellow citizens of Ponyville, I am glad to say that with the help of these masked heroes, capture has been easier and easier. That isn't to say I trust them—no, far from it. But I cannot deny their results. My message to whoever these masked heroes are is simple: thank you for your contribution to keeping this city safe. But please turn yourselves in. If only asking were that simple; no one listens to that, do they? Especially in this town. I have talked with Sombra Kang, my husband and leader of the Equestrians; he has agreed to send the National Guard to help us in our time of need. The entire city must be quarantined for the safety of the city and of this world. Rest assured that we are making progress on finding a cure for the infection..." She was cut off by the sound of a gunshot. Her sister, who was standing off to the side, leaped over to her, tackling her to the ground, only to be hit by a bullet in the neck. "Yeash, Twilight needs to learn how to check out fewer books," Spike growled as he struggled to carry the heavy books down the road. AJ only smiled at that. She was walking Spike home, but as soon as she heard the screams of terror coming from up ahead, her expression fell. "Uh, do you hear that?" asked Spike. "Yeah, come on! We've got to get back to Twilight." She tossed the heavy books aside to deal with later. Spike copied her movements as the two ran in the opposite direction. Fluttershy twirled around and headed to the tree, giggling as she went. Mr. Ghost watched her as she danced; her eyes were wide and her smile bright. Though his gaze drifted everywhere but her eyes, she is quite the pretty mare. He sighed blissfully in his mind. "Wait, wait, what am I doing?" He shook his head. But when he heard her trip while trying to step towards him, she nearly fell off the side of the mountain. As she began losing her balance, he caught her by the waist and pulled her close, only trying to help her onto her feet. But to his surprise, she looked up into his eyes and began to get closer to him. But when her little voice giggled again, catching every bit of attention he had, his eyes caught hers, and he could even see how the stars sparkled within them. She lowered her head and snuggled into his chest; he could feel how close she was, how warm she was. He was at a loss for words. He didn't know how to respond to a mare being so close to him, and it showed in his stiff posture. "You're so sweet for doing this. You've always been so sweet to me," she sighed into his jacket. At first, nothing she said registered with him because he was in a full daze, lost beyond what he could say or do. A.K. Yearling was skeptical of Dash, but she asked in a calm manner, "So what do you know of the Chaos King?" "I wish Shadow Star was here instead; she's the brainy one. All I know is that this guy mutated us into chimera; he owned a bar and was in charge of a group called Chaos Vill. We do believe Chaos Vill and him are connected, so I infiltrated to get proof, but I have yet to meet the boss. And you, how are you involved in this anyway?" "That is easy; we are the E.S.A., after all," Mr. Shine told her. "So, so you're a spy? Oh, that's so cool!" Dash nearly squealed at the thought. "Daring Do, you're the real Daring Do." She slumped, "Yes, I'm a spy—or was. I've been on a case for a very long time, and I'm this close to catching the big bad himself in all of this." "We're just trying to cure all the chimera and bring him to justice." She then grew excited. "So those Daring Do books..." "Hmm, oh those, they are just a way to make an extra buck. A girl’s gotta eat." "You're Daring Do," Dash claimed happily. A.K. Yearling sighed. "You can call me Shadow, Tempest Shadow." "Those adventures, they were real, huh?" "That's enough," Mr. Shine chimed in, a bit tired of the conversation. "The question is, what now?" he huffed. "Boss, if I may, we could use this one." "Use her? She's my daughter's friend." "Boss," Tempest said dully. "No," Mr. Shine growled. "I will not let these escapades continue. I'm going to make sure my daughter has nothing else to do with this at all." "Mr. Shine," Dash spoke up. "Rarity is strong due to her being a chimera, and I am willing to help in any way I can, please." "I will not put my daughter's life on the line; she's in enough danger as it is," growled Mr. Shine. "Just be thankful she's alive," Tempest shouted at him. He lowered his face to hers, but Tempest never backed down. "Don't let your personal feelings get in the way of this, because if you do, you’ll end up like me," she said bitterly. "Really? Because it seems you're letting your personal feelings guide your way here, Mrs." "My family's gone; you still have yours." "Exactly, and I'm not gonna let my family be in danger." "The King is far too strong; you and I both know he's a chimera," Tempest told him. Dash watched the two older ponies exchange. "Umm," she said, wanting to interrupt but not knowing how. Mr. Shine sighed. "I will let you take this one as an apprentice, but my daughter stays out of it," he told Tempest. He then turned his attention to Dash. "Not a word of this is to be said to anyone; none of your friends are to know anything about this, especially Rarity. Is that understood?" "Yes, sir." Dash stood at attention and saluted him. "Congratulations then, welcome to the E.S.A. From here on out, you are to call me the Storm King, and this is Tempest Shadow. As for you..." "Zap," Dash interrupted him and held out her hoof. "Alright, Agent Zap," Mr. Shine shook her hoof. Just then, another agent, this time a dog, came running in. "Storm, we got an issue; the mayor's been attacked." "What?" Mr. Shine uttered in disbelief. Guards began blocking off the citizens from the crime scene, trying to control the pure chaos of the streets. They all ran in fear as more shots went off. "Seven, no, eight shots," one of the guards said, rushing the mayor and her unconscious sister down the stairs. "Luna," Celestia cried. "Luna, please speak to me," she said as she came close to her little sister. "Strange. She was shot, but there is no blood; perhaps she just got knocked out," said a member of the medical team. "Well, we have to stay here and wait for an ambulance," shouted the guard pony. Luna herself began to toss and turn, with a few moans showing she was coming to. "Oh, Luna, thank heavens. Luna, please wake up," cried her sister. Suddenly Luna shot open her eyes as she began to scream from the pain. A horn emerged from her head, as did two feathery wings. "Luna!" shouted the mayor. But the guard pony grabbed her and pulled her away just in time as the now-chimera Luna took flight, her eyes glowing yellow with red slits like a snake. She then burst through the wall, taking flight. The camera dog shook Mrs. Tails the cat, trying to make sure she was okay. She was breathing, and there was no blood to be seen, but she was definitely hit with something. Out of nowhere, catching him off guard, Mrs. Tails jumped up and grew four large goat horns out of her head. Her eyes glowed yellow as she began to go crazy. More shots were fired at the crowd as more emerged into chimeras. Arriving on the scene, the masked vigilantes looked down from the building above. Shadow Star (Twilight) and the others looked at the chaos below. "Ahh man," Mistress Marvelous said. "It takes all of us to take out one chimera, how many do we have?" "Six or seven, and counting," sighed Radiance. "Come on, guys! It's gonna take all of us to deal with this," Spike chimed in, dressed in his Halloween costume. "Remind me to make you a suit later on," Rarity said with a bit of disgust for the lazy outfit Spike wore. "Right behind you, Spike," Target said, readying his tranquilizers. "All right then, let's do it!" Shadow Star smiled confidently. The team all jumped down at the call to action from Shadow Star. Residence dove into the fountain and turned into a giant seahorse. She then began using her flippers to slap the strange chimera. There was a half-chicken, half-pony, a dog with a snake's body, and a half-lizard, half-zebra creature who all got slapped. While it did stop them for a moment, the chimera only turned their attention and hatred toward her as they leapt at her. Residence was pretty much defenseless if not for her extremely hard scales. Luckily for her, Mrs. Marvelous was able to swoop in with her scorpion-like tail and defend her friend. "Thanks for that," she huffed. "No problem, but we haven't got the manpower to deal with all of this," she shook her head. "I agree, you need some help!" said Dash, voicing over the communicator. "And luckily, the cavalry is here." She used her speed to knock out a half-turtle, half-dog with deer antlers. "Okay, I admit that helps quite a bit," smiled the manticore pony. Twilight used her back hoof to kick a griffin dog on the ground, while Spike was escorting civilians away from the scene. "It's okay, just follow me," he told a few scared ponies and a large dog. "Even so, we have to put a stop to whoever is shooting those darts," she told AJ. "On it," Target told her as he shot at where the shooter was. The shooter saw him and took off. "You're not getting away!" shouted Target as he took off after him. "Shadow Star, up ahead of you, the shooter’s getting away." She looked up in the direction of the building and found a shadow moving quickly through the windows. "On it!" she called back and took after him. Fluttershy looked up with a smile on her face as she tried to close the gap between them, her lips puckered slightly. At that moment, Mr. Ghost internally panicked. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you doing?" he asked her. "I was gonna kiss you," she pouted. "Kiss me? Why?" "Cause you've been so sweet, and I want to," she replied happily, swinging her head around. He then chuckled slightly. "You're kidding; you're drunk. I'm drunk. I mean, I'm pretty sober compared to you, but I had a few drinks, and you—you look so pretty, and we're here under the stars. You've got to be kidding me!" He chuckled nervously. "No, I'm not!" she said, annoyed at him. He began laughing, swaying back and forth as he facepalmed. "I like you, alright? What's the big deal?" she stomped. "What? You want to kiss me?" he argued. "Yes, I do!" she argued back. "Really? You sure about that?" he growled. "Yes, I am," she huffed. "All right, fine!" he waved his arms out. "Yes! I—wait, what?" she replied, expecting a fight. "If you're so keen on it, then do it! But only a peck, you got that?" he snarled. Her mood brightened as she jumped into his arms slightly, knocking him back against the tree. Mr. Ghost caught her in his arms as she smashed her lips against his, pinning him to the tree. Due to the height difference, he had to hold her in place. What was supposed to be a little peck on the lips quickly became a full-blown kiss. The feel of her against him, his lips against hers, only made him hungrier for more as he pulled her closer. He felt himself lose all sense of focus as something awakened in him—something primal, as he let her take control. Anyone who saw them would think the two were madly in love the way they did, eyes closed tightly shut. Mr. Ghost mentally blamed his intoxication and hers for that but didn’t fight it, as a growl of pleasure escaped him. But not one that a pony would make. It sounded more like one of a wild beast. Enjoying the kiss, he let his claws drift down her backside. He could feel her warmth against his claw tips. *Wait, claws!* He opened his eyes a bit in horror, but they weren't his usual eyes; they were glowing amber snake-like eyes. She, however, kept hers tightly shut, never even realizing the change in grip from hoof to claw. His neck was now longer than it was; he stood taller than he did a moment ago, and his limbs were that of a lion and eagle claw. He felt his hat nearly fall off due to the growing horns he had under it. He needed to stop this; he couldn't risk her finding out. She began to pull away, and with it, he feared she would open her eyes and see his true self. He forcefully put more pressure into the kiss, not letting her get away as he quickly began to morph his claw and paw back into hooves and lowered his head ever so slightly, so she didn’t notice the differences in height. It morphed back to what he had before as they eventually separated. Both stood gasping for air, a bit stunned. He was fearful, but she only figured it was because he was nervous and simply laid her head against his chest. He leaned against the tree, still in disbelief of the night's events. Dash was able to get better control of the fight from the air. She zapped several flying chimeras with her lightning powers as Radiance punched them and then caught the unconscious ones, setting them down easily. "Where is Saddle Rager when you need her?" Dash called out. "I don't know! She said something about going out with some old friends," Shadow Star called out. "Never here when you need..." Dash was cut off as suddenly a strange pink creature tackled the griffin to the ground. Was it another griffin, or something else entirely? The creature had a beak like hers but was not part lion. No, instead it was part eagle. The creature was definitely some type of horse. It was a hippogriff—a pink one with a curly pink tail. It was running wild as it giggled insanely. Its eyes were bright yellow with red slits, as all chimeras had. It drove Dash into the ground, laughing the entire time. Dash looked up at its attacker, mesmerized. "Uh, guys, we have a problem." "Dash!" Rarity called out and whacked the creature with her tail. Only the creature didn't go flying; instead, it stayed out of her reach and attacked, knocking her to the ground. She screamed as she looked at the beast, terrified. But then her expression fell as she recognized the creature. Mistress Marvelous came to her rescue, whacking the creature away with its tail. She then helped Fluttershy up onto her feet before looking at the chimera about to defend her and her friend. Her expression fell, tears began to swell up in her eyes. "Is it just me, or does that chimera look familiar?" asked Zapp (Dash). "Pinky!" cried AJ. The shooter was dressed in all black, with a helmet on, but it was clearly a cat by the body shape. She took off after it as it dove into another building. Shadow Star wasted no time jumping in through the window and smashing the glass. "Hold it right there!" she raised her tranquilizer gun at him. But the cat kicked the gun out of her hoof. He was agile and quick; she barely had time to block his next move. He was a tall, slender cat, and in these tight spaces, he had the upper hand. He jumped from one wall to the next, punching and kicking her with what only could be described as kung fu moves. Shadow Star had never gone up against someone who had this much agility. Though the punches and kicks did little due to her being a chimera, she stood on the defensive; she couldn't even think of getting a good hit on him. He spun around, whacking her with his tail and doing a backflip kick into her jaw as he landed on all fours. The kick drove her back into a wall; she slid down with a moan, struggling to stay conscious. With his opponent down, the cat ran out of the building and jumped into a car. Twilight heard him drive away. Moments later, her brother came in. "Twilight, where's the shooter? Are you okay?" "Got away," she huffed. "And I'm fine, just a little beat up," she moaned. "No, no, no, no," Jacky shook her head. "No, not her, not my cousin!" she whined. Pinky snarled, giggled, then attacked. Luckily, Rarity used her fishtail to slap Pinky down to the ground. "Well, all the other chimeras are dealt with," she said as she removed her tail from the unconscious beast. "I got Twilight, but the shooter got away. Whoever did this was a master at fighting," Target's voice came over the communicators. "Is Twi alright?" asked Spike. "No, but I will be," her voice said, to the relief of the others. "Come on, we have to go before the task force takes us in." "No! No, I'm not leaving her!" Jacky said as she sniffled and picked up her cousin. "Jacky," Dash began. "Help! She needs help; she's family, and family helps," Applejack said as the hippogriff lay on her back. "Okay, okay," Dash said, taking Pinky's back hooves. "We'll get her back and she can become one of us." Jacky shook her head. "Why? Why my cousin? Why Pinky?" In a car rushing down the road, the driver took off his helmet, revealing Capper the cat. He then pulled out a phone and immediately called someone. Mr. Ghost lay with his head back against the tree, staring out into the sky. He watched as a simple leaf fell off the tree branch and was carried away by a soft breeze, his expression unreadable. He slowly stroked a piece of fine, soft pink hair with his hooves. Fluttershy passed out not long after their kiss and lay on top of him, snoring away. He silently cursed himself for letting her get the upper hand on him; even more so that he almost lost control and showed his true self to her. Yet he didn't fight the urge to run his hoof through the beautiful mare's hair that lay on top of him, as he imagined instead of a hoof it was a claw. As he did, she gave a restful sigh in her sleep, and the sound of this made his grumpy demeanor fall to the wayside as he felt at peace. A smile tugged at his lips as his gaze dropped from the floating tree leaf down to the pony by his side, only to be interrupted by his ringtone. "And..." he asked as he answered his phone. "Sir, I'm sorry; the mission failed. I had to abort." "Oh, and why is that?" he asked in a bored tone. His anger couldn't even fluster at the moment with her by his side. "Sir, you are not near a television, are you?" "No, I'm on my way home. Why?" he lied; the last thing he wanted to do was admit to Capper he was currently in a romantic setting with a sleeping mare on top of him. "The town hall was attacked. Several civilians—I don't know how many—were turned into chimeras." "Interesting. I'll have to think of my next move then," he said back. "Sir, I'm sorry to tell you this, but..." "But what?" he muttered grumpily. The cat took in a deep breath and let it out through his nose before he continued. "Sir, your sister was turned into a chimera." The phone for a moment stood quiet. "Sir?" Capper asked. "Very well," said Mr. Ghost, whose voice was emotionless. "The innocent I cannot always prevent from getting hurt. Get back to the hideout and let them all know to lay low while I think of a new plan. I can use this to my advantage," he said with an almost cheerful voice now that would have disturbed Capper had he not been used to it. "Yes, sir," he replied before he hung up the phone. As Mr. Ghost set his phone down, he raised his sights back to the skies above him. "Well, at least I'm at my thinking tree." He raised his hand from her hair; she shifted a bit in her sleep but otherwise didn't wake up. "Now I just need to think." He stroked his beard as his eyes flickered from his normal ruby red to snake-like. Chapter 14 Scars*Chapter 14: Scars** February 9th, ---- 4:00 AM Twilight sat at her desk, her hair a complete mess, and her eyes had bags under them like never before. To say she looked tired was an understatement. She was accompanied by the sound of a snoring lizard over in her bed, and she glanced over her shoulder at the teenager catching some Z's. She remembered that as soon as they got back to the apartment, Twilight received a call from Celestia telling her to keep Spike there, along with news about Luna. She spent the rest of the night calming down her adopted cousin, who was pretty much like a little brother at this point, while everyone else was calming down Jacky over her cousin. Twilight didn't even try to go to sleep that night. Once Spike was asleep, she decided to put her efforts into her work; it was the best way to take her mind off things. But even so, it didn't always work. In front of her sat two open books, her laptop, and several papers to write down extra notes. Her mind was completely elsewhere. Her aunt Luna, really her second godmother, was now a mutant running wild somewhere, and yet there was no sign of her. The worry crept into her mind as the thought of what could have happened to Luna lingered. Once mutated into a chimera, they all go berserk with an uncontrollable rage that can't be easily controlled without medication. Those who stay in that state the longest nearly lose all sense of self. The longest subject recorded in that state was the first chimera ever to be captured and studied. On her computer were her notes on the subject, along with a photo of his original self and what he turned into. A cat named Bobby Whiskers was a brown tabby who lived not far from the city. He often drove in and out of the city to work. One day, he never made it to work and never came home either. Eventually, a missing person report was filed, but after six months of searching, he was presumed dead. Meanwhile, reports of some large beast, once thought to be a bear, had people scared to death. Finally, a task force was put together to stop the bear and capture it humanely. But when they finally did, the bear was no bear at all. No, it was a rather large and out-of-control cat. Once DNA tested, it matched that of the missing Mr. Whiskers. Yet with his capture, the reports of large and out-of-control wild animals continued pouring in, as did missing persons reports. Once captured and DNA tested, they were found to be like Mr. Whiskers. Something was going on. After twelve reports, the mayor had to step in and address it, calling it a disease. That was months ago; in fact, it was the very same night Spike was kidnapped by a mutant bat pony, Fluttershy. There was a question that still remained, though. Yes, Fluttershy was studying fruit bats, so the idea that they just turned into creatures that they were in contact with made sense. Only there was a problem with that theory—several, in fact. For one thing, she, nor did AJ or Dash come into contact with lion DNA. And a lion wouldn't explain her scorpion tail. Twilight was half-goat according to her horn, yet she had never been near a goat ever, and when asked, Rarity said she didn't even like caviar. So why the heck did she turn into a big fish? She wasn't near anything that could give her fish powers, and if that wasn't strange enough, Twilight also remembered trying to figure out what type of fish she was but came up with nothing. What creatures were they, anyway? What was the link between all of their mutations and their abilities? Chimera—what a foolish name. A two-headed cat with one of a goat and a snake-like tail. Strangely, Mr. Whiskers did have a snake-like tail, and half his face looked like that of a goat, with a goat-like horn popping right out of his skull, just like Twilight's. She sighed as she looked at the photo and then down to a book she had open on goat horns. Unlike the others, though, she wasn't recently mutated within the last year; she had been mutated seven, almost eight years ago now. She yawned as she slowly drifted off to sleep. The memory of when she first came back to her senses played in her mind. Twilight woke up as a small filly to the sound of a heart monitor tracking her rhythm. She tossed her head slightly as a sharp pain hit her forehead. Still, she fought the urge to just stay asleep and gained consciousness, opening her eyes to a bright white light standing above her. Her mind scattered as she couldn't remember a thing. Slowly, she set a hoof over her aching forehead and sat up on the bed she found herself in. "Oh, you're awake! That's good; you gave us quite the scare there," said a doctor. "Where am I?" "You're safe," he reassured her with a friendly smile. "You're in the hospital," said a doctor pony. "My… my parents? Where's my daddy?" At the sound of this, the doctor grew worried in his eyes. He took a gulp and shifted a bit uncomfortably. "Umm, well, you see…" "Thank you, doctor," said a familiar voice. The two turned to see the mayor, with a hopeful yet exhausted smile. "I'll take it from here." The doctor left, relieved not to have to tell the filly anything else. Twilight raised an eyebrow at the sight of the mayor. She did know her well enough; she was a friend of her mother's. Perhaps she knew where her parents were. "Twilight Sparkle, do you remember me?" she asked almost pleadingly. "Yes, Mrs. Kang. Do you know where Mommy is?" asked Twilight. "Twilight," Mrs. Kang walked over and sat on the bed in front of her. "How old are you now?" "Me? Oh, uh… eleven. Why?" Celestia smiled, but her lip quivered as she tried to hold back tears. "Wow, eleven! You really are a big girl. Even so, I have something to tell you—something that isn't going to be easy to take, even if you were an adult." Twilight tilted her head, but Celestia softly grabbed her chin and made her look her in the eye. "Twilight, I am very sorry, but your family has been missing for months now. And the only one they found was you. You've been in a coma." "Huh?" Twilight said, not understanding the true nature of the situation. How could she understand, only being an eleven-year-old filly? "As your godmother, I promise you we will never stop looking. But Twilight, you're going to have to come live with me now until we do find them. Is that alright?" she asked with a reassuring smile. Twilight could only give a small nod as she slowly came to grips with the reality that her world had been shattered. Strangely, she only had one injury. On her forehead was a nasty cut that would leave a scar. Luckily, it was easily hidden by her hair, so she didn't have to worry about it. Still, due to the intense pain she felt, the doctors kept her on different medications to help make it go away—mostly painkillers that helped the body relax. As the months passed and time went on, there was no sign of her parents. Twilight grew frustrated and angry, as one would expect. Anyone would, and at first, she, as well as everyone else, would think it was only her grieving. "You're not looking hard enough!" she yelled at Celestia. "Twilight, I'm doing all I can." "No, no, you're not! Where are they? Where are my mommy and daddy? Where's my brother?" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Twilight," Celestia tried to grab her to give her a hug and calm her down, but Twilight was having none of it as her rage began to overtake her. "No!" Twilight responded and ran to her room, slamming the door. Once inside, she sat next to her time machine and began to bawl her eyes out, not even noticing that from her scar, a horn emerged from her head. She opened her eyes in the dimly lit room and saw something glowing in the reflection of the window that spooked her. Something had amber-glowing eyes with red slits. She jumped back at first, terrified, and covered her face, finding out about her new horn. She gasped as she felt it. She tapped it a few times, and she realized she could not only feel it with her hooves but feel it as if it was a part of her as well. She then looked at the reflection in the window. The eyes were still there, and soon she could see the horn as well, against the backdrop of the city. As she moved, so did the reflection, and soon it was all too easy to figure out what the reflection was. It was her. At this moment, she should have been terrified, and she was, but she didn't care. She felt rage build up inside of her—rage she just wanted to let out—and with her anger came a mighty roar as a burst of light shot from her horn. Suddenly, a ball of fire hit the window. Luckily, it didn't break, but it left marks of ash around it. Twilight's eyes widened as she stumbled back, falling over. She sat up, even angrier now, with tears in her eyes. She gritted her teeth as she let the rage out of her once more. Another blast of fire blew up some papers she had on her desk. Soon she blasted apart a few books, her school uniform, and was about to blast apart her Smarty Pants doll when she came to an abrupt halt, her eyes slightly widening as the anger subsided with the memory of the doll and who gave it to her. She walked over to the doll on her bed and picked it up in her hooves as the thought of Celestia giving her the doll crossed her mind. Celestia had taken her shopping once she was released from the hospital, and she saw the doll on a toy shelf. She was much too short to grab it herself, but Celestia noticed how she eyed the doll and, with a smile, picked it off the shelf and handed it to her. She curled up with the doll, and within seconds, fell asleep with it. Twilight woke up to the sound of the TV on in the other room. She quickly looked at the time on her computer—it was 8:27. She had fallen asleep for a few hours. It wasn't enough, but it would have to do. "Spike," she called out softly to see where he was, but she did not find him in the bed. She walked out of her room with a tired yawn as she stretched out to get her day started. To her surprise, she found Spike playing some type of game with her brother on the kitchen table. "Okay, Spike, all you have to do is roll a six, and the—" Shining stopped mid-sentence as he noticed their company. "Well, good morning, sis," he tried to smile, but it was all too clear what kind of day it was for everyone in their expressions. "Morning, you two. What are you guys up to?" "Oh, Shining's teaching me how to play Dungeons and Dragons," Spike smiled. His smile almost punched Twilight in the heart, but in a good way. She remembered how devastated he looked last night after finding out about Luna. While there was much sadness in his eyes, at least there was something to take his mind off the recent events, and she silently thanked her big brother for this. She turned to the rest of the room to find Applejack sitting on the chair across from the couch where her cousin was. Pinkie Pie, now a mutant like her, lay unconscious. Fluttershy left to go tell her brother. Dash sat in the kitchen, though it was clear from her eyes that she hadn't slept. No one slept last night except Rarity, who more or less fainted after realizing the griffon she knocked out with her tail was Pinkie. On the TV, the news was reporting about the message that was sent last night after the attack, along with the ten still missing chimera—nine, actually, since they didn't know where Pinkie was. But Twilight and her friends knew. Twilight made herself a bowl of cereal as she heard the message from the TV. "Hello all citizens of Ponyville and all those in the world."* said a deep dark voice over a squiggly line that moved whenever the voice spoke. "I have seen this world turned upside down by war, by all of you. Who am I? Simple, I am the Equalizer. I can make the world an equal place. How, you may ask? Simple: the chimera. You call it a disease, but I call it salvation. Think of it. With everyone as a chimera, no one is weaker or stronger; we're all, well, equal. There would be no more need for war or destruction; everyone would know true strength and would feel the same pain and rage. The formula is not yet perfect, but I can promise you soon I will be able to create the perfect chimera. Join me, join and become one of us—a perfect chimera beast. Be a part of the new revolution and salvation of the NEW WORLD ORDER."* yelled the deep voice before the video went blank. Fluttershy walked to the building where she knew Mr. Ghost worked. She not only wanted to tell him about his sister; it was also a good excuse for her to have a word with him about the night before. She wanted to apologize for anything she might have done in her drunken state. She didn't even remember how she made it home; most of the night was a blur after she sang a bit on stage with him. All except for one moment she recalled so clearly—it scared her. She remembered kissing him. The feel of his lips on hers, the pressure both of them put into it. Being surrounded by his strong arms, if only lightly so as not to hurt her. The very thought was enough to send a shiver down her spine. *Why?* was all she could think. *Why did I do that?* She needed to see him again; she needed to clear things up and explain she was stupid drunk and that she just considered him a friend. But then again, what if he didn't accept it? What if she broke his heart? What if she wanted this? What if they both wanted it? What then? Her mind was in knots, but she shook them away just before she knocked on the door, and it was his assistant who let her in. She remembered him from before but never told him her name. He was a tall, slender cat, but nowhere near as tall or slender as Mr. Ghost. "Oh, Miss. Breeze! Nice to see you again," he said, holding the door for her. "Nice to see you," she said, noticing the grin on his face. "Mr. Capper, I have important news for Mr. Ghost, so if you please..." "Of course, of course." The cat looked at his phone for the time. "He has an appointment soon, so keep it brief. As his assistant, it's my job to keep him on schedule. Believe me, he hates it when he's off." "I know," she deadpanned before walking past him. "He's upstairs—the only door down the hallway." She gave a thankful nod before heading upstairs. She found herself in front of a strangely painted purple wooden door and approached it a bit cautiously. She didn't even know why, but a feeling of something she couldn't quite depict settled in her stomach as she approached the door. She knocked on it as gently as her knock usually was, but she found the door already opened. She opened it wider, peeking her head through. "Um, hello. Mr. Uh, Ghost?" she said hesitantly. She found herself in what looked to be an apartment, oddly painted. One wall was purple stripes, the other blue with yellow swirls. Yet it also looked like something out of an old-time movie with its curtains all hung around—black large curtains that let in no light at all. As she walked in, she noticed a kitchen in the back corner and a small dining set in the other next to a piano and some guitars hanging on the wall above it. She was in a living room with a fireplace, and above it was a strange painting that nearly frightened her. She could not take her eyes off of it, as it seemed to draw her deeper into the room. It was a painting of some strange amalgamation of creatures—a lion paw, an eagle claw, and a serpent-like body. Two large wings were on its back; one of them looked as if it were bleeding. It was a predator, judging by its large fangs, and it surrounded animals of prey. A rather disturbing image, yet it seemed to fit the decor of the room, she had to admit. She was suddenly startled by the sound of something rustling behind her. Something between a snore and a cry came from the couch. She decided to step over and take a look, and as she did, whatever it was began to thrash around. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of him. Dressed in a lab coat and glasses, in his sleep was none other than Mr. Ghost, thrashing around and shivering. "Mr. Ghost," she called out, trying to wake him. Instead, he rolled over to the ground, muttering something she couldn't make out. She tried again but then realized he was breathing oddly, almost as if he was having a stroke or something. If not, she could hear his heartbeat even though her ear was nowhere near his chest. If it didn't slow down, she feared he would have a heart attack. Suddenly, his eyes popped open, a look of fear in them as he muttered, "Help." He said in a hushed tone, "Help me, someone help!" He said a bit louder, but still it was barely audible as he shivered. He gripped the right side of his shoulder. "It hurts. God damn it, it hurts," he said, clutching his belly as if in pain, his breath becoming more frantic by the minute, beginning to hyperventilate. "What hurts? What can I do? Please tell me," she asked him. "I’ve been shot. I’ve been..." He took off his lab coat, revealing what he was talking about. "I’ve been shot," he said, shaking. Indeed, he had been shot. There were two bullet wounds just above his belly—two small ones that left scars. Fluttershy froze at the sight of him. He was skinny, even skinnier than Fluttershy first realized. But he wasn't completely out of shape, either, being slightly toned, if malnourished. But it wasn't his figure that had her so in shock; it was the scars. She knew he was once in the war, but his body told a much more gruesome story. He had not only five bullet wounds of different calibers—one large one on the left of his shoulder, two small ones just below the stomach, and two tiny ones on his right arm—but above his stomach was a large stab wound. That must have been where he got hurt saving Mr. Cake that day in the story from long ago. As he tossed and turned, she could see his back—two large wounds, along with what looked to be burns, bruises and cuts that traveled over his shoulder and down his arms. But the worst one was across his chest. From the neck down, in a straight line all the way to the stomach on the right side was a nasty scar that concaved the right side of his body. It looked almost as if he had been cut nearly in half at one point, and it was terrifying to see. The slash looked like it could have been made by a sword or something. "Who? Who are you? Where am I?" he asked, breathing erratic. "Calm down, you have to calm down," she said, terrified for him. "Who are you?" he growled as he scrunched up, as if in pain. He seemed to be going for something in his pocket, but whatever it was, it couldn't help. She didn't know what else to do but lunge at him and hold him tight. "Calm down!" she yelled. He turned to toss her off, but for some reason, he just stopped and stared at her. As she held onto him, he could hear her heartbeat. He could feel it against himself and tried to match his breath to hers. It began slowly matching her rhythm, calming him down. He didn't know how long he sat there, but when he finally had control of his breathing, he looked at her. She looked at him worriedly as he laid back against the end of the couch. She didn't even realize her hooves never moved from his chest. He sat for a moment, catching his breath, staring into her eyes. She tensed up a bit, not realizing she felt the tough scarred skin below her hoof. Realizing she was holding on to him for too long, she immediately removed her hoof, a slight blush on her face. Mr. Ghost instantly wished she hadn’t. He enjoyed her touch, the warmth—if only for a moment longer, he silently wished. "What was that? Are you okay? Should I call you a doctor? We'll get you to the hospital," she said almost as quickly as Pinkie. Suddenly, Fluttershy heard something splash onto the ground. It was a tiny splash, but she looked to see what it was. It was just simple water. As she looked, another drop fell into her view. That was the first time Fluttershy noticed her own tears. "Are you alright then?" asked Mr. Ghost, mere centimeters from her face. "Uh, yeah, I, uh…" she wiped away her own tears. "Do you need a doctor?" "No, I'm sorry you saw me like that. I must have fallen asleep," he said, slowly coming close to her. They were centimeters away from each other; it would be so easy just for one of them to close the gap and kiss again. Fluttershy was frozen; she didn't know what to do. What could she do? Right now, if he kissed her, she would give in to it. He could easily make her his right now, and she would be lost in a daze. Did she want that? Did he want that? The question perplexed, excited, and scared her as she thought about it while he approached her, getting closer. But to her surprise, he didn’t kiss her. No, instead, he moved her—frozen body—out of the way a bit and stood up. As soon as he was up, he headed over to the counter of his kitchen, pouring himself a drink of something. "Are you sure? Because…" she whimpered, despite still being frozen in her spot. "I'm fine. I..." he sighed before continuing. "Was shot twice in the gut and survived," he said as if he were just remembering. "Yes, that’s right," he said under his breath. "The war ended over a decade ago, but it’s left its scars, I’m afraid," he said, looking away. She said nothing, and a long pause between them spread before he spoke again. "It’s just a little post-traumatic stress. I’m fine." He cleared his throat. "Of course, I had to have an episode today of all days," he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Well, maybe we should get you to a..." "No, no, no one, NO ONE, is to know about this! This is no one's business! YOU!" He growled. "YOU cannot tell a soul. Not even my advisers or assistant know; this is personal. So forget it ever happened." "But you need medicine," she claimed and finally stood up, heading to him. "You need..." "I have my medicine right here," he said as he began to take a gulp of his drink. "So, what brings you here?" he asked, pouring himself another drink. "Oh, I came to tell you about your sister." "I already know." This caught her off guard. "My assistant was down there last night when he saw Pinkie heading to the library and was turned into a chimera." He said it so nonchalantly that it scared her a bit. Seeing this, Mr. Ghost once again stepped closer to get a look at her. Tears began to trail down her face. She was so worried about him. "Hey, it’s okay," he soothed. "I’m fine. Why do you ca—" Just then Mr. Capper's voice came over a walkie-talkie that was on the wall. "Sir, your 1:00 opponent." "Oh hell," he ran over to the walkie-talkie. "I am not missing it; pull the car around." "Already did, sir," Capper said, a bit of humor in his voice. Mr. Ghost ran over to a closet, pulled out a dress shirt, and quickly buttoned it up, threw on a tie, and grabbed a coat. In seconds, he went from looking like a wounded scientist who was sick from the war to a first-class businessman. "Where are those cufflinks?!" he grumbled. Fluttershy looked around and found them on top of the banister. "Over here," she called out, picking them up. She approached him and held them out. He quickly fixed them to his jacket before he began tying his tie. But before he could, she did it for him, catching him off guard. He stared at her in disbelief, but she only gave him a warm smile before she looked over and found his business suit hat on the coat rack and handed it to him. "I promise I won't say a word," she reassured him. He stood in shock as he looked at her, tear lines down her face. Here she was, worried about him, even crying over him, and they had only known each other for so long. He wasn’t even her friend; why? was the only question he had. But instead of asking it, he shook his disbelief away and came close to her again, so he could look into her eyes. What was running through her mind was the hug he felt a moment ago. She was so warm and comforting; he wanted to feel that again. But instead, he only took his hat. His hoof just brushed against hers; the slightest touch was almost too much for him. He began questioning why—why did he feel this way? What could he do? A thought crossed his mind of just grabbing her and kissing her right then and there, like he did the night before. His mind instantly reminded him of the warmth he felt last night with her asleep on top of him, but instead of indulging his thoughts any longer, he simply turned away from her and began to head down the hall, stopping at the stairs. "Thank you," he called back to her before he continued on his way, leaving her with a smile and a thumping heart. Twilight ate her bowl of cereal as she watched Celestia take the stand on her TV to address the attack that happened last night. She breathed in and let out a shaky breath before she began her speech. "Citizens of Ponyville. I was just attacked last night by someone who called themselves the Equalizer. Their goal was obvious: to turn me and everyone here into a chimera… a raging beast. Yes, I don’t like the name Chimera, for it’s simply a creature of fiction. This, though, this is real… we have a terrorist within our midst terrorizing this fair city. My sister was one of 14 victims last night. Innocent lives were turned into beasts, and we will find a cure, and we will put a stop to the Equalizer—this I swear on my sister's LIFE!" She stomped her hoof. The reporters all jumped up excitedly to ask questions as usual. "Miss. Kang! Miss. Kang! Are we doomed? Miss. Kang, what will you do to fight back? Miss. Kang, is the cure ready yet? Mrs. Kang, does that mean this disease is made in a lab?" Suddenly the reporters all stopped as a long black familiar car drove up. Celestia looked at the car with skepticism. The driver of the car got out and walked over to let its owner out. The crowd fell quiet as Mr. Ghost came onto the scene. The crowd said nothing and made room for him as he walked up to the front of the stage. "Mr. Ghost," Celestia frowned. "Hello, Mrs. Kang. My deepest condolences for what has happened to your sister," he said, giving a slight bow, "and to all those who have also suffered." "Oh, thank you, but that isn't why you came here today, is it?" she asked in a dry tone. "Unfortunately, no." "What is it? I'm in the middle of addressing the city as mayor." "Oh, that's the thing, Mrs. Kang. While I do feel for your situation—and believe me, I do—I am simply here to take your job," he smirked cockily. With that, everyone gasped and turned to him. Twilight, still watching the TV from her home, angrily raised her eyebrows but said nothing, as Celestia shook her head in confusion. Mr. Ghost grabbed a mic from one of the reporters. "Listen well, citizens of Ponyville. In these troubling times, I must ask you: can you rely on your city's leadership? Now while it is true Celestia has just lost a member of her staff and family, I have to ask: is she well enough to actually do what is necessary? Does she have a level head in all of this, or is the stress of running a city and seeing her own beloved sister turned into a chimera right before her eyes too much for her?" Mr. Ghost then turned around and got up on a chair so he could stand higher. "For too long this disease has plagued our city. For too long, we have put our faith in her leadership, and look at where it has gotten us. Too many innocent lives—too many families—have been torn apart due to all of this. And while I am a private man, let me tell you, it wasn't just Luna who was one of the 14 victims last night. Why, it was my own sister who also got mutated. I shall not reveal her name; simply put, we’re not close. But still, my own family is hurt. Why? Because of her." He pointed at Celestia. "She has failed in her duty to protect this city. She has failed all of you. Will you let her fail again? She orders the National Guard—those who are not even part of our city—to help. But this is our city. Our home! Are we really going to stand down and let the government take over while we sit and wait for a terrorist to strike again?" He then pointed directly into a camera. "I say new leadership is needed, and yes, I'm throwing my hat in the ring," he said as he popped off his hat, letting it roll down his arm and catching it with his hoof. "But if not me, that’s fine. Just someone else. But before any other candidates decide to try to sit in that chair, let me ask you this one question: Do you have a plan, because I do?" He grinned as he jumped off the chair, handed the mic back, and began to walk back to his car. All the reporters tried to get his attention, but he ignored them as he got in, the car taking off immediately. The cameras stayed pointed at the spot he left. In her home, Twilight narrowed her eyes at the television as she began questioning who Mr. Ghost thought he was to come in there and say such nonsense. Chapter 15 Unanswered QuestionsSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.chapter 16 Break throughFebruary 23rd, 10:00 AM "So, Daring Do just jumps off a bridge and falls to her death trying to save her friend?" asked the lizard carrying a crate over. "Yeah, just like that," said the rainbow-maned pony who also carried a crate beside her. "I mean, I get she wants to retire, but writing the end of the story like that just hurts so many of the fans who’ve put their hard-earned money and lives into that creation. You know what I mean?" Dash complained. "I do. Thanks, by the way, for helping us unload these. We're running a bit understaffed due to most of us getting ready for the tournament," she said as she watched her brother put up a large banner across the entrance to a warehouse. "No problem! I get it," Dash said as she laid a crate onto a truck, the sound of seagulls overhead. She was down at the docks unloading boxes for Smolder. "What's in these things, anyway?" she questioned. "Hmm, oh, you know. Shipments of goods for the Boneless. Bought graciously and donated by Mr. Cheeze. Of course, once in our care, his name will be removed as always." Dash smiled at that. "You guys really do like helping, don't you?" Smolder sat back and popped open a canned drink, handing Dash one and opening one for herself. "Long ago, things weren't always so nice. My brother and I used to live east, but due to our dad losing his job, we ended up moving to the south side of town, in the slums. To stay safe, we had to join one of the dance gangs that accepted lizards since it seemed most lizards weren't accepted anywhere else. We were just kids trying to stay alive." She brought the drink to her mouth but didn't drink yet. "We just wanted someone to help us. And our cries were answered when he came along." "Cheese?" asked Dash. Smolder gulped down her drink before speaking but didn’t answer Dash's question. "Now we help others—others like us who need it." "So, gangs," Dash asked, trying to squeeze more info out of her. "The south side used to have a lot of gangs, but now we all realize how stupid it was and try to do better for our fellow citizens." She crunched up her can and tossed it in the trash. "Still, you can see the remnants of it— the way the south side is separated. Why do some of us wear biker jackets and others wear chains and suits?" Dash took in that thought as she remembered the info she got that night from Sunburst. The bar belonged to a guy who beat a bunch of gang members. It seemed he then proceeded to take control of the entire south side of town, yet no one could tell her who was in charge. Even when asked who owned the bar, all Smolder would say is, "She does" or "Chaos Vill does." "So, why are we having this here at the docks?" Dash asked, trying to change the subject. "Oh, that's because this is the only place large enough to host it. We usually host them at the bar, but this time we have too big of a group entering. Some are even traveling by train and will be here the day of." Then Dash cautiously thought of how to ask her next question without looking too suspicious. "So, do you know anything about a place called Ghost Labs?" Smolder looked at her with a bit of a bored look in her eyes. "Ghost Labs just owns the building and land. I own the bar." "Who is Ghost Labs, then?" asked Dash. "You sure ask a bunch of questions," Smolder remarked. "Oh, uh sorry! I just wanted to know more about what I'm signing up for," she smiled. "I told you this is a non-profit organization. We don't do that stuff. As for Ghost Labs, they are a part of Chaos Vill. I told you, the bar and all of this belongs to Chaos Vill." "Right, right, sorry." Smolder smiled at Dash. "I know it seems silly, but the reason why there isn't any information to give is because some would like to stay anonymous. We have nothing to hide; we just want our good deeds to speak for themselves. You gotta get with the program." She elbowed Dash in a friendly way. "Now go and get that last crate off the boat for me, okay? I'm gonna talk with my bro for a sec." Dash did as she was asked and headed back over to the boat to get the job done. She never noticed she was carefully being watched by a cat standing in the docks’ operating tower. Capper narrowed his eyes as he heard his companion counting the last of his money. "Seven, eight, nine—ah yes, yes! It all seems to be there," said Mr. Caballeron. "Tell your boss, as always, it's a pleasure doing business with him," he said snarkily. "You certain no one knows about the true shipment?" asked Capper. "We've done this how many times, and how many times have we gotten caught?" The pony assured the cat. "Besides, if anything goes wrong, it will be Cheese that takes the fall, not your boss. It's why we set it up that way, remember?" He chuckled. "Your boss sure is a genius, I have to admit. Last thing I'd ever want to be on is his bad side." The pony smirked, causing Capper to roll his eyes. "From here on out, the rest is up to you," Caballeron said and walked away with a duffel bag full of money. "Well then, I'm off work," Capper smiled cheerfully at the thought. As he began to take off, a thought crossed the cat's mind. "Hmm, I wonder why she hasn't been around in a bit." As he did, one of the workers currently operating a crane raised an eyebrow at the odd pair. She was a dark purple pony with a white hat and a khaki jacket. "Hmm, Caballeron, what kind of deal did you make this time?" she questioned as she got off the machine, used a grappling hook, and swung down from her height on the building to the ground of the docks, ducking behind one of the many shipping containers that the dock was filled with. She landed with a roll and took a breath. "Woo! Who said you’re too old for stunts?" she smirked to herself, feeling cool. She then crept up to a wooden crate that was inside a shipping container. From her belt, she pulled a hammer and quickly undid the nails on one end of it, removing the lid. Once she got it off, she took a peek inside and gasped at the sight, but then heard someone yell, "Hey!" She looked up to see a blue pony standing in the doorway. "Dash, dammit! I could have killed you!" she expressed angrily. "Sorry!" Dash said, a bit surprised. "What are you doing here anyway?" "I could ask you the same question," Shadow placed her hooves on her hips. "Uh, I'm helping move this shipment," Dash said, as if it were obvious. "Yes, well, do you know what you’re moving, Zap?" Dash shrugged, making the dark violet pony sigh. "You’ve got a lot to learn. Take a look," she told Dash. Dash did as instructed, and as soon as she saw what was in the crate, her face went pale. "Guns! We're moving guns!" "Not just any guns—sniper rifles, the type used for long-range shooting, like the kind that the Equalizer would definitely use." "Oh god, this is bad," Dash muttered. "No, really?" Shadow replied sarcastically in her usual dull voice. "Listen up, Zap. For years now, I've been tracking down the Chaos King. It seems he’s going by the Equalizer now, or the Equalizer is working for him—one or the other. He's the king of chaos and the leader of Chaos Vill. They'll lead you to believe they’re only good Samaritans helping the city, but the truth is they’re a group that arose out of the south side of town nearly a decade ago. Before that, there were several gangs—about eight or nine of them—most of which had a head who was one of the higher class. That's how they made their money in this city. Gang fights spread across far and wide; it was a dangerous town despite it being one of the wealthiest cities in Equestria, with some of the best school districts in the country. Well, one day a lot of those heads went missing, at the same time a lot of the gang members were found beaten to a pulp. And those who weren't stopped fighting. Many would like you to believe it’s because the world got a little better after the war ended, but in actual fact, it's more likely someone came in—someone with more power—who shook the place up and built an empire. Now this city’s crime rate is at its lowest it’s ever been. The reason why is because there’s only one crime boss left: the Chaos King. Whoever is left has bowed down to him or has already gone missing." "Ten years? How long have you been after this guy?" "Since it all began—ten years ago," she muttered. "I had a family—three kids, my youngest being a daughter who would be your age if she were alive." She exhaled. "For them, I need to take him down." Dash's eyes widened a bit at this. She couldn't see the ponies she knew flat out murdering anyone. "You said Smolder was an elite. How do you know that?" "I've been keeping a close eye on Chaos Vill and their deals. However, whenever I get close to the truth, it always escapes me. The Chaos Lord has four divisions of his business—one leader per division. One trade: Cheese Sandwich is head of it and keeps trade routes between all income. Second division: recruits. Every single member is known and recorded by Smolder Flame and her brother, who look like hardworking bikers at a bar but were, in fact, part of one of the nastiest gangs of the last decade. The Lizards of Hell were known to torture and harm anyone who got in their way. She and her brother were once leaders of that group; now they work under the Lord of Chaos. Don't let their friendly exterior fool you—they're dangerous." Dash nodded but felt a bit apprehensive to believe that. "Third division: transport. All these have to be carefully maneuvered. You'll often find a good doc playing politics in all of this. Doctor Cornelius Sunburst handles most of that. "Final division is communications. The man involved with this division is also the king's chosen second-in-command, giving orders straight from the top himself—a cat. But in the ten years I have been working on this, his name has never once come up. All I know is that he's the one who would often be the one gathering information, delivering information, making deals, and trading cash for the king himself." "And who’s the king? Got a name?" asked Dash. A.K. Yearling looked away. "He's as tricky to track as could ever be. He has his dirty hands looking as clean as a child's. I do have a name, but forgive me if I don't tell you. It's a name that's hard for me to say." She stuttered. "As long as you got a name," Dash smirked, but truly she didn't want to push Shadow any more. "So what about the Equalizer? What about the chimera stuff?" "I don't know how he does it, but I am more than certain he creates the serum that transforms ponies into chimeras." "By the way, about those books, I get it if you want to retire, but seriously, can't you write a better ending for Daring Do?" Shadow rolled her eyes. "Here's a lesson for ya, kid. Learn this now." She grabbed Dash by the collar of her shirt and pulled her to her face until they were at eye level. "Not every story has a happy ending," she told her in a deep tone. She then tossed Dash aside. "Learn that, and you might just grow up a bit. Now close up that crate and get moving before someone sees us," she demanded. Dash stood a bit perplexed. She wanted to argue that it was her who opened the box, but knew to keep her mouth shut and did as she was told. ** ** Fluttershy was walking down the street trying to ease her mind in any way she could. But as she walked, the thought of Ghost’s arms around her and their kiss began to haunt her. "A penny for your thoughts," said a familiar voice, which surprised her out of her daze. She looked up to see the tall, slender cat standing in front of her. "Oh, Mr. Capper! What brings you here?" she questioned. "Did Mr. Ghost send you?" She grew a bit excited at the thought of him, and it showed through her voice. Capper smirked at the happiness he heard in her voice at the mere mention of his boss. "No, Mrs. Breeze, he doesn't even know I am here. I came hoping to have a word with you, if you don’t mind." "Oh," she said, sounding a bit disappointed it wasn't Mr. Ghost that sent him. "Sure, I guess." He smiled and turned the other way; she followed him around the corner, a bit apprehensive. "So, uh, what's this about?" she asked, a bit nervous. Capper continued his walk and kept his eyes forward. In a cheerful tone, he responded, "Nothing much. I just wanted to ask you about my boss. What are your thoughts of him?" Fluttershy was caught off guard by that. Of all the times to be asked about her thoughts on Mr. Ghost. She took a deep breath and let it out as she decided the best course of action was to be honest here. With a somewhat longing smile, she answered, "I think he's rather nice. A very kind gentleman, if not a bit strange." "Strange? Strange how?" "Oh, I don't know. He just..." She bit her lip. "I feel like he's acting or something, like he's hiding something. Tell me, Capper, what do you think?" Capper half chuckled. "I think you're right. I think he's hiding from his past." "His past?" "The boss has never had it easy. Even so, I've never seen him show his true feelings for anything—anything except muffins." He laughed. Which made Fluttershy giggle a bit as she pictured in her mind him with his goofy grin eating his favorite breakfast. Capper finally turned to her. "Forgive me if I cut to the chase," Fluttershy saw how serious his expression was. "Where are you going with this?" she asked, a bit concerned. "I've never once seen anyone get true emotions from the boss," he said slowly and drawn out, "but there have been a few cracks in that façade of his recently. I've seen him smile a genuine smile; I've heard him laugh a genuine laugh." He narrowed his eyes. "I've seen the way he looks at you." Capper stopped in front of her, catching her off guard. "Tell me, Mrs. Breeze, what are you trying to do?" he asked darkly, almost as if it were a threat. "How do you feel about the boss?" Fluttershy instinctively shrunk back a little, frightened, but as she thought about his words, she realized what he was asking and why. The reason was so blindingly obvious. She relaxed, if only slightly, and her face softened. "You really do care for him, don’t you?" It was Capper's turn to grow surprised; he raised an eyebrow but quickly placed it back down. "He's like a father to me. You know how he was made a lord?" "Yes, his acts of bravery in the war. I read an article about it once." "Yes, well he saved a group of children who were orphaned due to the war. I was one of them. Since then, I've been his assistant for nearly a decade. The things I've seen him do, the things he's gone through..." Capper shook his head. "He acts like it's all a joke, but I've never seen anyone fight more for what he believes than Mr. Ghost." Capper set his paws in the pocket of his jacket. Satisfied with her answer, he walked away, leaving Fluttershy to get back to her work. Capper sighed and turned around. "I encourage you, I do. He deserves so much more. But if you're planning to hurt him..." Capper grumbled and clenched his fist. The message was clear—perhaps too clear. However, Fluttershy couldn't help but smile at how sincere Capper was. "Thank you, Capper." Satisfied with his actions, the cat set his paws in his jacket and left without another word, leaving Fluttershy once again to her own thoughts. Fluttershy was now sitting on the couch, her mind completely lost on what to do. In the background was the sound of Twilight tinkering with her time machine, her plans for the device spread out all over her bedroom. When she was finished with her wrench, she looked over some calculations she had on her computer. "Hmm, now if I could just make enough energy to surpass the speed of light, I should be able to time travel." She set a pen to her chin. "But the energy to do that..." She then walked over to what was left of the strange goo that had mutated them all. Its energy output was close to what she needed for time travel. She only needed perhaps half a teaspoon to make it work, but she had so little of the strange material left; she couldn't risk using it. She then examined a pepper that was sitting by it. "Hmm, its DNA structure is bizarre, but it is DNA nonetheless. Strange that it gives off that kind of power," she said as she grabbed a soda. With it in her hoof, she stopped and looked at it. "Hmm, warm. I'll fix that!" Her eyes went yellow, and she blasted the can with an ice spray, turning it cold again. She took a drink as she thought to herself, "What kind of creature has a goat horn and can blast ice rays and fire beams?" Suddenly, there was a knock on her door. It opened to reveal Rarity. "Hey, Twilight, did you find anything about my father yet?" "No, sorry, I've been busy." "Looks like it," Rarity laughed at the sight of her room. "Good golly! Is that your time machine?" Rarity asked, seeing it for the first time. "Yep, just something for fun; it's never gonna work. Besides, I really do need to put it down and figure out more about us and the chimera." Just then they heard Pinkie rummaging through the fridge, looking for ice cream. "It's in the back, Pinkie," Twilight called out with a smile, already knowing what she was looking for. Pinkie’s ears perked up at that, and she instantly looked in the back. "Oh, found it!" she replied. Twilight and Rarity just shook their heads at her antics, grinning as she pulled out a tub of ice cream. Then Twilight noticed Fluttershy, who was deep in thought as she pet her bunny rabbit. "She's still like that," Twilight whispered to Rarity. "Actually, I think I might have an idea as to why," Rarity smiled. Rarity chuckled. "Do you mind distracting Pinkie so I can talk with her one-on-one?" Twilight shrugged. "Not like that’s gonna be hard," she replied sarcastically as she walked away. Rarity walked over to Fluttershy, startling her as she didn’t even notice she was standing there. "Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to scare you. I'm about to go over and ask what Dash has been up to; why don’t you come with me?" Fluttershy, a bit shy, didn’t say a word—just agreed. The two friends walked out of the apartment and into the hall. It was a short walk since Dash and Applejack's apartment was just the next door across from them. Fluttershy nearly walked into the door, not realizing Rarity had stopped to open it. She looked up just in time, embarrassment written on her face. "Oh dear me, Fluttershy, this guy must be something if you’re not even paying attention," Rarity commented with a sly expression. "Huh? No, no, it's, uh, um..." Rarity laughed. "I knew it! Oh my, who is he?" She asked. Fluttershy jumped back from her friend a bit, her expression nervous. "Oh, come now! This guy must be incredible if you’re willing to give your heart to him." "My, my heart?" she screeched in a tiny voice. Rarity shook her head. "Let me guess: you haven't even considered it, have you?" Fluttershy raised her head a bit in shock, but knowing there was no denying it, she finally decided to open up a bit. "Okay, okay, so there's this friend of mine. We sort of kissed and—" "Kissed?" Rarity gasped. "Dear me, Fluttershy, I didn't know you had it in you!" Fluttershy grew a cross face. At that, Rarity realized they were out in the open. This was a private conversation, and they were alone—so long as the walls were thick, which wasn’t much. "Sorry," she replied. Fluttershy continued, her expression turning back to one of worry. "You see, that was a while ago, and since then we haven't had time to talk. He's been busy with work, and so have I, being an intern, college student, and a part-time superhero. Rarity, I just don’t think this is a good time." She shook her head. "There's never a right time." This caught Fluttershy off guard. She returned her gaze to her friend, who wore a genuine, friendly smile. "I've known you for how long, and you've never been interested in any pony? There is never a right time for love, not unless you make the time." Fluttershy stood in silence as she took in her friend's advice. With a giggle, Rarity continued, "It's nearly dinner, dear. I'm sure he's almost off work; why don’t you go to him? Go to him right now." Fluttershy was slow to comprehend what Rarity was saying, but when she finally did, she tried to make another excuse. "But..." "No buts, just go! You can thank me later," Rarity winked. Fluttershy hesitated at first, a bit dazed; however, she slowly warmed up to the idea. With a mighty nod, she agreed to it and began to walk away. With every step she took, she gained more and more confidence, ready to face Mr. Ghost for what would be either the last time or the first time of many. Rarity watched as she left, a smile on her face. She gave a happy shake of her head before entering Dash's apartment. Twilight looked at her computer at the different files, though she could barely pay attention as she listened to Pinkie Pie go on and on about some new recipes she wanted to try. If that wasn't bad enough, there were also two loud mouths playing their board game right across from her. She sighed and wondered, where is AJ when you need her? Out loud, she picked up a cup of noodles. "Oh, she went back to her hometown to visit her sister, silly! She already told us that yesterday, but she'll be back tonight," Pinkie smiled. "Come to think of it," she placed a hoof on her chin, "I wonder where Dash is, and for that matter, Fluttershy and Rarity." "I hope Dash gets here soon. She should've been back an hour ago. Shining, any new info on the Ghost Labs yet?" Shining picked up the dice. "Nope, none of those Ghost Labs have anything to do with that bar." He rolled an eight. "Ha! The dragon freezes you with its freeze blast from its horn. What will you do now?" he questioned the lizard in front of him. Spike smirked. "I have a fire spell just for that!" At the sound of this, Twilight's eyes widened. "Wait, Shining, what did you just say?" "Ghost Labs have nothing to do with the bar." "No, no, what did you say about the dragon?" Twilight asked, bewildered. "Oh, uh, I used a spell that the dragon knows to freeze Spike in place." "Freeze?" Twilight said, shivering. "A horn that can freeze." She turned around, muttering the words "a horn that can freeze" as she walked away. "Uh, Twilight!" they called, but she didn't answer. Instead, she just took off into the library, searching for a book. "Okay, here we go again," Shining exhaled. "Yep, we lost her," Spike deadpanned. "Now back to the game," he smiled happily. Pinkie looked between Twilight and the boys and shrugged. "Alright, boys, have you room for one more player?" she asked, to which the two smiled. As the sun began to set for the day, Capper walked into the office of the mayor. "Well?" asked his boss in a dull tone. "Mission successful, sir. The inventory is all delivered and set on the Ghost Train." Mr. Ghost smiled at that. "Good, and what of our little spy?" "Dash, Rainbow, and the other mutants haven't got a clue. Sir, if I may ask, I thought you said you were done with them, so why have you let them in so far into your operation?" "Hmm, questioning me, are we?" Mr. Ghost said with a sly grin that unnerved Capper. "Just curious is all, sir. Forgive me, I am a cat." Mr. Ghost chuckled. "Simple, Capper: keep your friends close and your enemies closer. They're pawns, nothing more. By the time they learn anything useful, I will have already won this war." "Mm-hmm, and what of Mrs. Breeze, sir?" "What about her?" Mr. Ghost asked, looking over his paperwork. "Oh, nothing. It just seemed you're getting quite close to her, sir. Not that there's anything wrong with the company of a mare with such fine assets." Mr. Ghost froze in place, a single eyebrow raised. "Assets?" "Yes, she's quite the looker, being a model and smart, being on track to become a vet. Why, it's a wonder she isn't dating at all." Capper smirked. Mr. Ghost narrowed his eyes, not liking where his subordinate was going with this. Twilight wasted no time heading to the library. "Oh, hello, Mrs. Sparkle! Here to check out more time travel books?" she asked. "Uh, no. Can you point me in the direction of dragons and mythical beasts?" she said, a bit dazed. "Oh yes, aisle seven," said the librarian with a smile on her face. Mr. Ghost stood up, towering over the tall cat with a sly smile. "Capper, you are of great use to me, but one more quip like that and I might think you're worth more trouble than I initially thought." "I'm just saying, boss, she could be a great use to you as well, if you just open your heart to the idea." Suddenly, Capper found himself lifted off his feet. Even for a tall guy like him, this was terrifying; he came eye to eye with Mr. Ghost, and for a moment he could have sworn he saw them flicker. "For that, I would have to have a heart, and I don't. Don't misstep where you don't belong." He dropped Capper, but Capper acted as if nothing happened at all. "Yes, sir," is all he said with a cheerful smile. But in his head, he thought, "All you have is a heart to give; I've seen it." "Good, keep me informed if anything changes," Mr. Ghost commanded as he set his hat on his head. "I must be going." Twilight had several books laid out in front of her. Dragons of all sorts filled the pages along with their fairy tale descriptions. The western dragon had claws and a mane like a lion; its tail even came to a sharp point, almost like a scorpion's. Though it bore no wings, it could fly. Then there was a Middle Eastern dragon: sharp fangs and mighty tall goat-like horns, with scaly wings. Then there were sea serpents—dragons of the seas with long serpent bodies and scales tough as armor. "Dragons..." Twilight muttered as she looked between the books. The claws, the tails, the scales—her jaw dropped as her eyes landed on the Eastern dragon. She placed a hoof where her horn would be if she wasn’t hiding it at the moment. "Horns," she muttered with a shudder. Fluttershy walked down, heading to town hall. She hadn't seen him ride his bike in a while either. She remembered how fun it was to be on the back of it and once again wanted to be there with him. And now she was free to do so. But just before she could step into downtown Hall, she came to an abrupt stop. "Oh no, what am I doing?" she asked herself. "We're just friends, and..." She stopped when she remembered he kissed her neck. She placed her hoof where he had. She was so deep in thought she never even noticed the sound of the bike pulling up behind her. "Well, if it isn't Mrs. Breeze," Mr. Ghost called out, making her jump out of her thoughts. She turned to see him in his usual trench coat and hat, looking the same as the night they first met—or the night that they... She shook her head. "No, don't think of that right now," she told herself. "Um, you feeling alright?" he asked her. "Huh? Oh, yes! Yes, I was actually on my way to see you," she smiled. "Really? Why is that? It's not Friday, and besides, you really don’t need a tutor anymore, I thought..." He raised an eyebrow. "Um, no, but, uh, we’re friends so..." "There you go again, assuming we’re friends," he chuckled. Her face grew into a spiteful frown. "I am more than just a muffin!" she replied back. As she did, Mr. Ghost stole a look at her. Capper's words still rang in his mind, and he muttered the words, "Fine indeed." He said, catching her off guard. "Hmm, what was that?" "Oh, uh," he coughed, realizing he just said that out loud. "I was just saying it’s a fine night." "Oh yes, yes, it is a fine night," she smiled. "Say, you haven't eaten anything, have you?" he asked her. "Hmm, oh no, actually I haven’t." "Well, um, I'm heading home. Just got off work and planning to make something if you’d like to join me." He smiled. This caught her completely off guard. "Like a date?" "No," he coughed. "No, not at all. We're just friends; it's just a friendly dinner," he smiled nervously. "Don't make this weird," he narrowed his eyes. She smiled at that, nervous herself. "Hmm..." She pretended to think about it. "Sure! Just a friendly dinner sounds great to me," she replied. "Then get on!" he gestured her to get on the back of his bike. She did so, and the two rode off together. As they did, they never noticed two figures watching them from a distance. "You think it's him?" asked Jr. His sister shrugged. "Well, he's got a bike, he's tall like you, and she is driving off with him." She set a hoof to her chin. "Let's just see where they go, alright?" "Alright then! I'll get the bike ready," Junior smiled. Twilight closed the book, terrified. "We're not just chimeras; we're dragon chimeras," she whispered to herself. "We're dragon ponies.We're draconiqui." Her expression turned to one of a sadistic smile. She began laughing uncontrollably, shaking from head to toe, losing her mind. "**We're dragon ponies! Haha, we're dragons! Ha, ponies. "Hahahahahahhaha!!!" Author's Note So to pick up on what I was talking about wit my last author note, explaining how I made this story. My ideas at first seemed endless. MLP gives such a brod stroke for possible fan fics and au. Several came to my mind that I thought would be fun to write, and I wrote the ideas down. How ever I struggled with forming a cohesive story out of them for the longest time. Then one day, some one I won't name saw my work and told me I should give up on writing because it was so bad. 😑 yeah long story short I didn't listen. And indeed I have that person to thank now, beacuse to prove them wrong I made it my mission to form a full story. Ok more on this later 😂👋 chapter 17 cross lines.Rarity entered AJ and Dash's apartment to find Dash dressed in a trench coat and hat. She froze as she saw Rarity step in. "Oh, are you going somewhere?" she asked politely. "Uh, maybe. I actually have something I got to go do, so I’ll see ya soon, okay?" Dash said and quickly walked past Rarity, only for her to catch her by the arm. "Dash, these past few months you've been kind of quiet. Where are you going?" she asked, this time a bit more concerned. "Doesn't matter, Rarity." "Really? Because you've been acting like this ever since you joined Chaos Vill." "Chaos Vill, Rarity—those are the bad guys! You know I'm just a spy." "Yeah, a spy that hasn't come back with any intel at all. What have you been doing, Dash?" "I, uh..." she stuttered, not knowing what to say. "You've been avoiding everyone, especially me lately, and I'm pretty sure it's not because of a guy like Fluttershy." "That's not..." Dash shook her head. "Wait, Fluttershy’s got the hots for a guy? Since when?" she asked in disbelief. "You're changing the subject. Tell me what you know about Chaos Vill that you're hiding from us." "I told you everything I know." "Really?" "Yeah, really." "I don't believe you." "Well, I'm telling the tr—" Just then, a ringtone went off. Dash went to go pick it up, but Rarity slid in and picked it up for her. She looked at it and saw the name Tempest Shadow. "Who is this?" she answered. "Zap! Get your butt over here now! That cat is on the move and I need backup!" yelled Shadow. "On my way! Got a situation!" she yelled back. "WHO the hell is the cat?" demanded Rarity. "Who are you? Are you a member of Chaos Vill?" "Chaos—Zap! Who is that on the line?!" "It's no one, just a friend, Mom," Dash lied. "Mom? You're her mom? Hi, I’m Rarity Shine, one of her best friends from college." Rarity immediately cheered up. "Nice to meet you, Tempest." Tempest Shadow's eyes widened. "Uh, yes, I am Dash's mother. Uh, how do you know my name? Did Dash tell you?" she said through gritted teeth. "Rarity! Give me back my phone!" "No, it's on your contact." "Con—" Tempest nearly had a car wreck. "Dash, you seriously put my spy name as a cell phone contact?" she grumbled as she tried to follow the cat's trail without looking suspicious. "And so who is the cat? Your brother or something?" "Uh, yeah, yeah, my, uh, brother." Rarity smirked. "Ha! Got you in a lie. Fluttershy already told me your mother's name, and I know you're an only child. Who is this really? Are you a member of Chaos Vill?" "Dash, you imbecile," Tempest grumbled and hung up the phone. "Great," she gritted her teeth and pulled the car around, letting go of her track on her target. Fluttershy was as happy as could be in that moment as she walked down the hallway, following Mr. Ghost to his apartment. Mr. Ghost stopped at the door, unlocked it, and stepped back with a slight bow. "Ladies first," he grinned, to which she smiled and entered the dark room. Discord turned on the lights, revealing the strange place he called home. Fluttershy had been here once before, but this time she was actually invited in by the man himself, and she smiled at the thought as she asked, "What's for dinner?" "Sorry, my place isn't exactly ready for a nice dinner or anything. I wasn't expecting company; I never do—except Capper." "Oh, no, I don't mind." Mr. Ghost smiled. "Anyway, I have pasta and garlic bread. Would you like to help in the kitchen?" She nodded, and the two headed to the kitchen together. As they soon began preparing for dinner, the entire time Fluttershy couldn't help but feel happy about it. "So pasta, huh?" she asked with a sly smile. "What? I like pasta. Besides, it's a simple dinner to make." "I suppose," she replied. "It's just, I remember a certain movie with two dogs and pasta," she smiled. Mr. Ghost almost lost it. "Ha! I assure you, Mrs. Breeze, there will be two plates! After all, this is just a friendly dinner. Right?" he asked. "Hmm, right. Since when am I your friend?" she asked in a small voice. Mr. Ghost set the pot on the stove just before he answered her. "I don't know," he replied before he walked over to the dining table in his home and poured a glass. "Oh, uh, you know I'm not that good of a drinker," she said. "Oh, don't worry. Yours is grape juice. Mine is... well, a little stronger," he shrugged. "Now have a seat," he said and pulled out a chair for her. She sat down and smiled as he pushed her in. "Dinner will be only a moment; I cooked most of it this morning before I left." She giggled at that and looked around the room. She'd only been in here twice before. Hung over the fireplace was his signature artwork—a predatory beast that looked to be injured, surrounded by prey animals. Nothing above his piano, but over the table sat his uniform from back in the army, sitting in a shadow box. Other than that, the room usually seemed dark and dreary, yet tonight it seemed brightly lit and cheerful—although it could have been just her. Soon he brought out the plates and placed a basket of garlic bread in the middle of the table before he sat down. She took a bite, and he asked her, "How is it?" She nodded in approval, making him smile as he started diving in. While he had meatballs, she only had sauce on hers. She took a bite of the bread, and her eyes shot open. "Wow, that's good! Where did you get your bread?" "Baked it this morning," he replied as he took another bite of his dinner. "You made this?" "The dough and everything. The spaghetti, too, actually." "Wow, you really can cook! Who taught you?" "Living alone, you gotta be able to survive. I wasn’t going to just eat ramen for the rest of my life. I taught myself at an early age." "Well, for someone self-taught, you really have outdone yourself," she complimented before diving in to eat a bit more. He smiled at her compliments and watched her for a minute. "What is it?" she asked. "Oh, nothing. It's just I can't remember the last time I ever actually sat down and ate dinner with someone fun. I enjoyed being around. I'm invited to things all the time," he took his drink, "but I normally can't stand anyone. You are the exception." She grinned and continued eating. "Well, Dash, who is she?!" Rarity yelled. "A super spy!" she yelled back. "Not just any super spy, but Daring Do herself, okay? She’s helping me get down to the bottom of who the Chaos King is." "Really? And why don’t we know about this then?" Rarity threw the phone, smashing it. "Because!" "Because why!?" "Because we're in so over our heads, Rarity, and it's scary, alright? I'm terrified every freaking day, and yet here I am on the front lines infiltrating a known criminal organization. You really think this is easy for me?" "Daring Do is the only one who knows what they're doing, unlike a bunch of amateur mutants who don’t know what we’re dealing with!" This sudden outburst from Rarity's friend made her gasp in disbelief. "You don’t think I don’t know what we’re up against!" "He killed them, Rarity! He killed Daring Do's whole family—her three kids and husband. I heard her say it." "I am not gonna lose any of you, any of my friends, or any of my family!" She huffed and walked right past Rarity. "So stay out of it for your own safety!" she yelled, only to bump into a bewildered Twilight with a shocked, crazed smile on her face and a pile of dragon books in her hands, muttering, "Dragon ponies, we’re dragon ponies. Haha, hahahahahaha." The two mares stood staring at her. In unison, all they could say was, "Uhh?" Still eating dinner, Fluttershy thought of some small talk to start a conversation. Just as always, it was her to begin the small talk, much to their surprise. "So how long have you been able to cook like this?" "Since I was very young, actually," he replied in a reminiscing voice. "Your mother must've been proud." He narrowed his eyes, and a look of disinterest crossed his face. "No, I grew up in an orphanage. Not a very nice one either." Fluttershy's eyes widened. For the first time since the night they first met, he actually said anything about himself or his past. "I ate alone for so many years... And even after I was invited to parties and outings, I just never really wanted to hang around," he told her before continuing to eat. "Well, it's nice to see you've grown out of that then," she told him. "So you were an orphan. But you were adopted, right? What was it like growing up with Pinkie? She’s such a nice girl, but she definitely has a lot of energy." Mr. Ghost's muzzle twitched a bit at that. "She adopted me as her big brother. I was never adopted by her family. For three years, I couldn't get rid of her until I went into the military." His expression changed to one of a faraway distance. "In hindsight, I'm actually rather thankful for it. It felt nice to have someone want me to actually come home from the war. She wrote to me every week and sent plenty of care packages full of little gift boxes to me over my time there." He grabbed his glass. "Still, I never wrote back to her or anything. It wouldn't have been right to do so since she is not my sister, adopted or otherwise," he sipped his wine. "Well, I think that's a very sweet thing to do, and she still brings you muffins from Sugarcube Corner. Between the war and the event at Sugarcube, you're quite the hero." "Event... What event?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, Mr. Cake told me the story of how you stopped those gangsters from ruining the shop." With every word she spoke, his muscles seemed to tense up. But she never noticed. "I can't believe you survived being stabbed, and then all those gunshots. I'm so happy you're alive." At that, his eyes widened. It was clear from his expression she completely caught him off guard. "Oh. Oh, I didn’t mean... I mean, I just... you're a hero," she tried. Once again, his expression fell to one of disinterest—his usual poker face. "Yes, well, that was long ago." "Perhaps, but it's clear Mr. Cake is thankful for it... And to think you kept them from going out of business. I think that's..." "Enough," he grumbled, startling her in the process. "Let's talk about something else." He then grew a sly smile. "How did you get into modeling?" "Oh, that," she nervously chuckled, a bit embarrassed. "Well, you see..." As she went into the story, Mr. Ghost relaxed into his chair again and began finishing his dinner. "Dragon ponies, dragon ponies," she repeated crazily as her hair became frizzled by the minute. "Twilight, what are you muttering about?" Rarity asked, only for the door to open up and Shining Armor to come out. "What's going on out here?" he questioned. "Dragon ponies!" Twilight tossed her books in the air, and they conveniently opened to the right pages. "Look, look! A lion's mane, a fish tail, a goat horn!" She pointed at the illustrations. "We're not just any old chimera; we're dragon ponies! We're draconiqui!" Twilight shook and shivered and laughed to herself, scaring everyone around her. "Okay, maybe you should switch to decaf, Twily. Pinkie, don’t let her eat sugar!" Shining called back to the table behind him as Twilight walked in through the door. "Oh, oh, don’t worry! I won’t—not if she’s acting like that." Pinkie smiled. Dash picked up a book and looked at it. The claws on one of the dragons resembled hers, as did another's beak. "Sooooo... we're dragon ponies? Yeah, I'm gonna stick with chimera because I don’t know, that just sounds twenty percent cooler," she shrugged. "Twilight, I know this is huge and all, but we got bigger issues," Rarity told her crazy friend. "Dash here is working for someone called Shadow Star and is trying to go solo on us." "No, no, let me explain! Look, I found out that Daring Do author, A.K. Yearling, is actually a super spy, and she's been trying to track down the Chaos King for years, seeking revenge for her dead family." "Oh, and what organization is she part of?" asked Rarity, not buying it. "I, uh... I can’t tell you, Rarity. Sorry." Dash winced. "Hmph. Likely story. You trust them more than your own friends." "You don’t know what we’re getting into; trust me, Rarity. This is for the best," Dash explained. Twilight set a hoof on her chin as Dash finished her story. "What's ya thinkin', Twi?" asked Dash. "The question is can we trust her? How do we know she's not involved? How do we know she's not the Equalizer?" "Or Lord Chaos in disguise!" Pinkie shouted. "She's like a super spy for the agency. What more proof do you need? She also handed me this phone and said she'd call when she needed me." Twilight's eyes widened. "Dash, that could have a tracker on it. If she's working for the enemies, she could know our position." "Don't worry; I already broke it," Rarity boasted. "Hey, I told you she's one of the good guys! Why don't you trust her?" Dash asked. "Because I don't trust anyone!" Twilight yelled. At that, the room grew silent. Dash's expression was filled with a look of hurt as she asked, "So do you trust me? Do you trust your friends?" "Trust you? You're all chimera. I'm in charge of you!" Twilight tried to grab her. Dash moved out of her reach, spun around, and kicked Twilight into the floor—not enough to hurt her, just enough to send her back. "Dash!" Shining exclaimed! "You should trust your friends! You should be loyal to your friends!" "Friends? Do friends kick friends into the floor?!" Twilight yelled, her eyes beginning to glow. "You speak of trust, yet you didn't trust us!" Rarity called her out. At that, Dash stared at her in disbelief, but soon her expression turned to one of anger as her own eyes began to glow. "Fine then; I guess we're not friends." Pinkie, upon hearing that, dropped her jaw. "Now hold on a minute!" She stepped in the middle of the two. "Everyone just needs to calm down and think this through." "Think? Think? No, no! We've been working together for how long? And here I ask her to give me some trust, and she tries to claim I’m the bad guy here. No, I'm out of here!" Dash said and walked toward the door. "Leave, and we'll hunt you down." "Twilight," gasped Spike. "No, Spike! Now that I know what we are, I know how dangerous this is. If my theory is correct, if we truly are dragons, one wrong move and we could be playing into the villains' hands. Dash, as your leader, I'm telling you this one time: stand down." "Ha! Some leader! From the start, you never actually worked with any of us! So what if I say no?" Dash grumbled. Mr. Ghost and his friend finished their dinner, and she even helped him clean the dishes. The two of them seemed to be getting along, at least to her. But she learned very quickly that unless he gave it away, anything about his past was a subject off-limits for the most part. Still, she did learn a few new things about him. It was a start. He told her more about what he did for work and how he was studying the chimera disease himself to find a cure. The one thing he talked about most, though, was the trips he often took on his bike. Turns out he's been all over the world, not just Equestria. His favorite thing was his mode of transportation. The entire time he had a genuine smile when he explained his travels. "I once rode on the back of my bike through the jungles of Zeefrica. I was there visiting on a business trip with a politician. You would never imagine the size of the trees there and the many strange creatures who lived there." "I always wanted to visit there one day. I love elephants." "Saddle Arabia is a good place to see elephants, believe it or not." "You've been there too?" "Absolutely," he boasted. "Probably the most fun I've had on a trip. I can tell you one thing: the drinks there are something else," he shook his head. "You can't take the ones we have here; you wouldn't be able to handle anything back there, believe me," he chuckled. "So you seem to have been on a lot of business trips. Ever just taken a vacation?" she asked. He shook his head. "Far too busy. Mostly my job consists of business transactions. I only go because someone wants to meet with me about money and trade. Otherwise, I never leave this town." He sighed with another look of disinterest. "Always on the constant move. Despite having this setup, I actually barely stay here, never having a home to be honest," he finished. Seeing that look again made Fluttershy's frown deepen a bit. They were having such a good time, and she didn't want him to close up again. She had to think about something—anything—to change the subject. Luckily for her, something came to mind. "Umm, what interesting art," she said as she pointed at the piece over the mantle. "Yes, that happens to always be a conversation starter," he replied. The art was of a strange beast, a predator judging by its fangs and claws. It had a serpent-like tail and a skull-like pony head, yet there were no eyes or much detail to its face at all. There was a lot of detail, however, depicting its large bat-like wings, which it seemed to be using to hide its face. Yet on the wing, it appeared to be bleeding. The gruesome detail to the bloody wing was what made Fluttershy uncomfortable. Surrounding it was a bunch of prey-like animals: rabbits, deer, squirrels, and other small rodents and creatures. "Um, so what is it?" she asked. Tensions ran high in the room as the two chimera with glowing eyes stared daggers at each other. Finally, Dash blinked and took a more aggressive stance as she said, "I'm out of here." She reached for the door, and as soon as she did, Twilight pulled from her door her tranquilizer gun. "I don't think so," she said confidently. "Twilight, what are you doing?" Shining tried to grab the gun, but Twilight used her abilities to not only evade him but knock him onto the floor. She'd been training, and so far it seemed to have paid off. Dash looked at Twilight over her shoulder. "You know the last time we did this, I remember you walked away with a broken rib." "Sprained, actually, and this isn't like last time." She said as she cocked the gun. Spike and Pinkie took a step back just in time as Dash growled. "Well, see." Suddenly, she jumped and was so quick that she almost kicked Twilight's gun out of her hoof. Twilight wasn’t the fastest of the group—definitely third behind Dash—but nevertheless, she dodged her and brought her own hoof up into the rainbow griffon's jaw. Dash stepped back, rubbing the end of her jaw. The knee definitely hurt, but it was nowhere near enough to take her out. Twilight readied herself for another attack as Dash recovered, looking for an opening herself. "Hmm, what about the painting?" She gave a slight nod. "Oh, well let me ask you this: What would a dragon and a pony look like if you combined the two?" He smirked. She tilted her head at that. "I guess a dragon pony. Like your bar." "Correct. This here is a painting of it. I painted it myself," he said, examining his hoof. She took a look at the painting of the beast. "So why is it hurt?" Mr. Ghost's eyes widened as he heard those words. Dash found her opening and lunged at Twilight, who dodged it and came back for a back kick, only for Dash to throw her through the window. But this did not stop Twilight; she quickly got on her feet as Dash came in for another punch. Twilight used her horn to create an ice shield that made Dash slip over it and hit the wall face-first. "Stop it, you two! Pinkie, do something!" Spike panicked. "But what? I don't want to hurt my friends." Just then, Dash growled and created a burst of wind that sent her flying toward Twilight, who used her ice powers to ice skate her way to safety, though she did slip on her own powers. "If you don't do something, they're gonna kill each other," Shining told Pinkie, who quickly bit her lip in fear. "Please!" Rarity yelled out. "Hurt?" he asked. "Yeah, you see his wing? It's bleeding." Discord narrowed his eyes at that. "And how do you know this creature didn't kill?" "Because if it did, then there would be blood on another animal," she twitched an eyebrow. "But it seems to me the dragon pony is scared because of his injuries, and the other animals are only glaring because of how frightened they are of the obvious predator in their sights—injured or not." He stood stunned, his mouth opened at the surprisingly insightful comment made by the mare. "Congratulations! I think you're the first to ever dissect that photo and be right." "Huh, I'm right?" "Yes," he said with his eyes narrowed. Yet there was something sad in his expression. "The dragon pony is definitely hurt in that painting." Fluttershy watched him, curious about what he was going to do next. Seeing his expression, she quickly wanted to change the subject. Oh, but to what? She didn't want to lose him—not after learning so much and breaking down so many barriers with him. Then her eyes widened with an idea. "So, uh, you said you had a jellyfish tank once?" Mr. Ghost nodded. "Umm, can I see it then?" He smiled at her and gave a slight nod as he walked over to the stairs. "The jellyfish are in the back of the lab. Come, I'll show you." He held his hoof out to her. She took it, thrilled to touch him, if only slightly. Pinkie stood in place, watching her two friends tussle as she struggled with what she was going to do. "Pinky!" the boys shouted at her to do something. The two went from the nicely set, almost romantic atmosphere of his apartment down to the sterile, white, cold, clean lab. Fluttershy had seen part of the lab before, but she never got to see all of it. She gasped as she saw the large round fish tank in the back corner, full of colorful jellyfish. She marveled at the sight of the majestic moving creatures in the water. Some were pink, some white—almost clear—and some were dark blue, almost hard to see in the fish tank. "Amazing, are they not?" he said with a dreamful sigh, letting go of her hoof. She wished he had held onto it, but didn’t fight it when he let her go. "Why do you have so many?" "Oh, well it's, uh... They're actually my test subjects." Fluttershy's eyes widened at that. Mr. Ghost gave a slight nod. "You see, these creatures have no brain, no heart, or really any pain receptors of any kind. It's delicate work due to their jelly-like texture, but due to their transparency, it's also easy to see what happens on the inside to them during an experiment. The best part is I can get what needs to be done, whether that's implanting an organ or something in the jellyfish, or simply seeing whether or not the experiment would kill the creature without causing any pain to them at all. Most people use lab rats, and while it's far easier, I actually don't like the idea of harming any creature. By using jellyfish, I've eliminated that issue." Fluttershy was a bit stunned by this but then slowly came around to the idea. It was true that jellyfish had no brain, heart, or pain receptors. She didn't like the idea of any creature being experimented on, but one without feeling any pain would be acceptable in some odd sense, right? The question was, what kind of experiments did the Lord do on such creatures? Still, it was one question that she decided she didn't want to know the answer to. "And here I thought you said you weren't one for animals, Mr. Ghost," she gave a slight giggle with his name. "That doesn't mean I like seeing them in pain. They didn't do anything to deserve it." The way he said "deserve it" made Fluttershy raise an eyebrow, as if there was another question she wanted to ask but decided she didn't want the answer to. Still, the question remained: Did anyone deserve it? And somehow it seemed like he believed there were those who did, the way he spoke. "Some of them have turned into quite unique creatures due to my experimentation. Normally many do not survive, and I dispose of them, but one in particular I've come to keep as a useful pet. You just got to meet him. I think you'll rather enjoy this, seeing as to your liking of animals." He said as he walked down a ways from the fish tank. She followed him, never taking her eyes off the beautiful jellyfish in the tank until she bumped into him, not watching where she was going. She quickly turned to him. "Sorry," she said, as he stood still, hardly moving. "That's quite alright. Now look," he told her as he held out his hoof to a glass box sealed with a big black lock on it. Inside of the box was a purple substance that filled the entire container. She looked into the box, expecting to see a jellyfish swimming in the ooze, but there was nothing. She raised an eyebrow and only snickered at her look as he pulled out a rusty black key. He slipped it into the lock and opened the latch. "Come now, Smoose, you have a visitor." The purple substance began to bubble and expand, making Fluttershy a bit worried. It continued to expand and bubble until it overflowed out of the container, making her eyes widen more, unsure of what to do. He just watched her reaction with an amused look on his face. The substance boiled, bubbled, and expanded until it was at least three times its size, and then it literally all bubbled out of the container and seemed to collect itself into a pile of goo. No eyes or anything, but it seemed to have a mouth not unlike that of a jellyfish. It finally stopped bubbling and sat there, almost as if it were staring at the two of them. "That's it, that's it! Come here, buddy," he cooed as he reached his hoof out to it. The Smoose seemed to approach it and almost sniff it before it bubbled over Discord's hoof. As it moved, it left a slimy substance in its path as it ran up his arm and almost seemed to cuddle with it. A strange sound, which almost sounded like a cat purring underwater, came from the slimy substance now all over Discord's arm. He then turned to the still unsure and slightly frightened Fluttershy. He snickered a bit before he spoke. "No need to fear. It's harmless—well, mostly harmless," he said as he held out his arm to her. As he did, the slime seemed to come to life on its own as it continued to move around bubbling as it did. Fluttershy very cautiously built up the nerve to reach for the creature, if you could call it that. She did shake in fear a bit when the substance finally moved off of his arm and onto hers. It was a strange substance. It felt as if a bag of hot water was on her arm—hot but not uncomfortable. It seemed to sway back and forth on her arm, and the more she had it, the more used to the strange creature she got. As she warmed up to it, she began to play with it, poking it and brushing it. Funny enough, the creature seemed to like the interaction since it continued to make strange sounds—a cross between a dolphin and an excited dog-like sound. "See? He likes you. Or it, I suppose," Mr. Ghost shrugged. "What is this thing?" she asked. "It was one of my first experiments. I don't know why it survived. Every time I try to recreate the thing, it never does. It started out as a jellyfish and somehow gained not only intelligence but the ability to well do that," he shrugged. The creature then made a sound that almost resembled a stomach growling. "Oh, he's hungry. The funny thing is he's not actually making noise. Somehow he's able to repeat sound. Believe it or not, that's my stomach he's mimicking whenever he's hungry." "He eats?" "Yeah, though he has one of the strangest diets," Mr. Ghost said as he headed to a fridge. "He eats metals. The problem is that when he eats too much, he grows too fast, so don't let him eat your jewelry or anything, okay?" He pulled out a pouch of what looked to be old, rotting blood. "I keep him around since he's great for disposal. Watch this," he replied, opening the blood that reeked of decay and placed it on the counter. The creature seemed to know the scent well, even though it had no nose, and it began to bubble and move off of Fluttershy and over to the bag. "I thought you said it eats metals." "Oh, but it does! There is plenty of iron in a blood cell and other metals in the body. Smoose will eat it all, leaving only water to remain." He said as the bag of red turned into a cleaned, clear liquid. The creature was half in the bag, absorbing the red stuff and leaving it clear. It bubbled and seemed to begin to boil the blood as it did so. "It won't harm anything, but you might notice that wherever he touched, dead skin might be gone due to him eating it." Fluttershy looked at her arm, and he was right. There wasn't much of a trace of dandruff or anything on her arm where Smoose had touched. The strangest part of Smoose, though, wasn't the fact that it was alive, but the fact that it seemed she once saw something like this before. This color, at least. But she couldn't figure out where she had seen the color before. Something to think about later, she supposed. The creature finished its dinner and made what sounded like a burp noise. Mr. Ghost laughed a bit nervously at that. "Ahh, mimicking me. Believe it or not, I can get it to mimic my voice too." He cleared his throat. "Smoose, say something." The Smoose seemed to move and twist, as if curious like a puppy would move its head when trying to figure out a command. "Something!" it said, mimicking Discord's voice but squeaky. "Good boy, Smoose. What else can you say?" "What else can you say?" the creature said. "Oh wow, that's incredible," Fluttershy gasped. "Yes, even if he's only mimicking. He can also dance." Mr. Ghost clapped his hooves, spun around, and slid a little to the left with his hip out. The creature, to the best of its abilities, copied his movements. Fluttershy giggled at the sight of this as Discord continued his dance moves with the pile of goo copying him. Mr. Ghost smiled at her laughter, not realizing just how much he enjoyed hearing it. "It's only too bad it leaves such a mess when it moves around; otherwise, I'd have it follow me like a dog or something." "A dog or something," it repeated and stopped dancing when he did. "Well, it sure is a strange one. But I love it." "I knew you would," he smirked. "This one's a survivor, that's for sure... Just like me," he said the last part under his breath. Fluttershy did hear it and raised another eyebrow but decided not to pry. "Love, love. Love it, love it," the Smoose said which made the tall pony tense up a bit. Hearing his own voice, whether squeaky or not, say such a thing in front of her made him uncomfortable. "Um, okay, now the hard part. Smoose, it's time to go to bed." He said as he picked up the glass box it was originally in and placed it next to him. The Smoose didn't seem to want to go in at first, but Discord grabbed a little jar and sprinkled something in it. "Iron shavings," he told Fluttershy, who looked at it curiously. The creature, along with its treat, got into the container and settled back down, shrinking into every inch of the box before Mr. Ghost closed it and locked it tightly. As the fight came to a close, Twilight raised her gun at Dash, who came in for a finishing blow. One way or another, this fight was going to end in the next two seconds. In that time, Pinkie watched, scared of whatever was going to happen. A gunshot went off, and a flash of pink ran past them. The two mid-fighting eyes didn't register at first what had happened, but as their minds caught up, it was all too clear what had occurred. Pinkie ran in between the two as Twilight shot her tranquilizer. It hit Pinkie and not Dash, sending both her and Dash flying. "Pinkie!!!" shouted the two. "Look at what you did!" Dash yelled. "It's a tranquilizer; she's gonna be fine. She'll sleep for... a few hours." "Hmph!" the griffon snorted. "You've got your priorities twisted, Twilight." She picked Pinkie up. "Where are you going?" asked her opponent. "Where do you think?" she replied. Twilight wanted to follow but knew she had no more ammo and decided to let them go. She lost this round, and she knew it. She then walked right into the window of the apartment. Just then, AJ walked in. "Oh, guys, I'm back! Did I miss any—" she stopped just as she saw the mess around the room. Twilight didn't even hesitate walking past her and going straight to her room, slamming the door shut. "Things..." AJ finished her sentence with a look of shock. "Well, this was nice," he smiled. "Yes, yes it was," she blushed. "So, uh, perhaps we could do this again sometime then?" He was asking her on another date. She saw the clock on the wall and knew he was ending the night. "Uh, yes, I would like that very much. Umm, are you busy tomorrow?” "No, I mean yes, but I always come home for dinner," he said, a bit out of breath, pleased with her response. A moment of awkwardness began to settle in as silence came between the two of them. "Umm, so." "So," he repeated after her. "It's a date then." "A date? Yes, we're dating now," she grew a sly grin of her own. "Since when was this a date?" He chuckled, "For a shy pony, you're not very shy." "I'm not around my friends. If I am, at least you're my friend." He looked at her with a smile on his face. "Very well, friends, if nothing more." "Goodbye then." She finally said and began walking to the door. Of course, it was behind him, so she was walking toward him. "Y-yes, good, uh, goodbye for now." He said, not wanting to admit how much he wanted her to stay. As she was about to walk right past him, the two exchanged happy looks. A question on both of their minds that was never asked or answered: "Are you going to kiss me goodbye?" But no such gesture came from either of them. It was too soon for that. As soon as she was out of the door, Mr. Ghost dropped his facade, a look of bewilderment on his face. Did he really just have a nice date with someone he actually got along with? And wanted another? Did he actually hope for a kiss goodbye from her? He could not answer; all he could do was shake his head. "What did I get myself into?" he said just above a whisper. Fluttershy ran into the bus, and when she sat down, she hid her face with her hair as always. She had a smile on it, though. One she couldn't hide. Author's Note Continuing off my last author note I was telling how I came up with this story. Thought I be a cool idea. So my ideas were many. Some I might turn into a full fan fic later. One ide was what if instead of multiple villains, MLP was about twilight vs one villain. Of course they'd be side villains but one big bad guy to take over everything. Discord being my fav obviously took this spot. And I started a rough out line of that story... In it I thought it be cool to have all the ponies be a bit difrent. We'd have Alicorn twilight, unicorn rarity, seapony pinky, I know wierd. And shy flutterbat. They'd come together as knights of the round table to fight off thire true enamys discord. Except being a flutercord fan I wanted discord to eventually fall for flutterbat and in the end give up his right for her... Good idea right... Well problem was flutershy became the main lead. Something I didn't like because twilight is the main lead . And no I am not doing twicord. Not the worst ship ever I just like fluttercord. Twilight is the main lead of the show. And I wanted to focus on her as the main lead. But Everytime I try to introduce flutercord that all fell apart. And I gave up. Ok more on this later 😂👋 chapter 19 Future Warning'sMay 3rd, 2011 - 2:00 AM As the clock kept ticking late into the night, Twilight lay in her bed, tossing and turning. Her mind scattered amongst the memories that tormented her that night. When she finally did fall asleep, for a moment or two, it was the same nightmare that haunted her for years. "Twilight…" She could hear her brother, Shining Armor, call out to her in a shaking voice. He was scared to death. "Twilight…" "Twilight." She heard another voice ringing in her ears. "Twilight… it's gonna be okay," her father shouted. "Twilight, everything's gonna be alright, I promise." "Run, Twilight, run!" she heard her brother cry out. A maniacal laughter filled the air as her father pleaded. "Please stop this. Don't hurt them. Don't. I'll help you; just don't." "Hahahahahahha," laughed the Lord of Chaos himself. Only now it was worse. With the sound of a gunshot, she woke up in a pit of sweat, knowing all too well what happened next. She breathed in and out, trying to calm her pulsing heart in the reflection of her time machine. She saw the eyes of a monster—the eyes of the chaos lord himself—only they were her own eyes. She knew they were her own eyes. She gritted her teeth as she looked at the clock; it was nearly 3 in the morning. She had enough of this and decided she needed to get some air... Twilight quickly took off into the warm night air, a sign that summer was on its way. She used to only be able to run around in the shadows on the ground; even with her grappling hook and other small gadgets, she couldn't jump across town as easily as she could now. She leaped and flipped across the rooftops of the city somewhat easily. But as she took one jump over the edge of the wall and began to plummet to the ground, a twinge of panic ran through her for a few seconds, only for her to gain composure and use her chimera powers (or dragon powers, thanks to her theory) to create an ice beam and slide down it. As she did, though, she slipped and fell on her ice powers. She got up and shook the dirt off her. "God, I really need to get better at that," she scolded herself. She then grabbed her phone and checked where she was. She was heading to her brother's place, who still lived on the south side of town, along with Spike. At the mere thought of Spike, her aunt Luna also came to mind. She had no clue where Luna or any of the missing chimera were, or how many chimera there really were. The very thought of this had her banging her head. Then she thought of something she hadn't before: when was the last time she got a phone call from her godmother, the person who was like a mother to her after what happened to her own family that night? She hadn't spoken to her in a while, and that thought brought her down in the dumps as she used her horn to make a walkway made of ice back up to the top of a building. "I should call her tomorrow," she told herself. As she stood on top of the building, she looked up at the night sky. She took in a deep breath of fresh air as the wind blew through her mane. "What have I gotten myself into, Mother?" she said in a pleading, depressed tone. "What are you up to?" Suddenly, her chimera hearing caught a ruckus from down below, which caught her attention. "Hmm, oh, of course, this is the south side of the city; there are crimes here every night," she grumbled but then smirked. The thought of kicking someone's butt tonight actually sounded quite pleasant at the moment. She took off towards its direction, never once realizing she was being watched like a hawk from atop the rooftops. Capper walked out from the shadows as he watched the hero jump from the rooftops toward him. "You don't think I know that you are there." "I wasn't exactly hiding," she answered him in a sarcastic tone. "What's the word, Smolder?" asked the cat. "They are on the move. I don't know who those two are or why they are here, but they're pretty close. At this point, I feel we should kick Dash and her little friend out." The two had signed up for the tournament now. "No, that would be problematic. Perhaps a trap should be laid to see where their loyalty lies." "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" "I am," he said almost comically. "Alright then. I mean, the tournament is a few days away, so I can set up the boys to be ready for her when she wins. What will we do when we have them cornered?" "Leave that to the boss to decide." Just then, they heard something come from down in the streets. "Shouldn't you take a look at that?" she asked. "Nope, I think the pawns got it," he smirked. What he didn't realize was that through a pair of binoculars, Tempest Shadow watched him carefully. She lowered her binoculars as she heard snoring behind her. She looked over to see Dash and Pinkie completely asleep. She shook her head as she chuckled. As she looked at Dash, she was instantly reminded of her own daughter. The very thought of her nearly broke the stone-cold posture she kept herself at. She sighed as she returned to her work. She chuckled at that as she closed her eyes and sighed a solemn sigh before she heard a train roll in. She grabbed her binoculars and muttered to herself, "Just on time, aye?" A big black train came to a roaring stop; it had both cargo and a few passenger cars. She watched as a group of tough-looking lizards walked out of the train car and met up with Capper, who was working late. She tapped Dash's shoulder. It did nothing, so Tempest had to shake her until she woke up. "Wake up!" "Ahh! I'm up, I'm up. What’s going on? Are we being attacked?" she asked. "No, it's just time to switch watch. Remember the plan?" "Yeah, yeah, me and Pinkie join the fight. You know, most likely our friends are gonna come and try to infiltrate too." "Which is why we'll keep an eye out for Rarity. Now take a look." She handed Dash the binoculars. "You see them? Those are some fighters from the Dragon's Gang, located in Newhoof. Along with them, the Pony Gang builds from Atland. These are your competitors. They are members of some tough street gangs in other cities here to compete under the chaos king himself." Dash yawned but nodded. "They may, though, but..." she yawned again, "I'm a chimera; they're not." "Either way, don't get cocky. The goal is to win and get close to that cat. Once you give the signal, every cop and agent in the city will surround the building." "The second in command? But I thought we were after the Chaos King." "Yes, but the likelihood of him showing up is unlikely. However, all we need is his location from the cat, and we'll be able to give air support to his location." Dash smiled. *The Chaos King is going down.* Tempest rolled her eyes at Dash's enthusiasm, turning away, not wanting to show she smiled at it too. "What took you so long?" muttered a female voice. "Sorry, it's not easy finding a crowbar," a male voice said as he pulled a crowbar from his jacket and began to undo the door. "Hey! Breaking and entering is illegal, ya know," Shadow Star said as she jumped down in front of them. The one with the crowbar quickly tried to hit her, but she was able to catch it and knock him to the floor with one kick. The other jumped on a bike, and the one who got knocked down threw smoke bombs into the air. As the bike drove off, it hit a bump, and something fell, smashing onto the ground and shattering into pieces. Twilight tried to go after them but could only find the broken bits of what looked to be a computer. She picked it up carefully, trying not to cut herself as she attempted to turn it on. While it didn't work, she figured she might be able to learn something about those two from its hard drive. “Hmm,” she pondered who these two were and why they were trying to break into this building in particular. But she just shrugged and checked to see if the door was broken; luckily, those two didn't even get in. **May 4th, 2011 - Noon** On this fine spring day, Fluttershy found herself on the back of her colt friend's bike. He wouldn't tell her where they were going, only that it would be a surprise. While she held on tight, the wind blew past her mane, with whatever bit of hair wasn't under the black helmet she wore for safety. Although he refused to wear one, much to her dismay, he did buy her one at her request. She wasn't really following where they were going or what streets he was taking her down. Instead, she focused on the warmth she gained from him in her forelegs. To hold someone or be held by someone you love always felt nice. But unlike when she hugged her brother or family members, this was a different kind of feeling—one she hoped never to let go of. She was so focused on her thoughts that she didn't even notice the bike stopped until Discord turned the engine off. She looked around, and much to her surprise, they were up a mountain road just looking over the valley below where the town stood—the same mountain road they shared their first kiss. They hadn't been back since that very night, months ago. But instead of the chilly night air wrapped up in glorious lights and little flowers, it was a bright spring day as flowers of all sorts of colors spread across the trees. "Oh, Discord, it's beautiful." "I have one little more surprise, my dear,” he said as he got off the bike and grabbed something out of the trunk. He pulled out a picnic basket and a blanket. He walked over to the edge of the cliff and laid it down. "Oh, a picnic! Oh, this will be wonderful for our three-month anniversary." Discord smiled as he set it up. Inside the basket were several sandwiches, Discord's favorite chocolate muffins, and a little campfire tea set. "Three months of officially dating, maybe. But it's been merely five since our first time here. I thought you might want to see this place in the springtime." "Thank you," she told him as she helped set up the picnic. "Do you remember that night?" he said smoothly as he wrapped his arms around her. "The night you were so drunk you wanted to kiss me," he said, planting a small kiss on her cheek. "Mhmm, and we snuggled for a while, I do," she replied. He let go of her and began looking around for some firewood, but not before he said back, "Happiest night of my life." Discord made a little fire with some sticks and heated the tea. It was ginseng—their favorite. They sat and ate lunch; the conversation didn't go too far as they enjoyed each other's company. "So, Rarity has a whole new line of summer gear already lined up. She asked me to model for it, but I don't know if I can." "And why not?" he said as he took a bite of a cucumber sandwich. She sat facing him but was in the bright light of the spring sun. Even for a vampire, with a somewhat pale color, her pale yellow fur practically glowed in the light. He, on the other hand, sat in the shadow of the tree, watching her every movement. "Because I'm now a mutant. I mean, the wings, the pale skin... I got a bit skinny too. I don't think it's a good idea, and Twilight is insisting we all take extra precautions." "It shouldn't stop you from living, though. You need the money to pay for college, after all," he said, taking a sip of tea. "You just want to see me in a bathing suit, don't you?" He spat out a bit of his tea. "What? No!" he said dramatically and chuckled nervously. She giggled at his reaction. "Yes, well, I just don't think now would be a good time." "Well, there is still plenty of time before summer ends," he told her as he moved some of the leftovers back to the basket and got closer to her in the process, propping himself up on his elbows as he lay by her, a happy, dreamy look in his eye. "True," she said. He sighed happily. "Just the two of us, alone at last." "Don't you mean three?" she asked him. He narrowed his eyes a bit, confused, then looked down and noticed his muffin. "Oh," he said and ate it in one full bite. “There, now it's just the two of us." He chuckled, wiping his mouth with a napkin. She giggled at that for a moment, but her expression fell. That isn't what she meant, but how to tell him she had no idea. Seeing her expression, he asked in a concerned tone, "What's wrong, dear?" This caught her attention immediately, breaking her train of thought. “Oh, nothing,” she said before leaning down to give him a quick kiss. She broke it off too easily, and as she lifted her head from him, he grew his signature sly grin she had come to know him for. She knelt back down and laid into a passionate kiss—one that he returned happily. Not wanting to let her go, he set a hoof to her chin, pulling her gently closer into the shadows along with him. Twilight was on the phone as she entered a room, staring at the broken computer she had gotten last night. She looked at it as she replied to the phone, "Yes, it is a work in progress, but I think I'm finally figuring it out." "Really? Well, that’s amazing. I'm so proud of you and your studies. You've been trying to make a time machine for years. I'm so happy for you..." Celestia encouraged in a sweet, motherly tone. "And I know your mother would be too." At that, Twilight smiled, but it wavered a bit as she thought, if only Celestia knew. "Wherever she is," Twilight mentioned by accident. "Oh come now. You know your mother is looking down on you, with the biggest smile from the heavens. You know that." "Thank you! Thank you so much for what you've done for me. You know, raising me and all," Twilight said, as her lip quivered. "Oh, now where is this coming from?" Celestia chuckled gleefully. "I'm sorry; it's just I feel really bad for Spike right now." "Oh, and how is he doing? I mean, he calls me every other day, but he’s actually doing a lot better than I am… he has a lot of hope." "Hope is all you need, Twilight. We’ll find Luna; that I am certain of," Celestia replied, sounding wise. Twilight smiled, and her tone shifted back to a happy one. "You’re right. Anyway, I gotta go; I’ll call you again soon." "I’m free anytime you want to talk. I mean, after all, I kind of don’t have a job right now," she giggled. Twilight joined in the humor with her own amused laugh. "I suppose that’s true. Bye." She hung up the phone. Celestia hung up the phone, and as she did, her happy expression fell into a serious one. "So… how is she?" asked Sombra’s voice. Celestia turned to him. “I thought her studies on the chimera were going to slow her progression on the time machine down, but it looks like I was worried for nothing.” "Oh, and what's with that look, my queen?" he asked as he bowed. Celestia rolled her eyes at his use of the word ‘queen.’ Something isn't right. Something I don't know what, but something is very different from last time—something we must be cautious about, to say the very least. She narrowed her eyes, her irises shifting to a reddish color shining like a snake. She must complete the machine; otherwise, all my plans are lost. And to think I lost power to that beast. "And what about Luna?" asked Sombra, whose eyes flickered the same as hers. "I could care less, so long as she doesn't get in my way," Celestia said coldly. Twilight sat by her computers—one was hers, one she got from the mayor, and the third one was in shattered pieces. She took that one, trying to access it once again, hacking into its hard drive. The computer was trashed, but its hard drive was still intact. She yawned slightly, as it was still early. "What are you doing here, sleepyhead?" her brother asked her as she awoke. "Oh, morning," she yawned with a stretch. "Morning? It's noon. Let me guess: you couldn't sleep and came here on your own, didn't you?" Shining remarked. "Yeah, that’s pretty much it." She cracked her neck from sleeping in an odd position. "Isn't Fluttershy going to be worried about you?" "No; she's been busy at work, not coming home lately. However, I left a note. Got any flakes? I'm starving," she argued, beginning to raid his kitchen for some cereal. As she said that, Spike walked into the room with a sandwich. It took him a moment, but he soon noticed Twilight’s presence. "Oh hey, nightmare again?" he asked. She sighed, confirming his suspicion, and continued making herself a bowl of cereal. "So any news on..." She shook her head, knowing what Spike was asking. Spike gave a little annoyed look at that—a bit disappointed. "We’ll find her, I promise," Twilight told him. Spike gave a nod; the look on his face showed how hopeless he felt. It wasn't just him, though—they all felt that way. "Well now, what about this thing?" asked Shining. "Oh, I got that from these two robbers last night. They were trying to break into some building. I don't know what's on it. I figured I'd either find out who they are or who they stole this from and return it to them." Shining looked over the computer. "You know you're using the wrong cable for that." "Hmm?" "You're using an HDMI, but that will never get the entire hardware. Let me see if I have an old DVI cable; I think I might. It's in the back." "Since when are you a computer whiz?" asked Spike. "Since middle school, actually. What, you think Twilight is the only smart one around here?" he called back as he walked away. Junior was pacing back and forth. "Ahh, why did I drop that? Why did I drop it?" he muttered again and again, much to his sister's annoyance, who sat eating a pancake in hoof, leaning on her bike and staring at something through her binoculars. As he uttered the words for the thousandth time that morning, she finished her pancake and called out to him, "Hey!” She caught his attention as he turned toward her. "Don't worry about it; what's done is done. We still have a mission, remember?" She lowered her binoculars. "Yeah, and all our data is gone!" he exclaimed. "Hey, quiet down! Do you want them to hear us?” she grumbled, looking back through her binoculars. She was watching as two figures lay kissing under a tree. Discord lay on his back, staring up at the canopy of his thinking tree above him. Fluttershy lay on his bare chest, and he had opened his shirt for her at her request. She was telling him the story of how she was turned into a chimera. "And so, that's when we all decided to try and team up to stop whoever turned us into chimeras." Discord chuckled at that, making them both shake a bit from his laughter. "So that's the origin of the heroes, is it?" He could have laid there forever, hearing her voice—her sweet little voice—talking and laughing, telling him stories. "So what about you? How did you get turned into a chimera?" He dropped his gaze to her with a sad expression. "Unless it's a painful memory, I understand if you don't want to talk about it." "No, not really, but if you must know, it’s…" he winced, "...it’s complicated. I wasn't made, you see. I wasn't turned." He shook his head. “My parents were…” He trailed off. "My dad was…” This surprised Fluttershy as she watched him struggle with his words. "You were born a chimera, but… but you’re an orphan." Discord turned his head away from her. She could tell he didn't want to talk about this, but she couldn't help but ask her next question. “Who were your parents? Did you ever meet them?" "Mhmm," he replied. "My mother." The two then lay quiet for a while, listening to the sounds of nature that surrounded them. Fluttershy slowly began to run her hoof over his scars, not realizing what she was doing. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to do that." She took her hoof away, but he placed a hoof over her own. "It's okay; it feels kinda nice," he replied, encouraging her to continue. "So, she's alive then?" "No. I met her years ago; I got to see her before she died. She asked me to watch over her children." "Children? So you have siblings?" "They’re not my siblings. We only have her." "Half-siblings or not, they’re your family. You have a family?" "They don't know?" "Then tell them." "It's complicated." "But you know them." He sighed. Her eyes widened a bit at this news, tears began to build up in her eyes again. "Please don't cry. I'm safe now. I'm with you." "Are you though? Are you safe?" she raised her head to look at him. "Aren’t those who tried to kill you still out there?" Discord chuckled at that and yawned. "They can't get to me. You see, the research—my research was highly classified, and to accuse me now to the public, they would have to declassify such information, and they're not gonna do that." He shook his head playfully. "I'm protected by being in the spotlight. Still, they try to do everything they can to ruin me. My reputation is destroyed by all those rumors—rumors that they have no proof of. And it is because of that that my business is clearly intact. Not only that, but as someone who has power in the banks, I have access to all transactions. I can tell where most of the money is going and why. They can't hide anything from me anymore. The government can do what they want; I'm in charge of it all—especially in this city." "The rumors of you being involved with the black market." "All true. I am watching for any transactions and dealing with them accordingly. If I wasn't," he yawned again, "then we would have a lot more to worry about." "And the black market?" "A few paintings here and there or jewelry goes missing; I don't really care. It's weapons I'm looking for. I make sure no weapons can get in or out of this city without me knowing about it." "You keep us all safe." She smiled as his hooves morphed into claws and played with her hair. She could feel a scaly tail wrap around her leg. She didn't know what he looked like completely; he often only showed her his claws, keeping his tail out of view. Yet she had a good guess as to what he looked like— that painting. Twilight did tell Fluttershy about her bizarre but plausible theory of them being dragon-ponies, so with that in mind, it made sense his mutations would have features similar to her fangs and bat-like wings. She didn't think twice about it as she snuggled with him. "Ah ha! Finally!" Shining announced as he got the computer working. Twilight walked in along with Spike and entered to see what he had found. Twilight's eyes went wide as she looked at the file names. That's strange. "What is this?" *These files, they are…* Twilight shook her head. They’re set up almost like my files. “Twilight, all files are set up the same,” Shining said, rolling his eyes. “No, I mean the way I would organize my…” She stopped mid-sentence as she slowly said, "Wait a minute." She quickly went to her laptop. As she searched through her personal laptop, her eyes widened in disbelief. “Shining?” “Yeah?” “Look.” The two boys looked at the screens of the computers. “What am I looking at? They’re the same,” Spike asked, not following. “Yeah, Spike, they’re exactly the same—same files, same names, same way organized. Spike, this is my computer, my *personal* computer.” Shining raised an eyebrow at that as he put two and two together. “So your computer got hacked or copied, by the looks of things.” “No, this thing never leaves my side. And when it does, it's put up in my safe. It's the only thing I ever keep my research on the chimera on—my logs, my paperwork—everything.” “Wait, that doesn't make sense, Twilight. Who has access to that computer except you? It can't be exactly the same,” Shining told her. Twilight then opened one of the documents on the other drive and compared it to one of hers. She glanced over it, beginning to grow more and more concerned. "Guys, these are word for word what I wrote. These… these are my files." "Twilight, the only explanation for that then is that someone stole your computer and copied it. I mean that..." Shining told her again. Twilight nearly fainted as she opened another page. Creeks and snapping sounds of the trees in the warm spring breeze accompanied Discord as he took a breath of fresh air, letting in her scent. He set a few small and quick kisses on her cheek, only to then set one on her neck, lingering a bit longer. This turned Fluttershy’s face a bright red, with her face burning hot. The exact opposite reaction happened down her spine. A chill ran down it, making her entire body shiver. Discord could feel her shiver against him. The corner of his mouth grew into a sly grin. He loved the way she reacted whenever he kissed her there. She had no control over the way her body reacted, and it amused him greatly. But he didn't do it too often or for too long. He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable, so he let go and laid his head on her shoulder. The two never did anything in public. To the outside world, they barely looked like friends. While she herself hated the fact she reacted to this every time, she never fought it—or him. He only did it once in a while. Satisfied with what he got, he nuzzled her shoulder until he found a spot to lay against her, making them both comfortable. The two simultaneously breathed out a calm, peaceful sigh, closing their eyes and taking in the sounds of the mountain forest. "I wish it was like this forever." She giggled a bit, feeling sleepy and relaxed. "It is very nice, isn't it?" "Makes you just want to run." "Run?" she asked, still in a dreamy state. She finally opened her eyes and saw the tree that canopied above them. "Mhmm," he replied. "Why don't you and I hop on my bike and just go somewhere?" "Where would we go?" she asked. "Somewhere far away." His voice was just above a whisper. "Somewhere my past won't bother us," he said with a frown. "Just run away from it all." For a moment, she said nothing and just stared at the tree swaying in the light breeze. When she didn't respond, he continued. "Somewhere—probably in a forest. You can be a vet for all your little creatures. I'll build you a cabin or a cottage; I'll get a job as a mechanic. I like tinkering with old parts." He then smiled again. "Maybe open up a little coffee—no, a tea shop together for fun on the weekends." A slight chuckle came from Fluttershy. "What would you call it?" "Flutters, of course." "You'd name the tea shop after me?" she asked, blushing. "Absolutely." "That sounds nice, Discord... a dream for the future." "Yeah," he sighed, "only a dream." "Wha, now Twi, don't do that to me!” her brother scoffed. "Guys, my nearly daily vlogs of my research... I just wrote this one yesterday morning." Twilight showed him the file with the date on it. "And now look at this one." They were identical in every way. "That, that's crazy," Spike said in disbelief. "There’s something else." "What now?" Spike asked, a bit apprehensive. "That's not the last file on this laptop," Twilight said, with a twinge of distress in her voice. "Ok, so that means it's not yours then." "No, it is. The next one is from two days from now, according to its date." "Twilight, that hasn't happened yet. It's impossible to see something from two days in the future." "No, it's not," Twilight said as she began to shiver in fear. "What do you mean by that?" her brother asked as Twilight searched up her time machine. "What, does your time machine..." As he said the words, Shining already knew where Twilight was going with this. "No, no. There is no way—no, that’s ridiculous." "Only one way to find out," Twilight said as she hopped back on the computer. She quickly went through the drive and found the blueprints. "These are my blueprints to the machine... um, but they're modified," she said as she clicked on a file. "Wow, this is some elaborate prank; I gotta hand it to you." Her brother began chuckling. "Now seriously, what's going on?" "I'm not joking!" Twilight yelled. Spike snickered at her tone toward Shining. "You gotta be joking; there ain't no way that's real." Twilight scoffed at her brother’s sarcasm, then scrolled down the files and found a vlog clip. The last vlog clip is on the hard drive. Twilight took a deep breath as she hit play. "Twilight? What are you doing?" Spike questioned, but was shushed by her. The camera shook a little as the screen began to clear up. A recognizable voice, yet somehow different, sighed as the camera began to focus. A light above flickered, barely staying on; eventually, a spark shot out, scaring the pony in the video, and she just grumbled. "Ok, well, just have to do this in the dark, I guess," said Twilight Sparkle’s voice, yet it sounded scratchy; it sounded older. The pony who vaguely sounded like Twilight sat down in a desk chair with wheels in front of the camera. The little light that was on her was from the computer and her camera alone. It only illuminated her figure but was not enough light to reveal any true detail from her within the video. "May 15 2028, 12:50 am-ish," the voice of Twilight spoke. "I think I might have finally done it! The time machine is done, theoretically..." the voice said tiredly. "One component left to add: pure chimera blood. With it, the energy to start the time machine. In doing so, I reconfigure the time machine to go back to that first night—the night this journey truly began for me." She chuckled. "It's strange to think of that night as the start of all of this. It seemed so random, yet I wonder if it was random at all," the figure seemed to smile, "as if fate has anything to do with this. As if the god of this world himself decided to test us to our limits." "Chimera. Definition: a mythical hybrid creature. The most famous is the one that holds its own name—a monstrous two-headed cat. One head of a cat, one of a goat, and a tail of a snake head. Often depicted as the villain, or at least the adversary of a hero. Some chimeras are said to have magical powers—breathe fire, control seas, shape-shift, and have the strength of a hundred elephants. They can even command the very heavens above with the power to control lightning, wind, and other elements. Most were depicted as grotesque and terrifying, yet you can also find many depicted as nature's most majestic creatures to ever exist. Gods would often send heroes after such beasts to prove their worth. But whether they were the spawn of evil or nature's greatest, there's no need to be alarmed. Such monsters only exist in legend… or so I thought." "Then I met him." She shook her head. "The Chaos King." She sat quietly for a moment. "Turn my whole world upside down. I never really knew him; I never really knew what this world would come to because of him—what *my* world would come to because of him." "With the changelings on the rise and no way to defeat them, going underground was our only option. Now, now you have a chance to stop him." She breathed in and out slowly, "Mission Alpha. You must go and find him in the past. You must stop him at all costs. You must stop the Lord of Chaos," she winced again, as if the words themselves hurt her to say them. Her next words sounded as if she were about to cry. "You must stop Discord from..." "THEY'RE HERE! THEY'RE HERE! THEY FOLLOWED US!!!" Someone yelled in the background. The mare presumed to be Twilight grabbed a large gun and loaded it just before she turned off the camera in a hurry. "Discord?" Twilight repeated, horrified by the name already. "The Chaos King *is* Discord." "Stop him from what? Whose Discord?" asked Shining. "I don't know. From making more chimeras, I suppose—something about a changeling," Twilight said as she stood up and backed against the wall. She slowly slid down it as she tried to take in the new knowledge that she had acquired. "What do we do now, sis?" asked Spike in disbelief. "That was me in the video. That means those two who were breaking into that lab were probably time travelers entrusted with this mission. If they were at that building..." Twilight shook her head in determination. "We're on the right trail. We can stop him. We can stop Discord. We have to; the fate of the world depends on it, it seems," Twilight said as she stood up, still slightly off balance from the shock of it all. "Twilight, do you even hear yourself right now?" asked Shining in disbelief. "I know," she gasped. "I know. For now, we'll keep this between us. Don't even tell the girls. Right now, I need to lie down and think this through." The boys stood a moment, staring at each other, but simultaneously decided to join her, lying next to her, their expressions all the same—crazed, shocked, and disbelieving. Twilight thought to herself, “If we reveal this information to the girls, it could change the course of the timeline, thus creating alternate events. Have you seen Back to the Future? I’m not Marty McFly, but let’s go to the future.” Fluttershy and Discord finally drifted off to sleep, not realizing someone was watching them from a cave above. Junior lowered his binoculars and gagged in disgust. "You are such a baby," his sister commented. "Of course, they’re gonna kiss—they *are* dating, after all." To that, Junior rolled his eyes. “So, that’s him, huh? I didn't think Mayor Ghost would be our dad. The dude looks nothing like us," he turned to his sister. "Okay, so what's the plan?" he asked. "Simple, we go up to him," she replied. "Are you crazy?! He's terrifying! I am NOT going up to him. Did you see how tall he was!" He shuddered at the thought. At that, she giggled, showing she did have a girly side to her after all. The very sound of her laughter nearly took her brother back, as he muttered the words, "You sound just like Mom when you do that." "And you—the tallest pony I ever met—are afraid of some skinny dude from the 1990s in a trench coat? Anyway, we know Dad was a part of Chaos Vill and always went to the big fight club tournaments associated with it. We now know where he lives, and we know the location of the bar, so why don't we just join that? If we see him, we'll just kidnap him." "Kidna—?" he asked, appalled. “He's the most powerful chimera ever to live, and you want to just kidnap him like he’s a lonely schoolfilly?!" "Oh, only long enough to survive his death date," she smirked, looking at her own hooves as if it were a genius idea. He wanted to argue, but he gave up with a sigh. "You’re unbelievable sometimes," he expressed and walked away. "I know,” she smirked to herself. “Wonder where I get that from?" Author's Note Dun dun dun!!! Didn't see that coming did ja. Please tell me you didn't. 🤣ok now to continue my author note story of how I made this story. Co-written and edited done by NagelTubeHD Productions https://www.fimfiction.net/user/635987/NagelTubeHD+Productions So I wasnt really liking my work and I read some other fan fics. Being a fan of love stories, family stories and the like I read a lot. Like Opera phantom discord. Which is why discord last name in this is Mr ghost. A bad reference to that. And other stories that gave me some inspiration, like the draconiqus with the dragon tattoo ( another great story on fim fic) and me being interested in mystery and cop shows figuring stuff out, or supernatural, also Scooby doo. I wanted to form a mystery with our heroes trying to solve it. Solve who is the villan instead of right out making it obvious to them and have the audience second guess where the story was leading. I soon added this changing the story once again. At this point I literally re wrote this story a dozen times. Long before I was anywhere close to releasing the first chapter. By the time I did finally release the first chapter I was working on it for 3 months before. Ok more on this later 😆👋 chapter 20 Traps and SpringsChapter 20: Traps and Springs Lights flickered on and off as he ran through a broken laboratory. His breath came in heavy gasps. Suddenly, something jumped out at him from the shadows. He couldn't see exactly what it was despite his chimera eyesight. Suddenly, he woke up in a pit of sweat, shivering, his breathing erratic. Discord gritted his teeth, feeling his heartbeat faster than he could control. Immediately, he reached for the lighter and cigarette on his nightstand. But just as he was about to light it, something jumped on his arm. He didn't know what or who it was. In this state, he wasn't Discord Ghost the Pony with everything; he was the pony who had just come out of a war zone. Whoever this was could have been an enemy ready to take his life. He immediately turned to them with intent to kill but stopped as he saw her gripping his arm, his entire body still trembling. She stayed mostly under the covers, a nightshirt laid on top of her fur. She opened her teal eyes. "I don't want you to smoke anymore. It's bad for you." Who was she? He could not remember; the recollection of her was not in his mind. Still, he could tell by the way she held him that she actually cared for his well-being. Slowly, he dropped the cigarette from his claw as he asked, "Who are you?" She only snuggled into his side and mumbled, "Someone who loves you." As she rolled over onto her back, she began to hum Rara's song. **May 10 — 5:54 am** This was the morning Discord knew what he must do as he looked at her. Her name finally came back to him. "Fluttershy." At the same time, Fluttershy was on the other side of the room, shaking a bit herself. A look of happiness filled her face, but there was worry in her eyes as she questioned in her own mind: "What am I going to do? What will he say when he finds out?" She began to think of the possibilities. "I'm done. This is too much for me; I'm sorry," the Discord in her mind said. Or will he say, "Why, this is fantastic! I know, why don't we get married?" He smiled at her with his sly grin. Or maybe he'll be romantic: "Oh my dear Fluttershy, you are the love of my life. This... this is only a sign of that love." Discord in her mind grabbed her by the hoof and got down on one knee. "I ask you, no, beg you, sweetheart. Please be mine and run away with me." He pulled out a ring. She giggled at that last thought; the likelihood of that happening was never going to be. "It just wasn't him." But she did like to think of him in that way from time to time. "What are you laughing at over there?" he asked smoothly. "Oh, oh nothing. Come on, I think it's time we get some breakfast," she told him as she got out of bed. "Would love to, but I actually have to go into work early this morning." He lied, not wanting to spoil the surprise he had just thought of. "Tonight, I will make you mine forever," he thought. "I will see you tonight, though," he told her. She yawned. "Alright, but tonight I have something with my friends, so I'll be a bit late." This made Discord stop in his tracks. "Tonight?" he questioned. He already knew what was going on tonight. "Fluttershy, there's something I must tell you." He turned around, seeing her fixing her hair. "I'm listening," she said tiredly. "Umm," he tried, wanting to tell her everything. "Umm," was all that came out. "Yes?" she asked. "I, uh, I care about you... you know that?" She smiled. "Love you too," she replied playfully before she grabbed her purse from the chair in his room and headed out. Discord stood, staring at the door for a moment after she left. He sighed. "Tonight everything will be revealed. *Tonight.*" He smiled a bit evilly. "I will **win everything tonight,**" he said as his phone rang. He looked at it and saw it was Capper. Answering it, he asked, "Well?" "Trap is ready, sir." "Good, everything is going according to plan." He hung up the phone. Capper hung up his phone as he looked around, watching members of Chaos Vill put the final touches on the caged Ariana in the middle of the warehouse. His eyes drifted to the doorway where he saw Pinkie and Dash enter. He smirked at the thought of the events tonight, not caring about the two others who walked right past him. Little did he know, the two were planning their own tricks to hopefully capture the chaos king themselves. Once they were away from the many ears around them, Junior asked his sister, "Are we ready for them?" "Yep! As soon as we see Dad, you clobber him with the bat, I bag him, and we use our chimera powers to escape." "You know everyone's gonna try to shoot us, right?" her brother reminded her. "Luckily, we have our ways to deal with that," her eyes shone a bit yellow. Fluttershy walked into her and Twilight's apartment. The first to greet her, surprising her, was not any of her animals or Twilight, but Rarity instead. "Hey Fluttershy, where have you been? You look as if you just got home." Fluttershy smiled nervously. "Oh, you got to give me the details!" Rarity urged her. She giggled. "Not gonna say a word," she told her friend. Rarity giggled herself as she looked at her. Fluttershy was no longer as shy as she used to be, and it showed just by her hairstyle. In the past few months, she kept her hair up, revealing her entire face. She stood with more confidence, smiled more confidently, and spoke more confidently. It was a sudden change you wouldn't notice if you hadn't paid attention to her like her friends did. Rarity could only smile at her bravery. "So when are we going to meet him then? If you two are starting to get serious, as your friend I want to see him." "Oh, he's quite busy, and really, we're not all that serious," Fluttershy blushed, knowing she was lying as she laid a hoof on her stomach. "And what's his name?" demanded Rarity in a happy tone. Fluttershy sighed blissfully as she thought of his name. "I'm sorry, Rarity, but due to his line of work and mine, we both decided to keep that from our friends and family." "Oh now, I bought that excuse before, but now, you must tell me," Rarity said enthusiastically. Fluttershy giggled at the sight. "Sorry, no can do. Besides, it's kinda nice just having this between us." She shrugged. "Yes, and what of, well, you know?" Rarity asked, a bit concerned. "He knows; I told him what I could. We're not keeping secrets from each other. But he knows I can't tell him everything, and I know he can't tell me everything. We both agreed to let it go and just be happy." "Well, so long as you're happy, then I'm happy for you." Her friend smiled. Just then, Twilight entered the living room from her bedroom. Along with her were her brother and cousin. "So today's the big day, is it?" he asked her. "Yep, the plan was to have Dash sign up as a new contestant for Chaos Vill. Now that she's gone, I'm afraid I'm just going to have to use hair dye and join myself." "You think Dash is going to be there?" asked Fluttershy. "Most likely, and working for our mother no less," Twilight smiled. "So what's the plan then?" asked AJ, who was sitting on the couch already. "The plan is to go in, find Dash, and work with law enforcement and the ESA to catch the Chaos King, or at the very least, his second-in-command. Once we do that, we'll win." "Do you think Dash is even going to want to help?" asked Fluttershy, concerned. "Once I make up with her, she'll need it. Dash has to see reason," Twilight smiled sadly. "Besides, if she doesn't, I know my mom will." "Alright, well, it sounds like a plan to me..." AJ smirked. "And to think when tonight's over, you'll have your family back—possibly even a third sibling. We'll find Luna, get Dash and my cousin back, and end this whole story on a good note with the Chaos King behind bars." The group all laughed happily at that, all except Fluttershy, who oddly felt a pit in her stomach. Instead, she only smiled but couldn't shake this bad feeling. Discord sat in his lab, fiddling with his hooves as he stared at a small black box with a dazed look in his eyes. He sighed happily at the thoughts of his plans tonight. He would take her to Sugarcube Corner first and sit down for a nice cup of tea, then offer a ride on his bike, and they would drive up to his thinking tree. Then when things were at their best moment, he would pull her in for a kiss; the wind would blow sweetly through her hair, and when he parted her lips, it would finally be at the perfect moment. "She'll never see it coming," he told himself, giggling a little at his own fantasy. Just then, as he leaned over his right hoof, he heard a tiny voice similar to his own: "Fluttershy, Fluttershy." He chuckled happily at the name. "Yes, Smooes, my pet, this is indeed a gift for Fluttershy—a very special gift at that. If all goes well tomorrow..." He opened the caged box, letting Smooes slime his way out of it. "You and I will never be alone again," he smiled softly. "I will never be alone again." Then he noticed the creature bubbling its way over to the box, and he snatched it up. "Na-ah! I know you like gold and can probably smell it, but this is for Fluttershy. You can't eat it." The slimy form seemed to retreat a bit. "Gold can be quite expensive; I know it is your favorite treat. But soon, after the tournament tonight, I will have more than enough money to treat you, alright?" He said as he took a blood sample labeled "chimera" and placed it under his microscope. "Besides, there's plenty of gold in chimera blood to suit you, isn't there... there..." His eyes widened as something occurred to him. He ran to the back refrigerator and grabbed a blood pack—one frozen, but it would have to do—before racing back to his pet. "Smooes," he said as if teasing a dog. "You want a treat? You want gold, don't you?" The odd creature of pure science bubbled in response. "Yes, yes. Well, what if I told you I wanted you to do a new trick for me?" The Smooes seemed to flop over as if it questioned what its master wanted. "Yes, yes, I know, Smooes, I know. Tell you what, boy: how about you only eat the gold? Can you do that for me? Can you? Oh, can you?" he repeated as if the puddle of slime were a dog. Strangely, it seemed to wiggle as if happy to try, just like a dog would wag its tail. "Okay then, Smooes, eat up." He placed the blood pack down. The creature didn't hesitate to surround itself in it and bubble up. "Ah, ah! Remember, Smooes, only the gold," he reminded his pet. The strange creature seemed to stop digesting it all and soon turned its focus to what it wanted most. As the gold compound fed into its system, the purple substance that made up Smooes's body began to shift to a greenish tone. Finally, when it was done eating all the gold, it left a puddle of blood in its place. Discord smiled and decided to take a sample of it. He planned to look at it through a microscope. He continued his work. When he found nothing—no gold anywhere—his jaw dropped. He leaned back in his chair as he returned his gaze to the pile of green goo. "You've done well," he smiled, taking a syringe from a drawer and drawing some of the ooze from the Smooes, chuckling somewhat evilly. "Ah, Smooes, you've done it. I've been researching for years, but this..." He turned back. "Who knew I had the answer all along?" He set a hoof to his chin and stroked his beard. "Hmm, this might be an incredible breakthrough, but to fully cure a morphed creature would be quite a difficult task, but not impossible," he grinned as he stroked his beard some more. "We have work to do," he said as he stared at the black box in front of him. As the clock hit seven, Smolder walked up on stage inside a fighting cage. "Alright, folks!" she announced into the microphone. "Welcome, welcome one and all to the annual street fighter tournament!!!" She yelled out to the cheering crowd. "You all know the rules: no weapons of any kind except your fists; other than that, anything goes. The goal is simple: much like a wrestling tournament, pin down your opponent for 5 seconds, and you win the match. Now, this is one of the biggest tournaments on this side of the country, with participants—some new, some old, and some straight out of the country—ready to give it their all and win the prize of ten grand. So let's start the match!" She yelled, exciting the crowd. Among the crowd, sitting in his own booth, was none other than Capper, who nodded approvingly before taking a bite of his nachos. Dash and Pinkie watched him as Smolder introduced the first match: a girl named Swiffle and a big dude named Bulk. Little did they know that Swiffle was indeed AJ in disguise. By her side, a green-colored pony patted her on the shoulder. "Alright, you ready for this?" asked the green pony in a familiar voice. "Yeah, Twi—uh, I mean Grennie." AJ smiled at Twilight's announcement. "The fights I have no problem with; it's after that that I'm worried." Twilight bit her lip. "Just find Dash, my mom, and kidnap the biggest bad guy of them all. No biggie," Twilight said sarcastically, trying to hide her own nerves and failing to do so. "In this corner, we have the mighty Swiffle Soundra!" announced Smolder. "That's your cue! Go get 'em," said Greenie as she turned her head to the crowd. She couldn't see them, but she knew that Shining, Rarity, and Spike were there, watching the fight. Spike even had a bag of popcorn. Round 1 went pretty quick, as did Round 2. It wouldn't be until Round 7 that Dash would finally fight. Dash had a good fight and ended up with a bloody nose thanks to her opponent kicking her in the face, but due to her chimera abilities, she was able to flip her opponent down into a chokehold, pinning him to the floor and winning the match. Greenie was relieved to finally find her friend and headed to her booth. It was also Pinkie—a huge relief for the green pony. "Way to go, Dash, Pinkie!" Dash's eyes widened, knowing that voice all too well. "Twilight! Figured you'd show up." She turned to see a green pony. "Oh, oh sorry, Greeny, thought you were—" "No, you're right. I'm in disguise," she smiled. Dash's eyes narrowed. "Ready for round three then?" she grumbled. "Dash, I'm here to help." "Help who? Yourself?" "You were right, alright!" Twilight announced. "I know why you did this. Rarity's dad is Shadow's boss. He ordered you not to get her involved, am I right?" "And let me guess, she's here tonight, isn't she?" Dash replied, crossing her arms. "Yeah, we're all here! We're a team, remember?" Twilight pleaded. "Oh, that's rich coming from you! Some team we turned out to be!" She then pulled out a walkie-talkie. But before she could say anything, Greenie kicked it out of her hand and caught the talkie. "Give that ba—" "Listen, our stupid squabble doesn't matter. What matters is stopping Dis—" "And we will! You're just a lone wolf that doesn't know how to play fair," Dash snarled. "You're right," Greenie spat, but then sighed. Pinkie, who had been sitting back watching the whole fight, smiled. "Ha! Let's get the band back together. Let's finish this and bring the baddie down! What do you say, Dash?" Dash, whose nose had finally stopped bleeding, fixed her fake nose and stared at them. "I can't be a lone wolf anymore; I need your help, Dash. We can do this together." Dash's eyes narrowed, but she gave a reluctant nod. "Fine, but we are not friends." "Fine, but where's your boss? I need to see her." "Why?" "Because I think," Twilight chuckled, "she's my mother." Dash's eyes widened in surprise as Pinkie gasped. "No way, your mom is Sha—" "Quiet, Pinkie!" the two mares told her, trying not to let the enemies know. Pinkie crossed her arms with a pout, but not much of one, since she had a smile on her face. "Well, Dash..." Dash cracked her neck and her hooves. "The idea is to get close to that cat; he's the Chaos King's second-hand man. We capture him, we get his location, and the police force already has air support ready to fire on the building. Surrounding this place, both in the crowd and out, is law enforcement ready to move on Shadow's signal, which she'll get from me or Pinkie." "Alright, I'll let you take center stage. Just know we're here to help if you need it," Twilight smiled. "And now we got the big mean green Greeni tree! Give it a hand!" announced Smolder. "Well, that's me." Twilight said apprehensively as she turned around. "Greenie," Dash shouted to catch her attention. Dash looked away, still cross, but uttered the words, "Good luck." Greenie smiled and gave a nod. "You too," she replied before heading into the ring. The crowd went wild for the newcomer as Twilight jumped for a backflip kick, hitting her opponent in the jaw and flinging him to the ground, knocking him out cold. "Wow!!!" the crowd shouted. "One-hit knockout! Dash, you got some competition!" Smolder patted her on the shoulder before heading out on stage to announce the next match. Two more matches came down to Dash and AJ, who let Dash win. Greenie forfeited the match, her excuse being that her foot hurt after that last round. "Well, I'll be darned! I didn't see it coming, folks! But here we have Dash, the winner!" Smolder said as Dash flung her arms up in victory. "Now your prize," Smolder announced as Capper began to walk towards them with a suitcase full of cash. "Ten thousand cash prize!" announced Smolder as Capper opened the case to show off the big win. He held out his paw to congratulate her. Dash smiled and went to shake Capper's hand, only for her to jump him, knocking over the cash prize. Capper was caught off guard but was able to raise his knee into her gut, flinging her off. He rolled over and stood up cautiously, only to have several members of the crowd jump up—some Chaos members—but they were quickly subdued by officers of the law. One of them even went for Smolder, but she punched his head and turned to Capper. "We're trapped," she announced. "Oh, you think?" he said sarcastically and somewhat panicked. Dash fell so hard that her fake muzzle fell off, revealing her beak. In seconds, as she raised her wings, her facial feathers came out as well. The crowd was scared, but the cops quickly got a hold of everything. On the ground now, most of them shouted at those in the crowd. Chaos members tried to fight back, but Rarity and Fluttershy jumped into action, taking their mutant forms and supporting the cops. Fluttershy dived for Smolder, but she was quick on her feet. She wasn't expecting a chimera, but she held no fear, fighting back against the creature before her. She was quickly able to get under Fluttershy's legs and twist her down, taking her out of the fight for good. Only when she rose did she find herself at gunpoint. "You," she growled as she saw Shining. Capper wouldn't stand still; he was quick on his feet—too quick for most others. However, a green pony jumped in front of him. A blue horn emerged from her head, and her eyes went red. Twilight quickly engaged him, trying to knock him off balance. Smolder was able to knock a barrel of beer at her, ruining her disguise—not that it mattered, as it washed away the makeup and hair dye from her. She shook it off, hating the smell of beer all over her. "You," Capper said, a bit astonished. "Ready for round 2?" she asked. This time, she's not alone, Dash said as she flew at Capper. He dodged her attack and then side-kicked Twilight, who caught his foot and went for a punch, giving him a black eye and knocking him to the ground. However, with his tail, he knocked Twilight off her feet. As he hit the ground, he quickly came up for another round, only stopped when he heard the click of a gun at his head. "Don't move," said Shadow. "Dash, who is this?" asked Shadow. "Yeah, uh, that's my friend Twilight Sparkle." She smiled, knowing all too well who Tempest was. With that name, Tempest's mouth dropped wide. "Twilight?" she whispered in a pleading manner. "Could, could it be?" "Yeah, it's me! And that over there," she pointed at the guy who captured Smolder, "is my brother, Shining!" Shining turned his attention to Shadow. He was serious about not letting Smolder get away, but he couldn't help but let his expression fall to one of hope. Hope that they were right— that Tempest Shadow recognized them. "I know it sounds crazy, but—" "We know Mom," Shining said. "We read your files," Twilight uttered in a half-cry. "Oh, great! A happy family reunion," Capper said, running the moment. That snapped Tempest out of her daze. "Alright! Tell us where your boss is! Where is Discord!" she shouted. Fluttershy, who was being held by Pinkie because of her leg injury, had her jaw drop along with her friend. "Discord? But that's—" "Like I'd tell you! You're never gonna get anything out of me or any of those who are loyal to him! You might as well just shoot me and get it over with! Long live the Chaos King!" he shouted. His voice was unmistakable. Fluttershy grew cold at the very thought. "No, no! Discord's not a villain!" she shouted. "Fluttershy, how do you know him?" asked Twilight. Fluttershy felt sick to her stomach as she placed a hoof over it. "Please, there must be some mistake!" "You know where he is?" asked Tempest. "Probably at his house on Elm Street!" Pinkie said, sputtering nervously. "Last house on it! Why don't we go there and ask him?" "Oh god, no," Capper muttered. Tempest didn't hesitate to call in the strike team. "Elm Street, last house! Take him down now!" she shouted. "Copy that." "Wait, you're not just gonna bomb a civilian house!" Dash stuttered. "This is the Chaos King! We must take him out now!" "Bomb!" Pinkie repeated in a panic. "No, no! Not my brother!" She yelled, turning into a chimera herself, only to be subdued by a dart shot by Tempest. "I've come too far now; we have to take him out. The orders have already been made." "Yeah, like mother, like daughter," Dash uttered. Fluttershy fell to her knees despite the pain in her leg. The pain in her heart was unspeakable. Two helicopters equipped with explosives flew over a house. They dropped their payloads, letting the building explode to smithereens. "Target neutralized." At the sound of that, Fluttershy collapsed into grief. "Am I missing something?" asked Twilight. Then Capper gave a chuckle. "What's so funny?" Twilight asked him. "Oh, you think you won. Granted, my performance has been almost as good as his. Was I a bit too convincing?" "Huh? What performance?" asked Dash. "Um, does anyone hear that?" asked Rarity as a sound of a motorcycle could be heard. Fluttershy's head shot up, tears still streaming down her face. "Discord," she whispered as a bike jumped over a train sitting by the warehouse. As it hung midair, Discord muttered something to himself. "500 psi at a third-degree angle, two bullies, 12 targets." He pulled out his gun, and as the bike landed, he shot one bullet and then another that ricocheted off the wall, smashing into the other. With it, the two bullets flew around, disarming and freeing every Chaos member in one go. But that wasn't all. Another train, this time led by Sunburst, came screaming to a stop, a hundred members of Chaos Vill all gathered, surrounding the entire building and taking it hostage. "Late to the party as always, boss," Capper chuckled. As he quickly spun around, he back-kicked Shining’s gun up in the air before catching it for himself. Discord chuckled slowly at first, before it built into maniacal laughter. Shining's eyes, as well as Twilight's, went wide. Tempest stood staring at Discord, dumbfounded. "Oh, what's with that face sparky, I'm beginning to think you're not glad to see me. After all mother we are blood, aren't we, hhahhahahahah." Author's Note And the meaning behind the title of the story is revealed. 🤯 IVE BEEN BUSY, my apologies but with the holidays and me getting back to work I barely have time to write. tho this story has been done for months I need to spell check it and other things, and that just takes time. Continuing my author notes on how I made this story. So I had one major issue that I couldn't overcome. It's the same issue I had with all my fan fiction ideas and why the others were scraped. 😮💨 How to keep Twilight relevant as the MC, despite having a fluttercord story. And I wanted to connect her to the mystery of the tale as well. Well, this was my solution. Make Twilight Discord's brother. That kept her involved the entire way through. Once I had this down, I needed to go back and change half the story to make it work. Then the title of the book. I needed something that was relevant to the story. Before this change I thought of calling it beast or mutant mayhem. Or heroes of harmony. I didn't want to call it power ponies. That name, I'm sorry sounds lame even to me who loves that episode. But once I figured out Twilight was Discord's brother I figured naming something like Family of the Beast. Didn't like how that sounded. And one random Tuesday ... Why Tuesday 😆I looked up Discord and read somewhere he was some type of chimera. ... Yep. Family of chimera... Not edgy enough... What's another word for family? Blood . Ding ding ding we have a winner. And once again I went in and changed everything again. I even called the. mutants chimera. 😏 More on this later 😂👋 Chapter 21 CheckmateChapter 21 Checkmate "What?!" shouted Twilight. Discord ignored her, putting all his focus on Tempest Shadow. "Well, Mother, I didn't expect you to be alive. Still makes sense—I mean, you do have the motivation to kill me now, don't you?" he said, amused. "Oh, but I knew of your little scheme for a while now; however, I did not know who you were exactly." Tempest's breathing began to become erratic as Discord continued. "My, my, my, this is quite the surprise to see you alive. I thought you were long gone years ago." He chuckled, then sighed. "Tsk, tsk, always the reason why my life is pure hell." Discord slowly blinked, his entire expression as relaxed as possible. Twilight, Shining, and their mother gasped as the mayor of the town got off his bike. "Hello, Mother, I'm home," he said sarcastically. "Mother?" the two Sparkle siblings said in unison. "Mom, please tell me it's a lie," asked Shining. Discord grinned but otherwise ignored their outburst. "I really didn't think you survived that night." "How? How are you still alive?" she asked, anger and fear lacing her voice. "Oh, that," Discord smiled. "Simple, really. I was never at my home, though I was surprised to learn you blew it up!" He spat angrily, but his tone shifted again to a happy one. "Then again, a personal touch, I suppose. I was always planning to draw you out of hiding and capture you in one failed swoop. And look, here we are." Discord said as he pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. "Mr. Ghost, you're under arrest for your crimes as the Chaos King," demanded Mr. Shine. He exhaled a breath of smoke, keeping his cigarette in his mouth as he spoke. His expression was one of boredom, his poker face. "I think you're misjudging the situation here, officer. You're the ones who are under arrest," he chuckled. "No. No, I'll tell you what is going to happen here. I'm going to free my subordinates, capture my mother for questioning, take back my stolen research, and kick all your asses." He inhaled his cigarette and let out a puff of smoke from his lips. "AND DANCE TO MY FAVORITE SONG! I'm in the mood for it. I'm so giddy I can hardly control myself," he said, the last part accompanied by a wide grin. He then turned on some music from his bike, letting it blast at the top of the speakers. The piano began playing as the song started; it was the same song they heard at the gala. *I will survive...* As the lyrics began, Discord mouthed the words as he raised his gun. "Take them!" he shouted, and the other members of Chaos Vill quickly ran into the crowd. "Stop them!" shouted Mr. Shine to the cops around. Discord leaped forward at the officers. He kicked one in the face and spun around on one foot, doing a dance move while catching the beat as he quickly punched the enemy's vitals, knocking them to the ground but not killing them. Several others began to rush him. He pointed his gun at them at first, but his smirk widened as he shot not at them but at the light above them, making it dark to see. As the lights flashed along with the sound of the music, the enemies stood no chance against Mr. Ghost and his spontaneous dance moves. Several tried to fire at him. He leaped into the air, dodging their bullets, a wild smile on his face with the cigarette still hanging from his mouth as he lip-synced to the song. He quickly punched a guard; even with their armor, it was clear how strong he was. With a twist of his leg, he back-kicked one into another, making them fall. He quickly took their guns and, still dancing to the beat, shot fire at most of the ceiling and other lights, bringing the building to its knees in seconds. Discord took out a few more guards before doing a backflip and landing on top of a train, losing his hat in the flip and revealing his horns. Through the chaos, Twilight and the others tried to fight back. Rarity grabbed Spike and tried to keep him safe as the crowd turned into a war zone. A laugh that was anything but friendly erupted from Discord—one that only the deranged would make—as he seemed to enjoy the chaos around him. Discord rose to his full height, a button snapped revealing his lower neck and part of his chest scar. Capper had just finished undoing the others' chains as he came to a stop, a look of terror filling his face. Mr. Ghost was not a pony anymore, not like he was before. His face resembled one, but he had a scaly, snake-like tail, and his neck was long. His tail and neck made up half the size of his full body. The gray fur on his chest darkened to brown and seemed to be stronger, yet his chest and arms still showed the many scars he had gathered over the years. He had a lion-like paw, an eagle-like claw, and a deranged smirk as he took the cigarettes from his mouth as the song came to an end. He lifted his head, and a mighty roar escaped from his mouth—one that seemed to shake the very ground itself. It sounded like a wild beast. Gone was Mr. Ghost, the ugly yet charming pony. Now stood the mighty Chaos King in all its glory. Only one word could be used to describe it. ***CHIMERA*** Discord heard the clicking of a gun and turned around to see his mother standing across from him on top of the train, like he was. In her hooves, a gun was pointed straight at his chest. Discord chuckled. "So, here we are," he said, amused. "I should have done this a long time ago," she breathed. "Yes, you should have." He smirked as he caught her off guard. "What?" she asked, her hands beginning to shake. "Do you know how much pain I had to endure?" he smiled. Her hand shook even more at the sound of his voice. He began to walk closer to her at a leisurely pace. "How much I went through my entire life because of you," he chuckled. "I, I..." she stuttered. "You left me!" he yelled, startling her. "You were just a baby. One I thought wasn't going to survive!" she yelled back. "And you didn't make sure I was gone, did you? Did you?!" Her eyes widened. "You should have kept me; you should have raised me. Instead, my life is hell, and somehow I'm the devil?!" "You...you turned people into chimeras. You killed my husband," she whined. "You took my family away from me!" "No, Mother. You did. I don't care about your so-called family; I never did. I only ever wanted what was rightfully mine!" He stepped closer to her, making her flinch, almost pulling the trigger. "What I rightfully deserved! A home... Go on, Mother, go on and shoot, and this time, don't miss," he grinned. "Not like your husband." Her eyes narrowed as she focused her weapon. Discord only had a sly grin on his face. Everyone else was beyond shocked. What could they do? What would they do? Their eyes were glued to the scene in front of them. Most of the struggle came to a stop as both sides were interested in the outcome of this face-off. But after a moment of endless silence, Tempest Shadow finally choked on a cry and lowered her weapon. Discord laughed. "I knew it. You can never finish the job. You deserve the Mother of the Year award, Equalizer." His words barely registered with her. It took her a moment, but Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Wait, Equalizer?" "Yes, that's what you are," he teased. "And I have you under checkmate." "No, no, I'm not the—wait, so you're not the Equalizer." Discord scoffed. "No, I'm the Chaos King." But then his eyes widened as if what she just said registered with him. "Wha—? But you have to be the Equalizer!" Twilight shouted out. He turned to her. "No, I told you the Equalizer is someone who was close to the previous mayor. I am not the Equalizer, and who better than the old friend of the mayor to pull such a stunt?" "But you turned creatures into chimeras!" shouted Shining Armor. "With your crazy research!" "No, Sparky," he uncrossed his arms and pulled something out of his pocket. "I've been trying to cure the chimera disease ever since our dear sister here got turned." Twilight gasped. "But you're the one who turned me!" she sputtered. "You were never my target; I don't go for the—" "The innocent! Only those who deserved it! So you went for Dad!" Shining finished his sentence. "Exactly. And by the way, side note: I found the cure. It's back at my headquarters. Luckily, I knew of this scheme; otherwise, if that attack on my lab had succeeded, there goes the cure and the only one who knew how to create it." "Wait," shouted Rarity. "If you're not the Equalizer...?" "Yeah, that begs the question," AJ said, putting a hoof to her chin. "Who is?" asked Dash. "Good question. I still have no clue," Discord answered, rolling his eyes. "Still, since neither of us are the Equalizer, this entire fight is pointless. So we're done here." Discord griped as he leaped off the top of the train car. Just then, sirens began rolling in, followed by several cars and trucks. Discord rolled his eyes. "Mother, call your goons off!" he snarled. "Wait! I don’t call for backup," she replied, looking around. Mr. Shine shrugged. "I didn't." "Wait, so who are they then?" asked Spike just as several cars rolled up. A group of at least fifty creatures dressed in soldier uniforms ran out and surrounded the area; one of them shot a missile-grade rocket from a launcher. "Oh, shit! Everyone down!" shouted Discord as it came in. Luckily, everyone ducked as the rocket hit the warehouse, knocking a wall down. Twilight, who was next to Discord by surprise, looked over and asked, "Who has military—" but stopped as she and Discord came to the same conclusion at the same time. "Someone close to the previous mayor," Discord said slowly. "Someone who had access to army-grade weapons and knows about Chaos Vill," said Twilight. One figure walked up among the soldiers, heading toward the group. Twilight decided to take a chance and look up. "What the—" she said in disbelief. To Twilight's surprise, it was Discord who raised his head next to hers. She glanced over at him; a bit of sweat dripped from her brow as he took a look. She wanted to be nowhere near him—not at this moment. No, she wanted to be this close to take him down, to gain justice for her father and for her mutations. Yet at that moment, it seemed all that was irrelevant compared to the situation now. Discord grew a sly grin, one she had often seen on the mayor plenty of times, only with his eyes glowing, making him look far more intimidating than she wanted to give him credit for. "Well, well, well, this is a surprise," he chuckled. "I didn't think of all creatures, the Equalizer would be you, Lulu." Luna stopped her approach and stood with her arms behind her back. She was clad in decent armor and a trench coat she used as a cape. She lowered her chin so she could get a better look at her opponent. Discord couldn't stifle his deranged laughter. "It all fits quite well, actually. So little Mrs. Supervillain, mind filling in the cliché and giving us your motive for this?" "I am no supervillain," Luna replied. "Oh yes, yes, the villain who's a hero. Go on, go on," he mocked. Luna smirked. "It's very simple, really, when you think about it. Tell me, Mr. Ghost, what could my motives possibly be, since you're always one step ahead of the game?" His eyes narrowed, but his smile never diminished. "Well, if I had to guess? Let me put it this way: this is a lot of trouble just to ask me to dance." She grinned. "Oh, it's a little more than that. Shall I elaborate?" "As you wish," he said cockily. "Ever since I saw what you were when we were kids," she narrowed her eyes, her smile diminishing. "You were always a freak." "All this because I stole your lunch money?" he shook his head. "Now, honestly?" he taunted her. "After all, it was you and your sister who sent me to jail." "Yes, and you got out. I knew it wouldn't keep you, but when I heard you got in for a second time, I knew a way to keep you locked up forever," she grit her teeth. "Who do you think started the Beast Program?" Discord's eyes widened a bit at that, but his grin never faltered. Luna chuckled, seeing how she actually already did break him with that information. "Your own research was going to keep you locked up forever—at least it would have if you hadn't killed my top scientist." Knowing who Luna was referring to, Fluttershy's eyes widened as she recalled what Discord had told her. "A fellow scientist. A feline. Oh, she was gorgeous, funny, and had the most beautiful name: Cosmos, Cosmos Galaxy," he shook his head at the memory. "And I was a stupid boy just trying to figure out who I was in the world. I mistook her fascination with me as affection. How could I love someone who wanted to turn my children into lab experiments?" Fluttershy felt worse for him, knowing it was apparently his childhood friend who set him up. "I thought you were finally gone when Mr. Sparkle ordered that attack on you, but then, like a bad rash, you just kept coming back! For years, I wanted to destroy you but couldn't since you became a public figure. Even with all those rumors I started about you. But from the moment I saw you at the gala, I knew I had enough of you. You, who murdered my subordinate, cursing my godchild to a life without her family." Luna choked on a cry, shaking to hold back tears. "It ends today. You end today!" she snarled. Discord kept his expression and raised his mismatched hands, clapping slowly, mocking her. "Fantastic performance." He shook his head, gleefully amused. His slow clap picked up pace as his laughter rang over the crowd. He snickered. "So let me get this straight. To stop the devil, you became one—knowing you stood no chance if you didn't. You even set up a night so you could turn yourself into a chimera and build up an army just to take down me. Wow, really, no, no, I mean it—I am flattered," he placed a paw on his chest. "Truly. Let's cut to the chase then." His smile disappeared, replaced with a look of boredom, his signature poker face. "Let's make a deal. I have quite a few members of my own gang equipped with tranquilizers here. But they are normal. Then you have a bunch of soldiers who are also normal, and finally, there are civilians—other gang members I invited who are all made up of normal day-to-day creatures." "Let me guess?" she interrupted. "You’re going to act like the hero and say we shouldn't let the others fight for us?" "Pointless bloodshed of those who don't deserve it was never my style," he told her in an annoyed tone. He shifted his weight a bit and slowly stood up to his full height. As he did, he handed Twilight a key. She flinched, shocked by this, but he didn't address her, not taking one eye off of Luna. "Chimera vs. CHIMERA! Think you can take the king?" He held his arms out. "Let's not let anyone else get involved. Let my boys take everyone on the train and we'll settle this," he told her. Luna rolled her head from side to side, pondering the deal. "Twilight!" she shouted, catching her attention. Twilight was startled to be addressed, but she turned her head to her godmother. "Take care of Spike for me. Get out of here. You have a deal, Discord, so long as she goes safe." Discord smiled and turned his head to Smolder but didn't take his eyes off his opponent. "Get everyone on that train and go." "But boss," Capper tried. "Are you questioning my orders?!" he barked as the cat flinched. "No, sir," was his only response. "Good, then get going." Discord removed his jacket before taking a step forward. Capper was still in denial, but it was Smolder who took control. "You heard the boss!" She raised her tranquilizer gun. "Get moving; everyone on the train, NOW!" Twilight was pulled by her brother, Shining, onto the train. "Stop Discord! We have to stop Discord!" she thought. "Wait!" she cried out. "Don't do this!" "Get going, Sparky," he bared his fangs. "Nooo!" cried Fluttershy, who leapt toward him. "No, you're not going. Discord, I—" Discord didn't hesitate and swiped at her with his tail to keep her away. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy," he told himself. "Truly I am," he said as he felt the weight of the small object he had in his pocket. "This is not going according to plan." She ended up being the first one on the train due to Discord flicking her with his tail. The others began quickly gathering on the train as well. "We gotta stop him," whispered Junior to his sister. "I don't understand—his death day isn't until tomorrow." She shook her head. "This can't be happening now." "We don't really have a choice," he told her as they stared in the shadows at the scene before them. But before anyone could make another move, Luna, now Night, closed her hooves. Several large chimeras joined her on the battlefield before them. Six in total: a large dog with a nose ring and bull-like goat horns; a cat with deer antlers and dragon-like bat wings; a lizard with a lion mane similar to AJ; another pony now Griffin rolling her shoulders a bit, preparing for the fight; and finally, a massive bull-like pony who stood at Discord's height walked up behind Luna, who chuckled to herself. Discord removed his jacket, revealing the rest of his scar-laden, skinny body. He held the jacket to the side with his lion paw—it served as their flag. He dropped it, and everyone watched with bated breath as it fell. It took only three seconds, yet the seconds felt eternal as it slowly hit the ground. Boom. In a quick flash, the cat was the first to try and strike. These weren't like the other chimeras Twilight and her friends had dealt with. No, these were trained to fight. *He can't do this alone,* muttered Fluttershy in a cry. Twilight nodded but didn't exactly know what to do, awed by the strange scenery before her. Discord leaped back, dodging the chimera's swipe, as the cat's claws embedded themselves into the cement, showing just how powerful that attack was. Discord landed a foot away, but he was suddenly rushed by two more chimeras. They brought out a few moves and a bat with nails in it. They swung at him, but Discord effortlessly dodged their attacks and swiped one with his tail and the other with his lion paw, giving the lizard with a lion mane a good scar over his eye. However, it wasn't enough to take him down. He reared up his head and hissed at Discord, who only smirked. As the battle raged on, Discord's eyes glowed brighter with the chaos that consumed them. The bull and the griffon tried to hold him down, but Discord was slippery. Knowing he had to gain some distance from them, he jumped and spun around, using his ice powers to create a block around him. He then used lightning to smash it into shards that jetted out in every direction, taking the chimera by surprise. Discord finally dropped the cigarette from his mouth, only to let out a burst of red-hot flame. The flames quickly deepened their color, turning from red to green to blue and purple. It would have burned away the cat had she not been a chimera and used her ice ray to shield herself, barely keeping up with the fire. Discord twisted and contorted his body into different forms, evading capture. Luna's eyes widened at the sight. He was holding his own against four of her strongest chimeras—easily at that. She gritted her teeth as she yelled out, "Kill him!" She ordered her other two chimeras to enter the fray. Soon the six of them surrounded Discord on all sides, circling him, looking for an opening to attack. The train finally began to move. Inside, at the back, Fluttershy was able to just get a glimpse of the scene before her. It was as if she was staring at a painting come to life. Her beloved beast was surrounded by scared prey animals ready to take him out. He snarled back, his fangs bared, wanting them to leave him alone due to his injuries. Soon the mighty bull found an opening and went for his tail. Discord, however, felt the twitch in the air and moved his tail accordingly, only to flip around, preparing to throw a punch. Just before his fist made contact, his body expanded to twice its size, throwing the mighty bull-like chimera into the ground and creating a small crater. He landed on all fours like an animal and snapped his jaws at the cat, who tried to confront him. The others attacked his back all at once. Discord's hair stood on end as a mighty roar escaped him. The sound was so loud it blew back his opponents. He smirked as he saw his ability successfully work—only to stop as he heard the clicking of a gun. Not just one but several. Every member of the military was pointing at him, including Luna. "You didn't say they could shoot!" she snorted with laughter. Discord's grin never diminished as he took a fighting stance against the threat. "Well, I haven't lost yet," he said in his mind. They all aimed and fired at him. He had only milliseconds to react and was just about to when he suddenly felt something tackle him to the floor. He looked up amazed as a dark purple pony was hit several times in the right shoulder and leg. Discord's heart sank instantly—a feeling he had never felt before: dread. "MOTHER!!!" Author's Note LUNA, WAIT WHAT 😲 Ok continuing with my author note story. So now all the pics were coming together. But you may ask why the science, why the twins. And how is Luna the villan. Ok ok I'll tell you. As a science fan myself, as well as a sci-fi fan and a mravel and DC fan. Knowing this was at one point just joker Discord vs bat man Twilight, I of course added the science stuff for funzeez. And eventually time traveling twins. Now original that was a different story. In that story where discord took over equestria and the knights of harmy was fighting hiM. I got the idea of a warrior from the future using magic to come back and helping them out. That warrior being screwball, the charecter offten depicted as discords doughtier inspired by ofcorse doughtier of discord. She was also fun to write for. Adding a new mystery to who she was. Was she the villan of the story making chimera, adding more of a mystery element and making the reader second guess what's going on. I like the name melody and change it. But as I wrote her I didn't like how quiet she was. She was just a creepy grumpy stalker like charecter with little to no dialogue or charecter. And the possibility of making her a boy instead crossed my mind. Not many people do a son for Discord. Then I got the idea of adding her brother. This added so much to her charecter. Having some one to bounce off of giving her more personality. The story didn't change much she just had a little brother along for the ride. Where this time travel story line leads I won't spoil. Ok more on this later 😂👋 Chapter 22 Just A GameChapter 22 Just A Game **Chapter 22: Just A Game** With her fallen to the ground, Tempest Shadow looked up. "Son," she slurred as she began to lose all feeling in her body. Discord hit the ground, amazed that he only got scraped by a few bullets but never hit himself. He was speechless as he scurried across the sand. "Fire again!" shouted Luna. At that point, the train began rolling away, and in seconds, it picked up speed. Not even thinking about it, Discord roared the loudest roar he could. The sound waves kicked up dust as a shockwave blew back the enemy. He quickly grabbed his mother and used every ounce of strength he had left to catch up to the train. Luna took flight, pulling out a sword. "You're not getting away!" she snarled. Discord jumped, landing on the roof of the train. Luna tried to follow but stopped just in time before she went splat against a sign. The train, now at top speed, entered a sub-tunnel system. A fellow chimera caught up to her. "Ma'am, your orders?" asked the dog. She huffed in annoyance. Discord ripped open the side of the car, not caring about the damage he was causing. "Sunburst!" he demanded. "Here, sir!" Sunburst said, trying to get past the crowd. Discord laid his mother down. The room tried to back up to give him space, but the car was so cramped that little could be made. "Mom, Mom!" Shining said, trying to get through but to no avail. "Twiley!" held onto Spike in complete shock. Discord stood up but hit his head on the roof. In his true form, he was much too tall to be inside. Even in his pony form, he was quite tall. He rubbed his head slightly as Sunburst began to look over Tempest. "Do what you can for her," Discord ordered. "Yes, sir," he said a bit frantically. To his surprise, she was alive despite being hit three times. Discord took a moment to catch his breath as Capper wobbled his way through the crowd. "What now, sir?" he asked. Discord took one final breath, his eyes still burning amber. "Now..." He sighed and looked around. He then looked at his own bloody hands and scars. He groaned in frustration as he looked at Capper. "Your jacket?" he asked. Capper didn't hesitate and handed Discord his jacket. It didn't fit Discord completely in his true form, but it would have to do. As he put it on, covering up his scars, Discord gave his orders. "Listen up, all of you. Due to the following circumstances, you all know too much. Rest assured, no harm will come to you as long as you behave. I am sorry, but you are now prisoners of Chaos Vill." He snapped his claws, and all Chaos members raised their guns and stood at attention. "Anyone who tries to escape gets shot! SMOLDER!" "YES, SIR." "I want every Chaos member in the city to report to the hideout immediately. Once we get there, we shall prepare for the oncoming attack. In the meantime, I'm going to think of a new strategy. We have to make our move soon—within the next three hours at the very least. We can't let this opportunity to capture the Equalizer go." He stepped over to the door, and the passengers made as little room as they could for him. "All hail the Chaos King!" shouted those in Chaos Vill as Discord left. Fluttershy sat in the corner, her leg broken, her hoof on her belly, tears in her eyes as she watched him leave without saying a word to her. No one noticed except Rarity how she was acting. Her face grew curious as she thought about why, but then, like a ton of bricks, it hit her. She put her hoof over her mouth as she realized the truth. Half an hour later, the train came to an abrupt halt in the mining tunnel. The Chaos members ushered out their prisoners into the large cavern. Sitting in the middle of the strange, large mining cavern was a three-story building carved into the rock. At the top was a rather large deck and a few screens; otherwise, it was just a strange-looking building that made no sense as to why it was there. Those who were injured, especially Tempest, were moved out right away to a location where she could be taken care of better. Twilight, her friends, and family watched as she was carried through the doors of the building. Fluttershy felt bad but then looked around for Discord. He stepped out of the train last, his body now that of a pony, yet his eyes still glowed amber. His horns were gone. She watched as he put on a hat, the brim just covering his eyes. Someone came over to look at her injuries and told Twilight the king would like to have a word with her in a few minutes. Twilight nodded, not knowing how to feel about this at the moment. Soon, Twilight was brought to the top of the building, out onto a balcony. Everyone else stood in the cavern below. Twilight looked out over the edge, seeing at least a few hundred. As she walked over, there were also cameras showing her face on large screens around the building. "What is this?" she asked the guards. The guard shrugged. "The King wants to have a word." There was a table set up with a chessboard and two strange devices next to the two chairs. Suddenly, the door opened behind her, and she turned. Four steps out and lined the walls; next came the cat called Capper. He walked down the center of the room and stood by the table on the left side. It wasn't long before Mr. Ghost walked out in his pony form, wearing another black trench coat (that fit him much better than Capper's) and a hat. A cup and bottle of vodka were in his hooves, which he placed on the table as he took a seat. "Twilight Sparkle, take a seat," he demanded. Twilight, with a raised eyebrow, sat down across from him, the white pieces of the chessboard by her side. "Tell me," he said as he poured himself a drink, "do you know what this device is?" he asked. She looked at it and took a guess. "A lie detector?" "Correct. Though someone of your smarts would know that they don't actually detect lies; they only monitor heart rate, which is a good indicator of nervousness. Still," he placed the bottle down, "it is better than nothing." "So you're gonna hook me up to them and ask questions then?" she deadpanned as she held out her arm for Capper. "No," Discord smirked. "As you can see, I have every member of Chaos Vill watching us. They can also hear us. This is a simple trade of information. You have questions, questions everyone below has; I figure we'll kill two birds with one stone." He took a drink. "I would offer you one, but I know you're underage." He placed the drink down and gave Capper his arm. "So what's with the chessboard?" she asked. "Do you like games?" he asked. "I love games. Hell, all I do is play games, and let me tell you this," he gestured to the room, "it's all a game to me." She scrunched up her face in annoyance. Which only deepened his smirk. "It's simple; we'll take turns playing chess. Each move, we'll ask each other a question until the game ends." He said as Capper finished hooking him up to the lie detector. "I have nothing to hide, and everyone here can learn what they need to learn. I even gave you the first move." A cocky smile crept onto him as he took another drink. Twilight narrowed her eyes as she slowly said, "Okay." She moved a pawn. "What do you know of the chimera disease?" "Nothing," he said cockily. "You lie!" she yelled. "No, you simply didn't ask the right question. This is a game of strategy, sister. I do lie from time to time, but not often, as I find the truth much more chaotic. Come now, think carefully." She bit her lip for a second. "Fine, what about the mutations?" "Not so fast. You already moved, and I already answered, so it's my turn," he said as he moved his left knight. "How long have you been studying the mutations?" "Since I figured out I was one when I got angry one day, and my eyes turned red. I think I was thirteen." He smiled at her answer. She then moved another pawn, this time taking one square instead of two. "What do you know about how the mutations started?" "Now that's the right question," he replied. "As a boy, I wanted to understand my own strange body. As soon as I learned about DNA, I began my own studies, diving into mine. The government took the research; in the days of the war, they were desperate for any chance at stopping it and used my research in altering genetics as the basis for the mutation project." He then slid a pawn over. "What are your chimera abilities?" "I can freeze and melt things with my horn, or burn things to a crisp. I also have a unique sense of smell, sight, and hearing." She moved her rook. "How'd the government get a hold of your research?" "I at the time got myself into trouble; I had a few years in prison lined up for me or a few years in the war. I picked the war." He shrugged. "They were interested in my work and gave me a chance not to go to prison, and I took it." He then moved his bishop. "Tell me, what are Rainbow Dash's powers?" She told him and asked her next question. "What are your powers?" He laughed. "I can alter my genes to transform into any form I want, as well as yell a sonic sound wave blast, superspeed, and every other skill. I can even camouflage, erasing every sign of my being there. It's quite a useful skill, actually. Gets me out of a lot of crowds searching for me." Twilight remembered how, at the gala, he disappeared; that must have been how he did it. He moved his next piece. "What is Rarity Shine's powers?" Twilight took his pawn out as she told him. "If you can change into any look, what's up with the monster vibe with the antlers and such?" "I do have a true form. My true looks are pretty terrifying. I choose not to show it often unless needed. Still, I suppose since everyone's already seen it, there isn't much of a need to hide it now." He took a drink and tossed off his hat. A horn and antlers emerged from his skull, and as his limbs morphed, his neck grew as he moved the next piece with his scaly tail. "What is Pinkie Pie's powers?" She told him and quickly asked her next question, moving her piece. "What are you?" "That's more a question for our bitch of a mother, don't you think?" "Don't curse my mother!" she yelled back. "She just saved your life." He chuckled. "She really does warrant that best mom of the year award, I suppose. I am a dragon—yes, dragon, not a lizard—hybrid with a pony. I was born, not made." He shook his head. He used his tail to move his knight, taking her pawn. "What is Applejack's powers?" She told him and took his knight with her bishop. "Why did you turn me into a chimera?" "You were just in the way, an innocent. And I don't go for the innocent; I go for those who deserve it. You were never supposed to be a chimera, and while you might not accept it, I am sorry you got hit. But I am not sorry for going after your dirty politician of a father." He spat before he took her bishop with his. "What are Fluttershy Breeze's powers?" She told him and moved her knight. "What was it that made you go after my father, then?" "Your father was the one in charge of the research funds. After the war ended, I found out he was continuing my research, and all I wanted was my cut of the money he owed me. We were business rivals since, like him, I am in charge of the banks. I went to end his stupidity once and for all. But you got in the way." He spat before moving a pawn. "What other skills are you good at, like computers and stuff?" "I'm pretty good at hacking and researching now," she moved her rook. "What about all this? Why did you make Chaos Vill?" He narrowed his eyes, his expression straight. "Simple: while there are those who deserve it, there are those who do not. I don't like seeing those who don't deserve it being hurt. I made Chaos Vill originally to protect my city and the good folks in it. To do so, I became a crime lord. Soon, once I found out about the so-called chimera disease, it turned into more of a spy group I use to stop the CHIMERA." "Thanks to it, I have found the cure to the so-called chimera disease," he said dramatically to mock the name. He then moved his other knight. "What do you do in your spare time? Do you have any hobbies?" he smiled. "I tinker with devices," she said, a bit surprised by the question. She wasn't expecting a personal question like that. She took her move and asked, "How do you know Pinkie Pie?" "Like I said, I once had trouble with the law as a kid. My parole officer brought his kid around all the time. I consider you my sister as much as her. That is to say, I don't care about either of you or Shining for that matter." He took his turn and asked, "What's your favorite color?" "Marron," a bit surprised, she took her turn and asked, "So what's up with you? Are you just some anti-hero then?" He chuckled at that and poured another glass. "No, I am not stupid enough to claim that. Hero, villain—it's all ridiculous." "You're a hero if you go and fight for your country or save a life. You're a hero to those you inspire but a villain to those who hate you. All great villains think they're heroes because they think they're doing the right thing. And they're only right if they win the game. But I am above all that and below. Simply put, I am not the villain here, but I am no hero," he smiled. "I am only looking for revenge. Revenge for those like me who didn't deserve what they were dealt in life, revenge on my mother who abandoned me as a baby, and revenge on those who used my research and didn't give me what I deserved. I don't like seeing those who don't deserve it being hurt, but I don't care either way as long as those who do deserve it get what they deserve and I get what is rightfully mine." He took a drink and then slammed down his glass. "I just like the chaos of it all. And I know how to play the game well. It's my responsibility is all." He grinned. "And I will win the game—or die trying." He then moved another rook. "So, how good are you at shooting?" "Pretty well, actually," she said and made her move. "So what was the blood and painkillers for?" "Research—a cure for all of you, which I found." He moved his rook and took her knight. She then moved her queen and took the same rook. "Why didn't you just tell us? Me or Shining—you had him for years." "Simple: I didn't want you involved. But I'm not losing sleep over it; it was your choice to come after me," he moved his queen next. "You want revenge for your daddy, isn't that right?" Twilight’s eyes widened at that. "You want to kill me, wanted to avenge him for years." ***You're just like me. *** Twilight opened her mouth to say something but had no words. This creature, this chimera, the Lord of crime and chaos among the city… She had wanted to take him down for years, but now—now what could she do? He was her brother. He may have been the reason why the chimera existed, but it really wasn't his fault now that she knew the truth. And she knew it was the truth. Like him, she only wanted what she thought she deserved. She took a deep breath and opened her chimera eyes. "So what if I am?" she replied. He grinned an evil grin. "Check—" his eyes glowing like hers. "What is your relationship with Fluttershy!" she yelled. "Oh, sorry, sister, but you didn't let me finish: checkmate." He was right; she left her king wide open to attack. If she moved to any other spot, she'd be in the dead zone of a rook or a knight. Simply put, he had her, and he never moved his king once. Because the game was rigged from the start. And she had fallen right into his hands—and she knew it. The Lord then drank some more straight from the bottle this time, not caring for the cup, as he stood up, tearing off the lie detector wires. He then walked over to the edge of the balcony and looked down at the crowd. "I didn't ask for this, ya know. I was born. I am the Lord of Chaos, and I have my own goals and wishes. I don't care if they are right or wrong. But you..." He gestured to the crowd. "You all stand here and praise me like some hero. You all have families—innocent ones—and you're all pretty much innocent yourselves. I know I'll end up getting what I deserve one day, and I look forward to it, but you... this community... you don't deserve what has happened to you. And as the one who created it, it is my responsibility to stop it, and stop it alone. I do not consider you my friends; you're just employees, pawns even. Loyal, and I am thankful to you, but that is all I see you as. So leave. You're all fired." He deadpanned. The crowd looked at each other for a moment, then back to him. "With pay. Go on, all of you!" he yelled. But not one person left. He then sighed as he leaned over the balcony and placed a claw over his face. "I'm surrounded by idiots—brave and foolish idiots, but idiots bent on protecting their city." He chuckled. "I hate all of you." He then took one more gulp of his drink and smashed the bottle. "Very well then, listen up," he turned to Twilight. "How many chimera cases have there been?" Twilight had to think for a moment. "Nineteen." "You’re just thinking of the ones you know. No, in fact, there have been thirty-two in all!" He smirked. "Minus the six of you and the six I took out back, that leaves a total of twenty chimeras, most likely fully trained under orders from Luna herself." "This is what we're up against! If you follow me, you're following death. I have to fight, but I won't stop any of you—it is your choice!" "But assuming you do come, we're split into three teams. Team one will distract the enemy's firepower, including the chimeras, and team two will infiltrate and take over this facility." Discord clicked a button on a remote, and then a screen showed a picture of an army base. "This is where they're working. I got this information thanks to infiltrating ESA. The base is secure, but we have no choice but to attack—attack soon—before they move." "Team three will handle communications. We just capture and take down all chimeras, especially Luna." Joining me, you join a terrorist group—one that will fight for this city." The crowd cheered for their leader. "GATHER THE GUNS! WE LEAVE IN AN HOUR!" Just then, the crowd ran to the crates of supplies and tore through them, passing out weaponry and body armor. Even the civilians and those who didn't belong to the city joined in to protect their homes under the leadership of their mayor. Discord rolled his eyes at the sound of their cheers. "so sister you in?"He asked. Twilight nodded and pulled out the key Discord gave her. "Keep it, call it insurance." He turned to the crowd. "It's time they learned a lesson, he began to sing. It's time that they understand, the crowd began to grow more excited as they heard him sing. Don't ever count on anybody else In this or any other land I once hoped for friendship To find a place among my kind But those were the childish wishes Of someone who was blind Open up your eyes they all shouted out loud. See the world from where we stand Be among the mighty The world at my command" Discord sang. Open up your eyes Give up your sweet fantasyland It's time to grow up and get wise Come now little one Open up your eyes The crowd sang, as they did tempest could hear their songs as she slowly came back to consciousness. "We all start out the same With simple naive trust Shielded from the many ways That life's not fair or just But then there comes a moment A simple truth that you must face If you depend on others You'll never find your place And as you take that first step Upon a path that's all your own You see it all so clearly The best way to survive is stand alone. Open up your eyes!" THEY all shouted back. Open up your eyes discord sanged sweetly. Twilight was shocked herself. She knew that song. It was her mother's lullaby. Twisted into something far greater. But if there was any proof Discord was her brother, it was that he knew that song word for word. "Open up your eyes" Discord sang softly Turing away, he then chuckled darkly as he left the room, Capper following him. Author's Note I had to do open up your eyes, one of the best MLP songs in my opinion. What's yours let me know? Now back to what I was talking about with these author notes. So how did Luna become the villain? Uhhh. Ok, I have a confession. I didn't have this figured out. 🤣 In my original try at this story, I had a third party show up and fight Discord. Who was the third party, at a time it was either an OC, or a character that I'm going to be in the sequel so I'm not going to reveal that. But as I wrote this chapter I realized while it was a great twist that no one saw coming, because I literally didn't put them in the story till at the very end. I realized that that character has at this time no connection with our heroes or discord. So I needed someone to replace them, but who? Not even trying to set this up. I originally just wanted a story with Discord and Luna. Because everybody does Discord backstory with Celestia, and I find the stories with Luna instead much more interesting. No, I never was doing Lunacord. I just wanted to give Discord and her a story, so I made her once a friend that betrayed Discord over her fear of his true form and self. I wanted to add some tragedy to the situation so I had her turned into a chimera, and originally the heroes were gonna fight her first, take her down way back before the equalizer was ever discovered. Ok so here I am writing the big twist villain now, who to pick? I had no idea. And was slightly panicking over who this villain was gonna be. Being tired myself I decided to for fun read back what I wrote, in the story. As I was reading I realized Luna was perfect for this role. 1 she has a connection to our heroes and discord. 2 She gets turned into a chimera. And 3 Nightmare Moon is a villain, it all just worked out in the end. 😏 Ok more on this later 😂👋 chapter 23 Family At Warchapter 23 Family At War Sitting in a small tunnel connected to the large mining cavern, two shadowy figures watched as nearly three hundred people went to work. "Well, sis," Junior said as he leaned against the wall. "What now?" Mells leaned up against her bike, watching the crowd. "I never knew Dad had such a life," she said to no one in particular, despite her brother being by her side. "Yeah, neither Mom nor Auntie ever told us any of this. He's a strange one, that's for sure." Jr's eyes went cross. "I thought our dad was a hero." She chuckled. "Never meet your heroes, I suppose. Still, it is interesting to know we have all his powers and that we're apparently quarter dragon." "So, still think it's a good idea to kidnap him?" her brother deadpanned. "Shut up! I never said that." She smirked. "Melody, this is how he dies. By tomorrow's first light, he is killed in the morning." "And if so, the world loses. We gotta stop it. It is our mission. Otherwise, Chrysalis wins." "And how are we gonna do that?" her brother asked. "We have no choice: go to war and protect Dad at all costs," she said just above a whisper. She raised her eyes to meet his. Neither of them said another word. They didn't need to; they knew what had to be done. After a moment of silence, all they could do was give one last hug before the final battle. Once Fluttershy's leg was wrapped up and looked over, Rarity sat down next to her. At first, neither said anything, nor did they need to. "You okay?" she asked Fluttershy. "Physically, yes," she replied tiredly. "That's him, isn't it? The colt you've been with." Fluttershy gave a sad nod as a whisper escaped her lips. "Well, he's a bit, uh..." Fluttershy whined. "Hey, he's not the villain. The—um—Discord," she struggled to say his name without sounding scared. "He is our ally now, at the very least." "You don't know him like I do," Fluttershy cried. "Discord, I know was a chimera, but I don't know any of this. Still, he's..." She cried more. Rarity wrapped her in a friendly hug. "Hey, hey, it's okay," she soothed. "As long as he cares for you, then I'm fine with it. And so will the others eventually." "But what if it was all an act? What if—" "Hey! Do not do that to yourself. If anything, I think it's clear how much you care for him. And if he has half a brain, I don't think he'd fake such a thing, especially with you." Fluttershy still cried but smiled at her friend's encouragement. "Do you really think the others would be okay with this?" "I think Twilight's gonna need some time, considering it's her brother. But then again, a lot is happening right now." "Can you keep this between us? Please, Rarity, I don't want to cause any more of a scene than what's already happened." Rarity looked at her, amazed. "Uh, sure, sure, you know you're not the same Fluttershy I met a few years ago." Fluttershy looked away, wiping her tears. "You're a lot stronger," Rarity finished. "Can you fly?" she asked. Fluttershy looked at her a bit confused but nodded. "Then fly to him. Go, go and tell him what you need to say, dear. I'll keep everyone busy; we're going to see Twilight's mother anyway, just go find him." Fluttershy wiped her tears and nodded as she took in a deep breath. As Twilight walked down the dark hallways of Chaos Villa's secret base, she held tightly onto the key Discord gave her. This key was to his lab in Chaos Vill, and within it lay the cure to all of this. She was lost in thought, even now as she watched the back of Capper guide her down the halls. It was strange to her. How could she have been so wrong? She had even gone toe to toe with Capper, and now they stood on the same side. "Just through that door, you'll find your mother," he said as he gestured to the door up ahead. "I have work to do, so I'll be back in half an hour to get you ready for the fight ahead." He said somewhat in a dull tone. None of Twilight or her friends said a word as they entered. Inside the room, Twilight and Shining finally had a chance to digest the fact that their mom wasn't just alive but was a secret agent working for the government and was the mother of their Discord as well. It happened so fast that no one had a chance to process any of this, and soon the room turned its attention to the dark purple mare who lay on a makeshift bed on the ground. She was hooked up to a heart monitor and had her legs and arms bandaged. Sensing everyone's eyes on her, she took in a deep breath and let it out before she said, "Well, it seems I have some explaining to do." The room just nodded as they waited on pins and needles to learn the history. "Right, well then…" she winced. "If I'm going to tell you this story, I'm afraid I'm going to have to start from the beginning." She tried to sit up but couldn't and decided to remain in her position. She gestured for Twilight and her brother to sit down, which they did, circling the mare. "I was a single child adopted by the government, raised to be a top spy. Barely 15, I was sent on my first solo mission out of the country. I've had other missions but never been away from home. I was sent to the Lizard Lands; my alias was a foreign exchange student trying to get my archaeologist license. The truth was, however, far more complicated. Though there wasn't a full-out war for centuries, tension ran high, and always in the shadows a cold war was fought for government power. As an agent, it was my job to prevent anything from going hot." She shook her head. "That I failed." A young dark purple pony with a fiery red mane sat at a table with a non-alcoholic drink in her hoof, listening to the tall gray lizard who sat across from her. With ruby spikes and matching eyes, he dressed a bit fancy, with a dark blue suit, a black shirt, and a white tie—a bit unconventional for just a plain date, but one that he didn't think too much of. "So, how are you liking it here, Mrs. Shadow?" He grinned a friendly, somewhat flirty grin, even if it was full of sharp fangs. "Being so far from home must be hard on you—feeling a bit homesick?" "Perhaps, but really, I didn't like it much there; that's why I left in the first place," she replied as she took a drink. "I see. Well, thank you for taking me up on my offer to have a drink with me. After all, I hadn't seen you make many friends since you moved in across from me a month ago." "Yes, well, a nice night to get my head out of my books is just what I needed," she returned a smile. "So tell me, how are your studies in history going?" He moved his gaze around the room. "Well, actually, I'm just trying to get my license so I can go to Catgypt." "Catgypt? Really? Even with everything going on there?" He narrowed his eyes. She grew a smile as she replied, "Oh, who cares about the ins and outs? Just think of what riches could be discovered there—the greatest archaeological discoveries yet to be unearthed just below the sands." She laughed. "Sorry, I get excited when I think of the possibilities," she narrowed her eyes. "I see," he nodded. "Well, here's to finding riches untold among the sandy dunes." He smiled with a twinkle in his ruby eye. He was somewhat charming and handsome among lizards. He walked her back to her apartment, and just before she walked in, the purple pony started feeling a headache. "I don't feel so good," she said before she passed out. Rainbow gasped. "Oh, oh! I know this one! Daring Do wakes up captured by the bad guy. He congratulates her on also getting the drop on him since he felt drugged too." "Yeah, I mean, it wasn't Daring Do who drugged him. The two were surprised that both were double-crossed by a mutual friend and soon had to battle it out for, in the books, the golden key to the mummy's sarcophagus. And it turns out the gold she found was the friendship—or, as many guessed, the love she found with Larry the Lizard on their adventures in the sandy dunes," Rarity finished. "Uh, guys?" AJ raised an eyebrow. "No, they're right," Tempest nodded. "Only it wasn't a key to a mummy like in my book. It was secret plans to an entire army facility. Our entire journey through that book was all pretty much true." She chuckled. "Including our somewhat strange romance." She coughed a few times before continuing. "Neither of us could tell each other's names. He was secret agent Scales; I was Tempest Shadow, an agent that came from different corporations. Our goals were the same: to protect the world and stop an underground cold war from going red hot. But we failed." Shadow grew a sad look as she sighed. "When he died, a part of me went with him... and I couldn't take it anymore. I left the spy group entirely, failing my mission, and that's why the war started. The same war that didn't end until long after you kids were born. To my surprise, however," she grew a sly yet sad smile, "he did leave me with a surprise that not even I was expecting." "Discord," Rarity looked away. "Correct. I was happy at the time; I thought I could have a little bit of the creature I loved back in my life, if only a little." "So what happened? Why didn't you raise him?" asked Pinkie. "Well, you see…" Tempest coughed again as her tone shifted to one of regret. "He was born a strange creature. He came out twitching and skinny. And despite the noises he made, which did not sound like that of a pony at all," she winced, "he wouldn't open his eyes." "The doctor told me he wouldn't live for very long and that it was a miracle he came out breathing at all. I spent what must have been a month trying to coax him, trying to make sure he survived. I even made up that lullaby to calm down his endless tears. And simply put…" her voice began to crack, "I felt like I was losing him all over again. I couldn't handle it, and so I left, thinking he'd never survive." She coughed again. "It would be a few years later that I would finally fall for someone else. I didn't want to, but your father won me over and we had you two kids." She shook her head solemnly. "I never knew he was alive until much, much later." Fluttershy hovered down the hallways of the massive building. She was surprised by how large it was, considering it sat in the middle of an underground cavern. But even so, it would not deter her from her quest. If anyone asked—she did run into a few guards—she always asked for directions to the ladies' room. A weak excuse, perhaps, but one that worked well enough; despite their suspicious looks, they often pointed her down her path. But it wasn't to the bathroom she was searching for; despite the growing sensation in the pit of her stomach, what she was on a quest for was one thing. Him. He needed her, perhaps now more than ever. She tried to remember the pathway Twilight mentioned when heading up the tower, but to no avail, being for the most part completely lost. After turning down the hall for what must have been the fifteenth time, she gagged in frustration. She pounded a wall, not caring for who would hear, a look of defeat on her face as she whispered, "Where are you?" frustratedly. She leaned against the wall, tired. As she turned her back to it, she slid down, trying not to cry. She lowered her head into her hooves as she felt her stomach turn again, the pit of worry overwhelming her senses. She shook—not with fear nor anger—but sadness. This is hopeless, she thought as the smell of smoke filled her nostrils. She hated that smell more than anything. Wait a minute! "Smoke?" she asked herself as she lifted her head. A quick sniff told her what direction it was coming from. Not wasting another second, she immediately jumped to her feet and ran toward its source. Using her heightened sense, thanks to being a chimera, she followed it step for step. She could even tell what direction it was coming from and, more importantly, she also knew that the source was moving. She followed it all the way until she got to a door and headed out. As she did, she could no longer smell the underground caverns but instead the fresh night air. Still, there was a hint—just a hint—of him, but a hint was more than enough for her to follow the smell of smoke. As she got closer to its source, she realized she had exited a small side cave. Now she was on a small path that was on the side of the mountain. And not just any mountain; she recognized it as their mountain. She soon found the location of a small windy road and she instantly knew where she was and, more importantly, where he was. Discord took a gulp of whatever he had in his bottle. He gasped for air as he moved it aside from him; two more bottles already empty sat in the branches below him. He sat with his back against the tree, on top of one of its many strong branches. The only sound he could hear was the crackling of the fire and a few chirps and cracks from the inhabitants of the forest. So peaceful, so tranquil—everything he was not at that moment. He winced in pain as an angry growl escaped his throat. His head was pounding, his body ached, and it took all he had not to barf up the bile in his stomach. To his surprise, a cold breeze swept through the night air. In some ways, it felt nice against his pulsing skin. His many scars bathed in the relief the cold brought him, but it also made him feel lonely and reminded him of just how alone he was, how alone he truly felt at that moment—despite being the king of an entire crime organization that all praised him and did his bidding. Their so-called love and adoration weren't what he wanted at the moment; if anything, it made him feel worse knowing that all of them had the one thing he never could: family, friends, loved ones. What a joke, he muttered at the thought as he raised his other hoof and bit onto the cigarette he had in his eagle claw. He deeply inhaled it, feeling its effects working. The pain he felt coursing through his body subsided, if only a little; a little was all he needed to push past the pain—both physical, emotional, and mental. He narrowed his eyes at a chessboard set that was hanging off the edge of a branch, a black king and a few pawns set up against a white army. This is what he needed to focus on: the oncoming attack and his next move to make in the game. He let out a puff of smoke as the word "game" spread across his lips. "It’s all just a game." Just then, he heard the small outer pattern of movement outside the canopy of the forest. He growled as he leaped off his branch, landing perfectly and raising himself to his full intimidating height. "Capper, I told you not to disturb me," he said. But to his surprise, it wasn't Capper who stumbled onto his location; no, instead it was a mare. And not just any mare, but Fluttershy who had come to him. Finally, she thought to herself as she raised her eyes to see him at his full height. She had to admit that with the scars and height, he did look quite scary; his back against the light of the campfire behind him made him look like a tall, empty shadow devoid of any detail except his glowing red and amber eyes. It reminded her of the day they first met; he looked so much like the shadow of the night itself in that alleyway all those months ago. His expression didn't help either as she shook a little; why she didn't know—she wasn't afraid of him. She knew he would never hurt her. But to him, that's all he saw. It was bad enough he had seen her face earlier that night, and now she stood inches from him, shaking in fear to his perspective. And with it, his heart sank, and the pain just seemed to return. He longed for her touch, the warmth and love he felt from her in his arms the past few months, but now it was gone. She was scared of him, and he couldn't blame her. He was, after all, a monster. As the thought hurt him, he took in another inhale of his cigarette... its smoke circling his entire body as he lowered his claw. "Go away," he moaned with more emotion than she had ever heard from him in all the time she knew him. There was something there, and she knew what it was—pain. "That's why you drink and smoke, isn't it? And why you take these?" She pulled out a bottle of painkillers. "I noticed them in your house one time and... and…" she repeated softly, not knowing what else to say. He looked at the bottle and then at her, only to return his gaze to the bottle. In a quick slash motion, he snatched the bottle from her, making her flinch in surprise. He opened it and scarfed down all the pills he had, wobbling back over to his tree to grab the bottle he had of whatever liquid substance he was drinking. He used it to flush down the mountain of pills he had just taken. With the bottle empty, he threw it into the fire; it smashed and shattered as the fire grew slightly—clearly, whatever he was drinking must have been some type of alcohol. He looked back at her over his shoulder. She was still there, a look of fear on her face, but at least to him, it appeared to be fear. It hurt him to see her like this, yet there was nothing more he could do for her. "Well, go on then," he groaned, making her flinch once again, but it was only at the sight of him. "Oh, Discord," she stuttered. "Why are you still here? Didn't I just tell you to get lost?" His question struck a nerve with her; all the pity she had for him nearly turned to anger at his tone of voice. "I'm not leaving," she stated clearly but seriously. Discord raised an eyebrow at this. Just a second ago, she was shaking in fear and now she was talking back to him. Brave girl, he thought to himself. "Oh, and why is that?" He retorted with a huff. "Because I promised you I wouldn't," she said in the same strong tone. This nearly broke Discord's poker face, and it showed as his posture began to soften. He looked away so she couldn't see his expression, but his voice gave him away. "Aren't you—" he said before lowering his head, "Aren't you scared of me?" he asked, as if it hurt him to just say the sentence. "No," was all she said. The one word was enough to finally break him. His expression softened a bit in surprise. "I’m sorry I…" He turned away from her as he winced. "I just thought you'd be like the others." "Do I look like the others?" she asked sternly. He looked back. Even in her now torn superhero outfit, she was beautiful. In fact, her torn suit made her look even more attractive to him, strangely enough. The way it sat tight against her body showed her true form—not too curvy, not too straight. If anything, she looked perfect to him, as she always did. "You say you’re not scared, but I saw the look on your face during that fight earlier." "Because I was scared for you," she pleaded. "I don’t like seeing any of my friends in danger. Especially you," she whispered the last part. He looked away, ashamed of his own thoughts. "I'm sorry, I... this... I never had this before. I’ve never been loved by anyone or loved someone as much as I do you, so when I saw you were scared of me..." He lifted his head and looked at the sky above, like Luna, like Twilight, "I thought I lost you like everyone else." With that, despite her own tears, Fluttershy giggled. "You haven't lost me, silly! You never will." She placed a reassuring hoof on his back as high as she could reach. His eyes widened as his body shivered at her touch. He bit his lip, trying to hold back the emotional outbreak he wanted to have. "Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down," she chuckled as she spoke the words of their song. Even if the song had started as a joke, it meant so much to her now. "Just tell me, Discord. I want to know. I can't help you if you don't tell me." Discord lowered his head in defeat to the mighty mare. "Very well," he said in a hushed tone as the wind blew past, making the tree above them creak and sway. "But it's not a very good story." He sat down. With him sitting, she was finally able to place her hoof on his shoulder. "I'm here," she told him. "It all started when I was just a kid, seven or eight—I can't remember. It feels like a lifetime ago." Author's Note Oh boy next chapter is a long long loooooong one giving all the back story. Welp now to continue this author note story. lol this was supose to be out last week but oh well beter late than never, I do plan to upload the next chapter either chritmas eve or christmas day so look forward to that.... I really should't make promises like that lol. Ok so here we are, we talked just about everything except for one key charecter. Tempest shadow. How'd that come to be. Well in one draft of the story I had Fluttershy help discord find his long lost mother. Who that was I had no idea and decided to figure it out later. When I finally had to add this charecter It was either gonna be an oc, or someone I liked a lot. Hay you know who I like a lot. Tempest shadow. HURAY we have her. 😆 It was long after this that I figured out twilight was discords sister. So adding tempest to be her mother was simple. Oh but what about the daring do thing. Well as I was writing the story I wanted to give everyone something to contribute to it. In highndigjt sight, I could remove apple jack and pinky compleatly and it wouldn't change a thing. It's nice they add to that family part of the story, but they don't serve much a role. Rarity I new I wanted her dad to be part of it, since I did have discord want to capture her in the beginning. Flutershy was fluttercord. Twilight was mc. I needed something to do with dash. Eventually I wanted them to try and infiltrate the ranks of chaos vill. And I could give this to anyone I picked dash to give her something to do, and I continued with it I really liked it. She was a super spy. Literally super. Now I also had her bring up daring do only beacuse I wanted to reference it from the show. I had no plans to put her in the story. But eventually as I wrote the super spy dash, I wanted to have her be found by a real super spy working for the government. And so adding daring do was ano brainier. But just having her there and not connecting her to anyone wasn't gonna work. So I made her tempest. Don't even know why just thought it would work. Did I get the pay off I wanted. I'll leave you to decide that. Ok more about this later.😂👋 chapter 24 Ancient HistoryChapter 24: Ancient History A skinny young colt was tossed into a pile of trash cans. Along with him were several books on self-defense martial arts—ironic, since none of them were working for the boy at the time. "Haha! And stay there like the trash you are, freak!" shouted a big, fat pony kid. The pony in the trash can slowly got up, a day-old banana peel dangling from the top of his hat. He was dressed in an oversized blue raincoat that was clearly too big for him, along with a large blue hat that matched—though now it threatened to fall off, something the pony did not want. The foal looked nearly starved despite being a pony. His face already showed signs of a skull-like appearance, with sunken eyes and heavy cheekbones. As the bullies—there were three of them—laughed at him, his hooves began to shift. He tried to hide them by sinking deeper into the trash can. He could feel his tail flicker underneath his large coat. But it wasn't a ponytail he had; it was one that a dragon would have. His anger began to boil within him as he heard the bullies laugh. His eyes began to flicker from normal to a bright yellow. "Hey, wise ass, why don't you beat it? Leave him alone; he was minding his own business," said a new voice. Discord turned to see who it was and was surprised to see a dark blue, skinny filly pony with night-like hair dressed like a goth. "Why don't you mind your own business, Luna?" one of the bullies sneered. "Oh, really? Why don't you make me?" she smirked, chewing on a piece of bubble gum. That made the bully mad, and he quickly tried to hit her. But she glided out of the way and stuck her feet out, landing on her tiptoes and whacking him in the face with her foot. She landed back on her hooves as the other two tried to jump her, but she slid past them, bumping them with her rear end and sending them tumbling into the trash can. She smirked cockily at her work as the last one came from behind her and got her in a chokehold. But before he could do anything, Discord whacked him with his tail, knocking him out cold. She turned to see him, but he quickly made sure to hide his tail back under his trench coat before she saw it. "Thanks for that," Luna smiled. "So, got a name?" "Umm, Discord," he said, trembling, with tears already building up in his eyes. "Discord what?" "Oh, uh, just Discord. I, uh, don't have a surname." "Hmm, that's weird. I'm Luna—Luna Princess." "Luna Princess, as in the rich kid," Discord quivered. "Hey, got a problem with that?" "Uh, no, no. I was just wondering what you're doing on this side of town. It's not safe here." "No, I guess it's not. That's what's kind of fun about it." She smirked. "Tell me, Discord, what do you do around here for fun?" Luna asked. "Fun? Uh, well, uh..." "You do know what fun is, don't you?" Luna pressed. "I know what fun is!" he argued back. "I just, um, don't have much, I guess." He pulled out an old storybook. "Hmm, what's that?" "Huh? Oh, oh, it's nothing." "Nothing huh? Come on, let me see." "No." "Come on." "No." Luna grew a sly grin and quickly went to the left of him, which he moved to the right. It was a fake-out, though, as she moved to the right, catching him off guard. She twirled around him and pried whatever he had out of his hooves. "Huh, but, but..." "Haha, my mom taught me that," Luna chuckled as she looked through what she got from Discord. It was some type of old fairy tale—one she had never heard of. She flipped through the book, trying to read its odd language, but it didn't make sense to her. "What is this?" she asked. "It's Old Lizard Young." Old was right. She couldn't make out any of it, except for one word: Discord. "Your name's in this book?" she questioned. Discord tried to take the book back, but she switched on her heel and jumped out of his way. "How are you doing that?" he asked. "Do you know Kung Fu?" "Kung Fu? Is that what you were trying to do earlier? I thought you were just trying to be silly." "No, I was trying... to learn how to, uh, to stop those bullies." "Really? Well, I could show you how." "Really?" he asked curiously. "And why would you do that for me?" "Hmm, it's what friends do." "Friends?" "Yeah, friends! You saved me from that last choke hold, so I'd say we're friends." "Okay, so friend..." Discord said nervously. "How did you do that? What fighting style was that anyway?" She giggled. "No, no, it was just some dance moves." "Dance moves?" "Yep. Most of it was ballet, but some of it was breakdancing. I've taken dance lessons for years, and out here I've used it a couple of times to get out of situations like that." "I'll show you if..." "If? If what?" "If you teach me to read whatever this is." "Ancient Lizard Tongue." "Yeah, that. So, we got a deal?" She held out her hoof. He looked at it skeptically at first, but eventually took it, giving her a handshake. "Okay then, meet me here in this alleyway tomorrow, and I'll teach you." The next day, she came with a boombox and began to teach him. From then on, every few days or so, she taught him how to dance-fight. He also learned Kung Fu and jiu-jitsu and incorporated it into his dance moves. She joined him, and soon the two created a crazy form of fighting style, using a mixture of different dances and fighting moves as he taught her about the book. It was an ancient legend, and it was hard to read and understand, but Discord's caretaker had forced him from a young age to learn reading and writing, hoping to get him into a high-class family and out of the slumps. Discord was a word that meant chaos, and his caretaker would call him it so often that he soon just adopted it as his name. From the book, the legend of Discord was simple. It was a magic spell that brought chaos to the land. Luna felt bad he had such a name and chose to call him something else. "Hmm, I know! What about Shadow?" "Shadow?" he asked. "Yeah, or Phantom or something." "Why that?" "Because shadows and phantoms are cool. Plus, you always just blend into the shadows most of the time." "Do I?" "Yeah, you're like a ghost." She gasped. "That's it! You're Ghost." "Ghost?" "Yeah, and you know what? That's what I'm going to call you: Mr. Ghost," Luna grinned. Discord laughed at the silliness of it. "Fine, Mr. Ghost it is then." He smiled. "So, Luna was your first friend." "No, you were my first friend. She never really cared, especially once she saw my true form. The alleyway I met you in..." Discord said emotionless, yet he moaned slightly as she rubbed his neck. "It was the same alleyway I first met her." "I originally lived in an orphanage that wasn't too far away from it. But a few months later, I would eventually set it on fire by accident and run away." "And where did you go?" she asked. "To her?" "No, no, I ran from the city. I wanted to escape. I wanted to be free. Free of it all. And I found it here." He gestured to the area with his paw. "Once there, I could actually sit and think. And when I didn't want to do that, I could fly." "Fly?" "Yes, fly. The first time I came here, sad as it may seem, I jumped off the side of the cliff here, figuring that would be it for me. Funny, I wasn't scared at all. I'm still not," he laughed a bit pathetically. "As soon as I was off the ground, my instincts kicked in." He breathed in, a look of peace on his face. "And I took flight for the first time. I soared through the sky, and as strange as it was, I needed no practice. It was like my body already knew what to do. It was like a dream being set free," he said as the wind blew, picking up another leaf from the tree and drifting into the night air. "I was free," he said, his voice trailing off before he fell silent. Even though she couldn't see his face, Fluttershy could sense the emotion in his voice—the same kind of freedom she had seen in his eyes when he rode his bike. "Is that why you ride your bike then?" she asked. He nodded, his eyes clouding over with a mix of emotions. "After I got my wings blown off, I needed something to fill the void. My bike might be tethered to the ground, but..." He narrowed his eyes. "I can still get the rush of the wind when I'm at high speeds. For so long, it was the only thing that freed me." "Was?" Fluttershy questioned. He chuckled at her gaze and grew closer to her. "Then I met you... and with it, a whole new kind of freedom." He told her in a hushed tone. She smiled at his words and asked, "So then what happened?" "I never went back to the city. I lived on the streets—sometimes in a cardboard box. All the while, I wanted to know who my parents were. Did they have wings? Were they like me? Why was I so different? However, despite my best efforts, Luna found me." Fluttershy tightened her hoof, growing irritated, and accidentally pinched him while deep in thought. "Trust me, dear, I was never interested in her. We were, at the time, friends," he winced in pain. She loosened her grip, an apologetic look crossing her face, both for her grip and for being caught jealous. "One day she even offered to help me find my parents," he said, his voice cracking on the edge of tears. "We couldn't find them, of course, but she did help me for a few years, until the day she turned on me completely. Then again," he shook his head, "it really was my fault." The young strange colt grew into a decent-sized teen; his oversized blue coat barely fitted him now. Still, he wore it to hide his tail, especially around his friends. He sat waiting for her, perched on top of the very trash can he was thrown into when he was little. In his hoof was a chocolate muffin, one he was quite happy to devour. Suddenly, as he was about to take the last bite, Luna ran up to him. "Did you hear Sugar Cube Corner got robbed last night?" she exclaimed with a hint of worry. "Oh yeah, I know," he replied nonchalantly. "Sorry, but I ran out of the money you gave me," he popped the last piece of his muffin in his mouth, talking with his mouth full as he continued, "and had to take matters into my own hands." "You stole those," she shouted at him. "I just took two or three," he shrugged. "Or ten," he chuckled. "Can you do me a favor and let me borrow a few bills? I'll pay you back once I get a job." "You stole ten muffins!" she shouted back. "Where did the cash I gave you go?" "Hmm, oh, I had to get this jacket tailored. Besides, it was only a few muffins. It's not like I stole jewelry or something. Just give me the cash so I can go make up for it. Oh, and can I have a few extra bills for dinner?" He smirked as if it didn't matter at all. The teenage mare's eyes widened at this. "You're insane! No, there's no way I'm ever giving you another dime." "Hmm, really?" He narrowed his eyes. "Stop playing with me and help me out. You know I'll pay you back once I get a job." "And when will that be? Four years from now? Perhaps never in those clothes." "Oh, you're one to talk! You're filthy rich, yet you go scampering around town dressed like that." He gestured to her jeans. "Holes in jeans are a new fashion trend." "Ha! Fashion? Such a stupid excuse," he said as he effortlessly closed the distance between them. She could feel him; was it a hoof at all? It felt more like a claw snatching her wallet out of her pocket. She hated purses and always carried a man's wallet, thinking it suited her better. "Hey, give that back!" she yelled, attempting to swipe at it. He swiftly used the dance moves she taught him to avoid her hooves, making sure to be extra careful with his steps. He then used his height against her and raised the wallet out of her reach. She jumped for it, but he dodged and she landed right into the trash can herself. An old cup of noodles splattered on her face. Her sister was in the car waiting for them, but when she saw Luna in the trash, she immediately jumped out. He quickly took out her money, grabbed what he needed to pay for the muffins and a little extra for dinner, but nothing more—setting the rest of the bills back in her wallet before tossing it back at her and hitting her in the head. "There, was that so hard?" he retorted before walking away. Just then, her older sister ran up and nearly tackled the teen. She was a teen herself, but being five years older made quite the difference. Still, the colt stood as tall as she was and she was eighteen in her last year of high school. "Give back whatever you stole from my sister, you little twerp!" "Little? I'm the same height as you, Tia," he said, amused. None of this was bothering him in the slightest. "I knew I shouldn't have let my sister hang out in the south side of town," she huffed. "Oh yeah? And why is that? You think all of us who live here are here because we want to be?" He grew angrier with each word. "You think if we had a choice, we would choose this path. You, in your stuck-up rich life whose biggest issue is deciding whether or not to wear holes in your pants! I was frickin' hungry; give me a break!" At this, Celestia grew even more angry. In a deep, angry tone, she simply said, "Give me back my sister's money or—" "Or what? You think you can take me, is that it? I'd love to see you try," he snarled. Just then, a cop—one of the very few on the south side of town—was walking by, looking for clues as to who robbed Sugar Cube Corner. "Help!" Celestia shouted. "This guy stole from my little sister!" Discord looked at the cop and rolled his eyes. "Really? Tattling? That’s what you’re gonna do?" "He also robbed Sugar Cube Corner!" Luna said, finally getting out of the trash can. "Alright, bub. Come with me," the dog officer said as he tried to grab Discord's arm. But in a quick shift, Discord used his skills to evade the cop. "I don't need this. I'm out of here." "Hey!" the cop yelled. "Hey yourself," Discord retorted in a grumble. The cop then grabbed his walkie-talkie. "I need backup. Teen resisting arrest, tall and skinny, wearing a blue raincoat." With that, in seconds, two cop cars came rolling up as the cop tried to stop Discord again. He evaded the cop and soon evaded the others. "All this over a frickin' muffin," he shook his head. But finally, one cop tackled him to the ground—a large fat lizard, actually. Discord, though, wasn't going to go down that easily and with a mighty roar that sounded almost beast-like, he tossed the cop away with his tail. He was proud of himself for that; his own strength and rush flowed through him as he grew an evil smirk, only for his expression to falter when he noticed the two girls—especially his friend Luna—stood in complete shock and fear. The sight of them cowering before him shook his train of thought, and it was easy for the cops to get a hold of him, tie him down, and arrest him for good. "All that over a muffin? Really, Discord?" Fluttershy scolded. "Not just any muffin, but my favorite muffins," he rolled his eyes, looking away from her. She was now sitting on his lap, and he sat with his back against the tree. "To my surprise, Mr. Cake's grandfather never pressed charges. But Luna and Celestia did, despite the charges being low. I was sent to jail and then watched by a parole officer for the rest of my teen life." "Pinky's father," Fluttershy mumbled. "I didn't care. All I cared about was finding my family. And if I couldn't find mine... I thought..." After a moment of silence, Fluttershy encouraged him. "Go on," she said in an almost motherly tone—a sweet one at that. "I thought I could help others find theirs. I became fascinated with the DNA test, and I wanted to understand how it worked. So I put everything I had into becoming a geneticist. I studied my own unique biology and its DNA strands. What I found was how unique my DNA actually was. It constantly alternated and never settled. I used my research to gain some recognition and delivered a scientific paper on the subject of alternating genetics." "I didn't make friends after that; I didn't want any. I just kept to myself and my research. With it, I was going somewhere. That was until the day I nearly lost all such freedom." "Minding my own business at Sugar Cube Corner, the place was attacked, and I didn't care. I didn't have a leg in this fight, and I didn't want to either. I just wanted to leave, but the big bulky cat pulled a knife on me. And despite being stabbed, I beat them so bad," he winced as she placed a reassuring hoof on his chest. "I beat them so badly they were an inch away from death," he said as the wind blew. "But it was in self-defense, wasn't it?" asked Fluttershy. "At first, maybe, and sure that's what I did claim. But despite that—and Mr. Cake and his family calling me a hero—I was facing at least a decade in prison if not more... I hate cages," he snarled. The very thought of being locked up when all he wanted was to be a free bird made him feel sick. "Luckily for me, a top scientist who was helping with the war efforts saw potential in my studies and had me transferred." "Star Swirl," Fluttershy commented. Discord nodded before continuing, "That's when things just went from bad to worse as I joined the war effort. I didn't join because I wanted to protect the people; I joined because it was the only way to protect my own freedom." "Two years went by, and then I met him—the man in charge of funding our little experiment to end the war: Mr. Don Sparkle. He came in to look at the research along with his family." "A security risk, perhaps, but at the time it didn't really matter." "It was him, his wife, and two kids. One of them begged to learn about genetics. She was so interested in science even back then." Discord shook his head. "I didn't want to, but Mr. Sparkle insisted it be fun for his children and asked me to do a DNA test so they could see how they all related. I couldn't exactly say no to my boss, so I did as I was asked and explained to the little filly how DNA worked, as basic as you could to a six-year-old at least. I then, of course, took samples of their DNA and began to genetically decode them." "Nothing too out of the ordinary, until I saw the mother's. I studied my own DNA strands so closely that I could tell when I was staring at my own. So you can imagine my surprise when I found that same exact DNA in a mare that would be the right age to be my mother." Mrs. Sparkle looked at her two silly children as she hummed a little tune to herself—the same tune she often hummed to herself—as a sad smile kept on her face. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," she told her children and headed to the door. When she opened it, she was greeted by the sight of a rather tall pony in a lab coat and a pair of sunglasses. "Ah, Mrs. Sparkle," he said, almost as if in a jazz tone. "Yes, can I help you?" she raised an eyebrow. "Um, yes, you see, I…" he shook out of the daze. "I am Doctor Ghost. I am the scientist second in command of the project your husband is working on." "Oh, he's not here right now. Perhaps if you come later?" she replied. "Oh no, I am not here to talk to him; I am here to talk with you, actually. Do you mind if I come in?" he said as if out of breath all of a sudden. "Uh, I am not comfortable with…" "Oh, oh, of course not! Please, can I just have a word with you out here then? I have some papers I just want to show you." "Oh, well of course," she said as she stepped out of the house and onto the porch. She sat down, offering him a seat at the little side table. He quickly pulled out a folder and handed it to her. She took it and opened the file; he eyed her carefully as she did. "You see, Mrs. Sparkle, all personnel involved with the program are genetically identified. Since your husband's son was cleared to come onto the campus, so was his DNA tracked. If you look here," he pointed at a piece of genetic code on the papers, "this here is mitochondrial DNA—DNA you can only receive from your mother. It's the dominant link to your family tree. This next page is, of course, yours for obvious reasons." He grinned as he looked at it. "It's exactly the same," she grinned. "Yes, so it is." "Well, I mean, he is my son, so of course, it would be 100 percent." "Yes, well, there's just a slight problem." He pulled out a paper from his pocket. "You see, Mrs. Sparkle, I am a geneticist. In fact, it is my own research that has given way to what your husband is spending his hard-earned money on. Most of the research is on myself, actually." He took off his glasses. "Ma'am, I know my genetic code like someone would know their best friend, and that is not your son's. This is." He handed her another paper. It was exactly the same, and she grew a surprised and worried expression as he saw the colt's ruby eyes. Discord chose his next words carefully as he calmly expressed, "What you have there is my mitochondrial DNA. I, uh, I never knew my mother." His face grew neutral as he looked into her eyes. Mrs. Sparkle stared at him for a moment. "It can't be," she said under her breath, but he heard it and grinned. "I'm 19 years old. I grew up in the back alleys of the south side of Ponyville. I made many mistakes in my life, rounding up given a choice: either do time behind bars or fight for my country, using my genetic research to fund a way to stop the war. I have been searching for my mother ever since I can remember, Mrs. Sparkle," he said, a bit choked up. Mrs. Sparkle sat staring at him, amazed and yet terrified. Just then, the door slid open; it was a young colt. "Mommy, Twily wants to know if we could use the kitchen bowl for an experiment." She quickly turned to her youngest son. "Oh, uh, yes, uh..." she said, as if out of breath. Mr. Ghost looked between her and the young child. "Umm..." she sat, not knowing what to say. "Who are you?" asked the little colt. At that, Mrs. Sparkle was about to say something when Mr. Ghost spoke up first. "Oh, I'm just working for your father. Your mother and I were just talking about boring grown-up stuff." He quickly took the folder out of the lady's hooves and dumped it in the trash on the side of the road. "I think I should get going. I am sorry to bother you, ma'am," he said with a friendly grin before putting his glasses back on and walking away. Just then, Mr. Sparkle walked up, bumping into him. "Oh, Mr. Ghost, I am sorry, sir! I didn't see you there. What are you doing all the way out here?" "Oh, it's nothing really," he grinned. "I need to be on my way." "Nonsense! Come, come! You must have dinner with my wife; she makes some of the best salads you'll ever have." "Tempy, this is Mr. Ghost. He's second in command of the big project I'm working on at work." "You know my daughter loves science; you must stay for dinner. She'll have hundreds of questions for you." "Perhaps another time," Mr. Ghost grumbled. "I'm sorry, but I really must be on my way." He took off without another word. Mr. Sparkle turned to his wife. "What in the blue blazes was that about? Why was he here?" She said nothing at first and just turned. "Dear, are you alright?" he asked in a concerned voice. "Yes, he was just on his way when I ran into him. Don't worry about it," she said clearly. Her husband looked at her confused at first but gave an "Alright then," before walking into his home. "That I'm afraid was only the beginning of my troubles," Tempest winced. With a loud thump, Shining sat back against the wall and slowly slid down it. "I can't believe it. So it's true..." he said in disbelief. "He really is our brother." "But he tortured you for years," Twilight turned to him, "and me. He turned me into a monster." Her lip quivered. "A monster that killed our father. Why?" Their mother gritted her teeth. "Revenge. Revenge for what your father did to him. Simply put, what he's done is unforgivable, but…" She opened her eyes and looked at Twilight. "Your father was far from innocent; however..." she paused, and with a deeply sorry voice, she said, "In the end, it is my fault things turned out the way they did." Discord sat in his lab feeding his pet Smooes. Though the creature slimmed away its food and slithered across its path, making Discord chuckle as he watched it, it was clear where his mind was. He thought back to seeing the grand house that she lived in, the image of her son, and apparently a daughter he didn't see but heard. The nice, strong stallion that was her husband. Could it be? Could it really be her? Could she really be his mother? Discord often wanted a life like that. He tried to imagine what it would feel like to look up to a mom and dad, and the possibility of a younger sibling to play games with. He loved games and telling jokes. "Why?" he asked out loud, catching the slimy thing's attention in front of him. The creature repeated his question as a question of its own. "Oh, sorry, Smooes, I—" he winced as he felt a bit of pain in his chest. "I'm just not myself right now." He set out his lion-like hand, letting the slimy substance crawl over it. He picked it up, giving it a sad smile before setting it back in its box and locking it up. Just then, the phone rang. He cleaned off his paw with a handkerchief before answering the phone. "What do you want now?" he grumbled, expecting it to be his boss. To his surprise, it wasn't his boss, but his wife. "Um, hello, Dr. Ghost. I was wondering," she said nervously, "if we could perhaps meet up." Discord was bewildered, absolutely flabbergasted at this. "Uh, Mrs. Sparkle, I..." "I would just like to get to know you a bit is all," she said timidly—almost as timid as Fluttershy. "Of course! Just give me some time, and I'll try to fit it into my schedule." He offered a smile of disbelief. "Oh, uh, what about 1:00 for lunch at the diner? Would that be alright with you... tomorrow, I mean?" He quickly grabbed a piece of paper and wrote it down. "Sure, sure, that works. 1:00 at the diner; see you then." He hung up the phone. "And did you go?" asked Fluttershy. "I just wanted to get to know her; I wanted to understand why," he sighed. "Why she left me behind." "And so for a few months, we met up in secret, had lunch, and chatted. Sometimes we'd go out where little would recognize either of us. Other times we ate at her place when the kids were at school or out of the house, or even mine... But soon, my research and the war got in the way of us seeing each other. They were hoping that by using my research, we would be able to create an army powerful enough to wipe out the enemies in seconds... But there were many doubters, who needed proof this could not only work but would be worth it—so I was drafted into the arms of battle. I kept my pony form up most of the time during boot camp and through normal routines, but on the battlefield, I was let loose to show what I could truly do. Alongside me were a select few who worked directly under the watchful eyes of Mr. Sparkle and his fellow politicians." "He was also there down in the trenches with me, only to see what my skills could do. I was fast and strong; however, I was never completely bulletproof. While long-range projectiles gave me time to evade or shield myself, if I was up close with one, there was no way out of it." He placed his eagle claw over two bullet wounds he had on his stomach. He sighed; due to my acts of bravery, I was awarded the honor of being knighted, and due to my injury, I was finally given some time off from both my research and my duty." Discord was in a slim black suit, standing in front of the Sparkles' doorway. In his hand was a fancy wooden cane that he leaned on. Mrs. Sparkle, his mother, opened the door and greeted him with a smile as she held out her arm, gesturing him inside. He did so, using the cane, making her raise an eyebrow. She had never seen him walk with a cane before; with the fancy cane, it looked like just a piece of his wardrobe and nothing more. But his mother had never seen him with a cane, and at first, she didn't question it. It wasn't until she asked him to sit down and he refused that she knew something was amiss. "I thank you for the offer, but at the moment, I'd really rather stand," he said, gripping his cane a bit tighter. She thought it odd, but then again he was always a bit of an odd pony. "Alright then, so tell me, how does it feel to be a lord?" Mr. Ghost smirked at that. "To be honest, I could care less about my so-called reward. It really does nothing to improve my situation; it's just a fancy title," he scoffed, taking a piece of bread from the table below him. "Oh, come now! You were given the title by the queen herself. What an honor! A single queen, might I add," his mother winked. He grinned his signature grin as he replied, "Oh, you've been listening to those darn papers, haven't you? I can assure you, it was just a bit of fancy wavers—nothing more." "Oh, come now! You have to have someone in your life—someone you felt attracted to for whatever reason." Mr. Ghost fiddled with his hooves a bit. "As a matter of fact, there might be one... Oh, but she'll never see me that way, I assure you." "Oh, do tell, do tell!" Mrs. Sparkle smiled. He scratched at his neck a bit before answering her question. "A fellow scientist I work with—nothing more. She just..." He sighed. "She tends to—well, it doesn't matter." "Yes, it does," she retorted. "I say perhaps you should give it a go and see where things take you." "Is that what you did with my father then?" he asked as he took a bite of the bread finally. With the loud crunch, it might have well been a crack in their conversation. It was Mrs. Sparkle's turn to feel uncomfortable as she fell silent. "You always do that when I bring him up," he said with his mouth full. He swallowed and continued, "What do you know about him?" "There isn't anything more I can tell you. We were spies; we got together, never told each other's names—that's it." "Really? Because if you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly a full pony," he argued back with his mouth full. "Don't talk with your mouth full." "Oh, now you want to act like a mother," he said bitterly. "What do you want from me?" she asked angrily, standing up. She then quickly closed the distance between them and aggressively jabbed him in the chest, "I have a family! I have a husband!" She stopped as Mr. Ghost leaned over from her jab and coughed up blood. She screamed in terror, "Oh my God! Are you alright?" He coughed again; a few more splats of blood fell from his lips, but he cleared his throat. "I'm calling for help!" she said frantically, but he stopped her by pulling her back with his hoof. She watched as it morphed into a claw. "No, no! I'm fine! I've had enough doctors." He pulled out a napkin and quickly cleaned his face. "I was shot recently, that's all. You just surprised my system a bit." "Shot? You should be lying down if you were shot! What are you doing up?" she scolded him. "I wanted to come see you," he whined a bit. "I don't know how many more chances I will get to see you." He looked away from her. "Show me." "What?" "Show me right now." Mr. Ghost's eyes widened at that; he wanted to retaliate but instead gripped his cane for support in his left hand and undid his shirt with his right. Across his lower chest and stomach were bandages covering scratches and bullet holes. Still, the sight of him, all bandaged up and seeing how skinny he was, was almost too much for his mother to bear. It reminded her of her first love, and the sight brought a tear to her eye as she gritted her teeth. "Lay down!" He tried to argue, but she grabbed his hand and pulled him into a bedroom, pushing him down onto the bed. "Hey!" he yelled back at her. In response, she only lifted his feet onto the bed. He tried to get up once more, but she placed a hoof on his shoulder, catching him off guard. "Can I get you anything?" she replied in a motherly voice, tears still in her eyes. At first, he was stunned, but then he slowly smiled as he knelt back and began to get comfortable. "My tea and bread," he replied. "I'll fetch it, as well as my own. We can continue our conversations in here," she said and headed out the door. Mr. Ghost just smiled as he watched her. For the first time in his life, he actually felt—felt what, he asked himself. Love? Is this love? Does my mother actually care for me? He pondered. It didn't last long, however, as the door opened. He expected it to be his mother, and he had a genuine smile on his face, but as he saw who it was, his expression turned to one of fear. Standing in the doorway, holding a shotgun, was none other than Mr. Sparkle. "Your father that day saw us together and thought the worst possible outcome," she shook her head. "At this point, I wish it was that simple." "Dad thought you were cheating on him," gasped Shining in horror. "With your own son." "What did you do?" asked Rarity, aghast. "I froze, that's what I did. I mean, how could I explain that I was once a secret agent who fell in love with a dragon and had a monster for a son—a son that was not his?" "What happened next?" asked Applejack in disbelief. "Well, the two argued. I tried to intervene, but things escalated quickly to the point where both males got into a fistfight. My husband was given a black eye, and as for Discord, despite everything your father could put up, it never phased him. He was just too strong, even with his eye injuries." "So that's what started those rumors?" asked Fluttershy in a tired tone. "Yes, soon everyone considered me some type of ladies' man trying to woo a rich and wealthy woman despite being married." "Yuck!" he stuck his tongue out in utter disgust at the mere thought. "And my reputation was run through the mud. They tried to do anything they could to discredit me. Most of it, I know now, was Luna. As for Mr. Sparkle himself, I don't know what, or even if, Mother told him anything." Discord leaned into Fluttershy's touch as he told the next part of the story. "Unfortunately, my boss quickly became my worst enemy after that. He soon started taking credit for my advancement in the research. But if that wasn't enough, he publicly humiliated me any chance he got thereafter. One day, I even confronted him about it. He swore he'd see me in bars like the freak I was." Fluttershy tried to hug Discord, but he simply stopped her and looked her in the eye. His story was not done yet. "At the same time, I was a fool who thought this scientist had the hots for me," he said shakily. "No, Discord, you don't have to repeat yourself," Fluttershy tried to ease him. "That night, I went to the only person I thought could help me; someone who could believe in me," he began shaking. "You went to your mother, didn't you?" He only nodded in response. Discord stood in front of their home, covered in his own blood. A manhunt was gathering because of his deeds. Mrs. Sparkle and her husband gasped at the sight of him. He was in his true beastly form, blood splattered across his chest. What must have been his victim's blood, they thought. Luckily, Shining and Twilight were asleep inside. "Mother," Discord called out, tears in his eyes. "Mother, please!" He sniffled and took a step forward. But Mr. Sparkle stood between them. As for Mrs. Sparkle, she didn't know what to do. She only begged for her children not to wake; she didn't want her two children scared for life because of him. Her children were now barely six and eight, respectively. She wanted nothing more than to look away and run to her little ones inside, pretending this was all a bad dream; a nightmare. Her husband raised his own gun and demanded that he leave them alone. "No, no, please," Discord pleaded. "Mother!" Suddenly, several tanks and men all surrounded Discord; in a moment of fear, he took off to the skies. "Don't let him get away! Fire!" demanded Mr. Sparkle. The sound of a cannon went off from a tank, and it quickly caught Discord mid-air, as a blood-curdling yell of pain echoed for miles. But it didn't sound pony nor lizard, but that of a horrified beast finally giving its death call. "After that, I don't know what happened to him. I was certain he was gone. The nightmare was over," Tempest told the room before she coughed. "We moved to a new place, hoping to get away from the past but..." She coughed again. "A year later, however, he would emerge again—this time far worse. Everything that occurred that night, everything that has to do with Project Beast, was classified. So when he did resurface, Mr. Ghost was seen as a hero. He was quickly raised to a high-class business status. And standing out in the open, we couldn't make a single move to take him down." "But the strange thing is he never made another gesture towards the family—not for a little while anyway. Until one day, he came to our new home. I was beyond scared and didn't know what he would do. Yet all he claimed was that Mr. Sparkle was continuing the Beast Project, to which I told him that was ridiculous, and I made him leave." "So now you know just about everything," Discord said in a hushed tone. "Tired and alone without wings, without flight, I was no longer free, and I knew I could never be. So I became whatever one thought I was, even better." He chuckled sadly. "I became the very thing they feared: chaos itself. I took control of chaos, overthrowing the underground crime boss until I stood on top. With it, I took control of the entire city from underground. And I made sure no one had to endure what I had ever again." "You're a hero," Fluttershy said softly. "Hero? No, that's what you don't understand. I didn't care who I hurt or who got hurt so long as it furthers my own goals. I'm not a villain, but I am no hero. I am the Chaos King. I figured I'd go until the day I died... I thought there was only one way I was going out of this, and I only grew stronger in preparation for the day that I'd go down in a blaze of glory. But I wasn't stupid or suicidal, no," he chuckled darkly, beginning to lose it once again. He set a claw over her hoof as his eyes glowed. "It's all just a game. A game I was losing, and I decided if I'm gonna be forced to play this life's sick game, I might as well play it my way—the chaos way," he said with a crazy look in his eye. He took in a deep breath and let the craziness subside. "Mr. Sparkle stole my research and continued the Beast Project. I wouldn't find out until a few years later that I wasn't interested in stopping him; I only wanted compensation for it." "Compensation?" Fluttershy asked. "Money, my dear. And if he wouldn't pay me for what was rightfully mine, I'd turn him into what he wanted to be so badly." Discord tightened his claw into a fist. "I went to confront him personally—a move I don't do very often, but for him, I made an exception. I only wanted to hurt those who deserved it. No, I'm not some judge of death who decides who or what gets hurt. I just hurt whoever I felt deserved it, because that’s all I've ever done. Anyone who dared to hurt me, I would hurt ten times more," he said as his voice began to grow angrier. "But I never wanted to hurt anyone who didn't deserve it." Discord stood as a tall dark shadow; only his outline could be seen in the alleyway. Mr. Sparkle turned to his wife. "You know what? I'm going to finish this right now," he said before stepping off to confront the shadow. "You! You stay away from my family!" Mr. Sparkle snarled. "I don't care about your family," Discord spat back before waving a paper at the colt's face. "This is why I'm here. I know what you're doing," he said slowly with a grin. "I know you," Discord chuckled. "It doesn't take a genius, yet here I am, to deliver your new occupations. You're still running the Beast Program." "And what if I am? You should be at the bottom of some pit! Now, for the last time, stay away from me." "You're stealing my research. I have no problem with its continuation, but I want my compensation and my part to play in it." "Your compensation? You should be dead!" growled the white pony. "Alright, that's enough you two," said a new voice entering the conversation. "My children are present, and I don't want them involved. Can't we discuss this another time?" she retorted. "Ha! Funny coming from you. Since when were you ever worried about your children?" Discord snarled at Mrs. Sparkle. "Okay, that's it! You can say what you want about me, but don't you ever talk to my wife like that!" Mr. Sparkle demanded, trying to keep his voice down so the kids in the background wouldn't hear. "I just want my compensation. I don't even care!" "You can go jump off a cliff," Mr. Sparkle retorted. Discord rolled his eyes. "Mrs. Sparkle, if you please." Mrs. Sparkle stepped away from him, a bit frightened. "We'll deal with this another time," she replied. "I'm only asking you for help, and this is the way you treat me," he chuckled darkly. "Typical, I suppose," he said with an evil grin. "You give me no choice," Discord pulled out a gun. Just then, the youngest filly walked over, not paying close attention. "No, Twilight, don't come over here!" shouted her father, making the little filly freeze in fear. Just then, a shot went off. "Mommy!" she exclaimed and ran to her in fear of the loud noise, not realizing she was heading in its direction. Her mother screamed. Then the bullet hit her, but was it a bullet? No. Her dad was the first to run up to her. "Twilight! Twilight! Oh God!" Twilight was crying. "It's gonna be okay! It's gonna be okay!" he said as he looked over her. "Twilight, everything's gonna be okay. I promise." "You shot her! You shot my daughter!" Discord's face showed horror at what he had just done. Lightning crackled in the air as it began to rain. The creature stood up. "I was aiming for you!" he punched her father. None of the words registered with the little filly as she stood up. "Run, Twilight! Run!" She saw her brother cry out. Crazy laughter filled the air as her father pleaded. "Please stop this! Don't hurt them! Don't! I'll help you; just don't!" "Hahaha! It's too late," Discord nervously laughed, a crazy grin on his face. "What have I done?" he laughed uncontrollably, his eyes glowing a burning amber color. Lightning struck from the sky as he lost his mind. "You!" he said, pointing the gun at the filly. Just then, the filly began to mutate. Twilight froze, not able to move as her mother shouted, "No! Twilight, run! Please, run!" Just then, Shining got to her just as she collapsed to the ground. "Twily! Twily!" he shouted again and again. "Mom! Twily's!" Just then, Twilight grew bigger and stronger; a horn sprouted from her head, and her eyes glowed furiously. Shining didn't know what to do as the creature that was once his sister punched him in the face. She jumped over, and both the creature and Shining watched in horror as the creature tore apart their father and, most likely, their mother. He tried to stop her, but the creature turned around and struck him in the eye. As he blacked out, the last thing he remembered was the blurry image of a claw over his face. Discord watched in horror yet laughed hysterically at all of this, taking in the chaos that ensued. Her mother tried to stop her, but was kicked back, her horn scratching her face as blood began to seep from her wound. She went flying into the back wall. Discord's crazy look never wavered until he heard her plea. "Please," she coughed, from the impact, spitting up blood. "Please protect them—watch over them!" she uttered before blacking out. Discord's eyes widened at what he had assumed was his mother's corpse. "How dare she!" he thought. How dare she ask him to take care of her brats when she didn't even once take care of him? He looked over to the others. Mr. Sparkle was in a pool of blood; there was no saving him. Little did he care, but the boy still cried out in pain, slowly blacking out. Discord walked over to him, thinking, Why should he care? The thing that was Twilight ran down the other way. "So why did you help him then?" asked Fluttershy. "It's not because I wanted to fulfill my mother's dying wish. I simply didn't care. I just took pity on the boy, that's all. I took pity on the girl as well but thought she'd be long dead soon. I didn't think anything could survive being mutated at the time. So I picked the boy up and brought him home, but I couldn't keep him there; I couldn't let him know anything. At the same time, I saw it as an opportunity I couldn't pass up.” "An opportunity?" asked Fluttershy. "Yes," he confirmed. "I was still continuing my research, not because I was looking for a cure for the chimera, but because I wanted to be a pony—no longer a freak. I needed subordinates to get back what I needed. Even more so, I needed an heir for when I would die. Someone to continue my research, perhaps... someone to continue my reign over the city. I figured I’d long be dead by the time I had my wish. I could use the serum against my enemies or allies if they became a threat. I figured I would take Shining under my wing and do just that. I also thought how grand it would be to turn Mr. Sparkle's son into my own image. But Shining proved to be difficult—always trying to poison me or ruin my research. When I found out his sister was alive, I decided it was best to let him go be with his family." "I had no idea about you in any way, dear. Falling for you was never my plan." Discord said, a bit seductively on his part. "As soon as I figured out you were a chimera," he gently slid his claw across her face, "knowing it was my fault that turned you, my research that turned you. I had to find a cure. And I did," he whispered to her. "I can cure every one of them," he whispered a bit more excitedly. "Including you?" she questioned. To answer, his expression fell to a sad one. "Oh, I see," she simply said as she frowned. After a moment of silence, Fluttershy tried to speak. "Discord, I have something I need to…" "I'm about tired of world-shattering news right now." "Oh. Uh..." was all she could reply with. Of course, perhaps now would be a bad time to tell him. "And that, my children, is the truth of what happened. That's everything. He is your brother. And I..." Tempest coughed. "I should have never left him at the hospital. I should have raised him alongside you guys. All of this," she sighed, "all of this is, in the end, my fault. I've made my mistakes." "Mom, you couldn't have known he'd end up like he did," Shining told her. "I suppose," she replied solemnly. "Now, I think I need to get some rest. A big fight is coming," she winced. "And I'm asking you guys to look out for one another. I'm also asking you to find it in your heart to look out for him. He doesn't deserve this." "Really?" Twilight yelled. "After everything that guy has done?" "In the end, I just can’t find it in myself to hate him despite all of that," her mother told her before she coughed again. This caught Twilight off guard. She wanted to retaliate, to argue against it, but found she couldn't say a word as she stood, consumed by shock. Seeing her face, her mother softly smiled. "We've all lived with so much pain, hatred, and fear for so long. I think it's time to move past that and let go of such grudges, don't you?" she told her youngest child. "Mom." She nodded. "I'm not saying forgive; I'm saying to look past it and move on." "And what if I can't?" Twilight yelled in disbelief. "Then you'll end up just like Luna," her mother whispered before drifting off to sleep. Luna... The name brought Twilight back to the harsh reality she was now facing. Her aunt. The mare who raised her alongside Celestia when her family dispersed. Luna was now the enemy. And not only that, she was Spike's adopted mother. She turned to see the young purple lizard standing in the corner of the room. His entire expression that night was not one of anger, fear, or sadness, but one of shock. At that moment, Twilight could do nothing for him. She wanted to tell him that everything was going to be okay—that his big cousin, no, that his big sister would take care of it all and make it all okay again. But right now, she couldn't do any of that, not without straight-up lying to his face. All she could do was comfort him, so she wrapped her forearms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. He didn't even respond to it, still in utter shock. And all Twilight could think of was what would Celestia do? She made a note to herself to apologize to Celestia for how she acted as a child and to thank her for raising her when this was all over. "Fluttershy," he sighed and nearly touched her but stopped himself. "Fluttershy, I... thank you. Thank you for everything, dear. Everything you've ever given me." He shook his head slightly. A look of longing struck his face. He then made her stand up off of him so he could stand himself. He took a few steps, keeping his back turned to her. The warmth of the fire spread across his back as he did, along with her presence. "I thought I would long be dead by this time, but..." he began just above a whisper. "But..." he said a bit louder and swallowed. "Tomorrow, this will all be over. And if I..." he began but winced. "Tonight, I was planning to bring you here. Before all this happened. I thought I'd show up, catch the bad guy, prove to the world I'm not the villain everyone thinks I am. And before this all got out of hand, I..." He sighed. He then turned to her and took a step toward her. "Remember what I told you about just running?" "About building a cottage and living somewhere," she nodded. "Yes, well. When this is all over…" he said, taking her hoof with his paw and flipping it to her palm. He then brought something out of his pocket—something she couldn't see. But with his claw, he placed it in her hooves. She could feel it; whatever it was, it seemed sturdy yet soft. He removed his claw, revealing a tiny black box—the kind jewelry would come in. Her eyes widened, and her mouth gaped. She went to open it with her free hoof, but he merely stopped her by placing his claw over hers. She looked up at his face. The pain he had in his eyes was nearly too much for her to bear. Yet his lips curved into a slight grin. "When this is all over," he told her. He wanted to grab her. He wanted to pull her close and hold her tight. But he knew if he did so, he would not be able to let go of her tonight. And tonight wasn't the night for such things. "Tomorrow night," he told himself. Tomorrow night, when this was all over, he'd pick her up, jump on the end of his bike, and take off, never looking back. Never caring what kind of prison this city had become to him. All he needed to be free was her. But tonight wasn't the night for the answer to the question that box proposed. Tonight was a night to prepare for a bloody battle—one that he'd been fighting longer than he even knew. Discord stepped back away from her. As he did so, he felt the shift in temperature immediately: the warmth of her, the warmth of the fire just behind her. The light shined, enveloping her in a warm glow. He knew he needed to step back—back into the shadows once more. One more time. One more day. After that, he needed not ever be alone again. He coughed, clearing his throat. "So you were saying something… I'm sorry to interrupt," he said, wanting to talk more with her, at least. Wanting to hear her soothing voice again. It was like music to his ears. It both calmed his heart and excited it. She looked at the box and then back to him. "Oh, oh, don't worry! It's nothing really," she gave a half-laugh. "It can wait," she assured him as she held on a bit tighter to the box in her hoof. "It can wait till later..." she nodded. "Good night, Mr. Ghost." She smiled. He smiled back before replying, "Good night, Miss Breeze." And with that, he watched as she walked away. Author's Note Wooo 🥱 I really should have made this two chapters. The reason why I didn't was because I wanted 25 chapters only. Even so, I think making this, this long was a mistake. Oh well, at least I reached my goal of 100,000 words. That was something I challenged myself on and boy did I make it 😆. Ok, I think you read enough and I wrote enough for today. Let's skip the author's note story till next time. Later 😂 👋 by the way Merry Christmas 2024 or better yet Happy Hearts Warming Chapter 25 Wolf PackThe moon hung high in the air as the clock slowly hit midnight. Twilight breathed in and out, slowly. Her eyes were still her own. The sound of the rushing soldiers around her. She chuckled a bit herself. Of all the things to think about at the time. A battle about to rage, one that would change everything she knew, and all she could think about was the last months. Before October, despite being in a home with her godmother and adopted cousin, she was a lone wolf, one who wouldn't allow anyone to help her. The days seemed like years, yet were only a few months ago when Spike opened the door, making her drop her trial cure for the chimaera disease. That night, she would meet her friends, her very best friends that she went on a journey with. She found her brother still alive, along with him a mystery to solve. She'd found not only her mother but her oldest brother as well. Long since the days that she felt alone and on her own. Yet the question remained in her mind: how could she ever forgive him? Forgive what her brother Discord had done. Yet her mother's wise words still rang in her ear: "If you don't, you'll end up like your Aunt Luna, who's now waging an army against them She opened up her eyes to the sight of the dark field before her, as she gripped the key to the cure she had been searching for for so long. In front of her was a government base. By her side to face such a treat was her brother shining and to her surprise, Mr Cake, Smolder, his brother, and Capper Cat. He noticed she was looking at him and asked"nervous?" She only nodded. "Yeah me too. But don't worry you got a lot better at fighting." He chuckled as he rubbed his arm. "Sorry bout that." She apologized. "No need, I'm glad you're here." He smirked. "So shining you ready?" He asked. Shining turned to him, a bit in shock himself. " You used to drive me to school." He chuckled. "I thought you were so much older than I am." "Hah nope, just 22." How'd you get involved anyway?" Shining asked "Simple if not ironic. Your brother Discord saved my life when I was little. I was always curious why he took you on but was never allowed to ask questions. The fact that your his siblings,"; the cat chuckled. "Well, team two you ready?" He asked the small group. 'As we'll ever be." Smolder replied. "Ok good, course I think team one is about to go." Discord stood in front of Team One. Luna noticed him right away and had every chimera already set to take him out. Discord took his jacket off as the chimera began to run towards them. Remember folks were only here to capture them. He reminded his troopers. They Were armed with tranquilizers but we're very frightened beyond belief. Pinky, Dash, Rarity, and Applejack all stood in their chimera forms ready to attack. Everyone else raised their snipers ready to shoot. In the crowd of civilian soldiers, stood Jr and his sister, who were sweating bullets. Discord smirked a cocky grin as he took off his hat. His neck grew slightly as did his body. He resorted back to his true form, and with a mighty roar from him, the battle began. He jumped and came smashing into another chimera. Dash spent no time flying in herself trying to stop another. Rarity whacked one with her mighty tail and pinky and her cousin ran quickly giving the enemy small wounds. Not enough not to take them down at first but enough to leave a mark. Still, the enemies were not dumb. They used their training from Luna to stand against the heroes. Even with the tranquilizer darts that went flying at them, they needlessly evaded it. They also had armor on themselves. making it that much more difficult to pierce their skin. Discord wasn't holding back. He used everything his body could muster to fight; he used his ice blast, his fire blast, and his lightning zaps to hold down the enemy. He twisted his body in unusual ways to evade capture. As he punched, for a split second he'd let his missiles grow twice their size to give more of an impact only to return it to normal as he pulled it back. He had to use all the scenes. Sight smell touch, the twist of the air, the sound of an oncoming opponent. His sixth sense was everything he could to fight back. And he was not alone. Dash and the others struggled to keep up with the many chimera that were on the battlefield. Luna sat in her tower and watched as the battle raged on. "Captain," she announced. "You may fire." "But mam there are chimera on our side down there."He asked, concerned. "And?" She asked rhetorically. "It shall be done, mam." He finished. Military-grade weapons, tanks, and rocket launchers were all lined up and ready to go within moments. Sitting on a moving train, Fluttershy stared at a computer, a headset on her head. She wasn't able to fight, but she wasn't going to do nothing. She had become a member of Team Three, communications. When she saw the movement of soldiers with tanks, from the drones that hung high up in the air, she tapped on her headset. "Discord, you have incoming – a lot of incoming," she said. "Thanks for the heads-up," he said back. "Alright, everyone – take cover if you can. Let's just hope Team Two gets done quickly," he snarled. Team Two infiltrated the base with little issues. Most were preoccupied with the fight going on outside, so the small team had little to deal with. A soldier here and there that was easily taken down by Capper or one of the other chaos members. Their goal was simple. Infiltrate and lock down the base thus cutting off the enemy from their backup power and artillery, giving the team one the chance to take down and capture the chimera with little disturbance. Then team two would look forward to taking out Luna, hopefully by then, team one would catch up. Thanks to team three they all said I was in close contact through walkie-talkies and earpieces that were in the rage of a moving train running by. They hoped when this was all over they'd all jump on the train and ride on home. Easy peasy. So you'd think. But these things never tended to go directly as planned. Still, twilight along with team two had little issues completing their goals. Twilight having the past words from her godmother knew she was perfect for this role. But she still had an odd sense of dread as they approached the building. They turned around a corner and opened a door, to their surprise they ran into several soldiers. "Take cover," cried Smolder as she quickly pulled out her weapon. They did as were told but were quickly cornered. "Look me and my brother will handle this you three go and finish the job we'll catch up to you, "Smolder told them. "But," Capper tried to argue, yet Smolder pushed him aside. "Go!" she yelled out. Capper hated to leave his friend behind but knew what was at risk and grabbed Twilight and Shining. Dragging them down the hall. The battlefield was full of chaos as both sides clashed and the chimera fought tooth and nail to survive. In the midst of it, trying to get closer to Discord were the twins. "Watch out!" Junior shouted as he pulled his sister away just in time for a tranquilizer dart to fly past her. "Thanks for that," she replied. He shrugged it off as he jumped and kicked an enemy soldier in the face, knocking him out cold. "Sis, I hate to say it, but I'm afraid we're going to have to go feral on this one," he said. "I think you're right," she said as her hooves began to shift into a pair of lion's claws. She spread her angelic-like wings, her ears growing more like a donkey's, and her eyes glowed a sharp amber. He grew antlers and a horn, not as large as his father's, but a horn and antlers nonetheless. His front hooves morphed into eagle-like claws as he spread his bat-like wings, his neck stretched a bit further. He was now even taller than he was originally, but nowhere near the height of his father. The two twins snarled, their fangs bared. In an instant, they jumped into the fight, only to vanish without a trace. The enemies felt ghost-like claws and teeth as they were thrown around. Their opponents had no clue what was happening, but they charged ahead anyway, knowing they were winning this fight. Capper stood beside her sonic gun, at the ready. As did the others... Alright, I'm in, she told him. Capper nodded. "Wow, how'd ya do that so fast?" asked her brother. "Discord actually gave me a few helpful tips on their security details before we left," she said. "I'm surprised at how quickly it worked. Just stay close and we'll..." "And well, what?" said a familiar voice. They all turned their sights and guns to see the dark blue, now black Alicorn. "Luna," Twilight said shakily. "You're on the wrong side, you know," her aunt expressed. "You don't have to do what he says. You can stand up against him. You can stop him," she said as she took a step towards the group. Capper cocked his gun, his voice firm: "Not a step closer." "Oh, yes, yes, I'm not bulletproof," Luna said, chuckling. "But come now, you're not going to shoot." "The hell I won't," Capper growled. Luna shook her head in frustration. "You can't be serious? Look at what he's done. Look at what that monster is." "The only monster I see is you," Capper muttered. "Really, so what? You're just going to ignore the fact that your boss turned people into chimeras and killed several of my friends?" Luna said, her voice dripping with dramatic flair. "Your ridiculous." Twilight looked at her in shock, biting her lip in fright. She didn't know what to do. "He is my family," Twilight replied, her voice barely above a whisper. Luna's eyes widened for a moment, and then narrowed. "Ah, that I didn't know. That actually makes it worse than... you should definitely be on my side here." "Your turning creatures into chimeras!" Twilight called back, her voice trembling. "To stop a chimera, one must become strong to defeat the strong – if not stronger," Luna explained, her eyes gleaming with an unsettling intensity. "Besides, think of it, Twilight – now we have the power to stop all wars long before they even begin. I'm not a villain." "No you're just a psychopath," Twilight muttered in a hushed tone as she herself was on the verge of tears. "Psychopath am I," Luna said as if she were arguing with a child that didn't know any better. "Twilight this is the future your father and I were creating, a future to protect you, to protect brothers like you." "Yeah and what about spike! How do you think he feels knowing his adopted mother is the cause of all this madness? How do you think I feel" Twilight said as a tear finally broke. She whimpered slightly as she finished her work on her computer. "Don't act like I don't love Spike, that I don't love you like your my own daughter. I sat here for far too long thinking only of you. Thinking only of this world." "No!" Twilight yelled.."no you only thought how you could take down a monster. who happened to be my brother! He may have done quite a lot in the past, but he never stooped so low as to this." Twilight snarled. Luna sighed, "Very well Twilight. You leave me, no choice." "You sound just like him, you know." Twilight huffed. Luna shrugged, "It's something we all have in command then don't we Twilight." Luna grinned victoriously and then quickly kicked the gun out of Capper's paw. She then flung out her wings and took out shining. Capper, having lessons himself, used his swift moves to evade her oncoming attacks. However she being a chimera, was much faster and stronger than the cat and quickly gained the upper hand knocking him to the ground. 'Giving Twilight enough time to finish what she was doing she hit enter and turned around to face Luna who only looked at her disappointed. "Come with me, Aunty. Please for my sake, for Spike's sake." She held out her hoof. Luna took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I've already done so much." She shook her head solemnly. "You can make up for it. You can be granted another chance, all you have to do is take it. Take my hoof please." Twilight begged. Luna winced. "I'm sorry Twilights," she opened her eyes revealing them as amber. "I've come too far, I'm not going to give up that easy," she snarled before she did over to Twilight and back kicked her landing on her back hoof like a ballerina. Twilight went back into the wall but stood her ground. "You know I've been hit so many times in the chest, one just gets used to it." Twilight smiled as her eyes began to glow the same as Luna's. "Twilight you've never been a good dancer, you're not the most athletic pony remember?" Twilight chuckled at that. "You'd be surprised, Aunty. I'm a really good studyer," She said a bit white before she leapt off the wall and went in for a punch. Luna effortlessly evaded her moves, her movements matching those of a ballerina, yet a bit more forcefully. "I don't want to hurt you Twilight." Luna scuffed. "Yeah, that makes two of us." Twilight chuckled as she stood in a fighting stance. Luna grew a smirk at her god niece conference. "I'm not hiding back." She smiled. "Wouldn't expect you to," Twilight smirked. I'm seconds Luna jumped at her and threw a fist. It took Twilight everything she had to dodge it and bring out her new. Luna saw this and stopped it with her wing. Twilight huffed a bit out of breath..she not only had to deal with Luna's attacks she also had to deal with Luna's wings. Wings Twilight did not have, on top of that, she had a horn just like Twilight. This wasn't going to be an easy fight. Twilight pushed herself off the ground and over Luna to create some distance between the two, nightmare tried to close the gap but Twilight blasted fire from her horn at her. She used her own fire to counter it and took flight, knocking right back into Twilight. Twilight dodged her but the two fell out of the window, nightmare used her wings effortlessly, but Twilight had to think on her feet. She used her ice blast to create a bridge and slid down it ice scaring until she was a le to land inside a window down the building, she slipped a bit and spun around but to her surprise, she actually landed on her feet.." woo I actually did it that time," she jumped excitedly. Luna lowered into the window frame. "A bit premature for celebrating, isn't it?" She smirked. Twilight chuckled, "You don't understand, I've been trying to get that move down for months." She smiled. 'Oh well I'm happy for you," Luna said sarcastically before blasting fire at her. Twilight jumped from behind a desk as the fire engulfed it. She spun around and blasted her own fire blast at Luna who used her ice ray to put out the fire. Rarity smashed her tail into an oncoming chimera. Dash dodged the chimera throne at her and used her lightning to zap it unconscious, the first one to truly be taken down. "Hey, watch where you're sending them!" She remarked. Rarity chuckled, "Sorry Dash." She sighed. As she looked around. Despite the unhappy situation they found themselves in she was just glad to be fighting by her friend's side again. Another chimera was about to hit her when Rarity turned around and punched it in the face. To her surprise, it was a double knockout thanks to Dash doing the same. "Hahah." She laughed. "What's so funny," asked Dash?' 'Oh nothing, it's just us fighting together instead of each other." She smiled. "You really are a good friend, you know that." Dash's eyes widened a bit as did her smile. It wasn't the first time she heard those words from Rarity. Then she remembered she told Twilight that they'd never be friends again. She grew a bit sad as she turned her arm a bit ashamed "Do you think Twilight will ever forgive me?" She asked "She already has." Replied Rarity, making dash look up. "And so have I." Rarity smiled. The griffins could only nod her thanks, too proud to say it. "Hey I know, why not after this, you and I go and dash through a rainbow?" Rarity chuckled. Making Dash chuckle alongside her. 'Maybe all of us should.' She replied. The two friends had their happy moments but it was short-lived as they two together jumped back into the fight at hand. As their endless battle continued the two mares found themselves on the ground trying to catch their breath. Twilight was breathing the heaviest. She barely got a punch in and could only dodge her attacker. She had a black eye and a few scrapes and bruises. Equalizer had to give her credit for keeping almost up. She couldn't believe she was actually doing this, and the worst part was when she looked at her she saw a daughter figure. She hated to lay a good on her any further. Yet despite that she couldn't hold back, she couldn't let Twilight get the upper hand. Luna was the first to stand up but Twilight walked her way to a fighting position. "Huh, how cute." Luna scoffed. She walked over to her gingerly. Twilight spat fire from her horn but Luna quickly put it out with an ice ray, she would have dodged it yet she too was nearly out of strength. This fight couldn't last much longer. "I'm not about to kill you, I only want Discord Ghost." "Yeah, well you could have fooled me." She chuckled out of breath. Twilight stood face to face with her aunt alone. She put up a good effort, but she had doubts that she could win. She begged for backup to arrive. But Capper was down, Fluttershy had two broken legs, Dash and Rarity were battling crazy chimera, and AJ was keeping the citizens safe. Pinky and Discord stood distracting everyone. Her mother was wounded and in bed. Her brother was swiftly moving troops trying to get the chimera transported back to Chaos Vill. She had no one, she stood alone. No one was coming to back her up, no one was coming to save her. And she still has no answers as to what she was to do. Her future self said stop Discord but stop him from what because right now she wasn't facing Discord but Luna. Did her future self even know..did that timeline even exist now? She couldn't think straight as she felt blood drip down her face making it hard to see out of her eye, luckily it was already black and bloody so I'd didn't even matter. What could she do? What hope did she have? After everything she's been through, out of everything she's done. She Trained, she got stronger, she got better use of her powers, she learned the truth about her family, she not only met her dead brother, she met her dead mother and her long lost brother she never knew she had. Out of her entire body, the most that ached was her heart, As she looked at her aunt walking towards her. The face she looked up to for comfort, the face she thought she could always trust. She couldn't hold back her own whimper as she thought of her aunt Celestia, what she would think of if she saw Luna and her now. And then spike..his little face. His shocked expression. It finally broke Twilight to tears thinking about Spike as Luna stood finally over her. Twilight went in for a punch but it was sluggish and slow, not that Luna's movement weren't also. Still, Luna didn't even try to dodge it she just lowered her leg and kicked Twilight in the chest smashing her into the ground, a loud crunch was heard proving her robes were now truly broken. Luna kept her hoof on top of Twilight's broken rib cage. Twilight moaned in pain. "You should never do anything alone, Twilight. You're simply not strong enough to do everything on your own." Luna said in a soothing motherly voice. "That is where your mistake lies, just like Discords." 'She's not alone." Shouted a familiar voice. Luna's eyes shot over to the direction the voice came in. There standing in a poorly designed Halloween costume was none other than Spike. In his claws Twilight gun. "Don't worry it's just a tranquilizer." "Spike.” His mother whispers. "Nighty night Equalizer." He said, narrowing his eyes..with a quick pull of the trigger a tranquilizer dart went flying into Luna's neck, knocking her off of Twilight and onto the ground. It wasn't enough to knock her out, it did stop her from moving at all. Twilight moaned as she moved to see him. 'Spike" she half choked on a cry. 'I told you to stay with my mom." "Yeah because you were doing so well by yourself, since when do I ever listen to you," he chuckled. She did but stopped as the pain hit her. "Owwwwrr she moaned. 'Spike do me a favor." "Yeah, what's that?" He asked as he walked over to her. 'Don't ever listen to me again." She smirked. "Wasn't planning on it.." he said just above a whisper, a smile on his face. 'Come on let's get you up," he told her and began to help her to her feet. With the battle over, most of the chimeras were already on the train, waiting to be cured and helped. As for those who weren't, they were waiting to be loaded. To Luna's surprise, she was also picked up and set on the train. The assumption was that they would kill her, but instead, they planned to turn her normal again. Normal, she thought. She'd been a chimera for so long; did she even remember what it felt like to be normal? Twilight watched as they loaded Luna onto the train, taking her away from her. Then she saw some of the medical team taking Capper and the other injured away to safety. Spike helped Luna walk and stand, but soon she unwound her arm from his and stood on her own two feet, taking small, tentative steps at first but gradually gaining strength back despite the pain she felt in her ribs. Capper surprised her by walking up to her and saying, "Well done, sparky." She smiled at that and then looked around. "Where's Discord?" "Over here," her brother called out, sitting on a piece of fallen rubble and trying to catch his breath. "I have Fluttershy on the line," he told her, noticing that he had an earpiece in his right ear. His ear then twitched. "Yes, yes, she's right here...she's fine." "Fine? No, I'm alive," she corrected. Discord chuckled at her remark, as one of the chaos vill soldiers walked over examining the disgusting messes of experiments left on the ground along with the ruble..eww he mutters a bit discussed at the sight of whatever it was. Suddenly from one of the bats, a creature presumed sead sprained to life and the two watched as it bit into him. Twilight Spike Capper and Discord all looked over at it. As it drained its blood the creature seemed to gain strength too. It growled as it finally let go of its meal. Its meal however didn't stay dead..no in fact the soldier began to mutate into a creature along it. "We can't let those things escape!" Said Discord horrified at what he just saw. "Changelings," Twilight whispered. "Discord I can't explain, but we have to stop them, I just know if we don't-" He stopped her by placing a lion-like paw on her muzzle shifting her up. "If they get out the entire world could be turned into chimera with just a bite.' Capper raised his gun and shot at it but the bullet only bounced off. "Sir thire bullet proof." He deadpanned tiredly. Discord lets go of Twilight's muzzle and strokes his beard in thought. Twilight eyes scared across the area trying to think of something, anything that could stop them. Then she saw the lab. "That's it," she shouted. "What is." Asked discord unamused. "Acid. I've forever tried to cure the chimera doses, multi le times I needed up with acid. If we can just give the chimera blood a quick shake and add a bit of charge-" "- it could form an acid that would melt them away. Twilight that genius." He told her. Yeah but someone has to go down there and do it. Cause an explanation to make sure the acid flies around and reaches all the changelings. "Heh done," Discord said as he pulled out a lighter. There has to be some gas or fuel down there that will do the trick. One explosion coming up." He said cockily. "Wait, no discord if." "It's my job, let me handle it." He lit his cigarette. "What no!" Shouted fluttershy over the intercom. "Discord you can't, if you go down there." "It's my research that started this mess, it's me who will end this." He snarled as a breath of smoke escaped his lips. "Discord no you can't I-" At the sound of that discord ripped out his earpiece. Fluttershy grits her teeth as she watched the line go dead. "Twilight," he barked. This is it." He said as he reloaded his gun with one bullet. "No, no I'm not gonna let you do this.' She retorted with a moan, due to her ribs Discord laughed. Really, "You're not gonna finish it then." He told her. "I'm going down there and when I do this, the whole thing’s gonna explode." He held out his gun to her. "If you don't want to, you and everyone else here to fry you, shoot that door, sealing me and all the chimera inside, got it!" He snapped at her. "No, no I." "What not gonna take revenge for your poor old daddy now, is that it." He snarled as he grabbed her by the color of her outfit. "Listen to her, we are not siblings. I murdered your father and I am about to give you what you always desired. He handed her the gun..not only do you have the key to the cure of the disease I gave you. I even set you up to look like the hero once I'm gone," he chuckled. And let go of her. "Boss?" Asked capper. But Discord ignored him. "Like your father before you, you can take credit for the cure and become rich and famous, a true hero," he chuckled. "When truth be told your just like me.." he laughed as his eyes glowed. Twilight's entire body shook as she felt the weight of the gun in her hooves. He turned his back to Twilight and Capper. "Long live the chaos queen." He mutters before running on all fours to the laboratory. Capper gasped as he watched his boss travel across the field for what would definitely be the last time. The twins stood camouflaged barely viable as they watched their father take off across the battlefield. Mells's eyes widened as her heart sank. We got to stop him she shouted out not caring who heard "Get on." Shouted her brother who was already on the back of their bike. She leaped onto it and the two siblings drove off after their father. "If he dies chrysalis wins!" Shouted Jr. "We'll stop him, we have to, we've come too far to give up now." Shouted his sister as they drove as fast as they could to the building. Twilight shivers in fear as she watches Discord reach the building. One shot to the shin holding up the door and it would seal him in. "Stop discord. Stop discord... ran through her mind. "I have to stop discord?" She mutters and raises the gun. But she didn't put it at the door. "No," she pointed it at him with a shaky hand. But she was too late as he entered the building. To her surprise, she saw a bike enter it as well. I have to. She grit her teeth, her eyes glowed amber and she took the shot closing the door to the lab, in seconds the building went up in smoke. A concealed blast could be heard from inside. Twilight collapsed to her news. 'I couldn't stop him '' she uttered. "I couldn't stop Discord." Capper stood in awe of what he just saw. The only one who could even move to their surprise was a little lizard who wrapped Twilight in a hug. "Hay it's over now. We have the cure and, and we stopped the equalizer." He smiled. She shook him off. As the sun peaked just above the horizon showing day break. 'No spike. No, I'm afraid this isn't over at all." She lowers her head revealing her burning chimera eyes. "No, I think, this," "This is only" "The beginning." Author's Note Cliff hanger!!!! HURAY it's finally out. This has been my longest story I have ever written. Ever. I've been a fan fic writer long before I was a MLP fan and I never written anything this long. Or this good for that matter. I want to thank everyone who stayed with and read this all the way through. As well as everyone who atleast gave it a chance and at least tried. Alright so this is the end. In a world where it seems like no one can put out a good idea anymore I'm glad this turned out so well. With that said I must say thire are a few things that even I don't like about it. 1 pinky and applejack are just there because I wanted to use all the mpp chapters. And in highnsight I wish I didn't. They could be removed and it change nothing about the story. 2 thire are many scenes In the first 9 chapters that I want to simplify. And in the audio drama I'm doing just that. 3 I tried to put in to many references to MLP and it kinda ruins the story. I kinda want to to unponify this and make it my own story to publish. If I do that these things will definitely be changed. Any way thank you again and if you think this is the end, oh no this is a trilogy. Next book won't be as long, and the story will be out soon enough. Untill then I'll tell you the title of the next story, hope your looking forward for Heart Of The CHIMERA And to think I finished it up just to release on Christmas Day 2024 merry Christmas everyone prologueAuthor's Note Ok so heres one I have been working on for a long time. Ever since I saw the power ponies episode in the show I've wanted to write a comic book fan fic. Being a fan of both science, science fiction, story telling and the hero genre, like DC and marvel I had something in mind for a while. However the more I wrote this the more the story just evolved and took a life on its own. What started as a power pony fan fic has turned into something I hope you all enjoy, and please feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you all think about the CHIMERA TRILOGY... update 9/1/2023... I HAVE AN EDITOR!!! and the prolog has been fixed update /28/2023 im going back fixing more mistakes and gonna try to stream line the first few chapters so its an easier read. update 1/25/24 i now have an editor. Special thanks to: Rivershy for edditng this for me. prologue ”Chimera” “Definition, a mythical hybrid creature. The most famous is the one that holds this very name. A monstrous two-headed cat: one head of a cat, one of a goat, and with the tail of a snake head. Often depicted as the villain or at least adversary of a hero. Some chimeras are said to have magical powers. They could breathe fire, control seas, shape-shift, and have the strength of a hundred elephants. They can even command the very heavens above with the power to control lightning, wind, and other elements. Most were depicted as grotesque and terrifying, yet you can also find many considered nature's most majestic creatures to ever exist. Gods would often send heroes after such beasts to prove their worth. They were either the spawn of evil or nature's greatest. However, there was no need to be alarmed, such monsters only exist in legends…or so I thought.” “Or so she thought, huh?” murmured a male pony, pressing stop on a computer that was playing a rather dark video, only an outline of someone speaking could be seen on the screen. As for the pony himself, he had a soft yellowish fur, a black mane, and was tall for a pony. He wore a white lab coat and a pair of glasses. He kept his eyes closed as he wrote down notes on a clipboard. He stood in the middle of a forest, yet the sound of a wrench working on something was heard in the background. “Why are you even listening to that? We already know the mission, don't we?” complained a female voice. “It's always good to get all the facts straight.” He told her. While he couldn't see her face it was clear by the way her head moved that she was rolling her eyes. He only shrugged in response. His companion was a gray pony with pink hair and black highlights throughout her long mane which pulled back into a ponytail held by a blue flower hair clip, she wore a leather biker jacket. “Do you have that thing working yet?” The male pony asked as he grabbed a hold of a ring that was around his neck, “Hold on!” she called out as she tried to turn the last screw. Using all her strength, it seemed to be enough to get it to twist. She then let out her breath. ”Whoof got it,” she said, then took out the clip in her hair and shook her mane around a bit. “Ready to go," she turned to him, revealing her eyes. They were like a snake’s. Yellow glowing eyes with a small red slit for a pupil that could send a chill down anyone's spine. The male pony also finally opened his eyes, showing them to be just the same. “Alright then, let’s start the mission now.” He said as he checked his cracked and slightly burnt, almost barely holding on to its strap but still ticking watch. “October, 24, 9:29, ---- pm day 0” “Citizens of Ponyville…” The mayor of the city announced with a clear voice. She stood before a podium on the stage, addressing the large crowd of press that surrounded her below. “I know these are troubling times, with this strange outbreak of…” The mayor paused trying to think of the right words to use. She was a tall white pony, taller than most but a pony nonetheless whose hair sparkled and shined a pastel rainbow of colors, dressed in a simple blue business suit. “Mutations caused by a disease that we are still tracking down. To all those who are victims of this disease; we are doing our utmost best to fight back, with the help of some of the greatest minds of our entire nation, we are researching a cure for these tragic events that have plagued our fair city today”. She said, her voice sharp and strong, a true politician, yet with an almost motherly tone to her voice. While she gave no smile, there was great confidence in her demeanor. Suddenly, the reporters in the audience buzzed alive with energy. “Miss Kang! Miss Celestia Kang! please over here, Miss Kang!” “One at a time.” She raised a hoof, silencing them all. Celestia pointed to a blue lizard in the group. “Hello Miss Kang, I am with the Nightly News. Tell me what do you think of the new moniker the public is giving these..um victims as you say?” “Chimera. Yes, I am aware.” She continued, “True, the first captured mutant did indeed resemble such a beast, I can not deny that. But I personally can not condone such a horrendous name. Chimera is a creature of legend, and are depicted as evil monsters. These people are merely infected by a very real threat. And I assure you that a cure will be found.” At the end of her answer, all the other reporters started shouting their questions over each other once again. She pointed at a fat red cat this time. “Miss Kang, what of the rumor that the mutation disease only affects those of feline variety,” “A miscommunication. We have seen cases of lizards, cats, dogs, and ponies by now. We know this isn't just an isolated event.” The reporters hungered for her word, many hands raised in the air. “I have to apologize, I am out of time but rest assured if there is anything else I will address it another time.” As soon as she finished, several reporters swarmed her as the mayor ignored their questions and headed back inside, where she was greeted by a dark blue pony dressed in the same attire as her but in black instead. The pony tapped their earpiece and spoke something into it, the doors suddenly locked shut behind them. Celestia took several steps past the other pony and sighed tiredly, her expression showing exhaustion. “Well sister, now we can have at least a moment's rest.” Celestia looked over her shoulder. “If only that were true, Luna.” She collapsed into a chair, rubbing her forehead. ”I almost didn't even make it. I only won by two votes. The city has lost faith in me ever since these mutants showed up.” As she continued, Luna walked over to a table and poured two cups of coffee. “I have to gain the trust of the creatures back. Find a cure for the mutants and stop whoever is creating them in the first place.” “This is pure chaos, and I have no clue who's behind it at all. And now people are calling the victims chimeras. It’s only a matter of time before people look at these victims as monsters to be destroyed.” Celestia took the cup of coffee from Luna but did not drink. Instead, she sat with a concerned look on her face. “The last thing I need is a riot on my hands.” “Sister we are in this together, I promise that-” A knock broke her speech. “Sorry, am I interrupting?” “No, you are alright Mr. Shine. Has the ESA found anything that can help, Sombra?” “The Equestrian Security Agency is looking into these events but unfortunately we have yet to find anything.” “Do you really believe you'll find anything?” Another voice joined the conversation. It sent a chill down everyone’s spine as the smell of smoke filled the room. The opened door revealed a very tall stallion in an orange suit with a matching hat and purple tie. The brim of his hat shielded his eyes, but not his muzzle. Sticking out on one side was a lit cigarette and on the other was a large overbite fang-like tooth. A black goatee hung from his chin, and a black mustache sat above his lips. He had a very long snout, even for a pony, and with his ears, he looked more like a donkey than anything else. His face had a sunken-in, skull-like appearance. No tail to be seen. And despite the suit giving him a wider frame, it was all too clear how skinny he was. Celestia was taller than most ponies, and he was still at least half a foot taller than her. Standing at what seemed to be seven-foot tall along with his hat, giving him even more height. He towered over most creatures, including lizards who were usually a taller species than ponies. Despite all that, he was a pony, judging by his hooves. He slowly brought up his right hoof and took out the cigarette. A cloud of smoke escaped his breath like a dragon. He smiled, yet the grin on his face was anything but friendly. It was the kind of smile a deranged killer would make as he greeted his next prey. “What are you doing here?” Luna asked venomously. “I invited him,” Celestia answered for him as she cleared her throat and returned to her desk. “ Hmm, desperate times do call for desperate measures aye,” Sombra muttered just loud enough to be heard. “You may go now Mr. Shine.” Celetia excused him. “Oh sure go and act like I don't know of the cars that follow me around. Word of advice, If you're going to spy on somepony, make sure they don't see you,” the new pony chuckled. "Well well well. If it isn't the queen herself. What's it been? A decade since we last saw each other?” The mayor kept her cool, looking as stern but friendly as possible. “And look,if it isn't the general herself.” He turned his gaze to Luna. "Retired. I'm top of security for my sister now." Luna said, trying to sound neutral but lacking in her performance. The pony or creature chuckled, a deep, dark sound that could make the hair on the base of anyone’s neck stand on its ends. “So I'm guessing you didn't call me here to catch up on old times. A meeting with someone of my reputation wouldn't do well for your next vote." His smile diminished as he lifted his hat slightly, revealing sunglasses. "Let's stop with the pleasantries. Why am I here?" "Good, they weren't very pleasant anyways," Luna said under her breath. "Mr Ghost..." Celestia began. "Oh please Tia, we were once friends, weren't we? no need to be so formal.” He smiled a toothy all-knowing grin. Celestia blinked, but her expression hadn't changed. "Mr Ghost..." "Tough crowd," he muttered as he took a few more steps to look out the window. "With the rise of the chimera incidents, research to find a cure can never be more important. As a previous head researcher, we wish to employ you, sir, to help us find a cure. And also as one of the richest men in the state, we hope that we can come to an agreement that would be beneficial to all parties." "Oh, I see." He said with his back turned to them. "Ten years go by and the only reason you contact me is money. Isn't Dr. Filthy Rich or the Crystals putting in their fair share?" "Yes, but we need all the help we can get if we are to cure this epidemic," Celestia stated, trying not to sound desperate. "Why not ask for help from your citizens, since you oh so care for the creatures of this city?" "As leader of this city, they depend on me to make the right decision. Not to drain their pockets. I am only asking for your help to better your own reputation." A moment of silence filled the air, and the tension grew every second it remained. Only to be shattered by the sound of laughter. "Hahahaha." cackled Mr Ghost. His entire chest convulsed with his laughter as he started wheezing. Luna rolled her eyes as Celestia narrowed hers. "Something amusing?" She questioned in a dry tone. "Yes," he shot back, turning on his heel to face them. "You." He said through gritted teeth. "You actually believe you're in charge here. This is my city, do not forget that." He stated gravely. "If this is your city, then why won't you help us then?" Luna replied with anger burning in her eyes. "I never said I wasn't going to." He remarked in an equally angry voice. His answer made the two sisters’ eyes widen. Mr Ghost walked back to pull forward a suitcase they had not noticed him bring in beforehand, he passed by Luna not meeting her glare as he settled the suitcase on Celestia's desk. Clicking open the lock showed bundles of bills. "I don’t wish for my name to be on any document. This is anonymous, As for the other payments, I have already left them in donation boxes." He began to head to the door. As he reached the threshold he said. "And don't forget, Who really rules this city." And with that, he left the two sisters stunned. As the office door closed behind him, his assistant, a tall slender male cat, walked up to him. "Mr. Ghost, sir," "Pull the car around, Capper, and quickly. I want to get out of here ASAP." "Yes sir." "And what is it that you're wearing?" Capper looked down at himself, "Oh the suit sir? It's all I had." He was in a tuxedo. Mr. Ghost sighed. "I told you we were meeting with the mayor, not going to the prom.” "Sorry sir, it's all I could find on such short notice." Mr. Ghost sighed again and tried not to laugh at his assistant's expense. "Sir, I also have your next appointment ready." "Excellent, the sooner, the better." The two headed out the front door. "I'll take it from here, you go and meet up with our…" he grinned slightly, "business associate. But before you do that, please look the part will you?" He raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Capper. "Of course, sir. " "Good…now get going." And with that said, Mr Ghost got in the car and left. Luna stared at the cash on the table. Celestia noticed her sister’s line of sight and nodded. "That's just like him, he still hasn't changed a bit, has he?" Luna gave a stilted nod, still flabbergasted at the sight of the cash. CRASH!!! Chapter 1: A lone wolf or was it a pony?Chapter 1 A lone wolf or was it a pony Celestia and Luna turned their heads to the sound of glass breaking. “Oops…sorry.” The two sighed in relief when it was discovered to be just a little purple lizard with green scales running down his back, dressed up in a little superhero outfit. “I'll clean it up, I promise. I was only trying to bring a snack to Twilight.” The little lizard pleaded. Celestia giggled at the sight, but Luna glared at the broken glass and vanilla milkshake splattered all across the hallway floor. She yelled at the top of her lungs. “HOW MANY MORE TIMES MUST I TELL YOU TO WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING? IF YOU CAN'T THEN AT THE VERY LEAST DO NOT TOUCH THE GLASS. Plastics are far better for the likes of clumsy oafs.” She mumbled after her rant. Spike was frightened by Luna, and hurt by her words. It showed as small tears started to build in his eyes, his claws beginning to shake in fear… “LUNA!!” reprimanded Celestia, “How dare you talk to him like that!” Luna jumped at her sister’s tone. “Oh, no, no no, I-I didn't mean to…” she sighed. “I’m sorry, Spike. Look I just bought those dishes and now they're broken. Please in the future get the plastic ones instead, okay? Now come here.” Luna hugged him and then began to clean up the mess herself. “Go and make Twilight another one.” Spike nodded and headed back to the kitchen. Celestia shook her head. “And that's another thing I have to add to my list. The fear of other creatures has been rising ever since these chimera incidents. Lizards, ponies, dogs, and cats. Ever since the war, it's been so hard to get everyone on the right track again.” Luna turned to her sister. “I didn't mean to- I swear I-…” “Spike is just a little guy. Let him be.” Celestia gave a small chuckle. ”After all, it was you who adopted him, right?” Luna nodded and continued cleaning up the mess. ”Now, I just wonder how my goddaughter is doing.” “Our goddaughter,” Luna corrected her. “Yes, our goddaughter.” In a bedroom that looked very similar to a science lab than it did a room, sat a purple pony. Surrounding her were vials and beakers of liquids, some boiling. Others were filled with strange ingredients. She opened a freezer and pulled out several more cold, colorful liquids. She singled out a green one and eyed it carefully. Taking a needle syringe and carefully drawing out the liquid, she set the rest of the vials back in the freezer and walked over to the other side of the desk, near a microscope. Taking a seat, she put on a pair of glasses and carefully let out a drop of the green liquid onto a plate under the microscope. Right then the door slammed open. “Twilight, I'm back.” The sound of the door made Twilight jump and the green liquid splattered onto the table. It quickly burned through the surface of her desk and began to seep through the wood. “Spike!” She yelled and quickly grabbed a glass pan, catching the green liquid as it dropped from a hole it burned. “Oh, sorry. uhh, is that acid?” He looked at it, feeling squeamish. Twilight shrugged. “It wasn't supposed to be, but it does seem to have acid-like qualities.” She rolled her chair over to one of her three computers and began typing. “Vial number 14, acid-like qualities, volatile, extremely dangerous if not lethal. Attempt 5568: Failure.” She finished in a monotone tone. “Oh gee…I'm sorry, Twilight. Uh, I have a shake for you, though.” Spike gave a timid smile and offered it to her. She looked over at him, unamused yet she reluctantly took the shake and sipped it quietly, staring at the computer. Thinking. “Is there any way I can help you with this?” he asked nervously. She shook her head as she continued to drink her shake. Spike then sat down on his little bed in the corner of the room. He began to lie down but heard a sound right then. “Umm Twilight, did you hear that?” Twilight shook her head again but didn't look away from her research. “Hmm, I wonder.” The lizard spoke as he stuck his head out the window. It was too dark to see anything. Suddenly, something flew out of the dark and tried to bite Spike. “Ahhhh,” he yelled, making Twilight look up just in time to see Spike being dragged out of the window. She frowned. “Ok, Spike I get it, it's almost Halloween. What have you been attacked by this time?” She asked unimpressed as she headed to the window expecting him to be standing on the ledge just outside. She looked out and saw something actually carrying him off high in the air. Her eyes widened, and quickly she jumped away from the window ledge and over to a large chest sitting by her bed. She tore it open and put on a dark purple uniform. With black boots, a matching belt, a mask, and what looked to be a witch hat. As she donned her costume and sped out the window, blending into the shadows of the night. Her eyes glowed yellow, and her irises turned crimson as a blue horn emerged from her head. With a flip of her cape, she took off after her lizard friend and whatever was the creature that took him. Twilight, now Shadow Star, followed them to a dark, old, and musty building on the north side of town and hid on a large tree nearby. On her belt, she had several gadgets attached, along with a gun and a pair of binoculars. She pulled out the binoculars and tried to see if she could find any sign of her friend. Nothing at first, but then she saw something in the corner of the building. She knelt down, hoping to not be spotted as she saw the glowing yellow and red eyes. “Oh, great.” She muttered to herself, “Another mutant.” This one she observed, seemed to have a wild lion-like mane and a scorpion tail, yet had hooves like a pony. “Well, this is just great, two mutants after my cousin.” She grimaced. Out of the blue, another creature flew over the trees. “Wait, another one?” She surveyed quietly at the creature above her, which could only be described as a griffin. The griffin then swiftly flew down till it landed next to the other creature. “Did you track her down?” the new creature questioned. “Will ya hush up?” the creature spoke in a country accent, “If we scare her again, she’ll take off.” “Okay okay, so what do we do?” “Ah don' know, but she has a lizard kid in there.” “You don't think she's gonna eat that kid, do you?” Hearing that, Twilight knew what she had to do. Jumping down from the tree, she tried to be as quiet as she could as she sped over to the spooky house and slid in through the door. The building itself could only be described with one word: creepy. The only noise that could be heard was a few scurrying rats in the walls and spiders crawling around. Thankfully, due to her own strange mutant powers, Twilight could see in the dark almost as well as she could during the day. She crept around, only hearing the sound of her steady footsteps. But soon enough, she heard a large crash upstairs and took off toward it. “Ahhh, no, no! Please don't turn me into a vampire, please! I-I eat a lot of fast food and my blood wouldn't taste that good!” The vampiric creature kept to the shadows, eyes glowing the exact same as the other mutants. However, there was no malice in those terrifying eyes, they only shone with curiosity and excitement. “Uhh, vampire?” Spike called out anxiously and a little confused. He expected the creature to devour him, instead the vampire started sniffing him. “Umm…are you gonna eat me?” Spike asked, less sure of what was happening. The vampire mutant’s eyes narrowed as it continued to act less like a vampire with a mission to kill and more like a curious animal trying to figure out if the thing in front of it is a friend or foe. Spike didn't know what to do anymore so he decided to tentatively stand up, “H-hey, my name is Spike.” “Help me,” squeaked the vampire, almost sounding like a cry. “Help you? Help you with wha…” The door split open. Twilight in her costume rolled in and shot a net launcher at the creature. The vampire was immediately caught in its trap and hissed as she tried to break free. “W-wait! Twi it's…” “It's okay Spike, I just saved you.” She said, putting away the net launcher and pulling out another gun. Raised and pointed at the creature in the net, Twilight took careful aim. “Twi listen-” “You can thank me later, Spike. It's just a tranquilizer, no need to worry. He's just gonna take a nice little nap.” But just before she could pull the trigger, something crashed into the window beside her. The glass shattered on impact, and the griffin creature from before came smashing in, kicking the tranquilizer gun out of Twilight’s hoof. “No one’s gonna hurt my friend!” shouted the angry griffin. Suddenly, the creature in the net grew three times its normal size and strength as it ripped through the net. Bat-like wings stretched as it took flight. Swooping down it attacked the griffin, breaking through a wall, and went out onto the streets. “NO WAIT! Flutters, wait!” yelled the griffin and took off after her. Twilight got up and shook off her hat, revealing her strange twisted blue horn. Spike clutched her by the cape. “That creature, s-she’s just like you.” “And so was the griffin, Spike. I don't know what's going on, but I have to stop them.” “She asked for my help, like she was scared, Twilight.” The purple pony sighed. “She's still a mutant, Spike.” “So are you.” Twilight, pulled out her phone. With a serious face, she started typing something on it. “What are you doing now?” Spike tried to look at the phone. “Investigating. That griffin mutant had a soccer uniform on for…” Twilight quickly scoured the internet for the school insignia. “Canterlot College. Wait! Is this the same Canterlot you got accepted into?” Twilight blinked slowly. “Canterlot is on the north side of Ponyville just up the mountain roads. It is part of the pristine and wealthy side of the city and has many insignias that represent different parts of the school.” Twilight started typing on her phone again. “Canterlot College is one of the hardest schools in the world to get into. I barely passed the entrance exams.” “So what are you doing now?” Spike was curious as he settled over her shoulder. “Looking up student profiles.” “You're hacking in?” “Technically no. I mean…I could and have to fight endless firewalls, taking me days to get the info I need,” Twilight smirked “Or I could just use the mayor's passwords and clearance codes. Things are so much easier when your godmother is the mayor of the city.” Spike slapped himself in the forehead. “Of course” Twilight ignored his antics and continued her work. “There.” She took her hooves off the phone. Spike read the page. “Dash Rainbow, age 20. Daughter of Hothoof Rainbow, a top WonderBolt in the Air Force. From Cloudsdale. She applied into Canterlot on sports scholarships for…” Twilight scrolled down the page. “Huh, looks like all of them,” Spike muttered. “When not busy in sports, she's studying to be a pilot like her dad in the WonderBolts.” Twilight went over the file herself. “Hmmm looks like she didn't enter alone. She and her two childhood friends from the same town”. Twilight clicked on another personnel file. “Jacky Apple, age 20” Spike gasped. “Apple as in the Apple family?! She's from Sweet Apples, the largest apple brand in history! Her family is famous for their apple cider.” Twilight speed-read through the file. “Looks like she was studying apple genetics. Trying to make the sweetest-tasting apple that ever existed. Not a surprise honestly, The Apple family keeps their recipes locked tight, not uncharacteristic for them to be fiddling with apple DNA to make it taste even better. Applejack must have been that country pony with the scorpion tail that I saw before.” “As for the third…” Twilight clicked on the third file. Spiked gaped, “The mutant vampire that kidnapped me and is terrorizing the city right now.” Twilight nodded with a frown. “Fluttershy Breeze, age 21. There's not much to tell here. She is studying to be a veterinarian and got into Canterlot on two scholarships, one for her singing talents and the other for modeling.” Twilight and Spike looked at her photo. Fluttershy had a nervous smile and her pink mane covered half her face letting out only one teal eye. “Hmm quite a pretty girl,” Spike said. Twilight nodded in agreement and closed the personnel files. “Canterlot College is technically not in session yet, but many students still attend summer classes to get ahead. However, these three,” Twilight tapped on the college attendance records, “Haven't attended class for a whole month. People thought they just went home for summer break. And since they're all friends, no one thought twice about their disappearance.” Twilight pocketed her phone, “So somehow in the last month, these three have become transformed into mutants.” She sighed, closing her purple eyes and when she reopened them they were a bright glowing yellow with red pupils. “Just like me…which means they were probably turned against their will by the same maniac that turned me. If that's the case then it's up to me to bring them to justice. And find a cure for all of this someday…” “All the mutants seem to have a few things in common, right?” pondered Spike. Twilight turned back to Spike. “Well, we all have glowing yellow eyes with red irises, unique powers that are unexplainable by science, and an uncontrollable anger that is not our own.” Twilight grabbed a syringe from somewhere on her belt and placed it on a vial, extracting the contents within it via the needle. “Every mutant that has been captured and studied seems to have this strange anger. Those who stay in that state the longest go crazy from it. As if the powers and the anger take control of the victim's entire being.” Twilight injected the syringe into her arm. “But it seems, while not a cure, those who were captured can be calmed down and returned to their senses with some simple sedatives.” “If I get these to those three then I might be able to convince them to turn themselves in. It seemed like two of them hadn't given into the madness yet, and maybe if I can give it to that Fluttershy girl surely she'll come too as well.” Twilight's face steeled in determination, she kept her back to Spike as he uttered her name in worry. “Make sure you get home safely, Spike” “No, please don't go without me,” he pleaded to her. “Sorry Spike, I work alone,” she replied coldly. “You have to go back and help me make sure my cover isn't blown for my godmothers,” and with that, she took off into the night air, after the other mutants. Shadow Star arrived at the scene and ducked behind a building to blend into the shadows as she observed the chaos around her. Crowds of creatures of all shapes and sizes were fleeing in fear. A young little kitten was running away when the monster threw a lamp post over its head, which soared past only inches away from hitting the child. Twilight saw this and in the nick of time, was able to blast an ice ray from her horn, making a wall of ice and snow strong enough to stop the lamp from hitting the kid. Another cat grabbed the younger one and ran off, seeming more terrified of the shadow in the corner rather than the monster that threw the lamp. “No need to thank me, I guess.” Shadow Star’s deadpanned comment was interrupted by the monster's roar. “GRAAAHHH,” Now under the city lights it was easier to see the beast, a quite pale yellow pony, with long messy pink hair. She had two sharp fang-like teeth and bat wings the color of her skin spread out from her back. Her black dress was ripped slightly, despite previously being a demure mare, she was extremely strong, breaking apart walls with a single punch. The mutant jumped and took flight. Twilight shot a ray of fire from her horn at her to stop her path. It stopped dead in its tracks and turned around to face its attacker. Twilight's eyes widened when they made eye contact. The mutant roared and catapulted itself mid-flight with a large flap of its bat wings and aimed straight toward Twilight, who barely dodged its oncoming punch. "For a creature your size, you're pretty quick on your feet, miss." Twilight huffed as she backflipped and tried to drop-kick the monster. When her foot made contact, it didn't even phase the beast. “O-okay? This could be a problem,” Twilight realized nervously as the monster once again roared at her viciously. She tried to punch at it with all her might but it showed no sign that it was working. She had no choice but to jump back and try her powers once more. Shooting a blast of fire to stun the creature only seemed to irritate it. The mutant swung at her, flinging her away like a ragdoll and onto a wall. "Ugh…yeah that's gonna hurt in the morning." She groaned as she rolled her shoulder, grimacing. Right after, the creature seemingly grew bigger. Twilight stared with her mouth hanging open, frightened yet amazed. The beast roared at her with saliva hanging from its mouth. Teeth bared, which somehow looked sharper. The creature seemed less like a pony and more like a wild animal. It threw a car at Twilight, who used her freezing powers so that it dropped down midair. She jumped up on the car and tried blasting some more stun blasts at the creature with no luck each time. A flash of rainbow light came out of nowhere and kicked Twilight right in the gut, flinging her back a second time. Twilight spat up a splotch of blood from the damage the hit gave her. She felt sure that one of her ribs must have been broken. Looking up, she saw the griffin from before hovering midair above her. In the light, her pale blue coat and rainbow-like hair could be seen with clarity. Still dressed in the soccer team uniform that Twilight used to identify her, the griffin’s red eyes narrowed down on Twilight. “Oh, great you again,” grumbled Twilight. “Hey, you! stay away from our friend.” The griffin yelled. Twilight blinked in confusion. “Friend? Our?” She questioned. Behind the griffin, an orange pony in a cowboy hat appeared and flung a rope around the creature and tied it up. With a closer look, it was none other than the second mutant of the night. She had a lion-like mane and a scorpion tail. “Yee haw!” Applejack exclaimed, pulling tightly on the rope. Twilight did not know how to respond to all this. She observed blankly as the monster struggled to break free. “Hush now, Sugar cube, it's me AJ, Remember me?” The beast still struggled as the orange pony approached cautiously. “It's alright, it's okay. We're here now hun.” The griffin flew over to her as well. “It's all going to be okay.” She reassured calmly. “No! you’ll never get it done that way” Twilight shouted as the monster finally broke free of the rope, and grabbed another car. Shadow Star got back to the scene just when a car was thrown directly at her. She ducked the projectile only for her ribs to start aching again. “Aghh” Twilight groaned. “This is not gonna be easy.” She took out the tranquilizer gun from her belt. “Okay, Twilight focus. All you need is one shot.” Twilight focused on her target. She breathed in and out. In the blink of an eye, she was ready to pull the trigger on the raging beast in front of her when… “WOAH!” She was pulled back by a rope and tossed over to the side. “Ah don' think so.” The country pony’s eyes glowed amber and red as she warned the costumed mare with her scorpion tail. “No Jacky, I'm here to help!” Applejack's eyes widened in disbelief. “How the hay do ya know mah name?” A rush of powerful winds caught both their attention as a tornado tossed the monster aside. “Sorry, Flutters. But you have got to calm down.” Dash smirked. Creating a thunderstorm, she tried to zap Fluttershy unconscious using lightning. The monster roared out in pain and grew, and as she grew larger, Dash’s smirking face turned into one of pure terror as a giant fist punched her away. Twilight continued her struggle to free herself from the rope, “That won't work, she's only going to get madder and bigger if you keep this up” Jacky pulled her up by the front of her costume roughly. “Whaddya mean? Ya seem to know ah thing or two ‘bout whatever happened to our friend, so spill.” She demanded through gritted teeth, her eyes began to glow brighter. “Okay okay, calm down,” Jacky growled back instead. “No! Seriously, if you don't you'll just end up like her.” Twilight was panicking now. “Explain!” Twilight held up her forelegs in a show of surrender. “I'm a mutant too. Someone turned me into this. I don't know who but someone out there is turning creatures into raging monsters like your friend. While there's no cure yet, taking certain medicines can stop the descent into pure madness. I know because it's how I stay sane.” “Ah-” Applejack shook her head. “Ah don' believe ya.” Her face settled in a harsh glare. “You. You want to hurt mah friend.” “No! Jacky.” Twilight shook her head. “I want to help.” “Ya tried to shoot her!” “With a tranquilizer. Inside these darts are relaxants, They're not heavy enough to knock out someone out, just enough to calm them. I use the same medicine on myself to deal with the anger.” Applejack shook her head and growled deeper than before. “A-ah can't.” She let go of Twilight. “...Ah can't!” Her hoofs punched a hole into the side of a car. “Ah can’t calm down!” Her eyes burned amber, blood-red fire burning inside her irises. Twilight didn't hesitate and shot her with a dart. As the relaxant flowed into Applejack’s system, the chimera in front of Twilight slowly began to come back to her senses. Twilight stepped forward and caught her as Applejack’s knees buckled and she began to collapse. “Breathe. Breathe in, hold, and breathe out.” The orange pony nodded. “Thanks, who are ya anyway?” “Some call me Shadow Star. I personally think it's a ridiculous name but I'm not about to reveal my identity to you.” “Aw, shucks.” The pony sighed. “It's alright, Jacky” “Applejack” “What?” “You can call me Applejack or AJ. Ah prefer it that way. You're a real friend for doing this, ya know?” “Okay, Applejack. Tell me, how did you end up like this?” AJ breathed out another sigh. “We were all at our college. There’s a lot of students studying there to be scientists and doctors. Fluttershy was researchin’ a new way to heal wounded animals through lizards. We don' know who, but someone had ah sample of mutant DNA in the labs. Ever since the first outbreak of mutants, everyone’s been lookin’ for ways to cure it, even if they’re not in that field. They even had me studyin’ it, and Ah was just researching genes for applesauce. Me and Dash were there helping out Fluttershy as much as we could when the experiments got mixed up...An explosion happened, and it caused Fluttershy to turn into that! She was studyin’ fruit bat behavior when it happened,” “Well that explains why she turned into a bat pony.” “We tried tah stop her, but she was too darn strong for us. That's when Dash decided that the only way we could catch up and stop her was to become like her too. Ah was reluctant at first but when Ah saw the mayhem Fluttershy was creatin’…Ah had to agree with Dash. So we took it together, not thinkin’ of the consequences.” Twilight sighed and her shoulders sagged. “Well, while Fluttershy couldn't have avoided this, you two could have.” She reloaded her gun. “You should turn yourselves in and get some help.” Shadow Star stood up and began to walk away. “Wait, ya can't do this on yer own, and Dash ain’t gonna let you shoot her. Let me talk to Dash first and we’ll work together to-” “No…I work alone.” Twilight looked over her shoulder to make eye contact with AJ. Seeing her eyes turn back to their normal green state, Twilight felt a sense of relief. “Here.” Twilight turned back and handed her a dart. “Look I'll let you deal with your friend Dash. But leave Fluttershy to me.” “How in the world did ya know my name?” “I read your file,” Twilight smirked and ran, leaving a confused AJ behind. She jumped up in front of the hissing bat pony. It’s eyes narrowed down on her form. “Oh god, maybe I should have thought this through.” She muttered. Dash was about to throw another lightning bolt, now at Twilight but was stopped by the sound of AJ calling her. “Dash! Stop! please.” Applejack pleaded. “Gimme a sec, I have to stop that mare from hurting our friend.” “No, Dash! Just listen to me will ya!” Dash stopped confused. “What?” After AJ explained to Dash what was going on, Dash hesitantly drank the liquid from the dart. “Alright, even if this works, what are we going to do about Fluttershy?” “We just need to get one of these here tranquilizers in her.” AJ reasoned. Meanwhile, Shadow Star was jumping from car to car, barely evading hits from the roaring giant. “Oh come on,” Twilight growled frustrated as she gripped her tranquilizer gun. Too late as the monster kicked Twilight in the gut, sending her flying a third time today. “Yeah, there’s no way she can do this on her own, we’ve got to help her,” Dash yelled. “Yeah, Ah reckon you might be right about that.” Applejack used her tail to grab her rope and flung it towards Twilight, catching her around the waist. She and Dash pulled the purple pony to safety just in time before the beast could crush her under her foot. “Uhhuggh…thanks for the save.” Shadow Star murmured gratefully. “Thank us later, now run!” Shouted Dash. The three mares bolted as the monster started chasing them. Twilight tripped, “My gun!” she shouted as the tranquilizer gun flew out of her hoof. “Not the time,” Dash grabbed her by the arm. After a few more moments of running, the three escaped behind a wall. “Alright, anypony got any bright ideas? Anyone?” AJ questioned through huffs of labored breathing. “Without that gun, I can't shoot the tranquilizer.” Twilight looked like she was about to start hyperventilating Fluttershy roared, the ground shaking as she stomped around in her fury. She flung out her bat wings. Dash dared to look over the wall. ”Oh no, guys! she's opening her wings. If she takes off now, there's no chance of us catching her.” “Well, what in tarnation are we supposed to do?!” AJ shot back. “I wish I knew”. Twilight whined. A gunshot cracked through the air like a whip. The monster hissed again, turning around. Standing there, dressed in possibly the worst Halloween costume ever made, was none other than a little purple lizard. “Nighty, night vampire.” Spike grinned. Holding Twilight's tranquilizer gun in his claw, he slowly brought it up to his lips and pretended to blow smoke away from the muzzle. “And who’s that?” Dash asked, puzzled over the change of events. “Our hero,” AJ muttered in relief. Twilight slapped her forehead with a heavy sigh. “Oh no.” She got up and headed over to him. “I told you that I work alone, didn't I? And what about uhh…” Twilight paused, remembering the other two behind her. They slipped out from behind the wall and ran over to Fluttershy. “Well, Ah say it's ah darn good thing the boy didn't listen,” Applejack called out. “Yeah, you just saved our lives, squirt”. Dash continued. Fluttershy began to shrink back to her normal size. ““They” don't know about this. I promise,” Spike told Twilight. “I didn't want to see you get hurt, so I followed you but stayed out of it. Well except when I saw that you dropped your gun, I decided to take the opportunity and well, I'm glad I did. Because what do you know, I saved the day!” Spike set his claws on his hips proudly. Twilight rolled her eyes fondly, “Yes. yes, you did.” She hugged the little guy with a smile. “So he ah mutant too?” AJ tilted her head at Spike. “Nope, just a plain lizard. Glad I got to save the day. Though, but uh by the way, I wasn't the only one following you guys, there were these two on a bike that…” A soft noise of pain silenced everyone as Fluttershy slowly stirred awake. “Oh…wha…what happened?” She grimaced as she held her head in between her forelegs. Exhausted eyes opened and its owner let out a tiny gasped. “Oh, look a baby lizard.” She ran over and hugged him. “I've never gotten to meet any lizards before.” “I'm not a baby.” Spike complained, “But I enjoy hugs,” and hugged her back. “Seriously though, can someone fill me in?” Fluttershy glanced around. “Where are we? and why does it look like we're in the middle of a war zone?” She asked the last part a bit scared and started to shake nervously. “Yeah, well…that's a long story, but you see…” Dash started from the beginning. One explanation later. “Oh dear, I’m so so sorry! I'm so sorry…I-I-” Fluttershy began to weep. Dash embraced her tightly. “Doesn't matter, you're all mutants and as such you need to turn yourselves in to the authorities and get medical help.” Twilight scoffed. “Uh-huh says the mutant hero,” Dash raised her eyebrow. “I'm not gonna be some test subject! I have school and things to do.” “B-but you can't just run around like this?! Unwatched, with your mutant powers.” “Now hold on Shadow Star, we know how to control them.” AJ stood strong. “Hell, we even know how to use our abilities in a fight. We all could stick together and-” “No no, no! I work alone. For safety reasons, I can't let any random civilian get in my way. Especially those who are mutated.” “Oh really?” Spike chimed in. “Because you were doing oh so great on your own tonight,” Twilight growled at him. “He’s right,” Fluttershy said softly. Everyone turned to her. “All of you are right. You all make good points. Speaking from my own experience, I…” She hid behind her mane. ”I don't ever want to be in that state again. And I don't want others to be like that either. They’re only hurt a-and angry. And I don't want to be locked away in a cage or experimented on either. Especially when we have the ability to help those like us. Mutated….suffering. But Shadow Star, you are right as well. We can't just run around willy-nilly. Perhaps if we all team up…Shadow Star can keep an eye on us, and we could help those who need us.” Fluttershy finished with a small nervous smile. The others finally nodded, surprised it was Fluttershy who made the most sense. Twilight sighed in defeat. “Oh well, then this is what's happening I guess. My name is Twilight Sparkle. But, we should all go by aliases” “Allice what now?” Rainbow asked. “Hero names,” Spike told her. “Ohhh,” they all nodded in agreement. “But hey….” AJ nervously turned to Twilight, “there's still one question that remains, right?” Twilight nodded slowly. “Who's turning creatures into mutants? It seems our best lead is at Canterlot College.” “You don't think someone at the college is behind all this, do you?” Dash asked, perplexed. Twilight closed her eyes, “I don't know Dash. I really don't know.” Chapter 18 RevelationsApril 3rd, 7:00 AM Spike sat on patrol along with Shining Armor, overlooking the city sights that morning. Except they weren't looking for any ordinary sightings of a chimera; no, they were looking for one in particular. Spike sighed as he put down his goggles. "Whoa there, little guy! That’s quite a sigh, bro. What's going on?" Shining asked. "Oh, I'm fine, Shining. Just between my stepmom, Pinkie, and Dash missing," he sighed. "Yeah, man, I get it. But hey, we are gonna find them, we are going to cure them, and we're all gonna live happily ever after, you'll see," Shining encouraged. Spike looked up at him and smiled. "Right, right. Funny, I thought I did have my happily ever after when I met Twilight," he found. Shining Armor looked at the young teenager and felt pity for him. Most kids his age would be worried about zits and girls, but him? He had a lot more going on than Shining ever did. At least for Shining, he thought his parents were dead and he just had a rich godfather until he was eighteen and learned how cruel his godfather actually was. Yet that all seemed like kindness to him compared to what the little lizard was going through. Spike sighed. "Can I ask you a question?" "Hmm, sure, kiddo. What's up?" "Well, it's just... you know your real mother, or at least knew? For me," he chuckled, "I was made an orphan because of the last war. I was so young I don't even remember what my parents looked like. All I can see when I think of them, of my mom, is Twilight or my stepmother, Luna. So what about you? What was she like?" "Hmm, my mom? Oh, she was the best," Shining smiled at the thought of his mother. "Every day when I got home from school, she would often put out a snack platter for me and let me watch cartoons or read me comic books," he laughed, "much to Dad's dismay. He'd always told me cartoons and comic books were silly and that I should be doing schoolwork. However, Mom had a more relaxed approach to parenting. The two together, I guess, made a really good team. My mom was also super smart, knew a lot about science and gadgets, and was well-educated. That's where Twi got her love for science, I believe. Me? I took after my father in a lot of ways; I always wanted to be in the military like he was." "That's funny, because from what I hear, I think you took after your mom," Spike told him. "Really?" he asked. "Yeah, and I'd say Twilight took after your father." Shining thought about this for a moment. "Hmm, now that you mention it, you’ve got a point," Shining smiled. Spike smiled back, if not as big. "Come on, those chimera won’t find themselves, now will they?" Spike said, looking back through the goggles. “No, no, guess not,” Shining said as he looked at Spike. “You know, I always wanted a little brother. Don’t tell Twily that.” Spike chuckled at that. "Thanks, bro," he said back, making Shining’s smile widen. "I can't believe we're doing this," AJ shook her head as she walked up to the tall building in front of her. "Quiet down," Twilight demanded in a hushed tone. AJ lowered her voice but still continued to revolt. "THIS is such a bad idea! If we get caught, we’ll do jail time for sure." Rarity turned on her heel. "We will if you don’t quiet down! Now come on, AJ, we need your help." "I don’t want to be involved in this," she retaliated. "Too bad! We need you! You need to keep my dad busy so Twilight and I can get to his computer." AJ rolled her eyes at Rarity and huffed in annoyance, but she didn’t argue again. They walked inside and went straight to the elevator to the second top floor. The three of them then walked down the hallway and over to an office door. Soon the door opened up, revealing a white stallion. "Rarity!!!" smiled the excited colt. "Daddy!" she cried as she was pulled into a hug from him. "Oh, as soon as I heard you were coming, I freed up my entire schedule just for you. Now I'm starving! Let's head to The Tasty Treat, already!" "Of course, of course!" she smiled at Applejack. AJ rolled her eyes and coughed. "Uh, Mr. Shine, I was wondering if you could give me a little tour of how the ESA works? I'm kinda wanting to join it after college; I'm a bit tired of all the apples my family puts out." "Oh sure, we can do that after lunch." "No! Uh, I mean, why not do it now? Since we're already here, surely The Tasty Treat isn't going anywhere?" Mr. Shine was a bit taken aback by this, but our reservation is in a few minutes." "We’ll be able to make it, Mr. Shine! Go ahead and give AJ the tour. I actually have to use the restroom anyway," Twilight told him. "Uh, oh, alright. Come on, Rarity." Actually, you know, I gotta use the restroom too, sooooo..." Mr. Shine just shrugged and left alongside the country pony. AJ and Twilight headed the other way only for a short time until her father couldn’t be seen. Then they went right for his office door. As soon as the door gently closed, so it didn’t make too much noise, they ran over to Mr. Shine's computer. "Alright, Rarity, thank you for this," Twilight said. Twilight typed in the passcodes she got from Rarity. Her eyes widened as she exclaimed, "I'm in!" "Great." "No, it isn't! Rarity, I'm sorry, but it looks as though..." "I know!" Rarity huffed. "Let's just do this. Find out what we need to know." Twilight nodded and went to work on the computer. "It would take me forever to hack in, but with this, we can scan the files quickly. All we need is a time frame and a name." "A name? But Twilight, we don't know the Equalizer's name." "There you go, copying things into questions again," Twilight chuckled. Rarity ignored that. "We don't need the Equalizer; we just need..." she typed in her father's name. "As for the years, let's go back," she typed in "7 years." But before she hit enter, she stopped for a moment. "Twilight?" Rarity said in a concerned voice, seeing her friend's hesitation. Twilight shook her head. "Sorry, it's just... I've been wanting answers for so long, and... and here they are with a tap of the button." She began to shiver in fear. But Rarity placed a hoof over her arm. She didn't say anything; she didn't need to. Twilight got the message loud and clear. They were here for her, no matter what. They were her friends, and she could trust them with anything. She felt a little bad for not trusting them before, but right now was not the time to deal with such things. Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep, slow breath. She held it as she pressed enter on the keypad. She let it out slowly as her eyes opened. To her surprise, there was only one file that included her father’s name. She cautiously opened it and began to scan its contents. Most of them she quickly copied onto a flash drive to look at later. It finished just in the nick of time. Twilight quickly closed the files and deleted her search history before quickly heading out the door and catching up with Mr. Shine and Applejack. "Ah, there you girls are! Ready to grab lunch then?" he smiled. "Yes, Mr. Shine, I believe we are." Twilight gave a definitive nod, telling Applejack the job was complete. She sighed with "I hate this" written all over her face. As night began to fall on the city, bathing the sky in the last light of day, Twilight went over the files on her computer like a mad pony. She combed every nook and cranny the story had to offer, giving her as much detail as possible. Slowly but surely, she came to her answer just as there was a knock on her bedroom door. "Yes, AJ? Rarity? Come in!" she called out as she stretched out her legs. They were sore from sitting for so long. "Well, find anything useful?" asked Rarity, who handed her a milkshake. "A lot, actually! This might be the greatest treasure trove of information we've got," Twilight told her friends. "Oh really? And what’s the story then?" AJ asked. "Well, that's the thing: there are still so many details incomplete, things I’m missing. But in short, my dad, your dad, and a few others were involved with a government project known as BEAST. They were designing a superweapon to end the war that was going on at the time. Of course, it's classified, and really, while I have a name and a few of those involved, I've yet to discover anything on what it actually was. However, I can speculate based on some interesting facts." "Like what?" AJ's interest was piqued. "Well, for one thing, on one document linked to this, there was a prison transfer for only one inmate. The inmate's name I couldn't find nor why he was in prison in the first place. But I did decipher why he was there." "And?" Rarity questioned. Mr. Ghost sat in a chair, drink in his hand, staring at the mare across the room. She was laughing at the bad joke he just told her. To hear her laughter made him smile for reasons he didn't quite understand, or at the very least didn’t want to understand. "If you liked that one, I should tell you about the guy who told me when I walked into the bar." "What did he say?" "Ouch." She looked at him curiously as the joke settled in. He could see the gears grinding in her head as she came to the conclusion and gave a slight giggle. "Oh, I get it, 'ouch.'" "Wow, took ya long enough to figure that one out," he smirked. "Okay, I’m slow. Big deal," she teased him. The two laughed a little and enjoyed each other’s company. Mr. Ghost caught himself several times that night staring at her. Her teal eyes, her pink hair; being a model, she was quite nice to look at. She wasn't over-the-top in any way—not too curvy or too flat; just enough to say she was perfect. "Perfect? Oh dear, what have I gotten myself into?" he mentally groaned to himself. Mr. Ghost's smile then faded away as the hairs on his neck stood on all ends. He finally shook himself out of his thoughts, catching up on their conversation. "So I finally got Dash to take home the turtle. She's loved that thing for years now. She acts like she doesn't, but she's got a soft side for animals, even if she doesn't want to admit it. But now, since that stupid fight, I’ve taken care of him once again. I don't even know where she went to, but she's been gone nearly two months." Fluttershy's smile dipped a bit. "I'm sure she needed some time. Perhaps she'll be back eventually," Mr. Ghost reassured her. Her smile returned with his words, and she began talking again. He lay there listening to her talk. That's all he wanted to do—hear her voice. With every word she spoke, he could feel his heart beat a little faster—not like when he almost had a heart attack, but faster nonetheless. "What's wrong with me? I can't seriously be falling for her, can I? There's no way this is true. It can't be," he thought as his gaze drifted to her hooves. The memory of her touching his scars, the warmth he felt from it on his rough skin. "Hey, you okay? You seem distracted tonight..." With her words, his attention returned back to her. "I'm fine, Mrs. Breeze," he smiled his signature toothy grin. With that, she went back to her conversation with a smile. "I think that turtle should have been hers from the beginning. I mean, at first, she acted like it was nothing but a turtle, but slowly over time I caught her staring at it and petting it. Oh, and I can tell Tank misses her." "Yes, yes, of course," he said, more thrilled to hear her voice than the subject of her words. "Um... Mrs. Breeze?" "Yes, what is it? You look worried." She chuckled. "Uh, well, you see, um..." He played with his hooves. "Come on, you can do this," he told himself, trying to mentally prepare to ask her his burning question. "Do you, uh, remember that night at the bar? The night you were drunk and we, uh..." The memory of that night came crashing to the front of her mind. Was he actually asking her if he could kiss her? Her face turned red. Since their time together, the two would hold hooves for a moment or two, but he hadn't kissed her since that day she saw his scars. "Uh, yeah, I do. Uh, do you want to..." "Yes," he said a bit loudly, making her jump. "I mean, uh, we've been going out every night this past few weeks, and I, uh, just thought you wouldn't mind if..." "No, no," she walked toward him and sat on the couch. "I mean, it doesn't bother me, and it's kind of you to ask. Just..." She nodded. Mr. Ghost moved from the chair to the couch next to her. This was it—her second kiss. The first one really didn't count since she was drunk and out of her mind. The other kiss was just on her neck, so it didn't mean anything. She closed her eyes and puckered her lips just slightly, waiting for the contact. Only instead, she felt him wrap his arms around her and pull her close, laying his head on top of hers. This surprised her as she sat there with him around her. Twilight lay down on her bed as she continued. "He was some type of mad scientist, I think, but he was not the head of the project; someone else was. My dad was just in charge of funding for the project. I found Luna's name too, but she was a general at the time, so that makes sense; she would have to authorize it after all. And she was friends with my dad." Twilight shrugged. "What it was is all too clear when you realize the head of the project was a bio-geneticist named Doctor Galaxy. She is the only one who actually signed off on anything, including the transfer of the criminal." "Bio-geneticist, like..." Rarity said with a shiver. AJ nodded. "Just like what you would need to create the serum." Fluttershy was being held tightly by her coltfriend. She didn't exactly have a problem with this but wondered what he was doing. As for him, he nuzzled the top of her head, enjoying her warmth. His smile had never been so true. It simply felt nice to have her in his arms. He wished she would wrap him in hers as well, but he was fine with her so long as she let him hold her. As he did, his mind drifted; a blissful, sleepy sigh escaped him. After a minute or two, she then decided to ask, "Uh, what?" "Hmm? Oh, are you uncomfortable?" he said, raising his head and loosening his grip. Internally, he panicked. The idea of letting her go now nearly broke his heart right then and there. Too soon! He hadn't had her long enough. Still, he would let her go if she wanted it. "I'm sorry, I wasn't holding you too tight, was I?" "No, I just, uh, wasn't expecting this." "What do you mean?" He separated from her but didn't take his hooves off of her, keeping her in his arms. "I wanted to snuggle just like we did that night when we were drunk." "Oh," she said, just now realizing what he wanted. "Oh, yeah, okay." She said, snuggling into him, making the air awkward. "Uh, thank you," he said, confused but tightening his grip on her again. "Um, what were you thinking I meant?" he asked, a bit worried. "Oh, uh?" She quickly let go of him and scurried out of his arms. "I just thought that you were gonna kiss me. You know, like we did that night." His eyes widened as his fur stood on end. "Oh, uh, yeah, we did, didn't we?" he nervously chuckled. She then turned to him shyly. "You must forgive me, Mrs. Breeze, I never did, well, this dating thing." he said and sat back, almost laying back against the couch, his face nearly as red as hers. "Really? But I read—" "I told you before, all of those reports, my entire reputation, it's all a lie—made up by those who want to ruin my good name. I never even kissed anyone before that night." "Never kissed?" "Never anything," he slightly chuckled. "I know, weird right? With my reputation, you would assume I’ve been with a hundred mares and kissed a thousand more." He shook his head. "But it's all bullshit." "Really? So that night...?" "I never even snuggled with anyone before. Not even a hug." "What? What about your parents? Your—" "I'm an orphan, remember? Not one hug my entire life. I do tease; I like to keep people guessing. I’ll put my arm around a mare, I’ll dance with one, and yes, because of my reputation, and the fact that I'm rich, most do not mind. But that's just it, isn't it? They're just after my fame, my money. And while I have been drunk and had others try to kiss me, I just can't." He closed his eyes tightly. "I don't like anyone. I get along with them because I have to; it's my job. But you... you're different. I don't know what it is." She smiled a small smile. "I never got along with anyone this well. And though I enjoy a good drink and can definitely party, I have never been that drunk where I don't know what's going on." He then tilted his head a bit towards her so he could see her eye. "I wasn't even that drunk when I kissed you. I wanted to say no," he chuckled and took her hoof, guiding her to sit back next to him. "That night, I can't explain it," he gave his head another shake. "When you told me you wanted to kiss me, part of me wanted to say no, but..." He paused for a moment; he slightly laughed. "Then we snuggled, and it felt nice." He lifted his head and slouched forward. "And warm and safe." Her eyes widened at that. The honesty he had, the sadness in his voice. She leaned forward, about to kiss him, only to be stopped instead when he put a hoof to her lips. "I'm sorry, but... but there's something I have to tell you." "So, Galaxy the scientist, is she the Equalizer?" asked Rarity nervously. Twilight shook her head. "I searched her up," Twilight pointed at her computer. Rarity took a look and saw a light purple and pink cat. "Doctor Galaxy went missing and is presumed dead for over a decade now." Rarity gasped as AJ narrowed her eyes. Fluttershy sat up and looked at him, curious about what he had to say. He never used her name, except when drunk. "Okay, I'm here to listen." Mr. Ghost sat up and looked away from her, his back almost turned to her. A moment of silence spread across the two. "I don't think I can do this anymore." "Do what?" she asked, in a confused tone. "This." He turned to her as he began visibly shaking. He was actually scared. She nearly jumped; she had never seen anyone so frightened before in her life. To visibly shake like that... "It's been fun. Believe me, it has—indulging you. But I think we should..." "You're gonna break up with me? Why? I thought things were going great." "They are. They’re going too well. Fluttershy, I'm scared of falling, but here I am. And I'm falling way too fast." "Falling?" "Falling for you, my dear," he said as he placed a very shaky hoof on her hoof. "I can't do this." "Dead?" Rarity uttered in disbelief. "Yep, and not just her. In fact, most of the names involved with the project are missing or presumed dead." "Including that crazy scientist?" AJ asked. Twilight nodded. "Hmm, so..." Rarity raised a hoof in thought. "Is it possible that crazy scientist is our King of Chaos then?" "He would have to go underground, and with all the info we know about him, knowing he's a dragon, he could easily overtake the criminal underworld of the city," AJ pointed out. "Okay, so that explains him, but what about Tempest Shadow?" asked Rarity. Twilight sighed. "I was about to look into that when you two came in." "Let's see what we can find," Applejack sat down and began looking through the ESA files. "Mr. Ghost, I... I love you too." "Oh, please don't say that," he said as he stood up, pacing back and forth around the room. "I don't understand, just..." "I had someone once before, and it was downright terrible. It ended downright terribly. Besides, you don't even know me." "Yes, I do! And you just said I was your first kiss." "No, you don't! And trust me, if you did, you'd wish you never did." "Just tell me." "I can't! I don't trust you! I don't trust anyone!!" he yelled. "I can't," he whispered, with a faraway look. "Mr. Ghost. We've known each other for months now, just..." she sighed in defeat. "Please, I want to understand. I want to help you. You're scared; I get it, but I can't help you if I don't know why. Just tell me." She sighed again. *We’ve known each other for so long,* she began to sing. "You're seriously Rara-rolling me now?" he laughed as he stood shaking. She smiled and continued, *"Your heart's been aching, but you're too shy to say it. Inside, we both know what's been going on. We know the game, and we're gonna play it. And if you ask me how I'm feeling, don't tell me you're too blind to see."* Mr. Ghost grit his teeth, still shaking as he opened the doors to the balcony of his home. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out, placing it on the porch table in front of him, blocking its view from Fluttershy. He then pulled out two more things: a lighter and a box of cigarettes. "I didn't know you smoked." He said nothing and lit the cigarette. Smoke began circling above his head as he stepped aside and sat down. Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she saw a pistol sitting on the table. "Ah ha! Found it! Tempest Shadow, huh? Turns out she's an agent for the ESA, working under Rarity's dad," AJ said as she clicked on her profile. Twilight looked over to see what she looked like; however, she froze as the image of a dark purple mare with hot pink fire hair in the shape of a mohawk came into view. Despite being a middle-aged pony, she was so recognizable. "Yep, that's Daring Do's author, alright," AJ nodded. Twilight looked at the photo before her and gasped almost as loudly as Rarity. "Twilight?" Rarity asked. She only nodded, and the two mares simultaneously looked behind them at the photo sitting on Twilight's dresser—the dark purple pony with a fiery hot pink mane. "It couldn't be," Twilight said in disbelief. "What? What am I missing?" AJ asked, both concerned and confused. "How could it not?" Rarity replied. "My mother! Daring Do's author, A.K. Yearling, the super spy who's actually Tempest Shadow, is none other than my mother, Fizzlepop Sparkle!" Twilight spat in disbelief. "That makes no sense." "But you can't deny the two ponies look so similar," Rarity pointed out. "Yes, but I've seen A.K. Yearling tons of times! I never saw her mane! But you really think I wouldn't recognize my own mother? And for her to not recognize me!" Twilight breathed. "Well, darling, she definitely aged. Her facial structure is as young as it was in that old photo," Rarity pointed out. "And as for you, you grew up so much since then too. You were a little filly when she died," Rarity said, doing quotation marks with her hooves. "Neither of you are recognizable after so many years." Twilight plopped onto her bed. "I suppose that's true," she whined a little. Just then, the door opened. "Hey, what's going on in here?" asked Shining Armor, who was playing dragons and dungeons with Spike in the living room. "Oh, nothing! Just found out our mother is alive," Twilight smiled and said nonchalantly. "What! How? Wait, what?!" Shining called out. Twilight looked at her brother's goofy expression and smiled before she began telling him what they knew. Mr. Ghost took a shuddering breath before he continued. "She then tried to lock me in a cage like the animal I was, according to her. Well, I refused. And when I did, she gave me this." Mr. Ghost opened his shirt, revealing the worst scar on his body. "I had to defend myself, and... and I..." he clenched his hooves. "I felt her go limp in my arms. If I didn't defend myself, though..." He winced. "When it happened, I ran to the one person—the one person I thought I could trust more than anyone. And do you think that person believed me?" Mr. Ghost growled. "Do you think anyone believed me?!" he yelled at her. "Do you think they would see my side? No! All those I trusted saw me as a threat, and they even tried to kill me. You want to know how I got these scars all over me?" He removed the rest of his shirt, taking a step forward. "It's because they saw me as a threat." His hooves then morphed into a pair of claws. "So tell me, Mrs. Breeze, if I can't trust anyone?!" He grabbed the pistol and dropped the cigarette. He then pointed the gun at her head, making Fluttershy jump back a bit in fear. "Then why should I trust you?" "Wait, wait, that's..." Shining shook his head. "If that's the case, Dad couldn't be the father. I was his first child according to all the records." "True, but Mother never said her first child was you." "So, so we have an older sister or brother?" he smiled cheerfully. "Yeah, seems possible," Twilight sighed, laying her head back down. "Why aren't you excited about this? This is amazing!" Shining told her. "Simple, because we don't know if they are alive or dead. According to Dash, all of Daring Do's family was likely killed by the Chaos King." "And what if they weren't?!" Spike spoke up. "I mean, the Chaos King didn't kill Shining. What if he raised your sibling like he did you?" Spike asked. "Possible, but if that's true, then our sibling is likely the enemy right now. To convince a pony that their whole life is a lie and that they're working for a villain while they were their family—that's a tall order, Spike," Twilight said sincerely. "We have to start searching for them, right? We have to at least try, Twilight," Shining expressed. "And how do we start? Right now our only lead is Daring Do's author, slash super spy, Tempest Shadow, is likely our mother." "And to find her, you'll need to find Dash," Rarity said as she bit her hoof. "Yeah, and good luck with that," Twilight moaned in frustration. Mr. Ghost cocked the gun. "Why shouldn't I just pull this trigger and make this all look like an accident and move on with the rest of my life? I killed others for a lot less, so you better have a good reason why, because now you know too much!" he yelled, eyes furious and yet tear-filled. They were filled with so much anger. But was it anger she saw in them? No, it was pain Fluttershy saw in them. She finally knew who Mr. Ghost was. He was someone hurt. And she wanted to help him. "WELL?!" he yelled at her when she gave no answer. He lowered the gun to her chest. "I'm listening." "Because, you know if you do, you'll always be alone! Alone and hurt." He said nothing, stunned at her reply. "You trusted me, so I will trust you," she said, and slowly blinked. When she opened her eyes, he could see that she was a chimera as well. She took off her jacket, revealing to him her bat wings. He instantly knew she was the hero mutant that had been taking down the dangerous ones that ran among the city. She looked at him with a warm smile. “Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you.” Spike blinked and looked down in thought before raising his head. "Well, it's a start," he smiled. The kid's right. "It's a start, sis," Shining agreed. Rarity nodded. Twilight moaned under her pillow again, but when she came out from under it, she had a smile on her face. "Yeah, it is a start—one that we cannot lose." She jumped off her bed. "The tournament is our best chance to see Mom and catch the Chaos King." She said with newfound determination in her eyes. “Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye, never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.” Fluttershy continued the song as she slowly grabbed hold of the pistol in his claw. With a whimper that escaped him, he let go of the gun, handing it to her as he whined the next few words of their song. Their song—a complete joke to the world, but one that they made for themselves. “Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you. Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye, never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.” She then set the gun back down on the table, and as soon as it was gone, he fell into her arms. She softly stroked the back of his mane as he muttered the words "I've been alone for so long." "I know, Mr. Ghost, I know." "Please stay with me... please," he begged, tightening his grip on her and kissed her neck, knocking her over along with him. With his lips on her neck, her face grew bright red, and she instantly shivered, but otherwise, her body was frozen. "I will, Mr. Ghost... I will." "Discord," he whispered to her, his face looking as if in pain. "What?" she asked softly. "Discord, that's my real name." He said before locking lips with hers. Author's Note Lol no joke the scen with discord telling flutershy this was the third scene I ever written for this fan fic. Strangely woke up one night at three in the morning couldn't fall asleep and wrote it 😳. Any way on to what I was talking about in my last author note. Ok so idea 1 didn't work. Scrap the whole thing, despite having a third done because I didn't like twilight in it. Can you tell that my top 3 fav characters are 1 discord 2 twilight 3 flutershy, in that order. Lol. Another idea, when I saw the power pony episode of MLP I loved it. I am a huge marvel and DC fan. So I wanted to do a MLP a fan fic on superheroes. Being inspired by some of my favorite story lines form both marvel DC, and some anime. It started out as joker discord vs Batman twilight. No seriously that was it. And long story short it was goofy it was funny, and I didn't like it. Story 2 scrap. Ok more on this later 😂👋
Chapter 2 A Rarity...Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 3 something fishyChapter 3 Something Fishy November 3, ---- 11:00am "Wow, this made the front paper," Twilight said as she set the newspaper on the table for all to see. They were all eating lunch underneath a large tent. "Yeah, the whole campus is talking about it," AJ replied looking at the front paper as she began drinking from a juice box. "Yeah, but who would want to hurt her? And why." Asked Fluttershy. "Heh, I can think of a few good reasons," Dash muttered. "Dash," AJ yelled. "Rarity is unconscious in a hospital bed, She was attacked last night!" "Serves her right," Dash replied. Twilight quickly turned to Dash with a burning glare. Her eyes begged to glow amber and red. "Look, I don't know what your history with her is, but no one deserves to be attacked. GOT THAT!" Dash's eyes widened, realizing what she just said. She turned away from Twilight knowing all too well what had happened to her family, and felt ashamed that she could ever say anything like that, even if it was Rarity. The airfield’s silence and tension was finally broken by Twilight. "Anyway. It seems she was shot with a dart. Not a bullet. It's most likely someone was trying to kidnap her. I mean, why else…?" Twilight froze as a thought came to her mind. A look of fear struck her face. "Twilight?" AJ asked slowly. "Guys, we need to get to the scene of the crime." "And how are we gonna do that?" Complained Dash. "Yeah, they have Rarity's room all blocked off by cops, why do you want to go see this so badly?" AJ asked with skepticism in her voice. "A hunch. A hunch that I hope is dead wrong. Meet me later tonight just outside the building with Spike. Oh and try to disguise yourselves," she said as if it were obvious. As the clock turned one in the morning, several shadows crept onto the building. Several police guards stood by. The window that was smashed was boarded up and covered with police tape. Shadow star aka Twilight jumped onto a tall branch. She helped them by a rope that a cowgirl with a bandana held tightly onto. After looking through a pair of binoculars, Twilight gave the signal and AJ lowered her down and back into the bushes. "Ok, guys. There are two officers there and they're still waiting for the inspector. Fluttershy, you got your fake ID?" Fluttershy, dressed in a police costume from the party store, nodded her head. “Uh, you sure this is gonna work?" She asked timidly. "Eh, fifty, fifty," Spike smirked. "All you and Spike need to do is enter the room and undo the latch on the other window. Then Dash flies me in. AJ will stay on the lookout for the real inspector. We have about fifteen minutes before they show up. Should be plenty of time." Twilight shrugged. "Ok, ok, but I gotta ask what's up with these terrible get-ups." Spike giggled. AJ was in a cowboy hat and a bandana with overalls. "AJ, you look like a bank robber from a Western movie." AJ rolled her eyes. "And dash." Spike chuckled. "Dash, you look like a Roman gladiator." "Oh yeah because yours is any better," Dash said as she lowered her helmet covering her face. "This whole thing was on such short notice. These were cheap at the party store." AJ said as she pulled the bandana over her face. "Well as long as you won't get recognized if seen." Twilight told them. "Ok, mission set, let's go. And don't forget your walky-talky." Spike handed out several walkie-talkies to everyone. "It definitely fits Fluttershy's look at least." The plan went as planned with no complications. The copes believed Fluttershy was an investigator and she unlocked the window before she headed out. Twilight and Dash got inside and began searching for clues. "See anything?" Twilight asked. "Uh, no. unless you mean how stupidly fancy this place is." "Focus," Twilight told Dash. Dash rolled her eyes and got back to searching for clues. Then she stepped in something and looked down. "Uh, hey, Twilight over here." Twilight got up and walked over to see what Dash was looking at. Stuck on the table was a dart. A purple liquid oozed out of it and seemed to dry on the tail solid. Twilight brought out a plastic bag and a screwdriver. She quickly broke off some of the dry purple subsistence and bagged it. She then grabbed the dart. It still had just a little bit of substance in it in a liquid form. She set that in a second bag. "Good find Dash." She whispered as she eyed it. Suddenly, the radio went off. "Shadow Star, this is Bank Robber, over. " Twilight giggled a little and called back, "What's the situation." "The real investigator just showed up. Time to high-tail it." Twilight turned to Dash, who nodded. The two of them flew out quickly, just in time as the investigator walked in. The door slammed open. Twilight rushed over to her room and pulled out a microscope. She also brought out her laptop and set them on the counter. "Ok, Twi mind telling us what's this all about?" AJ asked, taking off her disguise. "Give me a moment," Twilight replied as she looked at the purple substance under a microscope. Her eyes widened. "I knew it." She raised her head. "Guys, we need to get to Rarity before…" A large boom was heard from the hospital on campus. "Too late.” Twilight nervously smiled. “Suit back up Apple Jack, we're gonna have a long night." "What was that?" Dash asked. "That, Dash, would be Rarity Shine, transforming into a mutant.” Twilight replied. Dash's eyes widened as she slapped her forehead. "Of course." “Dash, AJ, you and I will deal with Rarity. Spike, Fluttershy try to keep any nearby civilians safe. It's all hands on deck guys, let's move out." "On it." They simultaneously replied. As they got to the hospital, people were quickly trying to get out of the way of a giant sparkling sea pony. AJ's mouth dropped. "Uh, you seeing what I’m seeing." Dash nodded as Twilight shrugged... Many creatures were screaming at the top of their lungs as they ran away from Rarity. Rarity roared like an angry bear and whipped her tail at them. She tried to stand but with no legs and just flippers, she was anything but graceful. She whipped around and smashed into the side of the hospital, breaking glass and steel poles. A pipe burst and water came flooding out, that's when the Rarity seahorse chimera eyes widened, and she rushed over to the water to get under its spout. She took a long drink and then seemed to swim in the growing pool of water, flapping her fins as if she were happy. As the water poured into her, she seemed to gain strength. Her scales began to shine, and her fins began to fan out. "Uh oh. Guys, if she keeps doing that the hospitals gonna collapse." Fluttershy squealed. "Ok, we gotta stop her, and we gotta do it now." AJ charged in, using her cat-like reflexes and her scorpion-like tail she broke some telephone poles and used the wires to try and tie her up. Rarity saw this and her happy floppy dance came to an end as she roared at them, baring her teeth. Twilight tried to zap her with lightning and fire, but nothing could stop Rarity’s powers. Next Twilight tried shooting a tranquilizer dart, but it bounced off her scales. "Her scales are too strong!" "No duh," Dash yelled back as she used her powers to create a large gust of wind. It blew Rarity back against the hospital, breaking more glass. As glass rained, more creatures ran inside. "Dash, ya should be stopping her from dishing out more damage, not creating it," AJ complained. "Sorry." Dash replied and ran down to save some civilians from the raining glass. "Uh, now what?" Spike asked. "Any ideas?" AJ yelled called out. "I'm thinking, I'm thinking," Twilight said as she looked around with a hoof on her chin. "Ugh, if only my wounds were fully healed." She thought as she set a hoof to her rib. Her eyes widened and she turned to Fluttershy. "Uh, Fluttershy." Fluttershy peeked her head up from behind a car. "Yes, Twilight?" "We need you. Need your powers." Fluttershy squeaked in fear. “Oh, no, no no, no no. I can't. I don't even know how it works." "It works with anger. So get angry." "Uh, but what if I can't control it?" "We can tranquilize you if need be. But right now you are the only one who can take on Rarity." "What but I, I." She stuttered. "Fluttershy!" Dash screamed out as a giant back tail whacked her across the face. Fluttershy eyes began to glow. "Dash!" she screamed out. Suddenly, she grew twice her size and became a vampire, along with her muscles. She charged at Dash and smashed into the wall. She then began to punch Rarity, who tried to fight back as she roared. Fluttershy roared back, punching more fiercely. Fluttershy began to grow angrier with her punches. She also grew till she was five times the size of her original height. She punched down on Rarity one more time. The punch shattered some of Rarity's scale and then her face. The force of the impact flung her into the ground. Fluttershy wasn't done, tho. She then proceeded to pick up a car and was going to throw it down on the now unconscious Rarity. "Uh oh," Twilight muttered and quickly shot a tranquilizer dart at Fluttershy. AJ then used her tail to take the car out of her hooves as she began to shrink back down. "Ugh. What happened?” "You just saved my life, that's what happened. You're feeling alright?" Dash asked excitedly . "Uh yeah but..." She shook her head clearly. "That rage. It's scary." She mumbled and began to tear up. "Don't worry, I used a tranquilizer dart on you, so you're gonna feel a little tired." Some of the folks around began to look, noticing the two monsters were now down. Some began to cheer as others cowered in fear of the other mutants. Twilight shot a dart at Rarity. "That should calm her down. Quickly, we have to get her out of here and back to our apartments". Twilight looked around. "We've been seen enough." Dash picked up Fluttershy and threw her over her shoulder, as AJ and Spike picked up Rarity. Twilight threw a ball from her belt. It was a smoke screen. Once the smoke surrounded them she guided her friends into the shadows and with that, they disappeared Rarity slowly opened her eyes. A young purple lizard stood over her. He gasped. "Guys, guys she's waking up." "Uh, what?" She sat up. "What happened and who are you?" Spike finally seeing her up fully widened his eyes. His heart began to race. "Uh umm, I'm. Uh." "That's my little cousin Spike. He's like a brother to me." A voice said from the kitchen. "Ugh". Rarity was about to barf. "And why am I in a torn-up hospital gown?" The gown was a dirty green. “Ugh, green is so not my color.” Fluttershy chuckled. "I'm glad to see you are awake." "Oh, Fluttershy is this." She looked around. "Your apartment." "Yep, and I'm her roommate," Twilight said as she walked over and sat down. "How are you feeling, Rarity?" Rarity put a hoof on her head. "Ugh, like I got hit by a truck." Fluttershy's eyes widened and she nervously smiled. "Uhh, and why do I smell like a fish?" "Well, Rarity you're kinda a mutant now, and when you get near water I think it makes you grow stronger. It's ok, we're all mutants, AJ shrugged." Fluttershy spread out her wings to show Rarity. Rarity froze in fright. "You, you’re..." "Uh, Rarity calm down." At that, Rarity fainted. Ten minutes later, Rarity woke back up. "Uh. Um, hey Fluttershy. I had the oddest dream. I was at your place with your roommate, and you had..." She froze as she realized Fluttershy had bat wings. "Oh my god, it wasn't a dream." She said and taped her head. "No, it wasn't," Twilight said, bringing her head out of a book. She was sitting down on the chair next to Rarity. "I'm afraid as a mutant, you have a choice to make." Rarity nodded, still shocked and taking in all that she'd learned. "You can either.Go turn yourself in and get help. Or." Fluttershy chimed in. “You can stay with us and live a normal life till Twilight can find a cure." Rarity turned her head to Fluttershy. "What she means is you can live a normal life for the most part. But you have to take relaxants on occasion to calm your anger. And help me with my research whenever I require it. Oh, and be careful about getting wet. You seem to grow a tail when you do." "And in the meantime act as a superhero." Spike grinned. Rarity turned her attention to him. Her face was still in shock. "A… A superhero." "Yeah," Spike handed his phone over to Rarity. "And with powers like yours, you could really help us." Rarity looked at the phone. It was hard to tell, but there was a giant seahorse that looked just like her fighting a giant yellow monster with bat wings. "Am I, the yellow monster?" She shouted in horror. "No, that would be me." Fluttershy nervously giggled. "You are the one I'm fighting." The door then flew open. "We’re back," AJ said alongside Dash. "We got hay burgers and shakes for everyone." Dash then spread out the bag contents to her friends. "Oh, the good rarity up." Rarity noticed Dash had wings and stared wide-eyed. "You, you too. You're all mutants." "No, I'm not." Spike said. "I'm just a little lizard here to help my mutant friends." at that moment He bit into his burger. Instead of meat or hay, it was filled with a large red gem. "We're all trying our best here". AJ told Rarity as she held a strawberry shake out to her. "Ok then. I'll join you, I suppose." She took the shake with shaking hooves and began to drink. "That's good Rarity. Now I have a few questions for you. " Rarity nodded but didn't look up from her drink. "Who did this to you? Did you see them?" that made Rarity jump with surprise. "And did he have a goat horn and antler on his head?" The others stopped eating and turned their gaze to Twilight in surprise. Even Spike tilted his head in confusion. Rarity set her drink down and stood up, wobbly. Spike quickly caught her hoof to help her balance. She gave him a little smile as if to say thank you. She then took a few more steps as she rubbed her forehead, feeling her horn and trying to think of what she saw. "No. No, I didn't see that." She closed her eyes. "No, but. I was sitting reading my favorite book when someone broke through my window." "And did he have an antler and horn?" Twilight asked coldly. Her eyes began to glow red ever so slightly. "No, no, it was a pony. A colt. He… he had a gun and shot something at me." She looked up. Her eyes widened as terror filled her face. She pointed at something on the counter. "There. That, that guy." Twilight turned to see what she was pointing at. "Someone in the photo." Asked Fluttershy. "Yes, the white one." Twilight got up as terror filled her face, color draining from it. "Twilight, who is that?" Rarity asked. "That's my brother…" Rarity gasped and turned to her along with the others. "My dead brother." Author's Note Dun Dun Dun!!!! UPDATE 9/4/23 this chapter has been edit, specil thanls to my editor.
chapter 4 DNAChapter 4: DNA **November 15, ---- 2:00 PM** Twilight stood over a microscope watching something. She then took a small syringe filled with blood and squirted it onto the purple liquid. She examined the two mixed together and began to boil until it completely turned red. "Fascinating," she stated. "What is?" asked Fluttershy, petting a very angry bunny rabbit with a band-aid on its arm. Twilight wrote a few things down on her clipboard. "Whatever this purple substance is, it's organic. The purple stuff contains some type of DNA or RNA strand that for some reason keeps changing." Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion. Twilight rolled her eyes. "DNA is..." "No, I know what DNA is; I'm not Dash. I mean, what do you mean it keeps changing?" she said worriedly. Twilight shrugged. "I mean, it's genetic code. All DNA strands are usually locked into place, and the gene is either turned on or off. If on, it gives you that feature. But DNA does not change unless mutated. This, however." She pointed at the microscope with her pen. "Keeps mutating until it comes in contact with another DNA sample. Thanks, by the way, for letting me use some of your rabbit's blood." "No problem," Fluttershy replied sweetly, but the rabbit squeaked its annoyance as it rubbed its arm with the bandage. "So that stuff?" she questioned. "Yeah, it merges with any DNA it comes in contact with, changing its genetic makeup until it stabilizes. Really advanced stuff, but in simple terms, it's what gave us all powers." Twilight shrugged. Someone knocked on the door. "Who is it?" Twilight asked. "It is I," Rarity sang. "The door's open." Rarity walked in with a few bags. "Oh my gosh, that's what I really needed: a big old shopping spree day to get my mind off all this." She giggled as Spike struggled inside, carrying most of her bags. "So anything new?" she asked curiously. "Nope, just researching the cure," Twilight smiled. "Oh, found anything yet?" "Afraid not. I just found out that whatever caused it changed us at the genetic level." "Any way to undo it?" Rarity wondered out loud. "Well, not if you like being alive," sighed Twilight. "Only acid can destroy DNA strands like that. It's not often you can change DNA structures so easily. What's amazing is that it's so well put together, it…" "Well, on that note, any ideas about—" Rarity interrupted her with a nervous chuckle. "I don't want to talk about it." "Twilight," Spike said with a look of concern. "No!" Twilight demanded. "There's got to be some mistake. My brother's dead. Maybe you just saw a guy that looked like him." "Either way, dear, it's been two weeks. Shouldn't we be...?" Rarity shrugged. "I don't know, out searching for this guy?" Twilight slumped into a chair. Spike walked over and set a claw on her hoof. "Twilight, there are tons of surveillance cameras and photos everywhere." "Yeah, well, why don't you search for him then?" she snapped at him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap. I just..." Twilight turned her head away from the lizard. Rarity looked at Fluttershy, who gave a slight nod and set her bunny down. She then walked over and hugged her friend. They all group-hugged Twilight, who stood quietly. The silence broke when Dash rushed into the room. "Hey guys, guess what? The author of Daring Do is coming to town,” she cheered. “I got to get an autograph." She jumped excitedly but turned to see them all hugging a very sad Twilight. "Uh, did I miss something?" "Nope, I'm fine," Twilight said, pushing her friends off. "I just have research to do." She then went to her room. "Um, let me guess, is this about her brother?" Dash asked. They all nodded. "It's been like, what, two weeks?" Dash complained. "Hey, cut her some slack; it's her family," Spike told her. "And what about the guy with horns and antlers? What does that have anything to do with this?" Spike shrugged. "She never said that before. Not to me, anyway." "Well, you know what? Time's a-wasting. I say it's time to bring this guy down before he strikes again." "I agree with you, darling. But what if we do find him, and what if it's really her brother? I believe that's why our friend is most hesitant about finding out." "Yeah, well, she can play lab scientist all day. I'm gonna get out there and start looking around. You with me?" Fluttershy hesitated and looked away, but slowly nodded. "Considering he's the one who did this to me and possibly all of us, I'm in too," Rarity nodded. Dash nodded back. "And you?" Spike took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm not a tech wiz like Twilight. But I think I can copy and paste surveillance footage onto a thumb drive at least." He clenched his fist. "We’ve got to try, right? For Twilight's sake." "For Twilight's sake," they all said and put their hooves and claws together before running out of the apartment, leaving Twilight in her room. She sighed and laid down in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She looked over to a little photo she kept on her dresser. It was her as a baby being helped by her big brother. Above them were her parents. "It can't be you. Can it?" Here is your text with corrections for spelling, grammar, and punctuation, while preserving your original wording and style: "Twilight…" a voice whispered to her. Twilight opened her eyes. She must have fallen asleep; she was in her room. "Twilight." She heard the whisper. "Um, hello." "Twilight… it's gonna be okay," the whisper shouted. Twilight got up and out of bed, walking right past her photo of her brother. "Twilight, everything's gonna be alright, I promise." She approached her bedroom door. As she did, she heard a gunshot along with a scream. She rushed out of the bedroom door and found herself on the street. "Run, Twilight, run!" She saw her brother cry out. Manic laughter filled the air as her father pleaded, "Please stop this! Don't hurt them! Don't, I'll help, just don't—" “Hahahahahahha.” A shadow just out of the streetlight rose from the ground. Its eyes glowed a burning amber color. Lightning struck from the sky, showing a quick look at the creature. It had an antler on one side of its head and a goat horn on the other. It grinned and laughed again as it raised a gun sitting in an eagle claw. Twilight froze, not able to move as her mother shouted no. "Twilight, run, please, run." A shot went off, and Twilight screamed as she jumped awake, breathing heavily. She shook her head. At that moment, Fluttershy opened the door. "Are you okay, Twilight?" she asked. Twilight looked at the clock; it was nearly eleven. "I slept that long?" she asked. "Yeah, there's leftover pizza in the fridge if you want any. You seemed like you needed your rest, so we decided not to wake you." Twilight nodded. "Thanks, but I'm not hungry." She got out of bed slowly. She then walked over to an odd piece of furniture that was still under a blanket. She pulled the blanket off, revealing a strange cabinet that held an even stranger device. "What is that?" Fluttershy asked with a raised eyebrow. "A little science fair project I started years ago." She then grabbed a wrench and began tinkering with some of the bolts. "It's never gonna work, but I just can't give up on it," she said as she worked on it. "What's it supposed to do?" Fluttershy asked. Twilight gave no answer as she got lost in her work. After a few moments of silence, Fluttershy decided it was best not to ask again and to leave her to her work. Author's Note update 9/6/23 this chapter has been edit by my editor
Chapter 5 introductionsChapter 5 Introductions **November 18, ---- 2:00 PM** Rainbow walked in the door with a look of frustration on her face. "Ahh. How hard is it to find one guy?" she complained. She was not alone, however. "I searched through all the footage I could get from the school surveillance cameras. He didn't appear in any of them. Even the night of the attack." He was like a ghost, Spike shrugged. "Oh great, so what, we're being mutated by a phantom?" Rarity complained. "I mean, Twilight's brother is dead, right?" AJ sighed. "And between classes and searching for him, we've barely had any time to sleep," Fluttershy yawned. "And what of Twilight? Is she feeling any better?" AJ asked. "Afraid not. It's been a whole ‘nother week. And she still isn't coming around," Spike muttered. "She's been going out every night to get fresh air. And when she's not, she works on that thing in her room. I'm starting to get worried about her," Fluttershy said just loud enough for the others to hear, as she hid behind her pink mane. "What thing?" asked Spike. "Is it that science project with all the weird nuts and bolts sticking out?" "Yeah, but she won't tell me what it is," Fluttershy said. "She never told me either; she's been working on that thing since before I even knew her. I have no idea what that strange device is supposed to be." "Well, whatever it is, it seems important to her," Fluttershy replied. "Oh, there's got to be a way to cheer her up," AJ exclaimed. "Yeah, but how?" Dash replied. "Oh, oh! I know!" Rarity jumped up. "The holiday gala!" "The what?" AJ and Dash asked simultaneously. "The holiday gala," Rarity repeated excitedly. "It's coming up. All the fancy, most well-known people are gonna be there. It's hosted by the president himself, and this year it's gonna be held right here in our town; it's only an hour away. And it might be great to get her head off, well, you know. We could all go. We could have a blast." Dash and AJ looked at each other with the same worried look. "Yeah, dances and gowns aren't my thing." "Me neither," AJ commented. "I think it's a wonderful idea," Fluttershy smiled through her bangs. "Well, that's great and all, but now there's a whole ‘nother thing to deal with," said Spike, who grumbled a little. "Oh yeah? And what's that, darling?" Rarity asked. "The night we first met Fluttershy, there was someone following us. And from time to time, I keep seeing those two around." The entire room shouted in unison, "What? Someone knows we’re mutants?! Why haven't you said something before?" Dash shook him. "Umm, I tried; no one ever listens to me." "Now you know how I feel," Fluttershy muttered with an eye roll. "Well, we can't wait for them to make a move. If they're following us around, I think it's about time we catch them in the act." "Wait, wait, we don't even know who they are or what they want," Rarity chimed in. "That's the point, Rarity; let's get them and make sure they don't tell anyone we're mutants." "Don't you think we should tell Twilight first?" "She already has enough to worry about. What about you, Fluttershy?" asked Rainbow. Fluttershy was surprised to be addressed at first but shrugged. "It wouldn't be a bad idea to make sure we know what they want." "See, Flutters is with me," Rainbow cheered. "Oh, but we shouldn't hurt them until we know for sure. Why don't we just ask?" she said worriedly. "I think that's a good compromise: we'll go find them, ask why they're following us, and if it's something to be concerned about, we’ll take care of them. Who knows, they might be mutants like us," AJ told the crowd. "Okay, well, I'm going shopping for dresses. Spike, you come with me," Rarity said. "Why me?" Spike asked, but with a smile. "I need someone to carry the bags. Anyway, why don't the rest of you find out about these stalkers?" "And I'll stay here in case Twilight needs help," Fluttershy added quietly. "Plus, I have my family coming for Thanksgiving, so I'm gonna be busy too." "Perfect, let's go, team," Dash said, raising her hoof, hoping someone would hoof-bump her. But no one did, and they walked right past her. She just shrugged and followed AJ out. **7:00** A motorcycle rode up to the end of the street. On it were a girl driving and some dude in a lab coat holding onto her… "Any luck on his whereabouts?" said the girl. "Unfortunately, no. It will take time for the two to meet after all. Did we go too far?" she asked. "Nope, not according to the video." She rolled her eyes. "You and that video." The two then rolled off when the light turned green. What they didn't notice was the shadows following them. Dash, in her griffin form, peered over the side of a building. "Alright, Spike, so are those the two she asked about?" The little lizard nodded. Dash nodded back before she pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Okay, AJ, you're up." "Roger that. Ready?" she said, turning to Rarity. Rarity nodded. The two of them were in the alleyway and watched the two on the bike. As the two approached and stopped at the next stoplight, Rarity jumped out, and Applejack quickly tied the two up. "Hey, what the..." shouted the colt. "Let us go now, or you'll be sorry," said the mare. "Calm down, calm down, we're just here to ask a few questions," AJ told them. "Like?" grumbled the girl. "Like why you're following us around," said the griffin that flew down. "Oh, it's you, the mutants. Yeah, we were following you around. Got a problem?" said the girl with a sly smile. "Yeah, we do. Why are you following us around like that?" Dash yelled, getting into the girl's face. "None of your business," shouted the girl back as she pushed her face into Dash’s. "What she means to say is we're not looking for trouble," said the colt. "Okay, what then? Why are you following us?" The girl shook her head to the other to say no, but he smiled. "We're only looking for our pops." "Ugh," the girl groaned and shook her head. "What do you mean?" asked Spike. "Not much. Our pops is a mutant; we were hoping to track him down by following other mutants." "And so you're following us around? Why do you think we know where your father is?" The mare sighed and started talking. "Ignore my little brother, please." "Little!" he shouted. "Look, we're just trying to track down our father. We saw you were mutants and thought perhaps we could find others until we caught up to him," she said, annoyed. "You're only older than me by five minutes." "Five minutes is still being born first, little bro," she spat back. He just rolled his eyes. "Look, we're not interested in fighting, and we're not gonna tell anyone you're mutants either; we simply don't care." "Yeah, well, we can't let you go now that we know. Besides, you're just a couple of kids." "Are not! We're sixteen!" shouted the girl. "What she means to say is we're quite fine on our own," her brother said. "Uh-huh. And what makes you think we can trust you? Give us a good reason or…" "Or what?" the mare spat. "Look, you can't kidnap us or anything, and the moment we tell anyone about you…" "Which we won't do," her brother chimed in. "Then you'll be arrested and thrown in the hospital like the others." "And what about your dad, the mutant? Isn't he in the hospital?" "No, he's out running around somewhere; that's why we're looking for him," she said as if it was obvious. Dash growled, "Okay, okay, Dash, back up; they're just kids." "We're practically your age," the mare complained. "Look, we were just being cautious of you guys; that’s all. We really don't want to be caught up by the cops. We're trying to find a cure to all this ourselves. I'm sorry about your dad. Maybe we can help you find him. But we can't let you just run around unsupervised with what you know, okay?" The mare rolled her eyes. "So annoying," she grumbled. "What's your names anyway?" asked AJ as she untied the two of them. "I'm Junior, and this is Mells." "Really?" she questioned. "Okay, Junior, Mells," AJ repeated, raising an eyebrow at the unusual names. "Do you at least know where to start looking for him?" "Sort of. But don't worry about it. My sister's right; we'll let you tag along, but we're not planning to get involved with you, and please don't get involved with us. We can do this on our own." "Okay, got a place to stay then?" asked Rarity. The two shook their heads. "We just want to ride until we can find him; we're fine with sleeping on the side of the road." "Oh, come now. Look at the two of you. Both of you look tired and filthy, and your fashion choices could use some sprucing up. I say come by my place; we'll fix you right up." The one girl grumbled something under her breath. "That's very generous of you, but really, we can't." "Oh no, we insist," said the griffin. "Alright then," Junior answered. His sister pulled him by the ear. "Give us a moment, will ya?" She smiled irritably. She then pulled him over to a wall and whispered in an angry tone, "What are you thinking? We can't get too close to them; it could ruin the whole mission." " Sis, I'm tired; you're tired. One night and we'll leave. Besides, if we do get closer to them, we might find Mom, and she could lead us straight to him." "But Mom's not even with them!" she growled. "Not tonight, but they're close, right? According to the professor." "Ugh. Fine, but don't forget, brother, I'm in charge here." "Just because you're older doesn't make you in charge." "You just didn't want to get into a fight." "Of course not; I hate fights!" he growled as he stood at eye level with her. She then smiled and rubbed his head. "I know, brother. I know." She then walked back to them and sighed in defeat. "Fine. One night." "Yay!" shouted Rarity excitedly. Rarity and AJ walked her home as Dash took Spike home and headed back to the apartments to tell Fluttershy and Twilight. She walked in the door, and Twilight was eating soup along with Fluttershy's brother. "And then I told her just to go for it. Oh, you should have seen how much the girl swooned over me." "Uh," Twilight said, barely paying attention. "Oh, hey look, it's Dash. Hey, Dash, maybe you can entertain him for a minute." She smiled nervously and mouthed the words please and thank you. Dash's eyes flew wide. "Oh, no. Oh, no—not him," she muttered. "Oh, Dash, nice to see ya. It's been a while, huh?" "Uh, hi, Zephyr," she said, throwing a forced smile. "Uh, where's Fluttershy...?" "Oh, she's on her date; can you believe it?" Dash's jaw dropped, "What!?" Fluttershy walked down the street. The night air was growing colder with every step. And why wouldn't it? It was only a week away from December. Some of the stores started to show Christmas decorations in the window, but mostly there were still November turkey day advertisements. The more she walked, the more nervous she began to feel. She wore a simple blue dress and a pair of dress pants, complemented by a warm, somewhat wool and leather jacket. Though it wasn't real leather; she never wore real leather, but it did complete the look. As she saw her reflection, it wasn't her outfit that she was worried about. She kept putting a hoof over her mouth, hoping her fangs would not come out tonight. The last thing she needed was for her date to find out she was a mutant freak crossed with a vampire. And if that wasn't bad enough, it was the fact that she was going on a date in the first place that had her on edge the most... How did she get into this mess, she asked herself...? It was her brother's fault... "Hey, sis," her brother said as he walked through the door. He was a mint green pony, and other than his height, he looked just like their father when he was younger. He was the tallest in the family, but that wasn't saying much. Most of the Breeze family were short, and Fluttershy was no different. Even among her friends, she was the shortest. However, ever since becoming a mutant pony, she began to get skinnier, making her look taller. "Wow, uh, you okay?" he asked. "Hmm, yeah, I'm fine. Why?" "Well, look at you. Have you eaten anything? You look so pale; are you sick?" He set a hoof on her head. This action seemed out of character for him. "Zephyr, I'm fine. College has changed me a bit, that's all. It's stressful, but I assure you, I'm fine." She raised her eyebrows at how oddly concerned he was for her at the moment. "Oh good, 'cause if you were sick, Mom would kill me. Hey, I gotta ask, how's Rainbow?" And there it was, the brother she knew. With a deadpan expression, she replied, "She's good." "That's good, because after not having the pleasure of seeing me for months, I was worried about her mental health... after all, she did always have a thing for me." He flipped back his hair and gave a sly smile. Dash—Rainbow—never liked her brother. She tolerated him since she and Dash were friends, but her brother was always a bad flirt. Keyword: bad. "Especially since I have to break her heart and let her know I, myself, am dating." "You have a girlfriend?" she asked. "Oh no. I've just been dating. I got to tell you about this one girl I met. She was quite the feline, and not just because she was a cat." He winked at her. "But I, of course, have to keep my options open, so I only go on first dates." He shrugged and smiled. It was clear that he could never get a second date. But Fluttershy was too kind to point that out and let her brother just tell his tall tales. He was going to be staying the week with her at the apartment; Dad and Mom would be there the day before Thanksgiving. "So tell me, sis, how's your guy?" Fluttershy jumped at that. "Zephyr, I'm not dating." She blushed, embarrassed to talk about this. "I'm studying." "What, you really came to Canterlot, one of the most esteemed schools full of great lookers, just to study? Oh, please, sis, I'm your little brother. You can tell me." "No, I'm not lying. I am not dating anyone." "Oh, I see," he said slyly, keeping an eye on her. "It's a secret romance then, isn't it?" "No, no," she insisted. "Okay, whatever, don't tell me. It's a good thing I made you a dating profile then." "What!?" "Your first date's tonight, actually. Have fun," he winked. "Unless you actually have someone." "No, I don't," she said, petting her snake and glaring at him. Her eyes were close to turning red. "Then I did you a favor! You need a chance to loosen up and find a special someone." "Zephyr, I—" "It’d be rude not to show up," he grinned. At that, she was defeated. And here she was, on a Saturday night, dressed up, going to meet a blind date. "Darn you, brother," she muttered between her teeth. Soon, she was near the fancy restaurant where apparently she was supposed to meet her date. She took a step towards it but then stepped back. She quickly walked down the alleyway. As she did, she grew more and more nervous, and her breath quickly became erratic. "I can't do this," she uttered to herself. "I am not ready for this." She muttered as she shook her head. She got control of her breath and sighed. "Okay, it's just dinner. You can then tell whoever he is that you're not looking for someone and that it was your brother who set you up... oh come on, that would be so mean. What if he's a really nice guy?" She paused. What if he was a cute guy? Would she stay then? Could she? A relationship. She knew that one day she wanted to have a family, wanted to meet someone kind, strong, tall, and handsome. But between her schoolwork, her being a mutant pony, and becoming a superhero on a mission to stop other mutants with her friends, was this really a good time to start a relationship? Would she ever get another chance? All these questions ran through her mind. She didn't even notice the guys who walked up to her. One was a short cat dressed in a pair of dirty clothes; the other was a pony just over her height, dressed worse than the cat. Both reeked of alcohol, and it took everything Fluttershy had not to gag. The cat grabbed her arm while the pony pulled out a knife. The cat set a paw over her mouth. "No need to scream, mare. We're not gonna hurt you; we're just here to rob you," the cat said. "Sorry, we need the cash," said the pony, continuing, "Just hand over what you have, and no one gets hurt." She wanted to scream but couldn't. However, was it a scream or a yell? As the pony went to grab her saddlebag, her bat-like instincts began to kick in. The moment he grabbed her bag, she was going to drop-kick him and tear apart that cat. She seemed like a little shy pony, but she had quite the wild side. Especially being a mutant. But as the pony went for the bag, another shadow fell over them. The two looked at the figure and shouted, "Get out of here!" In a deep, dark voice, a response came that made a cold chill run down everyone's spine. "You two again, huh? Never learn, do you?" The two's eyes widened, and they shook in fear when they saw him. "This is the third time I've caught you robbing a mare." The shadow took a step forward. "Hey, we uh— we got a knife. Now back off," the pony said with fear in his voice. "If you were smart, you'd let go of that knife." The pony and cat stood, not being able to move a muscle. Fluttershy wanted to kick that cat's head off. But she was too interested in her savior. He took another step, and the pony with the knife lunged at him. He grabbed the pony's hoof, and with his free one, he punched him right in the jaw, making him drop to his knees. The cat pulled out his claws and swiped at the shadow, but he seemed to come in contact with nothing but air. A punch came to his gut, and the two robbers could do nothing but run from their attacker. The tall figure, who Fluttershy still could make no detail of, stood at his full height. As if he were the shadow itself. He dusted off his shoulders with a slight chuckle. She watched as, with each laugh, the shadow shook with amusement. He then began to walk away back into the dark corner of the alley. "Wait, stop, please," Fluttershy shyly said, not knowing why. The figure stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Ah, you're still here, huh?" "I, uh..." She stuttered. She still had a little bit of instinctual fear telling her to run. But she stood still. "Thank you for, uh..." The shadow turned completely towards her but she couldn't make out any features. "What's a little filly like you doing in a place like this, anyway? A dark alley on the south side of town. Not a good place to be in the middle of the night." He spoke with a bit of amusement in his voice, yet a hint of boredom was there too. The conflicting tone made Fluttershy even more cautious of him. But she had to thank him for doing what he did. He acted like a true hero. "I, uh... I'm supposed to be on a blind date, but my brother is the one who set me up. I don't know the guy, and I just needed some air when those two mugged me." Why she was saying any of this was clearly out of nerves alone. "Well, you're clearly not used to the south side of town. This is the roughest part of the city. Many of the neighborhoods around here are not the friendliest." "I was supposed to go to Landy's for dinner." "You would have been fine had you not taken the back alleyway. Landy, huh? Funny, I'm on my way there myself," he said as he knelt over and picked up a briefcase. "Your date is probably waiting there. Come on then; I'll walk you to it." He said and walked over toward her. She nodded and didn't say another word as the two quietly walked out of the alley back toward the restaurant. She stepped into the light first, and he stopped just before the light of the street lamps could hit him, almost as if a barrier stopped him from moving forward. "Ugh, such a ridiculous restaurant. Most of its love-struck couples." "So, are you on a date too, then?" she asked. She regretted it, thinking to herself that it was a stupid question. She should just walk away from him. Why was she still walking beside him? She's supposed to be on a date. What if the guy she's supposed to be with sees them walk in together? She didn't want to give the wrong idea. "I'm here on business. An associate of mine set up a meeting with a potential client." "Miss Beez, I think," he said, taking a step into the light, allowing Fluttershy to finally see some detail on him. He was a tall pony, nearly twice her height. She wasn't the tallest pony ever, but she barely stood above his stomach. He was dressed in a dark gray trench coat and a matching hat with a large brim that was just a shade darker than his own fur. He wore large red sunglasses; she could barely see the hint of two sunken eyeballs underneath them. It was strange since it was night. Even with the trench coat giving him some size, it was clear he was very skinny, especially his face. He looked as if he were death itself—a head of a pony, no doubt, but a rather skull-like one. She was so taken aback by his appearance that what he said hardly registered with her. "Miss. Breeze. Um, Breeze." He finally set his eyes on her, still under the sunglasses. "You know her?" he questioned. "I, uh, yes. I'm Fluttershy, Fluttershy Breeze." A moment of awkward silence sat between them, only to be broken by his laughter. "Oh, great," he smiled and said in an amused tone. "Oh." He shook his head. "I am so gonna get him back for this." "For what?" she asked, intrigued. "My apologies, Miss—" "Breeze," she told him. "Miss Breeze. A business partner I'm associated with told me I was to meet a client for our new product. I don't normally go to meetings unless I absolutely have to… he insisted I come. Haha. You're not here for our new line of joke books. That guy set me up on a blind date. Oh, how amusing!" He laughed as he gripped his stomach with his free hoof. "And the best part about it is you don't want to be here either. Haha." He slapped his own leg. He was clearly losing it, and his laughter was contagious. Watching him, for some reason, all the nervousness and fear she had of the night just melted away, and she felt a small giggle rising in her throat. The way he was handling this situation made her relax. When he finally stopped laughing, he turned to her. "Well, with this odd occurrence, I don't think a romantic candle-lit dinner at a fancy restaurant fits. But it wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me to waste your time. You did get all dressed up, after all." He waved his hoof in her direction. She looked down at herself with a small smile. "I know a great little coffee shop just down the street. Instead of a date, why don't you let me buy you a cup, and we'll chat for a bit before I give you a ride home?" At that, her expression grew slightly surprised. "Um, give me a ride?" "Yes, I can't let you walk home. It will soon be late, and the later the night, the more dangerous these streets get." He smiled. "Believe me, I'm only being courteous, just like you have no interest in a relationship." This made her completely comfortable. He was only trying to be nice. And a simple cup of coffee at a little shop sounded way better than a full romantic dinner. She gave him a slight nod, and with that, the two set off. Down the street and around the corner, actually on the corner itself, was a little coffee shop called Sugar Cube Corner. "Here we are," he said as he opened the door for her. She walked in, and the smell of cinnamon, sugar, and coffee filled her nostrils. It was a very nice little mom-and-pop shop, and it was just on the edge of the south and east parts of town. She had never been this way, but she really liked this small part of the city. There were a few booths by the window, a few tables in the center, and an outside seating area. An old fellow was wiping down tables when the two walked in. He looked up when he noticed the door open. "Welcome to Sugar Cube Corner, the sugariest corner in the city. I'll be with you in a minute," the tall old pony said. There were a few customers inside, but otherwise, it was quite empty. A blue mare with pink hair was at the counter, serving coffee. The colt's eyes widened when he saw who stepped in behind Fluttershy. He gasped. "Oh, oh, it's you, sir. Please sit down." "Please, Mr. Cake. I'm just a customer," her date said. "Of course, of course. And who is this?" "I'm Fluttershy, Fluttershy Breeze." "Oh my, such a lovely date! Honey, look who's come and brought his date." His wife at the cash register looked up and gasped as she waved excitedly. "Haha, not a date. She is just a friend… mind if I get a table near the window?" he asked as he waved hi to the others. "Of course, of course! The back corner is clean. Let me get you some menus." "You're a regular here?" she asked as she took her seat. "I wish. No, I don't get enough time to come down here myself. I usually send my assistant to fetch me something." Mr. Cake returned to the two of them. He placed the menus down. "I suppose you want your usual?" The tall gray pony took off his sunglasses and pulled out a pair of reading glasses. "Yes," he said as he took a look at the menu. His eyes were a bright crimson, but nothing out of the ordinary. "Two chocolate muffins and a nice ginseng tea." "You like tea?" she asked. "Yes, trust me..." he said as he took his glasses off and set his hoof on the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes tightly... "If I drink coffee, I'm as hyper as a little filly. I won't be able to sleep tonight." "And you, ma'am?" Mr. Cake asked. She looked at the menu but quickly found her answer. "I'll have what he's having, only, um, one muffin, please." "Of course, ma'am," Mr. Cake said, grabbing the menus and heading back to the counter. "Believe me, they have the best muffins in the city. I've tried forever to get them to give me their secret, but they always refuse. Which is fine; it just means I'm always ordering from here. They also deliver. And while their tea is great, their shakes are not bad either," he said as he once again traded glasses. He looked out the window with a somewhat bored expression. Fluttershy didn't notice the smile on her face the entire time she was there until she felt her expression slightly frown at how sad he looked for just a very brief moment. But it was brief as the food and tea came to the table. He turned and perked right up as he ate his muffin. He took a few sips of his tea but stayed very quiet and seemed mostly uninterested in anything else, including her. Still, it gave her, for some unknown reason, the confidence to start small talk, which was a surprise even to her. She was never the one to start a conversation... she was always shy and nervous. But something about him made her feel relaxed, as if she were talking to an old friend she had known for many years. He wasn't exactly handsome. In fact, he looked almost sick due to how skinny he was. But his appetite showed anything but that, as he quickly scarfed down one of his two muffins before she could even comment. "So, um, what is it you do? What is the product that you were going to show me?" she asked as she took a bite of her muffin. He looked up from his almost-gone muffin, crumbs all over his face, which made her stifle a giggle. "Oh, I tend to be a profit manager. I have many contracts with many accounts. This one, though, is for a corporation called Cheese's Jokes Imports. Have you heard of it?" "Oh yes, my friend loves that place. She's really into playing pranks and stuff." "Yes, well, Mr. Cheese does many things trying to make people laugh. For one thing, we have pranks galore for sale, many party supplies, and tonight..." He brought up his briefcase and opened it. He sifted through a few files and pulled out a book—a joke book, to be exact—and handed it to her. "A joke book co-written by both he and me. I used to be an upstage comedian and met him long ago. He asked me to join him and be his money manager. Considering my position in the banks, I couldn't refuse." She flipped through the book and skimmed through some of the jokes. They were mostly bad dad jokes, and it made her chuckle. He returned the laugh as he wiped his tea. "No offense, but these are terrible," she told him, handing back the book. "Ah, but a bad joke that makes you smile is a good joke in my opinion," he said with a grin and placed her book in his briefcase. "It's a shame you're not truly a client wanting to endorse the book; it seems you don't mind the humor." She shrugged with a smile. "And what about you, Miss Breeze?" he asked as his smile faded away, and he looked out the window. He seemed uninterested again. "What is it that you do?" "Oh, I'm studying to become a veterinarian at Canterlot College." "Canterlot, eh? That's quite a prestigious school," he said with a bored tone, still sounding uninterested. "Quite difficult to get into." "Oh yes, I'd never get in if not for my modeling and singing jobs." "You're a model and a singer, eh? Makes sense." "What do you mean by that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. How she was able to say this without an ounce of nervousness at all, she had no idea. While his tone and position didn't change as he looked out the window, he said something very kind that took her completely by surprise. "While I think a compliment might be too much, if I may be so bold, you do look rather pretty." A surprise to be sure, but while she didn't blush or anything, she could feel her face grow warm, and she looked away, hoping nothing more would come. "Still, looks aren't everything, especially in this city. You have to be smart to get anywhere. If you're studying to be a veterinarian at one of the most esteemed schools in the country, you're well on your way." Two compliments in the same sentence. Fluttershy didn't know what to say and returned to her tea. "Personally," he continued, "I am not one for pets. Though I do have a jellyfish sitting in a fish tank at home." Fluttershy almost choked. "Ah, jellyfish." "Yes, quite interesting creatures. No heart, no brain, yet still alive. And dangerous if you get too close." He continued his drink and ate his last muffin while staring out the window. Something about the way he said the last part almost seemed like a warning. Feeling a bit put off by that, she didn't say much else and finished her muffin. When she was done, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill, setting it on the table. "Oh no, no, it's on the house," Mr. Cake said. "Absolutely not, I refuse," the colt said. "Oh please, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't be in business. I must insist it's on the house. Besides, it was only fifteen dollars." "Fine, consider it a tip," he told Mr. Cake. "Oh no, please, I can't accept a hundred." "Take it before I change my mind." He shrugged and headed to the door. Mr. Cake smiled and gave Fluttershy a nod. Goodbye. She returned the gesture and ran after her companion, who had already left the small store. "That was kind of you," she said as she exited the door. "That little shop has been there since I was a kid. Most places like that have all but disappeared as the city's progression has bought up property. I hope they never close," he told her while his back was turned to her. "Now let's get you home." "Yes, yes, of course. Um, where's your car?" "Who said anything about a car?" he chuckled as he got on the back of a motorcycle. Her eyes widened at the sight of it. Seeing her hesitation, he gave a little shrug and gestured with a motion of his head for her to come on. She gulped for a second and then got on the back of the cycle. He revved the engine, making her jump, which only made him smirk. "Hold on to me now. I don't want you falling off." She nervously wrapped her hooves around him as he set off. The two rode down the streets, the wind blowing through Fluttershy's pink hair. She didn't want to admit it, but it was clear by the look on her face that she was having fun. He saw her expression in the mirror of the bike and grinned at it. He wouldn’t admit it either, but the date was going well. Finally, he asked for her address while they stopped at a stoplight. She told him about the apartment, and he drove her home. He came to a stop just in front of the building. She was smiling and having such a blast on the back of his motorcycle that when it was all over, she felt a bit disappointed as she got off. It was almost eleven by the time she got home. "Umm, thank you again for saving me. And, uh, for the night. Tonight was fun." "No problem, Miss Breeze. I had a good time. You’re probably the only one I've gotten along with in years. I hope you have a good holiday." She jumped as she realized it was Thanksgiving in a few days. "Goodbye." This was goodbye. It was a big city, and the very idea that they'd ever meet again was slim. But she said goodbye and went inside. As soon as he could no longer see her, he left on his bike. She could hear him ride away. Finally, a smile spread across her face. A sad one, but a smile nonetheless. At least she had fun. As she put the key in the lock, her brother's annoying snores filled the air. But it was Dash who looked up from the couch. "Dash, what are you doing here?" "I came looking for you, but your brother said you were on a date." She yawned. "Who is it? Was he a jerk? Just tell me what he looks like, and I'll clobber him for ya." Fluttershy shook her head. “No, no, it’s not like that.” "Okay, then, why do you look so sad?" "Oh, uh. Do I? I, uh... well," she said, wincing as if in pain. "The thing is, I actually had a good time. He was a great guy, and... and I'll never see him again." "What do you mean?" Dash asked. "Did he not ask you out again? Did he not give you his phone number? Oh, okay, that's it; just tell me his name, and I'll clobber him." Dash said as she punched her hoof. "No, no, we both didn’t want to. I mean, at first, but then..." She sighed. Then her eyes grew wide. His name! She never asked him what his name was. She went on a blind date and had the time of her life, but never learned the guy's name. "Great, Fluttershy, you feather-brain,” she muttered to herself. "Dash, I don't know his name; I never asked for it." Author's Note YOU DIDNT ASK FOR HIS NAME!!! 😆 Well I hope you all have enjoyed this chapter and you don't mind the fluttercord B plot.
Chap 6 updates“Fascinating,” Twilight said as she examined a scale marked in red with a power number. “What is it, Twilight?” asked Applejack, in a lab coat. “Well, these readings are off-the-charts in terms of electromagnetic power…” “Hun, I’m a biologist of fruit; you’re gonna have to explain a bit.” Twilight grinned ear to ear, excited about the possibilities. “Well, AJ, you know how this purple liquid keeps changing?” AJ nodded. “The power to do that is incredible. I have never seen anything like it. It's like the molecules, the very atoms of the DNA structure, are constantly changing—broken down, split, and reattached in all sorts of ways.” She showed AJ the device in her hoof, still with a huge grin on her face. “This measures power output. And from these readings, what we have here is close enough to the power a nuclear plant puts out.” At that, AJ jumped. “So uh, does that mean it’s radioactive?” “That’s the biggest shock, AJ. It doesn’t put out anything harmful like radio waves; all it puts out is an electromagnetic field of energy.” Twilight opened a drawer and pulled out a compass, and it pointed straight to the substance. “It just holds a very strong magnetic field. There are no ill effects from it at all, unless it comes in contact with any living strand of DNA. Then it solidifies into gold.” “Gold?” asked AJ. “Yeah. All our blood, our DNA samples, hold a golden compound right in the middle of our genome.” “Well, that’s strange.” “Yeah. It's a darn shame. This could be used to help many people. We could power an entire city with just a gallon of this stuff. But instead, it’s…” She frowned. “It’s being used to do evil.” “Okay, well now we know how it works. Is there any way to reverse it?” “No idea, AJ. Once it solidifies the gene, it would take just as much energy to remove it. But the chances of anyone surviving a treatment like that…” Twilight didn’t finish her sentence. She didn’t have to. AJ already got the idea. “So, okay, if we can’t cure it, at least we can stop others from using it, right?” “Right,” Twilight replied. “Any leads as to where this stuff came from?” “Me and the gang have been trying to track down, well, you know,” she said, a bit apprehensively. “But we still got no leads.” Twilight looked away from her in thought. “Twi, we could really use your…” Before AJ could finish her sentence, Rarity came bursting through the door. In a sing-song voice, she said, “We’re back, and look at what I brought!” Not far behind her was Fluttershy, shy as always with half her hair covering her face, but a smile nonetheless. Twilight was thankful to be interrupted; she still didn't want to talk about her brother. “Are those our new costumes?” asked AJ. “Yes, darling! Finished them only this morning. Here’s yours and Twi, here’s yours.” She looked around, “Where’s Dash?” “Out on patrol with Spike,” Twilight told her. Just then, the TV, which was on in the background, playing the basic news channel, erupted to life. “Breaking news, everybody, breaking news,” said the female cat reporter. “This just in: a chimera attack on the east side of the city down Candy Lane. To my surprise, it’s two chimeras. A blue griffin is fighting what looks to be a cross between a wild boar and a dog. If you are in the vicinity, you should evacuate immediately for safety.” “Well, a good time to try our new costumes,” AJ said. Twilight nodded. “Okay, team, get ready as quickly as you can. Looks like Dash is already on the…” Just then, Spike called, “Hello." Fluttershy said, answering the phone. “HELP!!! Dash is fighting off a—” “We know; we saw it on the news. We’ll be right there,” Fluttershy told him. “Hey, that reminds me, Spike. Did you ever find those two you were searching for?” “Not yet, Twi,” he replied. “They’ve totally escaped.” Down an alleyway sat the two odd siblings in questioning. “You know we didn’t have to run away like that. They could have helped us find him,” said Jr., trying to fix his watch. “They are not supposed to know we exist, dumb-dumb,” his sister said, fixing the bike… again. “Hey, that bed was comfortable! We haven’t slept in a nice bed like that since we were seven.” “And if you want the world to sleep in nice beds, we have a mission to complete.” “But…” “But nothing!” she yelled, catching him off guard. Seeing a look of hurt in her brother's eyes, she sighed. “Look, I’m sorry, okay? I know ever since Mom died we’ve been on the run, and it hasn’t been easy.” Her brother crossed his arms with a sulking face. “And I know that after all we've been through, a world like this, with great comfort, is tempting.” He looked away from her, but she got up and pulled his chin to look at her. “But don't forget why we came,” she said in a pleading tone. “I’m not, sis. I just don’t see why we can’t enjoy this time too,” he said, removing her hoof from his chin. “I mean, look, we have at least a year—plenty of time to live the good life and complete the mission. I'm just tired of living on the streets. That place back there had pancakes. Pancakes, like Mom used to make. I mean, don’t you want to at least eat pancakes?” At that, her stomach gurgled her answer. She sighed. “Bro, I'll make you a deal. We’ll get pancakes at the next diner.” He smiled excitedly at that. “But…” He rolled his eyes at her shift in tone. “We've got to keep moving. We have to find Pops or we’ll never be able to stop what’s coming.” With that, Jr.'s expression turned to a concerned one, and he then gave her a swift and determined nod. “Good, because we're never going back there, not ever again. Now come on, help me fix this bike.” “Okay. But perhaps we should find some new parts for it.” “No,” she said, determined. “This bike is original. What about you? You want to get a new watch?” “Just a part or two.” “And how many parts do we get before it's a totally different object?” she said with a scowl. He looked at his watch and then back to her. “Okay, okay, I get it,” he said, grabbing the wrench out of her hoof and getting to work. A wild boar-like chimera, originally a dog, terrorized the town. Dash, in her griffin form, flew right into him, using a little storm of wind behind her to give her a boost. It sent the chimera flying across the street and into a building. Unfortunately, it just wasn't enough to take it out. It kicked back and flung her across the street. She hit a car, just missing Spike on the side. “Uh, what's it gonna take to finish this guy?” “Don't worry, backup's coming, Dash.” “By the time they get here, I might be dead,” she joked. “Yeah, you look pretty dead,” AJ’s voice replied. Dash looked over and saw AJ dressed in a red jumpsuit, a black mask, a cowboy hat, with a rope hanging from her belt along with other small gadgets. Her lion's mane and claws were fresh from the fight as she brought up her scorpion tail. “Applejack...” Dash said with relief. “Nope, not anymore. Call me,” she winked, “Mistress Mare-velous.” She then grabbed her rope with her scorpion tail and spun it around until she threw it over the beast. The boar-headed dog didn't like being roped and tugged at it. Mistress Mare-velous struggled to keep her footing. “Don't worry, I've got you covered,” Fluttershy said as she grabbed the rope too. She was dressed in a green jumpsuit, blue mask, and matching boots and belt. No gadgets. She flung out her bat-like wings, trying to flap them to hold herself in place. “Just make sure you don't go crazy on us, Saddle Rager,” Mistress Mare-velous called out. The bat pony nodded and continued to struggle against the rope holding down the chimera. “Oh, those are awesome suits,” Dash chimed in. Someone jumped on top of the car over her head. “Yes, well, there is one for you too, darling,” said Rarity, poking her head over. She was dressed in a sparkly dark blue diving uniform with purple crystals on her suit. She wore a matching mask over her eyes. “If we're going to be heroes, might as well look the part.” “Rarity, is that you?” asked Dash. “Rarity? Ha! I think you mean RADIANCE! And the best part about these suits is I’ve made them stretchable, elastic, beautiful, and comfortable. Even when I’m in my sea pony form, it will change right with me,” she said as she grabbed a bottle from her belt. One sip of water, and she turned into a sea pony. She jumped and slapped the beast with her fin-like tail; it was enough of a blow that it knocked out the chimera. “Good work, everyone,” said Shadow Star in her new outfit. She wore a maroon-purple suit, a matching mask, a blue color that matched her horn, and a matching belt with tons of gadgets on it, along with a black cape. She pulled out a syringe and then gave the knocked-out creature the medicine. “There, and now I don’t even have to shoot a dart at him. You guys did great.” “Yeah, good work team,” Dash said, clearly dizzy. “We'll have your injuries looked at as soon as we get back,” Twilight told her. “We also have your suit there,” said Radiance. Just then, they heard the sound of sirens. “Time to go,” Mistress Mare-velous commented. She pulled out a ball and threw it on the floor. When the ball popped, a smoke screen was created, and the mutant heroes left, leaving no trace. The boar-headed dog lay there, knocked out perfectly, ready to be taken into police custody without issue. “This just in: according to witnesses, a whole team of mutants in costumes were battling it out with the crazy out-of-control boar chimera. While he was knocked out and captured by the police, the others escaped. Who are these other chimeras, and can we really trust them?” said the reporter over the radio. “Ha! Did you hear that, boss? A squad of superheroes or something. Strange time we're living in, huh?” Fito asked as he drove the car. “Um, boss?” He gave a slight look over his shoulder, but the boss gave no response. Instead, he sat staring down at a photograph. His expression was unreadable. Fito decided it was best not to ask. As for Mr. Ghost, his mind was elsewhere as he moved his hoof slightly, revealing the final details of the photo. The photo was a family one by the looks of it—a happy family at that. A white stallion with blue hair and a hero's smile stood over what looked like a mini clone of himself. A little lower in the frame was a little purple, wide-eyed filly with a grin only a filly could produce. His hoof covered the mother's face, but she seemed to match her daughter. His eyes were focused on the young colt who matched his father in every way as the last conversation he had with the boy came to his mind. “You failed me again, I see,” he said, with an amused tone to his voice. Shining Armor had a stern face and didn't look one bit scared of the figure in the shadows. “It was dark; I must have gotten the darts mixed up. I’m sorry, sir,” he said, putting as much distaste into the word “sir” as he could. A detail that didn't go unnoticed by Mr. Ghost. “Yes, well, your little attempts at sabotage are of no use to me.” “I don't know what you're talking about.” he said with a straight face. “Oh yes, I'm sure. Like I wouldn't know the difference between pig's blood and pony blood. Lucky for you, I had another vendor that was picked up by another agent of mine.” Shiny continued to play dumb. “Or the painkillers laced with poison. Again, creative, but not enough.” “Maybe your clients are trying to kill you, sir,” he said unamused. “Oh yes, that must be it. It's not like you mutated an innocent girl just so I wouldn't be able to work on her, is it?” He said with a wide grin. Shining continued to play dumb and said nothing, looking as if he didn't know what Mr. Ghost was talking about. The figure then grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, raising him off his back hooves. This made Shining finally break his expression. A look of fear struck his face now. “I have had just about enough of you. If I wasn’t in charge of your well-being, I’d have gotten rid of you a long time ago.” The creature known as Mr. Ghost snarled. “I'll never stop. Never,” Shining repeated. He was scared, he was nervous, but he was brave too, and Mr. Ghost had to give him at least that much. Mr. Ghost was close to strangling the colt right there, but he let him go free. Shining dropped to the ground at his feet, coughing as he regained his oxygen. “Well, you’ll be glad to know your little attempts have done nothing to stop my research.” “You’ll never get those files,” the pony on the ground coughed. “Oh, there are plenty of ways to get the files I need. Granted, holding Mr. Shine’s daughter as hostage would make the deal that much quicker, but I assure you, Mr. Sparky, I have other ways of getting what I want.” He articulated his voice in such a way that disturbed Shining. “I'll go to the police; I'll—” “Oh yes, yes, and look like an insane pony? You don't even know who I am.” He chuckled darkly. “Good luck with that, Sparky,” he said before walking away, leaving the terrified colt on the floor. Mr. Ghost stared at the happy young colt in the photo, remembering the face he made last night. He then moved the edge of his hoof away from the upper corner, revealing the mother's face. She was a dark purple pony, a shade darker than her daughter, and had reddish hot pink hair. He looked at her, his expression never changing. “Oh, if only you knew my boy. If only you knew,” he said, eyeing the mother. Just then, the car stopped, and the door opened as someone got in. Mr. Ghost put the photo in the pocket of his jacket as he turned to his assistant. “We’re all set, boss,” Capper said as he held up some dry-cleaning. In his paw was a nice business suit that fit him. “Good, I can't have you dressed for the prom this time, now can I?” Capper smiled nervously at that. “So we're going to be crashing the party then…” “Technically no; I mean, I am invited, after all,” he said as the car began to roll away.
Chapter 7 The GallaChapter 7 The Galla Twilight, as always, was dressed in her lab coat, examining the strange purple liquid. Applejack pulled out a tray of cold, strange red vials and placed it next to Twilight. Never taking her eyes off the purple liquid, she picked up a vial and carefully dropped a single red drop on the substance. As soon as it hit, the liquid froze solid. “Ugh.” Twilight pulled back her head, taking off her safety glasses. “Well, that worked,” AJ chuckled. “We weren’t trying to freeze the substance; we were trying to undo it.” She sighed as she typed into her computer. “Vial number six froze the subject, most likely lethal; test number 7018 failed,” she deadpanned. AJ smiled. “Look at it this way, Twi, at least we know what doesn’t work.” Twilight smiled at that. As much as she didn't want to admit it, having an assistant— a real one that actually, for the most part, understood what she was trying to accomplish—helped greatly. It was even better that she was also a chimera and understood why this was so important. A fellow scientist as well, if not a little country. Unlike Twilight, who tried her best to keep everything sterile, AJ had dirt and other stuff all over her lab coat, along with lion hair due to her mane. She finally had friends; friends willing to actually help. Just then, the door slammed open. “Hello everyone,” sang Rarity. Behind her was a very annoyed Dash in a frilly dress. Rarity smiled as she looked at her work on Dash. Dash looked, well, like a girl; everything the mare hated was on her. She was more of a tomboy and hated the fancy stuff. She had makeup on her lips, her mane all done up in a bun, and eyeliner. And then there was the dress. It was a nice silver dress with a rainbow sheen to it. It almost looked sci-fi and futuristic. It was a nice dress, but seeing it on Dash was quite a surprise since it just didn't match her usual style. AJ covered her mouth with a lion-like paw, trying to stifle her laughter. Dash looked over and glared at her. Twilight was also trying her best not to say anything. “Oh, isn’t she just beautiful?” Rarity boasted. “She looks wonderful, Rare,” Twilight replied nicely. “Ugh, why me?” Dash complained. “Oh, come now, Dash, you look well.” AJ rolled over laughing, making Dash's face grow red. “Dash, Dash, Dash,” Rarity smiled. “DON’T listen to AJ; you look great. Besides, now that you and Fluttershy are done, it’s Twilight and AJ’s turn.” “Hey, where's Fluttershy?” asked Twilight. “Um, over here,” said a small voice just outside the door. “Rarity, are you sure about this?” She asked, sticking her head in the door. All that was seen was a little pink hair and a blue eye. “Come on, Flutters, you look great.” “Uh, well, okay,” she said in a shaky voice. She then stepped into the doorway. Fluttershy wore a rather simple dress with a jacket that hid her wings. The end of the dress flowered out like a black rose. But her dress was mostly a strawberry red with green and blue stitching, and a green jacket to match. It was a very beautiful dress, but Fluttershy did wish it was a little less eye-catching. She didn't like bringing attention to herself. Everyone in the room, except Rarity, stopped for a moment in surprise. “Woah, Fluttershy, you are definitely a model, that’s for sure,” AJ said. She then looked at herself. “Wish I had your look; I'm a bit too bulky to pull off a dress like that.” Fluttershy gave a slight blush and hid behind her hair. In it was a simple arrangement of flowers that matched the dress, braided in but nothing too noticeable. “Umm, thank you.” “Well, it took an hour, but you two look great. Next!” Rarity sang, pulling out two more dress bags. Twilight looked at them with a warm feeling building up in her. She never went to prom since she was homeschooled, and a bit of her wondered if this is what it would have been like. Of course, this was no high school dance she was going to; she was going to attend a very important high-class party. “You guys are certain about this, right?” asked Twilight. “I mean, the gala is such a pristine party and…” “And nothing! I’ve been there the last two years, darling. It’s a fun party, and anyone who’s anyone will be there. All high class, 18 and over are invited. I tried to get Fluttershy last year to join me, but she refused to go.” “Yes, well, it will be good to have some fun for a change,” she softly said. “I mean, we’ve worked so hard with school, work, and being heroes.” “Fluttershy’s right; we deserve a night’s break to be normal and have fun like college students do,” AJ chimed in. “Granted, I'm not really into dresses either.” She rolled her head. “Oh, come on! Now let’s get you two ready, shall we?” Rarity sang. An hour later, it was close to 7:00. Fluttershy was playing a game of chess with Dash. "Checkmate," she softly said as Dash still looked upset about her appearance. "Oh good. Hey, are you ready yet? The party starts soon!" she complained. "Almost!" Rarity called out. Dash sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror. "What is it, Dash, do you not like your dress?" Fluttershy asked. "The dress is fine; it's the hair and makeup. It sucks. I look like a—" "A girl," said Twilight with an amused look. "Yeah, and..." She stopped when she saw Twilight. She wore a purple outfit that faded into a blue starry night sky-like pattern. Her hair was done up, with makeup matching Dash's. "Oh, you look great, Twi. The hair looks good on you." "Thank you, Flutters," Twilight replied. Rarity stepped out in a pretty crystal dress with a matching hat and makeup. "Oh, isn't this fun?" she squealed. "Applejack, come on!" she shouted for her. "I am not going!" Applejack shouted back in the most country accent ever heard, even for her. "What!? Oh, come on, you look fine, darling!" said Rarity. "Come on, I'm wearing it!" yelled Dash. "Y'all gonna laugh." "No, we won't..." "Hey, you laughed at me," Dash replied. "That, of course, is because we're not used to you, Dash. AJ, come on; it's just us," Twilight told her. With a grumpy sigh, the mare in question finally came out. Her dress was almost Cinderella-like with a country twist. She wore high heels that almost looked like glass. Her straw-like hair was all done up in a bow. Her lion-like mane draped around her neck like a fur coat. She wore less makeup than Dash, but there was an annoyed look on her face. Dash laughed hard at her. "Wow, and I thought my dress was a lot." Applejack glared at Dash, who only shrugged. "Oh come on, you did it to me. You look fine." "Rarity, I'm not going out looking like a monkey." She grabbed a napkin, wiping off her face. "Oh come now, that makeup took forever!" Rarity complained. "And these darn shoes too!" She kicked them off and grabbed her dirty cowboy boots. “There, that’s better.” "What? But, but..." "I'm with you, AJ," Dash said, wiping off her makeup and ripping out her hairpins, letting her mane fall back into its normal rainbow look. Except the front stuck up a bit, but she didn't mind. "Oh fine. You look better anyway," Rarity shrugged. Twilight smiled and snickered a bit. She remembered when they first told her they were going to the gala. She had been working on her computer, cross-referencing data in hopes of finding out who had turned the others into chimerae. She hoped with every bit of her heart it wasn’t her brother. "It just can't be him. It can't be," she thought. Just then, the four girls walked in and headed to Twilight all at once. She glanced over but continued her work. "What is it?" she asked. The four just smiled. "Well, you see, darling, you know of the grand gala, right?" "You mean that big fancy party my godfather throws every year?" They all gasped. "Oh right, you met my godmother, but didn't realize that was Celestia Kang, mayor of the town." After a few moments of surprise, Rarity shook her head and continued. "Well, with you being 18, you can officially join the party... but no drinks." "I wasn't planning to go. Why do you ask?" "Well, being the daughter of the regal shine, I go every year since I was 18, and well..." She looked at the others. "We all thought perhaps you could use some fun for a night," AJ finished. "So we all got tickets to go weeks ago," Dash chimed in. "It seemed like a good idea at the time," Fluttershy said softly, a bit nervous, hiding under her hair. Twilight's eyes widened at this. "Uhh, guys, I really don’t think..." "Come on, we'll all be each other's dates and have fun together—just the five of us." "No," said Twilight. "Why not?" Dash exclaimed. "Because we're a bunch of chimera mutant freaks. One hint of our powers, and we're arrested and thrown into a lab cage. No, it isn't a good idea," Twilight said as she stood up from her computer. "Besides, there is so much work to do right now; I just don’t have the time to—" "To have fun," AJ deadpanned. "Fun? I have fun; reading books and research is my fun." She crossed her arms. "Mhm." "I can't believe this, coming from you of all ponies, AJ." "Twi, I get it. I used to believe that if you got something to do, you do it right there and then, and without any pony or anyone else. But I learned a long time ago—when I tried to farm the entire apple tree farm by myself and all in one day—I got so tired that I didn’t make a mark on the work. I learned you can’t do it all by yourself, and you can relax a little and have fun. The work will still be there tomorrow. One day won’t hurt you." Twilight was annoyed at that but understood what her friend was saying. She took on the work herself and wouldn’t let anyone touch it. She herself had also been at it constantly and without fail. "Look, Twi, I'll help you with the research, and I'll do more than be a test subject if..." She raised an eyebrow. "You give us one night to give you a break." Twilight sighed in defeat at her friend’s words and finally gave in. "Alright, but remember, our secret must be preserved at all costs. How are we gonna wear dresses and stuff when we all look, well, like this?" she said, turning a mirror on them. Dash was able to hide her beak with a fake muzzle, but AJ hid her tail and told people it got cut off in a farming accident. She also had quite the wild lion-like mane, which she told people was her favorite scarf. Fluttershy had wings, and even with a closed back, a nice dress would show them. Then there was Rarity with her fish-like tail and horn; she always had to wear a hat to cover it. "Leave it all to me, darling. I can come up with some fabulous dresses for the occasion." "And I can help stitch them," Fluttershy said sweetly. "See, we got the plan down!" Dash chimed in. Twilight had a worried look on her face but reluctantly agreed. ... That was nearly a month ago. It was near the holidays. So why not give them this little Christmas present? Twilight smiled at the memory and the thought. "Okay, gals, come on! My dad will be waiting in the limo," said Rarity. "Wait, a limo?!" the girls shouted at once. "Hello, everyone! I am your host for the night show, Candy Tails," said a cat reporter in front of her camera. "Tonight we have a big night for all of you, since we have one of the fanciest hotels all bought out for a grand night of dancing. The gala is sure to be a hit." She purred, "As you can see, the Kangs, Sombra, and his wife are indeed standing at the front of the hotel ready to greet their guests. And the first car on the red carpet is just opening up. Let's see who it is." The door opened, and a white pony dressed in a fine suit walked out, his wife in daisy yellow with a warm jacket on since it was winter, accompanying him. "Oh look, it's the Shines," said the reporter. The two stepped aside, and with them came Rarity, who waved at the cameras. "And with them, their daughter... oh, and who's that?" Fluttershy walked out next. "Oh, it's Rarity's top model, Mrs. Breeze." Then Dash and Twilight followed, along with AJ. "Oh, look folks! We got all of Rarity's friends, I'm assuming coming along. Oh, how nice for her to invite her friends... Oh, and oh. My gosh, is that Twilight Sparkle?" Twilight and her friends waved as they walked down the carpet to greet the party host. "Twilight, I'm so glad you came," Celestia said, hugging her. "Yes, it's nice to see you," said a grey pony the same height as Celestia. He had a very stylized, somewhat greasy black mane but wore a blue business suit that matched his eye color. "Hi, Uncle! It's so good to see you," Twilight said, shaking his hoof. "Likewise, Twilight, always a pleasure. I hope you have a good time; these parties can be a little boring." Celestia rolled her eyes. "You and your friends are welcome to go in." "Uh, actually, we want to see who else shows up. Do you mind if we watch from the side?" "Of course not, glad to see you," Sombra said as the next car rolled up. An hour went by as the cars rolled in with the fanciest guests—top businessmen, politicians, and some who just enjoyed the fancy life. Twilight and her friends stood by the front door, excited to see who would show up next. A car pulled up by the red carpet. When a servant opened the car door, it was none other than Filthy Rich and his wife. Their daughter was too young to come to such a party, but even as a child, everyone knew about her. A reporter pony jumped up and asked, "How is Tiara's project going?" "Oh, great," Mr. Rich said. "Our daughter is so thoughtful, making a new playground for the kids at her school. Wonderful! Thank you for asking." He said and waved to the crowd. His wife smiled but said nothing. As soon as she was turned out, she pulled out her phone and never looked up from it again as they headed inside. Filthy Rich met up with Celestia and Sombra. "Great turnout tonight, huh?" Mr. Rich complimented the party hosts. "So that’s everyone then?" "No, not quite," Celestia told them. "Oh, come now. He'll never show up," Sombra commented. "Who's that?" Mr. Rich asked. "Oh, you know. The mayor invites him every year as a complimentary gesture, but even as the richest man, he refuses to..." Just then, a black car pulled up. Mr. Rich nearly turned to ice at the sight of it. "Him?" he said, star-struck. Just then, two figures walked out. One was a cat with sunglasses dressed in a work suit like a bodyguard, and the other was a tall, lengthy stallion dressed in a slim, almost skin-tight suit with a top hat, dressed as if from the olden days. He was quite slim and tall but was a pony nonetheless. He had a fang-like overbite tooth that hung out of his mouth. He kept his eyes closed as he walked at a leisurely pace with his arms behind his back in a rather almost soldier-like stance. But it was his face that sparked the most interest. It was almost skull-like. The crowd was silent for a moment, but as he began to walk toward them, the cameras and the reporters all jumped for a photo or a word from the strange tall figure. "Who is that?" asked Dash with a raised eyebrow. "That is none other than the infamous Mr. Ghost," Rarity said, star-struck. "Famous?" Fluttershy asked. "No, not famous, Fluttershy. Infamous. He's not only a high-class businessman; he's also a banker, a war hero, and a dealer who holds most of the rights to top manufacturing plants. And if that’s not enough, he’s a lord." "A lord?" they all said in unison in response to Rarity's claims. "Yes, but he has quite the reputation for being a secretive man. Tons of rumors have spread about him." "What kind of rumors?" asked Applejack. "Oh, from being involved with the black market to being secretly a government spy for the enemy. No one knows. The only thing that is clear: Lord Ghost is a mystery." Fluttershy said nothing as the memory of her date a month ago ran through her mind. "It’s not possible, is it? Surely she must have just met someone who looks like him... Or was it that she actually went on a date with the infamous Lord Ghost?" "Lord Ghost! Mr. Ghost, please!" said a few reporters. "Tell us, is it true you work with the government? What about the rumors of your scientific research or the claims about your relationships with the wealthy females? Mr. Ghost, tell us your opinion on the chimera incidents." Mr. Ghost said nothing as he approached the front entrance. "Well, well, well," Sombra said in a surprised tone. "Welcome, Lord Ghost." "Please, please, the pleasure is all yours." He then straightened his jacket. "I am here for business matters. If I don't make an appearance here and there, people might actually think I am what my name implies," he said, as he opened his eyes half-lidded and offered an uncanny smile. It was the first time anyone could see his eyes; Fluttershy recognized them. There was no mistaking it now. The red eyes gave him away. They were a simple crimson, almost blood in color. The fur on the back of Fluttershy’s neck stood up. "No, there’s no way it's him. No way. He might look similar, but... his eyes." She remembered back. While she didn't get a good look at them exactly, she did see, in a strange way, a hint of emotion. This man. This man was emotionless in every way. Even his smile was obviously forced and not genuine. The way he walked, the way he talked. The look in his eyes. Why, it was almost sad. "Oh, thank you for coming, Mr. Ghost," Celestia said. "Here, you must meet my goddaughter. For the first time, she actually came, just like yourself. Twilight," Celestia called out. Twilight and her friends walked over, huddled in a little group. Fluttershy hid in the back as much as she could. "Hello, Lord Ghost. I'm Twilight Sparkle." "Charmed," he said with a roll of the eyes. "Uh, yes, well, it is very nice to—" "Your father, quite a pain in my side, but a good one nonetheless. My condolences, Mrs. Sparky." He gave a convincing low chuckle. "Sorry, that was always my nickname for him. I'm rather surprised; I didn't know you survived that night. As the daughter of a politician, I expect great things from you." He said it in a tone that was both convincing and yet slightly sarcastic. The conflicting tone in his voice gave no clue as to what he truly meant, and it was unnerving to Twilight. "Oh, uh... of course." She gave a slight curtsy. But as she went down out of sight, a look of annoyance crossed her face. "Who does he think he is, speaking to anyone like that? I don't care if he's a lord; I'd like to slap him," she said to herself in her mind. Mr. Ghost gave no such gesture in return and simply walked past the group entirely, entering the building. A few minutes later, someone asked to take his coat and hat, which he declined. As soon as he was far enough away, Sombra turned to his wife. "How in blue blazes did you get him to come?" "Believe me, I never expected him to," Celestia said before turning to Mr. Rich. "Well, this will be a fine evening," he smiled. "Now we truly have all the top business partners here tonight." Luna narrowed her eyes at that. She sighed. "Politics." On the other end, as soon as Mr. Ghost was far enough away, Twilight turned to her friends. "Dear me, how rude was that?" Rarity spat. "Yeah, I’d like to give him a piece of my mind," Dash replied. "Just let it go, girls. We can still have a good time, so long as none of us go near that guy," Twilight told them. "You're right, Twilight. Let's just all enjoy tonight," Applejack said. The only one not paying any attention was Fluttershy, who was lost in thought. "Fluttershy, you alright there?" asked AJ. "Huh? Oh, yes, yes, I was just, uh, thinking about something," she said, a bit startled to be addressed. "Well, in any case, let's not waste our night here," said Rarity. "Yeah, let's go in," Dash replied. "Okay, but girls, remember: Rarity doesn't drink anything. AJ, keep your claws in and your tail hidden. Dash, you barely look like a pony, so don't pull any stunts with your disguise. And Fluttershy, just keep calm." "We know, we know," Dash complained. "Seriously, I know you mean well, but we’ve got a hold of this. Nothing's gonna go wrong, sugarcube," AJ told her. Twilight sighed with a roll of her eyes, but smiled and gave a short nod afterward. The girls all giggled and decided to head in for a good night at the gala. An hour later... "Oh yes, and then I said, 'What jar?'" Hahaha, said Mr. Cheese. The group around him chuckled, except for Mr. Ghost, who had a wine glass in his hand. "If you truly need a jar, I say look for one to go over your head, 'cause that joke was awful." He smiled and took a sip of his drink. "Haha, maybe. Hey, it's really nice to see you out here," Cheese told him. "Yes, yes, I know. Unfortunately, I don't get to..." He narrowed his eyes. "party with the likes of you as often as I'd like to." His tone still seemed bored and sarcastic. Yet with his smile, they assumed he was being sincere. "Yes, well, come on now, are we all going to just stand here and drink, or are we going to dance? This is a gala, after all," said Mrs. Rich. "Yes, yes. Oh, I know! Hey, Mr. Ghost, why don't you dance with someone? I'll even hand you my wife's hand for a dance, huh?" Mr. Ghost held up his free hoof as he took a drink. "No, no, come on, you don't need me to dance." "Oh, come now," Sombra said. "Surely a dance won't hurt you. What do you think, Celestia? Why don't you take him for a dance, if not my girl?" "No, no, I refuse to dance with anyone's wife—especially yours, Mr. shine, same goes for the mayor" Mr. Ghost said with a sly grin. She narrowed her eyes at that. "Alright, fine. Suit yourself," Celestia said and took her husband's hoof, joining him for a waltz. "And what of you, Luna? Come and join in," Celestia beckoned as she broke her sister midway through the dance. "I'd rather not. Looks like you two are doing fine by yourselves." As she sat there, other ladies, married or not, began asking the infamous Mr. Ghost for a dance. He then grew a rather innocent grin that didn’t look so innocent. "Please, ladies, please." He turned to Luna, who was still sitting in the corner checking her phone for security. He raised an eyebrow and gestured to his assistant, who nodded and pulled out a flash drive. The assistant then walked over to a computer and began to work, handing his boss a mic. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said, taking everyone's notice. "Oh, what is he up to now?" Luna grumbled. He smiled widely. "I have an idea. You all want me to donate to the research fund on the chimera? Well, how about this? I’ll give the fund a hundred thousand dollars if..." He held up his hoof as the crowd gasped and whispered among themselves. "If I can get every single one of you here to dance to a little music—one of my favorite songs. It's about four minutes long, so here’s the deal: I’ll even dance twice with everyone. We’ll all switch partners every time the beat changes." Some laughed, and some were happy about it. Luna just rolled her eyes. "Oh, but everyone, including staff, must participate. That includes you, Lulu." Luna spun around towards him, furious. "Tia, you never got your sister to lighten up, did you?" Celestia just put a hoof on her head. "Oh, this isn’t gonna go well," she muttered. "I say it’s a splendid idea, Mr. Ghost," Sombra announced. Luna looked a bit annoyed at that. Twilight and her friends didn't know what to think, especially Fluttershy. Just then, the music started. To everyone's surprise, it was a popular pop song from Rara: "I Will Survive!!" It was a poppy, almost jazzy remix of the song, not the original. "Now I won’t give a dime unless I see everyone dancing, alright?" Mr. Ghost called out. As the lyrics "First, I was afraid..." began, the dancing commenced. It was something different for sure. Most high-class parties like these only had ballroom music to play, and mostly only a few danced while the others conversed. The staff itself never danced along, but tonight, with this new claim, everyone just got into the beat of the music. People swung their hips and moved their arms to the jazzy beat; everyone except Luna, who sat there annoyed at the whole situation. "Oh, come now, Luna. Find a dance partner, or all this is for nothing," Mr. Ghost called out while he stepped into a dance with a few ladies surrounding him who were more than happy to dance beside the infamous lord. Luna huffed. "Oh come now! Is it really because you can't dance? Look, everyone, your pride and joy general is scared a bit of dancing." "I am not!" Luna shouted. "Bawk, bawk!" Mr. Ghost started clucking like a chicken. The crowd joined him in clucking at her. She grew furious. "Oh, that's it! You want a dance? I'll give you a dance..." She shouted and tore off her jacket. She then stepped perfectly into the groove of the music, swinging her hips and twirling like a ballerina until she met Mr. Ghost himself, who caught her. "Haha, now that's the general I know. After all these years, you gotta lighten up a bit," he said, setting his hooves on her hips and joining her for the dance. Luna finally broke free and gave a little giggle. "Alright, I must admit, it is a bit of fun." "Right. Alright everybody, switch partners," he said as he swung around, meeting Celestia as Sombra took Luna. "This was rather kind of you, Mr. Ghost. I'm a bit surprised," she smirked, narrowing her eyes, wondering what he was up to. "Oh no, I was just hating the party, Tia. You know I'd rather enjoy some real music." She smiled at him with a raised eyebrow. "Well, you always were the life of the party." "Yes, and with that, goodbye, princess," he said as he twirled her into someone else's arms. He took up Dash next, who was starting to do the sprinkler. "Ha ha, now that's old school!" he said as he began doing the wave. Dash couldn't help but enjoy the dance, only for him to twirl her out and turn to Twilight. Twilight was having fun, doing her best to keep up with the music. But she was less than graceful and couldn't get the beat down. "Haha, don't worry, Sparky. Your father couldn't dance either," Mr. Ghost said as he started snapping to the beat. He eventually twirled her into her next dance partner, a yellow-orange colt with a fiery mane and glasses. "Okay, people! Jump back, boys on the left, girls on the right." They did as they were instructed. "That's it, that's it! Now follow me," he said as he took control of the dance floor. The boys went left and the girls went right. "That's it! Now reverse it! Come on, people!" He said, pulling it back and then rejoining his dance partner, Rarity. Rarity gave no hesitation as she enjoyed the music. But then, when he twirled her out, she found herself dancing with Spike. She was still enjoying herself. As for Mr. Ghost, Applejack was his next partner. "Ahh, a country girl, huh?" he said, jumping into a bit of a country dance that still fit the jazz beat. Applejack enjoyed herself, but ultimately he twirled her out and turned to his next dance partner. He grew a slight surprised look for a second, only to turn back into an amused one. "Well, well, well, fancy meeting you here, Miss. Breeze." Fluttershy stopped dancing for a moment and looked at him, her face growing a bit pink. "Uhh, so you remember me?" "If I may be so bold, I wouldn't forget a pretty thing like you. It was a fun night after all," he said as he took her hoof. She slowly slipped back into the notion of the dance as he took her hoof. He held it as if she were made of glass: too loose, and she would slip and break; too strong, and he would break her. In a strange way, it felt so right to be in his arms, and quickly she lost her sense of shyness with his next words. "And if I may be bolder still, that's quite the dress you have on, definitely a top model for sure." She blushed at that. "I, uh, I never did ask your name that night," she stuttered. "Mr. Ghost. Funny, I didn't think I'd see you ever again." "Yeah, same," she said, beginning to relax thanks to his tone. He still had a look of disinterest yet kept a convincing smile on his face. "So this is fun," she told him. "Yes, you see, it's why I don't come to these that often. The average ball is so boring and over the top. However, a bit of money is worth it to see the rich snobby people actually act like real people for a change. I had to do something or I'd go mad with how this ball was turning out," he said as he twirled along with her, instead of twirling her away from him. "Yeah, I must admit," she said as she stepped into the beat with him. "This party definitely picked up thanks to you." She grinned. Mr. Ghost gave a slight chuckle—a real chuckle, not like the forced ones she heard from him all night. "Well, Miss. Breeze, thank you for the dance." He twirled her away from him and into her next dance partner, a cat. "Oh," she said a bit let down. She kind of wanted to stay with him and get to know him. With that, Mr. Ghost didn't take another dance partner after the cat, but as the drums of the music kicked up, he did a solo spin. First spinning in place, then down, spinning faster and faster, meeting the comedic beat of the drums only to come up as the drums ended and the jazzy beat took over. He flung his arms out and held out his hat, doing a slight kick mid-air, catching himself on his feet. The crowd all clapped at his solo act and started dancing alongside the music again. He slipped back into the crowd and danced with another random partner for a moment before leaving it entirely. As the song came to an end, the crowd all stopped dancing and started clapping for each other and for Mr. Ghost. But to their surprise, Mr. Ghost wasn't anywhere to be seen. Nor was his servant. Instead, where he stood was a stack of cash. Luna took the money and smiled at it—not at the bills themselves, but at the memory this night had brought to her and everyone else. Celestia walked up to her. "Well, I have to admit, sister, I didn't know you could dance so well." "I never stopped those ballerina lessons Mom had us take, like you did. I just..." She blushed. "Don't like showing it." Celestia nodded, knowing all too well her sister really loved tonight. And she had Mr. Ghost to thank for it. "So where is he?" Sombra asked. "Oh, I'm afraid there will be no trace of him. He always disappears when it’s convenient for him," Luna told him. "You seem to know him quite well," Sombra remarked. "Uh, yeah. It's a long story for another time. I'm quite tired after all that dancing, so if you'll excuse me." Sombra just nodded, and Celestia hugged Luna before she left. Capper got into the car after Mr. Ghost closed the door. The driver of the car was a dog. "How'd it go, Mr. Ghost?" he asked. "Well enough, Fido," Mr. Ghost smiled. "Capper, did you get what we came for?" he asked, amused. Capper pulled out the flash drive and handed it to him. "Right here, boss." "What's wrong then, Capper?" "I just think that went too easy, sir. What if they trace the hack?" "Oh, Capper, they will trace the hack. That's the trick," he said, eyeing the flash drive. "To anyone who looks into it, I made sure it will look like another routine update. Even if they trace it, all they'll get is an unscheduled security update made by their own systems. By the time anyone finds out that those files have been copied, our trail will run stone cold." He said as he tossed the drive and caught it with his hoof, smiling a wicked toothy grin. "So back to the lab then, boss?" asked Fido. "No." The two others were surprised by this. "There is a bit of another security risk I have to deal with." Shining Armor walked out into the small living room of his apartment, holding his head as if he had a headache. "What have I done?" he muttered as he took a drink from a bottle. "Don't worry too much, Sparky," a voice called out. Shiny jumped and spun around to the voice behind him. Sitting on the couch in the dark was none other than him. Shining tried to turn on the light, but nothing came on. He flipped the switches a few times, but nothing came on. "Hmm, seems like the power's out. You really should have that looked at. And for God's sake, boy, clean up a bit. I mean, you never know when you're going to be expecting company, after all." "What are you doing here? Get out!" "Oh, yes, look at that fiery spirit of yours." "What do you want?" "I have some good news for you." "I'm not gonna do your dirty work anymore." "Oh, but I think you'll be interested in this, and you'll have to deal with it for me." Shinny narrowed his eyes. "Twilight is alive." Shinny's eyes widened. "That's—" he shook his head as he gulped. "That's impossible." "Oh, but I saw her. And she looks to have no mutant features." Shiny gritted his teeth. "Most likely she is hiding her true form and using medicine to stay sane. I highly doubt they found a cure for her. But just in case they have, I think it's time for a little family reunion. Find out everything you can and report back to me," he said, getting up and heading to the window. "Oh, and Shiny, do remember I have my ways of knowing if you lie to me." He then slipped through the window, leaving a discouraged, drunken Shiny. Author's Note The plot thickness, What do you all think 🤔?
Chap 8 Christmas ReunionChapter 8 Christmas Reunion I am dreaming... of a white Christmas, just like the one I used to know, Sang the radio. Snow began gently falling outside the window. December 24____, 6:00 a.m. Christmas Eve. Fluttershy was just finishing her chores of feeding her pets and listening to the radio. To her surprise, it was still dark out; the sun wouldn't be up for another hour due to it being the dead of winter. She was an early bird, always waking up at dawn to get a start on the day, even when she went to bed late. It wasn't easy trying to get up for her anymore since being part vampire bat now meant her body insisted on staying up at night. Tired as she was, she had to get up today. She didn't know why, but she had a strange feeling something was going to happen. Bad or good, she didn't know. Just a strange intuition she got from time to time. After her stubborn rabbit finally ate his food, she decided to check on Twilight. Twilight was a morning person too, or at least tried to be. The truth is, with so much stress on her, Twilight often stayed up in the late hours working on something—anything. Anything that would take her mind off of whatever was bothering her. And everyone knew what was bothering her. She knocked on the door slightly, and when she got no answer, she opened it slightly and peeked her head in. Fluttershy jumped back when she saw no one in her roommate's bed and rushed in to search. She immediately calmed down at the sound of the muffled snores. She turned to Twilight's desk. Not her work desk but her project desk. There was the device, the strange steampunk-esque device with pipes and circuits and dials all over, on top of a half dome-shaped object. It also had gauges and a cellphone screen for a monitor hooked up to it. The question was, what was the device? Every time anyone, including Spike, asked what the machine was or what it did, Twilight shrugged and gave a non-answer or no answer at all. "The answer to my problems," she would say in a dull tone. "Don't worry about it; it has nothing to do with the cure. Focus on what needs to be done; this is just a science fair project of mine from long ago." That gave no answer to what it did, or why she continued to work on it after so many years. Twilight, with a bit of drool on her arm, her head just above it with a screwdriver in her hoof and a pair of safety goggles on her head, was sleeping right beside the strange device that morning. Fluttershy tapped on Twilight's shoulder to see if she would wake up, but to no avail. She probably was up all night working on whatever that machine was. Fluttershy decided to write down a note for Twilight instead and left it by her. "Twilight, I went out to get some last-minute shopping done for the holidays. Be back before the party... Fluttershy." After that, she left the room, grabbed a big warm green holiday coat, and pulled on a warm face mask that hid her muzzle from the icy air before she walked out wearing snow boots. As soon as she got around the corner, she felt something grab her. She struggled at first, but with a hard hit to the head by something that felt like metal, she was out. 9:28 Twilight finally stirred awake in her room. She saw the little note left by Fluttershy and gave it no thought. She got up with a stretch and walked out of the room with a yawn. The main apartment, while still having lots of science and pet stuff, was lightly decorated for the holiday. Tinsel was carefully placed over the fireplace, the radio playing Christmas music, and a tree in the corner of the room next to the couch. It wasn't the largest tree ever, but then again, it wasn't that large of a place. The tree had a mix of decorations, not all from Twilight's, but all her friends. She made a bowl of cereal and sat down on the couch. Eating it, she enjoyed the Christmas atmosphere of her home. Her new home. Her new life with her friends. She looked at the tree. Decorated with the finest silk ribbons from Rarity and a few country Santa cat decorations from AJ. The Santa cat wore red and white but had a cowboy hat on riding a bull. Trophy-shaped ornaments from Dash, a few dove and blue jay ornaments from Fluttershy, red and gold Christmas balls, and an eight-pointed star on top finishing the entire look. The star was what she was focusing on the most. While it was great to see the combination of her friends on the Christmas tree, it was the star—her star—that only brought up the memories of the past. Memories that she would never want to forget, even if they now brought her sadness on the holidays. She was a little filly, decorating the tree with her parents. Her mom, a dark purple mare with fiery hair, was humming a tune. Not a Christmas tune, but a tune she always hummed and used to sing to her children. Twilight pulled out a red ball and walked over to the tree. "Carefully, Twilight, those are glass," her mother said softly. "I know, Mom," she said, placing it on the tree. Her father walked in; he was a white stallion with blue hair. He only stood and watched as his family put together the tree. On a ladder fixing the candy canes was none other than her brother, who looked up and said, "Hi Dad." "Looks like I got here just in time, huh?" he said as he set his files down. "Oh hi, honey! We were hoping to surprise you by the time you got home," said Twilight's mother. Just then, her brother slid down the ladder and went to open another box; he pulled out the tree topper. "Hey, sis, want to help me with Star?" "Yeah," Twilight said excitedly. Her brother handed her the star and then lifted her up onto his back. She was a little wobbly up there. "Oh, careful, you two," her mother scolded. "We got it, we got it," Twilight said, putting the tree topper on the tree. "Hurry up, Twilight, you're heavy," complained her brother. "I am not; you're just weak," shouted Twilight back to him. Their dad only laughed at the sight as he put his arm around their mother. Twilight then finally set the tree topper on the tree, finishing the decorations. The tree topper was the same star that sat on her tree today. She sighed at the memory as she was brought back to the bleak present. Her family was gone now, but she did have Spike and her friends. Something that her friend Applejack said chimed in her ear: "Yeah, I getcha. My parents passed away a few years back. While I have a large family, it's mostly just me, my little sis, and my big brother. It's never the same without the whole family, but…" Applejack walked over and flung an arm around her friend. "There's always room in your heart for more friends and family along the way. That's what my granny always told me, anyway." Her friend was right, of course. While she missed her family, she had her friends. Just then, Rarity walked in. "Hello, my friends. Are we ready for the best Christmas party ever?" she sang. "Rarity, the party's not till tonight," Twilight told her. Rarity smiled anyway. "Who is coming, anyway?" she asked. "Well, you guys, my godmothers, and Spike. Just a little get-together before Christmas Day is all," she told her. Rarity smiled. "I'm gonna miss my family this year. Normally I'd head back home to see my sister, but since I get wet and grow a fish tail, I think it's best I stay." "Yeah, no doubt," Dash said, walking in, overhearing. "Me, Applejack, and Fluttershy all have the same issue. I never spent the holidays not going back to meet my family," she sighed, half sad, half happy. "Well, we got each other," said AJ, who walked in after her; she had a bag of letters. "Oh, uh, AJ, who are those for?" asked Twilight. "Me, actually. I told you, my family's kinda big; these are all letters from my family members." She said as she opened the bag; Christmas cards fell out all over the counter. "This one from my sister, oh this one from my aunt and uncle. Oh, and this one," she said, grabbing a pink one that looked like a cupcake. "This one's from my cousin Pinkie." "Oh yeah, I haven't seen Pinkie in forever," Dash asked. "You know her?" asked Twi. "Yeah, me and her are pranking buddies," Dash replied. "Haha, you two used to terrorize Cloudsdale." "That we sure did," Dash replied to AJ's comment. "Believe it or not, she just turned 18 a few months ago, and she'll be starting school here next month. I'll let you meet her, Twi." "Oh, that'd be nice. Someone my own age," she grinned. "Yeah, but Twilight, let me tell ya, if anyone has energy, it's Pinkie," Dash smiled. "Yeah, no one can keep up with her," AJ laughed. "Well, she does sound like a fun one," Rarity chimed in. "Fun? She's like the coolest," said Dash. "Right, Flutters?" Dash said, looking for Fluttershy. "Oh, she went out for last-minute Christmas shopping," Twi told her. "Well, as long as she'll be back for the party," Rarity sang. Here’s your text with spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections made while keeping your original wording and writing style intact: Fluttershy slowly began to come to. She opened her eyes only to realize she could see nothing but the inside of a bag. She panicked for a moment, and the bag thrashed around until she got the bag off her head. Her arms and legs were duct-taped together tightly. Unfortunately for her, whoever her kidnapper was, she was not an ordinary little mare; she was a mutant. Her eyes immediately turned red with a yellow glow. She bared her teeth, which were actually fangs. Though she still wore her warm mask from earlier, with a loud hiss, she let her wings spread out, breaking through her cozy jacket. She quickly pulled her arms and legs apart, ripping the duct tape in an instant. As she did so, the sound of a gunshot went off. Her eyes widened, but when she went to touch her neck, no blood was spilled; instead, it was a tranquilizer. She began to feel a bit woozy and collapsed as she saw some hooves walking up to her. The next time she woke, she thrashed around but found herself locked up in chains. "Easy, easy," said a male voice. Fluttershy looked up in the direction of the sound. It wasn't too hard to figure out who he was. It was none other than Twilight's brother, except he had a robotic green eye. "You're not the one I was aiming for." Fluttershy jumped with a hiss but was held back by the chains. "But you're definitely a chimera," he said, throwing his head back away from her. "You're Twilight's brother, how could you?" Fluttershy gritted her teeth but then almost fell over; she barely caught herself. "Easy, easy; that tranquilizer is still in your system." "Why am I here?" she shouted. "I wanted my sister; you were not the plan. Guess you're her roommate then. Surprising since I am the one who accidentally turned you into this. Um, sorry," he grinned innocently. Fluttershy deadpanned, her eyes still filled with rage. "So how is she? Is she doing okay?" "She'd do a lot better if her brother wasn’t turning creatures into mutants." "Believe it or not, this isn't what I intended to do with my life." "So what now?" she asked. "Now I am going to send a message to my sister using your phone and tell her to come. I'll set up a little trap for her and the rest of you freaks." "Twilight is strong; you'll never beat her." "Oh, I know about my sister’s strength. I know all too well what you chimera can do. Night-night," he said and shot her with another dart. 5:48 The party started in twelve minutes, yet everyone was already there, everyone except one person, that is. Dash was lying on the couch, reading an airplane magazine. She flipped the page, but as she did so, she looked up at the clock... "Uh, hey guys, does anyone know where Fluttershy is?" she asked. "She said she was going to do some last-minute shopping earlier today," Twilight said, fetching her cup of hot chocolate. "Well, don't you think it's odd of her to be so late and not call?" said Rarity, who was on her phone. "Guys, she still has some time," said Spike. "Who wants another round of candy canes?" he cheered. Applejack had a concerned look on her face, but it was Luna who assured her. "Now I know you're all waiting for your friend, but I'm sure she's fine on this night." "Did anyone try to call her?" asked Celestia. "Twice," replied Dash. Just then, Twilight's phone rang. "And there she is," Celestia said, sounding wise. Twilight smiled and picked up the phone. "Hello, Twilight." Twilight froze when she heard the voice. Celestia was the first to notice and asked her what was wrong. She said nothing as he continued to speak. "Been a long time, hasn't it? All these years." His voice was deeper, but it still held that hint of brotherly love in it; there was no mistake about who Twilight was talking to. She put a hoof to her mouth, still frozen in fear. "How did you get this phone?" she asked. "I borrowed it from your roommate; of course, she's taking a nap." "What did you do with her?" she yelled furiously, struggling not to turn into a chimera in front of her godmother. "Nothing; she's fine. You need to come pick her up at my place. Considering it's Christmas, I'd like to see you. We haven't seen each other in so long. I don't really have any decorations up, but I'm sure we can trade a few family stories for the holidays," he said with a sigh. "Where are you?" "I'm gonna text you the address, and come alone, ya got that?" He then hung up, and as he did, a text was sent to Twilight's phone. "What happened? Who was that?" asked Celestia. Twilight thought of something quick to tell the room. "Uh, well, uh, Fluttershy's fine. She got hit by a car, yeah, a car; she's at the hospital waiting to come to the party. That was the nurse calling me. She told her to call me since we live at the same apartment." She said with a nervous smile as the room gasped. "Wow, ran over on Christmas Eve? That sucks," Spike commented. "Oh, the poor dear! I'll drive you over," said Celestia. "No, no, that—that's fine. Fluttershy said to start the party without her. She asked I come to pick her up. Umm, AJ, can I get some help getting ready to go for a sec?" she said, heading to her door. "Uh, of course, but why me and not Rarity?" "Because I need your help, come on!" Twilight deadpanned and walked into her room. AJ turned to the crowd in the small apartment with a shrug and then headed inside the room, closing the door behind her... "Twi, what's going on?" she asked as she walked over to her. Twilight immediately ran to her chest on the floor where she kept her hero costume. "Shh, keep it down." "My brother, he's, uh, alive and kidnapped Fluttershy." "What!? Uh, I mean, what!?" she said in a more hushed tone than before. "He wants me to meet him alone at this address he texted me. I'm gonna go get Fluttershy." "Okay, I'll tell the team, and—" "No, no, AJ, we got my godmothers here. It's why I told you and not the others. You gotta keep the party going and convince everyone that everything is alright." She said, finishing putting on her super suit. "And what about you? What if it's a trap?" "I..." She froze. "I don't know," she said, grabbing a large coat and placing it over her super suit. "Twilight, this is your family, your brother, and—" "I know!" she yelled in a quiet tone. She was frantic, jumping from one side of the room to the other getting ready. "I don't really know what I'm gonna do, AJ, when I find him, but Fluttershy is what's important now." "Okay, but what if you need help?" "If I don't come back in one hour, gather the team and come after me at this address." She quickly wrote something down on a piece of paper. AJ took it and stuffed it in her back pocket. Twilight, now dressed for the winter with her super suit underneath, walked out of the room with a fake calm smile. She waved goodbye to everyone and headed out the door as quickly as she could without raising suspicion. Twilight ran over to the south side of town. An old, decrepit apartment building with faulty wiring was standing in the rather dark shadow of the city. Even though it should seem creepy, a sense of Christmas warmth could still be found in most of the windows along the apartment building; all but one. The top floor, third to the right, was as quiet and lifeless as a graveyard in winter. It was here she knew her brother would be waiting for her. "Of course, it has to be the gloomy one," she muttered with an eye roll. Using her powers made for a nice walk as she slid down it. The dead of winter allowed her powers to match the season. She quickly got to the roof of the building, planning to go through the fire escape to the window. She walked close to it, only for a gunshot to go off. Twilight ducked just in time. "That was a warning, chimera!" yelled an angry voice behind her. She looked up, and to her surprise, there he was. She remembered his face so well. What was worse was the fact that not only did she recognize him; she saw her father— their father—in his face. A bright, happy young colt with a grin on his face, ready to be a good brother and help his little sister with the star, was now replaced with a wild blue mane, sickly pale skin, gritting his teeth, and an angry expression on his face. An eye patch covered his left eye. With a gun in hoof, he was wrapped up in a black coat that did nothing against the cold, icy wind. This was not the Shining Armor she remembered. The colt studying to be in the military, just like his father. The colt that acted brotherly to her no matter what—only two years apart in age, they were always so close when they were little. Only seven years ago. At the sight of him, she couldn't help but glare, her eyes burning red with a yellowish glow. "And there it is," he deadpanned, raising the gun to her again. "What's your game, brother?" she snarled. "Game? I wish this was a game." He then moved downward, making Twilight step into a fighting stance. He raised a hoof to stop her, which she did, waiting for his next move. She was expecting him to slowly lay the gun on the ground and walk toward her unarmed. "Twilight, it's me," he said softly. Twilight stood her ground. "I'm here to help you; you need help." "Help me? You turned my friends into chimera!" "Trust me, if I didn't, something worse would have come to them..." he said as he kept his arms up. The look on his face was still not a trustworthy one, but a serious tone to it made Twilight want to understand more. So she let him speak. "You're a chimera, as are all your friends. You need help; you need to turn yourselves in. Just come with me, and I'll escort you to the hospital." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Are you crazy? You want me to trust you after everything you did?" "I don't want to hurt you, sis." "Oh, that's rich. Who are you working for? Who is the antler and horn guy? Who did this to me?" She grew angrier and angrier. She began to shake with rage, her eyes glowing dangerously. "Twilight, calm down." "Don't tell me to calm down!" Shining took a step back, frightened by her. "Tell me who is doing this, who is making the chimera, so I can stop him." "You can't stop him, not in your condition. Leave that to me." "Explain! Who is he?" she growled like a wild animal. "Please, I'm only trying to help." "You kidnapped my friend and turned my others into chimera!" "Okay, okay; just calm down before you do something you'll regret again." "Again?" she asked, still furious... "You don't remember that night, do you?" Twilight shook her head. "I remember a goat-horned pony and terrible laughter." "Sister, that was you." "Huh?" she said in disbelief. "Seven years ago, it was the night of your science fair." "You were trying to build a working model of a time machine based on Star Swirl designs and explanations. Though the machine never worked, you did get first place for being the youngest scientist to ever attempt such advanced science. The whole family was very proud of you that night. Walking home from a restaurant, we lived in the fanciest area of the city, thanks to our dad being a politician. Someone he was an associate of Mom and Dad wanted a meeting with them, and they refused because it was your big night. I remember overhearing something from them. He told her..." "He's not one of us," said Twilight's father. "But—" went the mother. "You don't owe him anything." "He only wants a meeting." "Not tonight, not with..." Just then, a shadowy figure walked up to them; he never stepped out of the shadow of the building, so Shining never got a good look at him. He was mostly paying attention to his sister, who was galloping around with her first-place ribbon. "You know what? I'm going to finish this right now," said the father, and he marched off to the colt in the shadows. The two began immediately arguing. "Oh dear, Shiny, watch your sister, will you?" asked the mother in an annoyed tone. "Okay, Mom," said a young Shining, who was holding his sister's science fair project that he helped put together. "Um, Shiny, who is that?" asked the little filly. "Beats me; I've never seen him," said her older brother. Just then, while it was difficult to see in the dark shadows of the night, the three adults began fighting. The stranger with a hat on had something in his hand. Eventually, his hat was knocked off, revealing an antler and horn on top of his head. "I'm only asking you for help, and this is the way you treat me," he chuckled darkly. "Typical, I suppose," he said with an evil grin. "You give me no choice." Just then, Twilight decided she was going to be the voice of reason; she slipped over, not even realizing what the other colt had in his hand. "No, Twilight, don't come over here!" shouted her father, making the little filly freeze in fear. Just then, a shot went off. "Mommy!" she said and ran to her in fear of the loud noise, not realizing she was heading in its direction. Her mother screamed. Then the bullet hit her, but was it a bullet? No. Her dad was the first to run up to her. "Twilight! Twilight! Oh God!" Twilight was crying. "It's gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay," he said as he looked over her. "Twilight, everything's gonna be okay, I promise." "You shot her! You shot my daughter!" Lightning crackled in the air as it began to rain. The creature stood up. "I was aiming for you," he punched her father. None of the words registered with the little filly as she stood up. "Run, Twilight, run!" She saw her brother cry out. Crazy laughter filled the air as her father pleaded. "Please stop this. Don't hurt them. Don't! I'll help you; just don't." Hahahahahaha. The creature laughed, and it stood up, towering over all of them. Its eyes glowed a burning amber color. Lightning struck from the sky, giving a quick look at the creature. It had an antler on one side of the head and a goat horn on the other. It grinned and laughed again as it raised a gun sitting in an eagle claw. Twilight froze, not able to move as her mother shouted, "No! Twilight, run please, run!" Just then, Shining got to her just as she collapsed to the ground. "Twily! Twily!" he shouted again and again. "Mom! Twily!" Just then, Twilight grew bigger and stronger; a horn sprouted out of her head, and her eyes glowed furiously. Shining didn't know what to do as the creature that was once his sister punched him in the face. She jumped over, and both the creature and Shining watched in horror as the creature tore apart their father and most likely their mother. He tried to stop her, but the creature turned around and stuck him in the eye. As he blacked out, the last thing he remembered was the blurry image of a claw over his face. "So you see, sister, it was you— you who killed our parents because he mutated you." Twilight then lost it. "NOOOOOOOOO!" she shouted. "NO, NO, NO! HE DID THIS!" Twilight didn't realize her brother had a rifle on his arm. He shot a tranquilizer dart from it, and it hit her square in the arm. She looked up and saw he had torn off his eye patch. He had a robotic eye in its place, most likely with a targeting computer. She collapsed as he caught her. "Easy, easy. Don't worry, sis; I'm gonna get you some help, you and all your friends." To his surprise, Twilight did not pass out. Instead, her eyes turned back to normal, with her horn retreating back into her forehead. "You're not the bad guy here," she said softly, giving him a hug. It surprised him at first, but he returned the gesture. "No, but I will get the bad guys so you don't have to." "I'm sorry, brother, but no; I can't." She pushed him away gently. "I know it seems crazy, but I know how to control my mutant powers. And so do my friends. We're trying to create a cure for all those who were turned, but I can't do that locked up." "Twilight, this is..." "I know. But you're gonna have to trust me on this. Besides, it's Christmas Eve." She set her head against his shoulder. "I'm so happy to have my big brother back. What a Christmas present this is," she choked and began to cry. He put his arm around her and gave her a brotherly hug. "Remember all those times we decorated the tree together?" "Yep, I do." They then separated from the hug. "Where's Fluttershy?" "Uh, she's knocked out. I had to give her a higher dosage, so she's gonna be out till tomorrow. Your friend’s quite the strong one." He nervously smiled. She just shrugged and texted AJ. "What are you doing?" "Making sure my friends don't come to kill you in avenger of me." "Yeah, that would be helpful," he smirked. "Well, this is some Christmas Eve, isn't it?" she said with an awkward smile. He only nodded as the snow fell over the top of them. "Come on, let's go in. I have some hot chocolate, and I think we could catch Rudolf the Snowcat on TV." She laughed at that. "Just like in old times." She stood up and looked over the city covered in a light blanket of snow. "He's out there." "Somewhere," she said. Watching her carefully through a telescope was none other than an orange cat. He had an earpiece in and was talking into it. "Boss, we have contact with the girl. What do you want to do?" Down below in the shadows, sitting on a motorcycle, was Mr. Ghost, dressed in his trench coat and signature hat. "I knew it," he muttered back. "I recorded the whole thing." "How do you want to proceed, sir?" asked Capper over the radio. "Let them go," he sighed. "What, sir?" "Let them go; they hold no information," he said as he took out a family photo from his pocket and eyed it carefully. "They are of no use to us." "Sir, the boy..." asked Capper in a concerned voice. Mr. Ghost then pulled out a lighter and turned it on, illuminating his face in the dim light of the shadows. "I'm cutting all ties with him; he's of no use to me." Capper said nothing. He just stood up and put away his telescope. With the radio off, Mr. Ghost then took the flame of the lighter and burned the family photo. Watching the mother carefully, he said, "Goodbye, Sparky." He said it emotionlessly. As the last of the image burned away, he uttered the words a bit grumpily, "Merry Christmas." He then drove away on his bike, leaving the ashes of the picture on the side of the road in the cold snow.
Chapter 9 No Sense.Chapter 9 No Sense **January 12—11:30 AM** Sitting at a lunch table together were Rarity, Dash, Twilight, and even Shining Armor, who was surprised to be asked to hang out that day. He was eating a sandwich and talking military with Dash. "My father flew over the battlefield in the last war. He showed me his jet when I was little. Ever since then, I knew I wanted to be the fastest flying around." "Funny, aren't you now faster than a jet?" Shining asked. "Yeah, but it's not really the same. I still want to get into the academy, but the qualifications say I need at least three years of engineering to attend. Lucky for me, I got in here on my scholarship. I'm not exactly the most brainy person around." "Well, at least you got a goal. I'd say you'll make a fine pilot," Rarity added to the conversation. "Umm, thanks, Rare," Dash said a bit apprehensively. She still didn't like Rarity very much but was trying her best to make friends with her. "Well, my daddy does have access to some of the military's best. I could put in a good word for you, dear." And there it is, Dash thought to herself. She smiled as best she could, but it was clear how irritated she was. Rarity never missed an opportunity to boast about her high-class family, even though they weren't very high-class at all. "Thanks, Rare, but I'd rather get in based on skills alone. I don't need you to put in a good word for me." Rarity smiled and shrugged. "If you ever need a bit of help, just let me know." "That's very generous of you, Mrs. Shine," Shining said before he took another bite of his sandwich. "Oh, come now, Shiny, we're all friends here. Dash and I even began to bond over our interest in Daring Do. Not my favorite book, but it is a fantastic read. I can't wait for the next one to come out in a few months." "Yeah, me neither, and Daring Do's author, A.K. Yearling, is also gonna be in town for all the events going on." Dash nearly squealed at the idea. "Didn't you already get an autograph?" "No, I missed it due to school," she rolled her eyes. Twilight was looking at her laptop as she ate a carrot, listening to the conversation beside her. "By the way, Shiny," she spoke in a happy tone but never took her eyes off her work, "is there any word from you-know-who?" Just the mention of that shifted the entire mood of the conversation. "No. He completely disappeared from what I can tell. He left me a few stacks of bills and took off. It's enough to pay for my apartment for the next few months until I get a job, I guess. But he left no trace of existence in any way—no leads. I've tried all week ever since that night to pick up a trail, but nothing's come up. It's like he never existed at all." With this news, Twilight stared at her computer. On it were several websites opened up— all about several different people, by the look of it. Several new files and dark web websites depicted something or someone. She remembered the next day after Christmas. Christmas night she took Fluttershy home, enjoyed the party, then told her friends. Christmas day was uneventful, but after that, she and her friends went back to meet up with her brother. "What do you know about him?" AJ asked. "Nothing." He shook his head. "He goes by many names: Kaas, Konton, and many more in so many languages. The only thing all the names have in common is one thing." "Chaos," Twilight answered him. "Yep, some even call him king or lord or ruler or god. He's a devil, that's for sure—a mutant. A chimera." "You said we faced a worse threat if you didn't mutate us," asked Rarity, who was the most skeptical of Shining due to her experience with him. "He's conducting these odd experiments. Once a month, he gets a shipment in of..." He grimaced at the thought. "Blood and painkillers." "Blood and painkillers?" Rarity repeated, a bit sickly. "He's the one who creates the mutation gel. How, I don't know, but I'm more than certain he's conducting terrible experiments. I mean, for anyone to have that many painkillers delivered..." "Why would he need those? I mean, it's not like he'll be nice to his victims," asked Dash. AJ shrugged as she crossed her arms. "Well, if you need them to stay quiet but not be under anesthetic, then yeah, painkillers would work, wouldn't they?" "Whatever he's doing with them, this is the guy who turned me and all of you into chimera," Twilight sighed. "So why did he send you after me?" asked Rarity. "I was only supposed to kidnap you. I didn't want him to work on you, mutating you, ruining his chances to get to his work. I thought I could capture you, mutate you, then send you to him, having you destroy his entire operation. But that night I never got close enough to grab you. As for what he wanted with you, he said he was gonna use you to get to your dad. He wants some type of government files, I don't know what, but he was certain your dad would be able to get them." "Unfortunately, my delay went nowhere. Apparently, he always has a backup plan, and he never trusted me. I'm sure he got those files somehow." Shining shrugged. To their surprise, it was the quiet one in the back of the room that asked the most important question. In a calm, small voice, Fluttershy asked, "If you worked for him, how did you survive? You're not a mutant, so did he not experiment on you?" she asked Shiny. The room turned its eyes on him for his answer, making him feel a little uncomfortable being put on the spot like that. He gulped before speaking again. "After that night when Twilight was..." He trailed off for a moment. "Not long after that, I was taken by a random car from my apartment to school. Mostly, his assistant was the only one to ever meet me—some tall cat I never learned the name of. I tried finding out about him and came up with as little as his boss. All I know is that it was a cat, but there are tons of cats. I was told I had a very busy godfather, and he took me in after all that happened. He definitely has money, I know that. Even if it was the south side of town, I was kept well, made friends, and even had a girlfriend at one point. I tried to make something of my life. Then one night, on my eighteenth birthday, I met him for the second time." A storm covered the sky, and lightning flashed as the rain splattered across the window hard. Shiny was celebrating his birthday with a cake he bought himself in the little apartment—all alone. The lights were on, and he looked at the candles, surrounding him were photos of his family—the only ones he had from his phone. "Well, here I am, guys," he smirked. "I miss you." He then blew out the candles, and as he did, most of the lights went out except the spotlight over him. He looked around, confused, and then a little scared when he heard a clap and someone walking toward the table. "Well, well, well, look at what we have here. The birthday boy," said an unusual voice. A lighter was lit, and afterward, the smell of cigarette smoke filled the air, making the young adult cough as it filled his lungs. Shining could see the outline of the pony—or was it a pony? No. It was the outline of some terrifying monster—the same monster he remembered seeing all those years ago. It stayed just among the shadows; the only visible light from it at first was the light of the cigarette. Then it opened its eyes. Glowing yellow eyes with a red slit for a pupil stared back at him from the darkness. "Who are you?" Shining jumped up, ready to fight. "Sit down, boy; I mean you no harm. After all, is that any way to treat your godfather?" Shining froze in fear as a pit in his stomach began to form. "Yes, yes, I know, boy, I know. I've been far too busy to come and see you. Apologies," he said as a strange claw came into the light and picked up the knife to slice the birthday cake. As he cut a piece using only one arm, the other still held his cigarette in the shadows. He continued his speech. "I know what you are thinking: Why am I here, right? Simply put, I saved you from your sister. I could have left you for dead since you mean nothing to me, so why did I?" Shining stayed quiet. "Well, Sparky, it was a favor, nothing more. A favor I hope you will repay. Now that you're eighteen, a full-grown colt, you'll have to work for me. You still have a few more months of school; after that, you will work for me to make up for your expenses the last few years." "Why would I ever work for you!?" he yelled. "Oh, I was hoping you were gonna say that. Simply put, if you don't want your life to be a living hell, you'll work for me. I mean, I hate to see what would happen to your little girlfriend." His eyes widened at that. "Or your college buddies, or—" "Don't you dare touch them!" "Wouldn't dream of it. I have use for you, boy; that is all. And when I'm done, you can go free." "What do you want?" "Simple, really. I have many employees working for me. They go and run simple errands I need done. You will be one of my errand boys," he said, passing over a piece of cake before slicing another for himself. "What kind of errands?" "Oh, different things. From fetching me lunch to running files to other associates, to fetching me things for my research. I'll pay you well. You may even move to another apartment if you wish, buy a car, and whatever you want." Shining could hear a fork tapping against a plate as the creature ate the cake in the shadows. "And that's it then. I mean, what are you doing? What is your name?" "Oh, wouldn't you like to know? You can call me Chaos. As for what I do, I am a researcher. But one not supported by the government. Due to this, I have to use other means to get what I need. That is all you need to know." "What do you research?" He didn't answer, just finished his cake and continued with his cigarette. Shining asked again, but the creature seemed to ignore him, done talking. Shining Armor didn't know what to do and just decided to eat his piece of cake. When the creature placed down the plate, he then handed him a black box and a pink birthday card. Shining didn't know what to do; he just stared at the box. He listened for the sound of the creature, but as soon as the box was laid on the table and the odd yellow claw retreated back from the light, no sign of the creature existed after that. Shining opened the box, revealing a cybernetic eye. Twilight remembered her brother's story as she looked over her research. As she recalled the last of what he told them that night. "A doctor who is working for him put it in. He's apparently part of some cult called Chaos Vill. I have to go once every few months to have it checked on and make sure none of the cybernetics aren't interfering with my biological components." Twilight was looking at the website about the cult following. The website said under the rule of the Chaos King, we the citizens of Chaos Vill are here to fight back against the tyranny this world faces. If you wish to join the club, let us know by meeting us here. There was an address on the website. But it seemed too simple. The website was only found on the dark web, but it gave an address that easily. Something just didn't seem right. She tapped the next page to see the owner of the website. A photo of a familiar pony showed up. To her surprise, she actually met him before. She only raised an eyebrow at the photo as she recalled him. He was her last dance partner at the gala. There was no name, but her brother knew him as well. Dr. Cornelius Sunburst was the one who implanted the robotic eye in his head. Shining confirmed the address was the same place where he got his operation. Twilight clicked the next window she had opened on her computer—the same address where Armor got his eye transplant—and the area of the cult apparently was none other than a bar called Dragon Ponies. Located, as always, on the south side of town and almost on the outskirts of the city. By the looks of it, a lot of bikers hung around the bar, and from the online photos, it didn't look like a nice place to hang about. She looked up who the owner of the bar was and found no lead. "Well, that's troubling, isn't it?" Dash commented back to their conversation earlier with Shining. "Well, I've been trying to trace any records of bills like that being drawn, but I've come up empty too," Twilight said as she ate another carrot. "We'll find that bad guy one way or another," Rarity chimed in. "Well, for now, we'll just keep this between us," Twilight said, and they all nodded. Just then, Applejack walked up with her cousin. "Hey guys. This here is my cousin Pinky, I was telling you all about." Pinky smiled a friendly smile. "Hello there! I'm Pinkamina Pie, but you can call me Pinky. AJ told me lots about you all. Sorry I didn't get to meet you at the gala; I had to work that night. But my brother actually went; he said it was boring until the music started playing. Anyway, I'm so excited to meet you all!" She spoke so fast that it was hard to make out what she was saying. "Hello, Mr. Pirate!" she said to Shining, who chuckled. "Pinky, you remember Dash, don't ya?" "Oh yes, of course, AJ!" "What up?" Dash said, leaning back and playing it cool as always. "And you must be Rarity! I love your fashion shows!" "Thank you, Pinky, was it?" asked Rarity. Pinky nodded as she shook hooves with Rarity. "And you, you must be Twilight! AJ said she made a new friend called Twilight, who was my age," she grinned. Twilight, for the first time in that entire conversation, finally looked up from her computer. She saw Pinky. She wore a white shirt that said Sugar Cube Corner on it, blue jeans, and an orange cap— her work uniform. She was a pink mare with very curly pink hair, a shade darker than her fur. Blue eyes and a friendly smile. Despite her energetic nature, Twilight was happy to finally meet someone her own age. Everyone else, including her brother, was two years older than her—other than Fluttershy, who was the oldest in the group by three, almost four years. Twilight returned the gesture and shook her hoof, replying with, "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and the pirate," she winked, "is my brother, Shining Sparkle. I'm glad to meet you." "Pinky here wants to become a top chef; she's really good at baking." "Ha! It took me a while to get into Canterlot, but I live on the east side of Ponyville. Been here all my life! Hey, where is your other buddy, something Shy?" asked Pinky. Just then a voice called out, "I'm coming, I'm coming." She said as she rushed over to the lunch table with a pile of books and a little lunchbox. She gave a tired breath as she sat down. "Sorry I'm late, guys. Due to our, um..." she stopped, noticing Pinky there, "other activities, I barely have time to study for my next exam." "Exam? Darling, school just started..." Rarity told her. "Yeah, for you! I've been here a year longer than you guys. Remember, vet work is a bit more intense than what you guys are studying." She complained while hiding behind her hair as always. "Becoming a vet takes a lot of medical science; you have to know all sorts of things about the biology of different types of animals. I have an exam about biogenetics on animals, and I'm so behind on work. Twilight, do you think you can tutor me?" she asked with a shy squeak to her voice. "I would, but I have, um..." She stopped before she could say anything in front of Pinky. "A lot of other things I have to do." "Oh, if you need help, you should ask my brother. He could tutor you. He's a bio-geneticist; he knows all about that stuff." "Oh, that could be great," Shy said a little more cheerfully. "Oh, and hi Pinky! Long time no see, huh?" "No problem, Flutters. You know I'm supposed to deliver this," she pulled a box of muffins and tea packs out of nowhere. "Box to my brother, but then I ended up on my lunch break. I was going to deliver this, but I could just give you the address, and you can take him there and ask him while you're there." "Oh, uh, okay." "Umm, hey, yeah, Fluttershy, can I talk to you for a sec? Over here," AJ said as she pulled Fluttershy away out of earshot from Pinky. "What is it, Applejack?" asked Fluttershy. "Flutters, I hate to tell you this, but Pinky—well, my cousin—is a little crazy," she said as she moved her hoof around in a circle over her head. "She lost her real brother many years ago and persists that she has a new one. She has an imaginary friend, Fluttershy, and it helps her cope, believing he went in the army and never returned." "Oh, how do you know?" "She used to send notes to someone in the army and never got one back. It's so sad, but in the end, it's just an imaginary friend. That address she gives you will send you who knows where—just take it, but don't go, okay?" "Oh, but Jacky, what if those muffins are ordered by someone? I have to at least take a look, don't you think?" AJ facepalmed. "Okay, but if you see it's dangerous, just leave. Who knows what Pinky will send you on?" Fluttershy gave a short nod, and the two returned to their lunch with the others. Here’s your text with spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections, made while preserving your original wording and writing style: Later on, after lunch, Twilight and her brother decided to give that bar a visit. "Well, sis, here we are. Are you sure you want to do this?" Twilight nodded, and the two headed in. There seemed to be quite a few people even though it was the middle of the day. It was less of a bar and more of a club, actually, though there were plenty of bikers who hung out there, and there were several groups. If anything, it seemed more like what you would see in a high school setting—if you didn't include the drinks and the music. Well, actually it made it seem more like a high school setting, Twilight thought to herself. The bikers sat in the back, but there was a group of nerdy-looking people, popular-looking people, the ugly nobody, and every single one—whether they be a cat, dog, pony, or lizard—looked up to see the two walk in. The two headed straight to the bartender, who was a green pony dressed like a hippie. "What's up, dudes? Can I get you something?" she asked slowly. She was definitely on something. "Uh, no, we're looking for someone." "Looking? Oh hey, are you the 2:00... Hey, Smolder, the 2:00 is here!" she called back. An orange lizard with hot pink spikes dressed in a biker uniform walked up. "You're my 2:00?" asked a tough-looking orange lizard in a biker jacket. "Uh," Shiny said, not knowing what to do. "We're looking for someone who apparently goes to this bar." "Oh, so you're not with the kids' health fund." "The what...?" "This bar is part of a non-profit organization made to help the community of the city. We always donate to one of the funds," she said in a dull, bored tone. "If you're not here for that, what are you doing here?" "Uh, we're here looking for someone who goes to the bar." "This bar has a lot of people coming in and out. And we don't have cameras." "Have you seen this guy?" Twilight asked, showing her computer. "Oh, the doc! Yeah, he's one of us. So you're on our website, huh?" "Yours?" "Chaos Vill. That's the name of our organization. Like I said, we're a non-profit organization helping the community out. The doc is right now at work doing free checkups for kids right out back; that's why everyone is here, and we're hoping to donate our bills. You're not our 2:00 then, huh?" The two shook their heads, both flabbergasted at the strange situation they found themselves in. The lizard shrugged. "Well, if you're going to bug the doc, wait until after the checkups are done, please. I'll tell him you're here. Can I get you a drink?" "Uh, she's 18, and I'm 20." "Oh no, we don't sell any alcohol till five. I'm the manager of this place. Hey, bro!" she yelled. "What?" A red muscle lizard answered her from the back. He wore a biker outfit matching hers. "Get these 2 some rainbow water." The lizard nodded and headed back to the kitchen. "Carefully! It can be spicy, but it's a regular non-alcoholic drink we have here. If you need anything else, just ask for Smoldering." She smiled. She left, and the two sat down at a table, still flabbergasted. "Uh, do you really think this is the right place?" asked Twilight. "I recognize it. I come here to get my eye checked, but I, uh, didn't know about any of this." Twilight looked up more information on Chaos Vill. "Yeah, strange," she said. "The manager is right. The website says the exact same thing." "Then why is it on the dark web..." he said, trying to keep his voice down. "Oh, that's easy," said a yellow pony in a cowboy hat. He smiled wide. He had brown hair, green eyes, and was a bit jumpy. He also wore a Hawaiian shirt and nice suit pants. Saying he didn't match was an understatement. "That's because we don't want the recognition—none at all. We're all about helping the creatures, not our image." He laughed. "Uh, who are you?" asked her brother. "Cheese, from Cheese Sandwich Inc." He pulled out a rubber chicken and showed his logo to them. "I'm not good at running cash; that's what my partner is for. But I do donate whenever I can—anonymously, of course. No one here is to gain any recognition at all." Just then, the doc came in. "Sunburst!" shouted Mr. Cheese. Sunburst waved hi and walked over. "Hey, Mr. Sandwich. Nice to see you." While those two chatted, Twilight turned to her brother. "Mr. Cheese is a high-class business pony; I saw him at the gala a while back." "Weird." "Um, hey, are you the two looking for...?" He paused when he saw Shining. "Oh hey!" He friendly shook hooves with Shining. "How's your eye doing?" "Uh, fine. Actually, we were just going to, um, ask you about someone." "Oh yeah? Who...?" "Uh, the Chaos King," said Twilight, losing confidence as she looked at the doctor. He wore a doctor's uniform, glasses, and a blue shirt with stars on it. Nothing about him seemed like what she expected. "Huh? Oh, the Chaos King! Hahaha." The Chaos King! Everyone shouted and spread cheers all over, picking up their glasses and clinking glasses, making Twilight and Shining more confused than before. "Haha. The Chaos King is a metaphor! We're all the Chaos Kings. It means we all have a choice to either suffer or take control of the chaos in our lives and do what's right. Be the Chaos King. That's the slogan of the group." "Yeah!" Cheese cheered. "Uh, okay," said Twilight slowly while she tried to process all of this. "Umm, thank you for your time," she said as the red dragon brought out two rainbow-colored drinks and placed them on the table. "No problem, and if any problem comes up with your eye, let me know," he said, handing Shining his card. "Uh, sure," he said as he took the card and picked up the glass. "Umm, can I ask you, do you know the guy who hired you? You know, to do my eye." "No one hired me. You were brought by a member of Chaos Vill. We're here to help all." "Well, if that's all, then I have to get home. Goodbye, and nice seeing you, Mr. Sparkle." "Yes, thank you," he said and took a drink. The time they spat it out. "Oh my god, that's spicy!" "How is a drink spicy?" Twilight said, taking a tiny sip. But to her surprise, though it made no sense, she definitely tasted spice. She didn't have the same reaction as her brother, but she decided she wasn't going to have any more. "Uh, never mind. Let's just get out of here," she stumbled as she got up and left. Her brother got up and followed as he waved his hoof, still trying to cool down his tongue. As the two left, they didn't notice how they were being watched by the manager. She then pulled out her phone and immediately texted someone named Capper. "Tell the boss we got someone looking into him." "I'll deal with it," Capper texted back. With his response, she placed down the phone and carefully watched the two head out the doorway. Capper the cat set the phone back in his pocket just as someone knocked on the door. He looked through the peephole to see a mare holding a box. After lunch, Fluttershy took the box and headed to wherever the address led her to that she got from Pinky. It was a tall, black, shady-looking building. But nothing about it looked out of place. It was on the south side of town, and that didn't make her feel comfortable. The last time she was on this side of town, she ended up being robbed, only to be saved by a tall shadow. Her thoughts went to that night and then again to the night at the gala when she met him once again, finding out he was a lord of all things. A lord. Ha, what could a lord ever be interested in her? She thought. But he seemed like a nice guy, though definitely not one to mess with. It didn't help either that the muffins she was delivering were the exact same chocolate ones he liked so much that night. She knocked on a door and didn't have to wait long for it to open. Capper took one look at the box and instantly knew what it was. "Hey boss, your delivery is here!" he called out, stepping aside. "Right this way," he smiled. "Oh, thank you," she said, a bit hesitant to walk inside. The cat seemed friendly but also a bit sketchy at best. "Finally, Pinky!" shouted an angry voice from inside. The cat helped Fluttershy inside as the colt came from a back room. "PINKY, YOU KNOW HOW I GET WHEN I DON'T HAVE MY MORNING MUFFINS! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE HERE THREE HOURS AGO!" Fluttershy nervously smiled when she heard the colt yelling. It never occurred to her how familiar the voice was as it spoke in a rather odd accent she couldn't quite place. But then he came around the corner. Dressed in a white lab coat, a pair of reading glasses, and black gloves, was none other than Mr. Ghost. "WHY I HAVE HALF A MIND TO..." he continued, only to stop mid-sentence when he noticed it wasn't Pinky he was yelling at. His eyes widened only for a moment before his accent slipped back to the one he used at the gala—a high-class businessman-type accent. He narrowed his eyes and softened his anger a bit, but only a bit. "Oh, Miss. Breeze," he said with a bit of chill in his voice. "What are you now working for Sugar Cube Corner too?" Fluttershy didn't register a word he said. She was still in shock to find him here of all places. "Miss Breeze." He repeated. "What? Oh, uh, no, I'm—uh, what?" "I asked if you were working for Sugar Cube Corner since you have my order it seems," he said with a hint of a snarl as he crossed his arms. "Oh, uh, no, no, I just um..." She giggled a bit. "Pinky is a cousin of my friend; she came to lunch since she just got into Canterlot College." "Oh, and why hasn't she brought my muffins then?" he said through gritted teeth. He was very cross, but Fluttershy could tell it wasn't with her, so she felt no fear. At least not with him, which was strange. She normally hated to be near anyone so mad. But he seemed different. Something about his posture, something about the look on his face—though he was tall and intimidating, with a skull-like appearance, he also seemed like a child, a grumpy moody child. She often babysat foals in the past and would see the same type of behavior from them. It would quickly diminish after being dealt with in a proper manner. "Oh, I brought them because Pinky said her brother could help tutor me. I have a big test, and I need some help." Mr. Ghost rolled his eyes. "I am not her brother. She often depicts me as her adopted brother, but I have no such relation with her, although she insists. Persistent that one. Either way, I am far too busy to help you," he said as he walked over, grabbed the box from her hands, and quickly stormed off into the other room. "Oh, wait, please!" Fluttershy said as she followed him. "I really need a tutor; I can pay you." "I don't need the money," he said as he pulled out the tray of muffins and set them on the counter. They were in a little white lab. "Oh, but there must be something, please—I..." Mr. Ghost pulled out a muffin and took a bite. Almost immediately, the second the muffin touched his tongue, his expression and demeanor melted away into a smile like a child getting their favorite dessert. Fluttershy watched him as he took the first bite. He lost himself in the pleasure of the chocolate. She didn't know what to say as she watched him take another bite, moaning in delight. He then turned to her, realizing she was still there. He cleaned the crumbs off his face with a napkin he pulled out of his pocket before he continued the conversation. "I'm sorry, Miss Breeze," he said a lot more cheerfully. "I simply have far too much work to do." Fluttershy hid herself behind her hair as she often did and gave a slight, sad nod. "Thanks anyway," she said as he started heading out the door. "Well, I hope you like your muffins then. I mean, I could have bought you more or something." "At that, the colt spun around. Deal." "What?" she asked. "I said deal. Buy me muffins and tea and I'll tutor you. Friday nights from 7 to 9. Oh, but you'll regret making this deal with me, Miss Breeze," he said a bit slyly. "I can eat a lot of muffins." Fluttershy was a bit in shock. But the cat explained, "The boss is muffin crazy. If you waited till he finished one, he would have said yes. He's always in a bad mood when he doesn't have one in the morning." "Shut up, Capper, and get to work," Mr. Ghost brushed him off. Capper shrugged and did as his boss instructed. "Well, Miss Breeze, I'm glad it seemed this all worked out then, didn't it?" He gave a slight bow to her before he took his half-eaten muffin and got back to whatever it was that he was working on—something with a microscope. Fluttershy left more perplexed than she had arrived. Not only did she meet Pinky's non-existent brother, but the colt was not only the one she went on a date with; he was the infamous Mr. Ghost. And now it seemed she had a second date with him, practically out of nowhere. What are the odds of her running into him not just a second time, but a third time? Author's Note I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. the story really getting started now. let me know your thoughts.
Chapter 10 School LifeAuthor's Note Sorry for the slow down, I've just been busy. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Chapter 10 School Life Chapter 10: School Life February 3rd, 6:00 AM ---- Twilight walked into class, annoyance and sleep deprivation showing across her face. Her eyes had bags under them, and her mane showed most of the wear and tear she had endured over the past few hours. "Wow, Twilight, you look..." "Don't say it, AJ," she replied with a grumpy yawn. "Was going to say great," AJ said with the widest nervous smile on her face, showing her lie. "Leave the kind lies to me, hun," Rarity commented. AJ scowled at her for that comment, but she had to admit she was a terrible liar. "Want to talk about it?" Fluttershy asked kindly. "Talk about what? The fact that my alarm clock didn't go off? I stayed up way too late last night working on my project, and then on my way to school, I ran into a chimera? No, Fluttershy, I really don't want to talk about it," she said sarcastically. Fluttershy only smiled, a sorry look in response. "You ran into a chimera!!!" yelled Pinkie. "Why do you think my hair looks like this?" Twilight replied. "Huh, good point. How did you escape? I mean, those meanies are so well-mean," Pinkie asked. Twilight didn't answer her, not wanting to give away the fact that she was a chimera too. She also didn't like being called a meanie just because she had been turned into a creature against her own will, nor did she like the others being called that, so she kept her mouth shut. She became very quiet as she sat and opened her book to take her mind off things. "Well, I'm glad you're not hurt. You know, you're always in a grumpy mood every time I see you." Twilight bit her tongue, trying not to respond. "You know what you need to turn that frown upside down?" Twilight ignored her. "A party! A college dorm party! I always wanted to throw my college party," Pinkie grinned. "Oh, there would be drinks and music and dancing! Oh oh, I know! Why don't we have a party tonight? We could invite everyone, even your brother. Why, I'll even invite my brother; he loves parties." Knowing who Pinkie was referring to, Fluttershy tilted her head in thought. She just couldn't see Mr. Ghost actually at a party like that. Not the Mr. Ghost she knew. Wait, did she even know Mr. Ghost? she questioned. But her thoughts were interrupted by Rarity. "Well, I think that's a wonderful idea! Let's have some fun; it might cheer you up." Rarity told Twilight as she began to fix her hair. Twilight raised her hoof to interject but soon set it back down, knowing all too well that her friend was right. A party actually sounded good to her, despite her own reasoning. Just then, the bell rang, and Dash moaned her annoyance. "This class is so boring," she muttered. "I mean, I'm going to be a pilot; why do I need literature? It was bad enough in high school." "Quiet down, class," Miss Cheerilee, their teacher, told them. "Now, class, today we have a guest speaker." "Not another one," Dash set her head down on her book, the title of which was *Daring Do*. "Actually, Dash, you're gonna like this one," smirked Rarity as she leaned over her. "I pulled a few strings." She winked. Dash grew immediately annoyed, wondering what she could mean by that. "What did you do?" she growled, only for the teacher to give Rarity an answer. "And now may I introduce one of the best-selling authors, Mrs. A.K. Yearling, author of *Daring Do*." With this news, Dash's eyes grew wide. She couldn't contain her inner fangirl as she slightly squealed in excitement. She watched as a pony walked up and stood next to Mrs. Cheerilee. "Yes, thank you, Mrs. Cheerilee. It is an honor to be here," said a dark purple, middle-aged pony wearing a brown lady's cap and a green sweater-like dress. Her eyes seemed to have a dull, tired look, worn beyond her years. "As a writer, literature is one of the most important subjects you should ever know. However, while most of it seems boring, it is the greatest fundamental aspect of a working society. Knowing how to communicate and use literature to your advantage can come in handy in your day-to-day life. I've been all over the world, long before I ever began writing my books. I also used a lot of my experiences from my journeys and spiced them up to create my story, *Daring Do*..." She spoke in such a monotone, unexcited voice, it was hard to believe this was the same person who would write a story like *Daring Do*. All except Dash, who hung on every word the author said. As the class ended, so did the lessons for that day. "I can't believe she actually came! Ohh, that was so cool!" Dash squealed. "Okay, take it down a notch, darling. If I knew you were gonna act this nuts, I would have done this sooner," Rarity giggled. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Dash tackled Rarity into a hug, catching the mare off guard. She, a bit in shock, patted her on the head. "Well, that was really, really cool! Hmm, I wonder if I could get her to come to the party. AJ, do you think I should invite A.K. Yearling to the party?" said Pinkie, a bit too quickly to understand. "Oh, oh yes! Please, let's go, let's go, let's go!" Dash grabbed Pinkie and Applejack, trying to rush them. "Hold on a minute, will ya?" Applejack pulled back and turned to Twilight. "Twi, what do you think? Do you want to go to a party tonight?" "I'll meet you there, but I have a bit of research I'd like to get done before then. Pinkie, do you think we can have the party at sunset?" she asked. "Oh, that's perfect! Gives me plenty of time to gather up the gear. See you then." "What about you, Shy? You coming?" "Sorry, I have my internship, but I will see you at the party." She nodded. "Good to me, let's go!" shouted Dash as they all went their separate ways. An hour later, Fluttershy sat at her internship. It was a quiet day, which, considering her job, was a good one. Suddenly, someone ran into the vet office with a bird. "Hello, hello!" said a familiar voice. Fluttershy raised an eyebrow as she turned her head to see who it was. A green pony with mid-red locks came into her vision. "Oh you there! Please, I got this bird, you see, and it broke a wing. Shame thing," said the pony. "Ah, Tree Hugger." The pony looked up. "Fluttershy? Is that you? Why, I haven't seen you since high school." "Yeah, it is. You left after that to go and find yourself—did you ever?" she asked. "Yeah, sorta. I found that helping people is the best way to clean up my inner consciousness. Hey, how've you been? You became a full-time singer, didn't you?" "Oh no, no, that was a childish dream. No, I'm a vet, or at least going to be. I'm actually an intern. I'm also in college." "College, huh? That's nice. Too much work if you ask me." She leaned against the table. "Umm, Tree Hugger..." "Yeah?" she replied. "The bird." "Oh yeah, yeah, mind taking a look at the wing? I found it on the ground, poor thing." Fluttershy took the bird and checked its wing. "Hmm, seems strange. My best guess is it must have flown into a window. I'll help it out." The bird tweeted its thanks to both ponies, and Fluttershy gave it a slight giggle as she bandaged it to take pressure off the wing and then set it in its own little cage. "The vet can have a look at it later. But for now, that should be alright." "Alright, then! Hey, I gotta go; I'm late for work." "Work? You got a job?" Fluttershy said, a bit surprised. "Yep! I work for a bar, believe it or not, as does Berry Punch. She's always with me. Hey, we should totally catch up sometime." "What are you doing Saturday night?" "Me? Oh, nothing much." "Perfect! You can come and hang out at the bar I work at." "A bar?" she repeated, questioning whether it would be good to go or not. "Yes! Oh, and don't come alone; bring a date. It'd be more fun that way." "A d-date? I'm not dating anyone." "Hmm, oh, that's not what your brother told me," she said, pulling out her phone and showing Fluttershy. "I totally got my sister to now date. I don't know who; she won't tell me, but I'm happy for her." She just needed the right push. "Zephyr!" Fluttershy muttered a bit angrily. "I am not dating at all; I am studying." "Well then, bring a friend anyway! I gotta go, bye!" she said, rushing out the door. Leaving Fluttershy nervously thinking about who to ask. A friend, she thought. But who? All my friends are underage except... Her face grew a bit embarrassed as she thought of Mr. Ghost. Twilight was tinkering with her time machine, her plans for the device spread out all over her bedroom. When she was finished with her wrench, she looked over some calculations she had on her computer. "Hmm, now, if I could just make enough energy to pass the speed of light, I should be able to time travel." She rested a hoof on her chin. "But the energy to do that..." She then walked over to what was left of the strange goo that mutated them all. Its energy output was close to what she needed for time travel. She only needed perhaps half a teaspoon to make it work. But she had so little of the strange material left; she couldn't risk using it. She then examined a pepper that was sitting by it. "Hmm, its DNA structure is bizarre, but it is DNA nonetheless. Strange that it gives off that kind of power," she said as she grabbed a soda. With it in her hoof, she stopped and looked at it. "Hmm, warm. I'll fix that." Her eyes went yellow, and she blasted the can with an ice spray, turning it cold again. She took a drink as she thought to herself, "What kind of creature has a goat horn and can blast ice rays and fire beams from it?" Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come on in," she called out. Dash walked in with a pep in her step. She was already dancing her way into the room, and in her hoof was a copy of *Daring Do*. "Wow, let me guess! Daring Do's author actually decided to join." "Uh-huh! We're actually gonna be partying with the writer of my favorite book! Oh oh, and look!" Dash showed her the book. She sighed as Dash cried joyfully. Twilight had never seen Dash act in such a manner; it was quite surprising, to be sure. Still, she was happy for her and put aside her antics. "So, ready for the party?" "Yes, yes, I suppose. By the way, Dash, have there been any developments in Chaos Vill?" "Nope, not one. As soon as I joined, they just had me either feeding school kids or picking up trash on the side of the road," Dash shrugged. "Oh, but there is this," Dash pulled a crumpled-up paper from her pocket. "I forgot to give it to you," she said, handing it over. Twilight took a look, unfolding it. "A street fighter tournament? But isn't that a video game?" "No, not this! This is apparently a fight club tournament; all forms of martial arts are a go. No weapons, except hand-to-hand combat. That Smolder girl said it's Chaos Vill's biggest fundraiser every year. And this year, they're planning to make it their biggest one yet." As Twilight looked at it, she was reminded of their conversation that night nearly a month ago after going to that bar. Here’s your text with spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections made while preserving your original writing style: "Any more clues about him?" asked Rarity. "No, both I and Twilight exhausted every resource on him," Shining said. He then pulled out the card the doctor gave him at the bar. "There's no sign of his existence." He threw the card on the table. It fell on its back. "The Chaos King is like a phantom. A ghost. There's no way to catch it." "Umm, guys, remember that thing about the creature with horns and antlers?" "Yeah, Rare, why?" "Well, I think you weren't far off after all," she said, pointing at the card. They looked and saw she was right. On the back of the card was some type of art—an abstract depiction of a creature with horns and antlers and the body of what looked to be a snake. It had wings and was surrounded by other creatures, looking as if it were a predator out to get its prey. "Wow, how did I miss that?" asked Shining. "No idea, but the thing is, you were probably talking to the lower tier," Rarity repeated. "The what?" asked Shining. "Oh, come now! Everyone knows that if you really want to know what's going on in a company, you never ask the receptionist. You go for the higher-ups. Hmm, it seems like that little organization is a lot bigger if it's involved with all of this. Well, we need to infiltrate its ranks." Rarity smiled. "Find out who the higher-up is, get close to them, and perhaps find the boss himself." Everyone stood there a bit agape. The fact that Rarity, of all people, knew any of this was a shock to the system. "What? I am the daughter of one of the richest people in town, ya know! I'm not just some airhead," she argued back. "Okay, but how are we going to infiltrate?" Spike asked. "Well, it can't be me or Shining; they saw us," Twilight replied. "I'm not getting involved; I'm too recognizable," said Rarity, who flipped her hair back. "Well, I look too inconspicuous; it can't be me," AJ shrugged. They all then turned to Dash, who was just fixing her fake muzzle, making her look like a pony again. "Me? A super spy? I like the idea of that; I'm in!" "Okay, but Dash, you've got to be careful. If this really is connected to the Chaos King..." "Yeah, yeah, I know. Look, I'll wait a few more days, then I'll go sign up. I'll try to figure out some of the ranks and report back what I know. If I don't find anything in a month or two, I'll pull out, okay?" "Sounds like a plan if I ever heard one," AJ smirked. They all nodded. "A plan at the time, perhaps, but since then, the trails have run cold," Twilight muttered to herself before looking at the date. "May tenth... it's in a few months, huh? That's convenient," she said sarcastically before placing the paper down on her desk. "Okay, let's get going to the party then." Dash squealed as she headed out, making Twilight smile and shake her head. The party was quite packed. Ponies, cats, dogs, and lizards all partied as Pinkie controlled the DJ setup with her friend, Pon-3. "Come on, Twilight! You've got to learn how to have fun!" Pinkie called out into the crowd before pulling her onto the mini dance floor they had made by moving a table out of the way. "Um, you know I'm actually a terrible dancer?" she said nervously. "Ahh, it doesn't matter! As long as you're having fun. Now just do what I do." Pinkie began tapping her toe. Twilight copied. Pinky then spun around and landed with her hooves on her hips. Twilight did so, a bit clumsily. "There! You got it!" she said, nodding her head. Dash then slid across the floor and punched the air. Pinkie followed Dash's moves as Twilight tried to copy. "Alright, you're getting better, Twilight," Dash encouraged. "No, I'm not, but thank you," she laughed. "No, but I'm gonna go hang with A.K. Yearling. You coming, Rarity?" "Right behind you, darling," she flipped her hair before leaving Twilight to dance with Pinkie. Fluttershy happily followed. A.K. Yearling was talking to a few others but stopped when she noticed the two young mares walking up to her. "Mrs. Yearling, thank you again for coming and signing our book," Rarity claimed. "Yeah, how did you ever come up with these awesome stories, anyway?" asked Dash. "Oh, well, you see, they are based off my personal life, though a bit overdramatic at moments. I'm not exactly an adventurer on the tips of saving the world," she chuckled. "Right, right." Fluttershy sighed, noticing how strange she acted when she said that. A.K. Yearling seemed to have a bored, faraway look on her face. Something about it—why, it almost reminded her of Mr. Ghost. Then again, everything reminded her of Mr. Ghost for the time being. She simply couldn't get him out of her head. Perhaps it was just because she agreed to ask him to go drinking with her and some old friends. "Well, I think I'm going to sit down for a moment, excuse me," she gave a friendly nod before leaving the little group. As she left, she heard Rarity asking something about romance in her stories. She sat down as she looked at her computer, searching all she could on the colt. What she found wasn't much—just a few rumors that had no evidence and some business records involving him. But other than the average sighting, he was, as his name implies, a ghost. Fluttershy shrugged; he was a private colt after all, and a lord at that. Still, she found a new article—new to her, for it was actually an old one from over a decade ago. Still, she decided to give it a read and see what she could find. "Young Equestrian soldier being promoted by the queen herself," said the headline. The war of today is a hard one. In these troubled times, it is good to know that there are still heroes willing to fight for our safety and well-being against the threat of the dragons. Fluttershy shook her head at that statement. Lizards were considered terrifying beasts back then, and she wanted to hear nothing of the sort. One of her own friends was a lizard, after all. Mr. Ghost, age unknown, first name unannounced, is being presented with our most esteemed honor for his bravery. He single-handedly infiltrated an enemy's base and took out the top general of the Feline Armada. We hope that with this turn of events, the war will soon come to a close. But with the fight against the dragons and the civil war in Abyssinia, who knows when this battle might finally come to an end? While he refused to give an interview, sources say he looks to be barely 19. He is now going to stand at the ranks of a three-star general, making him the youngest in existence, appointed to the position by none other than freedom fighter and future feline ruler Baast herself. The question is, is there anything going on between the two of them? Many folk believe the only reason why he's being presented with such an honor by Queen Amber and Baast is because he's dating one of them or both. When asked for a comment on the subject, the crown herself rejected the notion, but rumors are still circulating. And what of the rumors that he flirts with the princesses' sisters? We asked General Luna, Princess's own word, and she had this to say: "Preposterous! Mr. Ghost is a kind gentleman, not some ladies' man. None of this stupidity should take away from his achievements in battle, and I, as does my sister, thank him for his service to our country—nothing more." We tried to ask her for any details on her past with the fellow in question but got no answer. Is Mr. Ghost now Lord Ghost truly a hero of the day, or a wolf in sheep's clothing? All this reporter will have to say is thank you, Mr. Ghost, and congratulations on the promotion. Reading the article made Fluttershy feel both furious at the very thought of him being a scandal. Still, the article was more gossip than fact and only had one photo of a young colt in a three-star general uniform being knighted by Queen Amber. Even when young, he seemed to look less handsome and more like a skeleton. Malnourished, perhaps. Not only did he have the strange fang-like tooth, but he seemed to almost look like a skull, even back then. Still, there was something about him—something that made him seem interesting, at the very least. And to be granted such a powerful role at such a young age was nearly incredible. "Hey, Fluttershy, stop pulling a Twilight and get your flank here, ya hear?" Applejack called to her. She put the laptop aside and pushed the thought of Mr. Ghost to the back of her mind. Tonight was supposed to be a chance to relax and have some fun, and right now, that's exactly what she needed. "Sorry, sorry, I had some schoolwork to finish," she lied and danced around a bit as she came close to the window. Across the street, watching the party through a pair of goggles, was none other than the twins. "We can't just stalk them," her brother said as his sister watched through the binoculars. She put them down and shrugged. "Why not? They are our key to finding him," Mel said to her brother. "Do you even hear yourself?" he replied, typing something on his computer. "We don't even know when they meet. For all we know, she may not have met him yet, and it might take a while before they do. We have to find him now." "Oh, now you're taking this seriously," she rolled her eyes. "I've always been taking this seriously," he argued. "Says the guy whining about chocolate chip pancakes," she muttered before looking through her binoculars again, much to his frustration. "So your plan is to just follow her and see every guy she meets?" "Yep," she replied as if it were obvious. He sighed in annoyance. "According to our aunt, Dad was a chimera who was already researching a cure for the disease in a lab facility called Loco Labs that blew up. May eleventh, we have to find him and the lab before then, and we're running out of time. But I can't find anything on that lab, not in Aunt's files nor on the web." He shook his head. "None of this adds up." He sighed and lay sprawled out on the rooftop. "Well, you're the brains of the operation. Figure it out," his sister told him before getting up and leaving. "Where are you going?" he lifted his head. "To get something to eat. Don't worry, I'll bring you back something," she said nonchalantly, walking down the fire escape of the building. His only response was an annoyed grunt.
Chapter 11 A Vilian, A Hero, Or A PonySomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
chapter 12 Drunk LeadsFebruary 8th, 7:59 PM ---- Twilight stood at her counter, staring into the microscope. What she was viewing was a bright white scale sample from Rarity. "Hmm, strange," she thought to herself, moving her head to a book of different fish scales. "Though she does resemble a fish with her tail and fins, her scales don't look like that of any fish at all," Twilight said in her mind. She quickly moved from one book to another. This book had lizard scales of all sorts. But as she flipped through the pages, not one matched. She then looked over to her friend's samples. "AJ's lion hair resembled less lion hair and more like proto-feathers. Her claws, however, looked like lion claws and could be retracted like ones, but they were the wrong shape; feline claws were curved, these were flat and sharp, more like a talon from a bird. Speaking of birds, on closer inspection, Dash's beak didn't resemble that of an eagle, but like a griffin's, according to mythology books. Yet it also didn't match any known bird beaks and resembled that of a reptile's beak." Twilight scratched her head before she looked over at the table where her brothers had fallen asleep playing their board game. She smiled as she grabbed some blankets from the couch and covered them gently while the sounds of them sleeping filled the room. She glanced at the clock; it was nearly 8:00. Not exactly a late hour, but she couldn't help but feel tired herself after all the work she had done. She then wondered when Fluttershy would get home as she set a hoof to her chin and grabbed a carrot out of the kitchen. She handed it to a very annoyed little bunny in its cage and then proceeded to feed the rest of Fluttershy's animals. As for Fluttershy, she stood in a dark green and black dress, nothing too fancy since she was going out for drinks and nothing more. She hoped to get a dance out of the evening with Mr. Ghost at the very least; it's been so long since he held her in such a manner. She remembered the way he held her at the gala, as if she were glass, as if she was the most important thing at that moment. With any luck, he would ask her and not the other way around. Even so, if she did ask him to dance, would it be so bad? Her mind pondered such questions as she was sitting in a car driven by Tree Hugger. The question was, was she already drunk? The way she drove didn't ease any of Fluttershy's nerves that evening. "So, you say you invited a friend, huh? What's her name, anyway? I can't wait to meet her," Tree Hugger asked. "Um, his name is..." "No way. Our old friend got herself a boyfriend, eh?" said Landy, Tree Hugger's roommate. She was also friends with Fluttershy back in the day. "No, no, it's not like that. He's just my tutor, and he's really nice, so I thought..." "Oh lighten up; I'm just teasing," snickered Landy. "If you really want to lighten up, I know one or two good drinks to get ya." She winked. "Fluttershy doesn't really drink like us. I told her it will just be a cool night," said Tree Hugger with a slow and smooth grin. "Yes, of course." She smiled nervously as they pulled up to the Dragon Pony Bar. As she waited in line, she remembered the conversation she had when she asked him out and couldn't help but feel nervous as the thought of him coming here tonight crossed her mind. Little did Fluttershy know that Dash stood inside of the bar in the back, drying dishes, alongside her cleaning them was none other than Dr. Sunburst, the very same doctor who implanted Shining's eye. He looked over with a smile and noticed her stiff posture. "Hey, you alright?" he asked in a friendly tone, making her twitch a bit. "Huh? Oh yeah, yeah, um." She thought of an excuse quickly. "It's just I'm underage; what if a cop comes in?" "You're not drinking; you're working, so don't worry about it," Sunburst assured her and got back to work. Dash nodded and turned her attention back to the cup she was drying, all the while cursing herself. "Stupid, stupid, get a hold of yourself," she thought. "Play it cool, just play it cool," she told herself. The truth is she hated it here. She was scared and nervous whenever she had to do anything involving Chaosville. But she couldn't let her friends know. No, she had to play it cool. This was important. Any intel, even the slightest bit, could help them figure out who the Chaos King was and where he was, what his plans were, and maybe even how to stop him once and for all. She had to put aside her fears and get the job done no matter what. So she loosened her posture a bit and put on a cool smile before turning her attention back to the doctor next to her. "So, how long have you worked here anyway?" she asked, trying to play it cool. "Oh, let's see, hmm, the last decade or so. I used to be a high-class doctor, and I wanted to help anyone I could, but..." he shrugged and then sighed. "Not everyone can afford to go to a doctor when they need to." His tone shifted to one of pity. "I saw how many here in the south needed my help, so I opened my office here, much to the dismay of my peers." He lowered his eyebrows. "Those stuck-up doctors, they all say they want to help people, but then don't help unless you have a bundle of cash in your wallet." He shook his head. "I knew I wasn't going to make much opening an office in a city like this. But I didn't care; I just wanted to help people, and then I learned about Chaosville. I joined almost immediately and even made their websites for them." He smiled. "And what's also nice is that some of their funds go to me to keep my office open so that I can help anyone, despite how much money they have." His story surprised Dash. She honestly didn't know what to say, and it showed in her expression as she looked away and found a framed newspaper article hanging on the wall. Dash dried her hands and took a look at it. Her eyes widened at the information as she read it. Gang crimes at an all-time low, the headline read. Gang wars over territory have now diminished, with several gangs taken out completely, according to cops. Sources say that those who were arrested said only one man did it. And this isn't the first time he's done it. The man in question, a bartender who owns the shop, has no response. There was a photo of at least fifty gang members knocked out cold on the side of the road from several different gangs. In the background, you could make out the bar, though it didn't have the Dragon Pony sign yet. Must have been an early photo before that sign was put up. Dash bit her lip as she tried to think about that, only for Sunburst to interrupt her thoughts. "Now I'll deal with the rest of these. Do me a favor and go and deliver these drinks," he gestured to a tray of orders. "We're understaffed tonight, and it's a popular night, so put on your best friendly face for the customers," he chuckled gleefully. Dash did as instructed, not wanting to give anything away that she was thinking. She picked up the tray and headed out as she read which tables they belonged to. "Table seven, ten, and twelve." She shrugged and headed back to table twelve, delivering mugs full of beer to two questionable-looking creatures. "Thank you," smirked the tall, slender cat with a sly smile and a rather smooth voice. His partner, a dirty-looking brown pony, grumbled a response but didn't say anything. Dash didn't care and barely paid attention as she continued their conversation before she got there. "Here's to a deal well made, Caballeron," the cat held his mug up. "It's a rather expensive request, Capper. Not gonna be cheap," Caballeron smiled. "Hey, since when does my boss never pay up?" Capper's smile only grew. Caballeron smiled back, matching his sly grin. "I'm just making sure I'm not getting swindled." "You're not," the cat eased him, much to Caballeron's amusement. "Well, here's to the boss." He held up his mug. "Here's to the boss," Capper joined in the toast. As for Dash, she moved swiftly to her next table, delivering drinks to Smolder and some of her friends before heading to table twelve. She faked her best smile and walked to the furthest back table. There sat a pony reading a newspaper. "Here, ma'am, your dri—" Dash nearly spilled the customer's martini as she realized who she was standing in front of. "Oh, hello again. I didn't know you worked here," said A.K. Yearling in a dull voice as she lowered her paper and took her drink. "A.K. Yearling," Dash nearly squealed but coughed and tried to play it cool. "Uh, what are you doing here?" "Oh, just getting a drink while I'm in town," she said, never changing her gaze from the two at table seven. The two seemed to get along just fine as they chatted. "So why are you working here? You're not drinking, are you?" She raised her eyebrows. "Me? Oh, no, no. I'm a good girl." Dash wanted to hit herself in the face. "I'm a good girl, really, so uncool," she scolded herself but continued. "You see, I joined a group of charity..." "Of charity? Really, Dash, can you even speak right?" she argued with herself. "It's called Chaosville, and they actually own this bar. All funds from it go to mostly charity around the city. We're understaffed tonight, so I'm helping out," she smiled, sounding a bit like Pinkie. "Chaosville, eh? Strange name," Yearling replied in her usual dull tone. "Oh, I suppose. Anyway, enjoy your drink. I'll just, uh, get back to work." She smiled nervously and tried to leave before she made more of a fool of herself. "Wait," A.K. called out, stopping Dash in her tracks. "Would you like to read a little bit of my next book? I would like a fan's opinion on it." "Would I?" Dash turned on her heel with the biggest smile on her face. "Uh, uh, I mean," she coughed and then played it cool. "Sure." A.K. Yearling chuckled at her enthusiasm before downing her martini in one gulp and began her way out of the building. Dash followed her, so internally excited that she didn't even realize she walked right past Fluttershy standing in line. Nor did Fluttershy see her due to her head being in the clouds, dreaming about the possibility of dancing with Mr. Ghost once again; only for her thoughts to drift away with the familiar sound of his bike. To her surprise, he was nicely dressed in a dark green hat and suit, matching hers in complete coincidence. But he wasn't so dressed up that he looked out of place for the night. Fluttershy watched as he quickly caught up to her and her friends, a soft smile on her face the entire time. His height intimidated everyone but Fluttershy, who was used to it. "You made it!" she called out, catching his attention as she stretched out her hoof. He didn't take it; instead, he straightened his jacket, much to her disliking. "Yes, well, I said I would meet you at 8, did I not? Unfortunately, I'm five minutes," he checked his watch, "and twenty-four seconds late due to work. My apologies, Mrs. Breeze." "It's fine; we haven't made it in yet." She then turned to her friends. "Tree Hugger, Landy, this is Mr. Ghost. Mr. Ghost, these are my old high school buddies from back in Cloudsdale." Mr. Ghost gave them a nod and a friendly smile, yet somehow it came off a bit off to look at. "Well, why are we all standing here? Let's go in." "But we're in line. You can't just cut in line," Fluttershy told him, a bit confused. "As the owner of the pub, I sure can," he smirked. "What?!" The three girls shouted in unison. Mr. Ghost chuckled before bypassing the short line. The three followed him, still in shock. Most were unhappy at first, but as soon as they recognized him, they all gasped and parted ways to let him through. "Boss, we, uh, we weren't expecting you," said a dog with a bit of sweat dripping off him. "No need to worry; I was invited," he chuckled. "Invited to my own bar by a friend. I had to come just to see the look on her face." He laughed more. Mr. Ghost clapped his hooves, and those in the crowd held the door for him and the three ladies who followed. The bar itself was what you would expect from a bar: a dance floor of some sort, pool tables, and, well, a large bar that took up the entire back wall from the entrance. He went to the bartender first. "Uh, sir, what are you doing here?" asked Sunburst in a stutter. "Take it easy, Mr. Burst; I'm only here to have a few drinks and relax tonight." He said, taking a shot of something random. "However, since I am here, I say get next round on me." He said with a smirk. The bar was packed with ponies, lizards, cats, and dogs. Some were bikers and some weren't. Most of them were just there for a drink. But as soon as they heard Mr. Ghost offer, the crowd all cheered in one go, making Fluttershy jump a bit. Mr. Ghost took another shot of something before turning to his guests. "Well, let's grab a table!" He clapped his hooves, and some tables in the back cleared out for him and the ladies. It was a rather large booth. In the back of the room sat Mr. Capper and Caballeron, both of which were surprised to see Mr. Ghost out for once. "Heh, well, I'll be darned," Capper smirked as he watched the boss along with the ladies. "What's he doing here?" grumbled the pony next to Capper. "No idea," the cat smirked. "Wow, I should have come here with you more often," Landy laughed as she sat down next to Tree Hugger. Fluttershy got in the booth, followed by Mr. Ghost, who set his arms out on the back of the booth like he owned the place, and for good reason; he did. Fluttershy couldn't believe it; she knew he was a drinker, but to actually own an entire bar? She knew he was a banker, but the way he always held himself made it seem like he'd never be involved with such things. Yet again, it was clear it was all an act. Even now, with the way he sat with such a laid-back posture, it all seemed as though he were acting. Some of the waitresses came to their table, much to Fluttershy's distaste; they asked him in a quietly flirty manner, "Can we get you anything, boss?" Despite their tone, Mr. Ghost shrugged and gestured with his hoof to those around him at the table. "Whatever they want," he answered back as he took off his shades, revealing his ruby eyes. "So, Mrs. Breeze, what will it be?" "Oh, I, uh, I don't drink," Fluttershy replied. "Oh, come on, Flutters! I know what to get you; it'll put you right in the mood. Just a little root beer float, except with real beer," Landy laughed as the waitress wrote it down. "In fact, make that three." "Okay, and you, boss," the waitress smiled somewhat seductively. "I'll take a few more shots. Thanks; hell, just bring the bottle," Mr. Ghost said before another voice came over the crowd. "Haha, well, isn't this quite the surprise, if it isn't the infamous Mr. Ghost," said a shady-looking gray pony with a yellow shirt and a beer in hoof. The same pony who sat with Capper a moment ago. "Ah, Mr. Caballeron… always a pleasure," smirked Mr. Ghost, but the smile said anything but friendly. As Fluttershy watched this exchange, she got the odd feeling she shouldn't be there at all. Caballeron sat down across from them. "Yes, of course! What are you doing here, sir? This isn't about our trades now, is it?" he asked a bit slyly. "Carefully, Caballeron; I didn't invite you to sit down," Mr. Ghost's grin shifted to one of annoyance, his eyes narrowing. "I am here for a night out, nothing more." Caballeron smiled, but despite it, at that very moment, it seemed as if all the confidence in the rough-looking pony's face melted away as he quickly got to his feet. "Yes, yes of course. So my mistake." To anyone else, it would seem like he only meant about their trades, but to Fluttershy, she got the feeling that he was talking about something else with that apology. "Oh, hey, I know: since you're here, why don't we hear you sing something? I haven't heard you in so long." "Sing a song, sing a song," chanted the crowd. Mr. Ghost snickered. "You sing?" asked Fluttershy. "I dabble. I'm not very good at it. I'm better at playing music than singing." "Oh, now you have to do it." "Be among the mighty, the world at our command," sang Capper from the back of the room. His boss instantly recognized his voice and shot him a dirty look, a look that, if it were given to anyone else, would make them quiver in fear, yet Capper only chuckled slyly at it. "Come on, boss! Have some fun!" he encouraged. "Fine, so long as it's anything but that," he pointed at the cat. With another gulp of liquor down his system, he mentally cursed his subordinate. "Why of all nights is he here?" he grumbled as he headed to the piano. "So, anyone here have a suggestion? One that isn't a curse," he narrowed his eyes at Capper in particular, who only shrugged in response. "Oh, I know, I know!" Landy said with an evil grin. "Fluttershy, you've got to get up there and sing with him." Fluttershy's eyes widened at that. "Me? Uh, no, no, I don't think so." "Duet, duet, duet!" chanted the crowd. Fluttershy sighed in defeat and then grabbed someone's beer, drinking half of the glass from a waitress's plate. She just wanted enough in her system so she could get past her stage fright. She got up on stage as a blue feline handed her a mic. Mr. Ghost only rolled his eyes. "Any song you'd like to sing, then?" he asked as if he was already tired. "No, not really," she answered. Mr. Ghost played with the keys a bit, but then an idea struck his face. Fluttershy tilted her head, waiting for his response. "I got it!" he laughed. "Oh, everyone knows this one." He chuckled. "Tell me, folks: you want a show tonight?" He asked the crowd, who only responded with cheers. Mr. Ghost began playing the piano. It took a second for everyone to catch on to what he was playing, but soon the crowd began clapping to the beat, knowing the song all too well. Fluttershy put a hoof to her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter. She didn't know if it was the alcohol in her system or if she was just comfortable with him, but she already knew what to do. "We're no strangers to love You know the rules and so do I A full commitment's what I'm thinking of You wouldn't get this from any other guy" Mr. Ghost sang a bit smoothly, making Fluttershy gasp at the depth of his voice, but knowing the song all too well herself, she joined in. I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling Gotta make you understand Mr. Ghost chuckled as he sang the next line. We've known each other for so long Your heart's been aching, but you're too shy to say it "That'll do," shouted Capper. Mr. Ghost's disapproving look never wavered for Capper, who could only do so much to stifle his own laughter. I'm in so much trouble later, he mentally noted as he gestured for his boss to start singing. "Inside, we both know what's been going on" "We know the game and we're gonna play it" The entire bar joined in; you could even hear the song outside. "Never gonna give you up Never gonna let you down Never gonna run around and desert you Never gonna make you cry Never gonna say goodbye Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you Never gonna give you up Never gonna let you down Never gonna run around and desert you Never gonna make you cry Never gonna say goodbye Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you" Thank you for clarifying your preference regarding the wording! I understand that you want to keep your original phrasing and style intact. In that case, I'll focus on making corrections without altering your expressed voice or combining sentences. Here's the revised approach based on your feedback, maintaining your wording while correcting spelling, grammar, punctuation, and clarity: Dash followed her hero to her car; it was the furthest car in the parking lot, and it sat in a rather dark shadow. She stopped just a foot away as A.K. Yearling opened the back seat, supposedly to get her computer. "So what's the next adventure? Are we going to finally face off the ancient mummy who was actually a long-lived alien from space or what?" Dash asked a bit over-excited. "Oh yeah, about that, you see..." A.K. Yearling backed up a bit and stretched out her back. To Dash's surprise, she was just a bit taller than her slumped old body gave her credit for. But she thought nothing of it until it was too late. As Dash became distracted by the sound coming from inside the bar, she asked, "Huh, what's going on in—" In an instant, Yearling jumped and spun mid-air, her back heel kicking Dash in the back of her head. She fell to the ground hard, unconscious, as A.K. Yearling landed. "You're kinda my next story," she smirked and took off her hat, revealing her long hot pinkish-reddish spiked hair. She had a scar just across her right eye and an evil grin in her dark green opal eyes. Finding her voice, Fluttershy sang the next line more confidently with every word, starting to get into the groove. "We've known each other for so long Your heart's been aching, but you're too shy to say it." Mr. Ghost got up, and to her surprise, spun her around as he wanted the next line. "Inside, we both know what's been going on. We know the game, and we’re gonna play it. I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling." "Gotta make you understand." Fluttershy said as she lost herself enjoying the dance, while the crowd continued the song, dancing along and snapping their fingers or clapping their hooves. "Never gonna give you up Never gonna let you down Never gonna run around and desert you Never gonna make you cry Never gonna say goodbye Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you Never gonna give you up Never gonna let you down Never gonna run around and desert you Never gonna make you cry Never gonna say goodbye Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you Never gonna give you up Never gonna let you down Never gonna run around and desert you Never gonna make you cry Never gonna say goodbye Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you." Mr. Ghost ended the song by spinning her around and catching her in a half dip. The two stood a bit out of breath, both smiling at each other for a moment as the crowd cheered and clapped. Mr. Ghost was the first to undo their stance and take a seat, but not before he nodded his approval to her singing skills. The two sat and had a few more drinks, listening to the crowd sing a few different songs, only to soon begin to tire out and want to end the night. "Welp, I have work in the morning," said Landy. "Come on, Treehugger." Treehugger didn't argue. She only looked at Fluttershy, who was currently eyeing Mr. Ghost in a drunken happy daze. "Hey, you don't mind if we head out? Maybe your friend can give you a ride," Treehugger said, tipsy herself. Fluttershy nodded as she asked, "You don't mind giving me a ride, do you?" Mr. Ghost only shrugged as he stood up. Fluttershy was in a happy daze, all that alcohol in her system as she walked out of the bar loopy. She didn't have much to drink, but it was clear she overdid it. As they walked out of the bar and parted ways with her friends, Mr. Ghost offered to take her home instead, worried about what she would do on her own in this side of town, like this. Though he had four times what she had and a lot heavier of drinks, he wasn't the least bit drunk by the looks of it. "Come on, let's get you back to where you belong." He told her with a smile as he watched the drunken mare dance around. "What? Oh come on, the night is young! Let's have some fun." She said as she began to shake around, dancing. "No, it's time to go." He muttered angrily, not liking the sound of himself. Since when was he the party pooper? "Oh come on, just dance with me a little," she spun around before humming "Never Gonna Give You Up." A bit annoyed, he spun around with her once, but only to get her closer to the bike. "There, we danced; now come on," he retorted as he sat her onto his bike. "Oh fine, fine! I like your bike anyway. At least it's better than you." What she said made no sense at all, but he just shook his head. "Why did I agree to this?" he cursed himself. "Bike rides can be so much fun," she cheered excitedly as she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Don't you think?" she asked, a bit flirty. "Oh, I know! Can we take the scenic route? I don't want it to be a short trip." "A scenic route?" His nose scrunched angrily. She pouted at the anger in his voice; the look on her face nearly made the tall pony laugh. She was rather nice-looking in her dress, and he caught himself as his gaze drifted down her body, only to snap out of it with her next plea. "Please, I don't want the night to end just yet," she whined as if she was a little filly. Seeing a full-grown and beautiful mare beg him nearly broke his composure. "A scenic route, eh?" said a sly voice. Discord growled as he turned around and saw his subordinate. "The mountain road is quite scenic, actually." He grinned. She gasped, "Oh, a mountain ride, yes, yes, yes! Can we please?" she begged, nearly falling off the bike, tipsy. Discord growled in his frustration, only making the cat smile widen. He turned to her with a groan. "If I do, will you promise to behave?" he said a bit nervously. "Mhmm, oh I promise. I promise to behave," she replied, drunk, coming off somewhat seductive. Mr. Ghost cursed himself for his own choice of words but knew it was the best way to shut her up. Capper chuckled at the scene before him. Mr. Ghost turned back, "You have a job to do, and I want it done tonight," he growled. "On my way now, I was just having a drink with Caballeron when I saw you, that's all." He held up his paws. Mr. Ghost rolled his eyes and got on the back of his bike, starting up the engine. He rode off, leaving Capper in a pile of dust, but Capper's expression never changed despite the dirt in the air. He simply put on a pair of glasses and said, "Well, time to get to work." Once Mr. Ghost was as far away from him as he couldn't see him, he let his expression soften before a new thought crossed his mind. "Hmm, I haven't been there in a while," he mumbled to himself. Author's Note RICK ROLL!!! 🤣🤣🤣 https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ?si=7FiC_bO4ISKVsVoC Hope you guys don't mind and you enjoyed the chapter.
Chapter 13 The Game BeginsAuthor's Note I have finally got 400 views I would like to thank everyone who gave it a chance at the very least, for reading my work Chapter 13 The Game Begins Chapter 13: The Game Begins February 8th, 11:00 PM ---- As they drove through the streets of the town, Fluttershy marveled at the shiny lights and laughed the night away without a care in the world about where they were going. He drove her to the edge of the city and up a rather dark hill. She watched as the lights around her shined like the sky above her, humming 'Infamous Rara' as she nuzzled into him. She never even noticed how the lights of the city began to lower and lower until she was right above them. "Wow, it's like an ocean of stars," she told him happily. As for Mr. Ghost, his eyes flickered between the road and the pony in his rearview mirror, adjusting it slightly to get a better look at her for a moment before continuing on his path. Suddenly, the bike came to a halt as he switched off the engine. "Why'd we stop?" she pouted. "I was having fun." "Yes, but I thought you might enjoy this next spot, huh?" He wiggled an eyebrow and got off the bike, taking her arm. They stopped on the side of the road on a tall mountain. A little fence there to keep the cars on the road stopped the bike from going any further, but he stepped over that and onto the grass, guiding her along. She still had her pouty face and whined, "But I want to keep riding." "And we will, we will. I just thought you might want to see this." He said and gestured to the cliff. On it was a beautiful old willow-like tree that swayed in the wind. She smiled and gasped as she got to the edge. Below her was the city. It shined and looked so pretty, yet it looked so small. The cars looked like ants from this height. Normally she would be afraid of such a height, but being drunk, she had no fear at all. He chuckled as he watched her marvel at the sight below. "The city looks great, but what about the skies above?" he whispered towards her. She looked up, and there they were, just far enough away from the city lights to see the stars. Not too many, but enough to enjoy. There were a few clouds, even some below them, but otherwise it was quite clear. If anything, it looked like a painting, the city below under the stars as she stood on top of the cliffside of a mountain. "Oh Ghosty, this is amazing." "Ghosty?" He questioned in his head, but let it go, instantly knowing she was drunk. "How did you ever find this place?" she asked. "As a kid, mostly. I don't come here too often anymore, but..." He looked out at the scenery. "I used to come to this very edge and stare out into the skies above," he sighed a bit sadly. "It was so nice and I..." He let out a breath of air. "I just feel free when I'm here. And this tree," he said as if he was reminiscing, "this tree I like to think of as my thinking tree," he placed a hoof on its bark. "I come here only when I have an issue I'm trying to solve. Which back then was every day," he said with a faraway look. She looked over to the side away from the city and noticed a dense forest. "That's Everfree," he told her, noticing her gaze. "I've been there once or twice; it actually does have a little town in the middle of the forest. Otherwise, this road is the cut-off. You turn left, you head to Cloudsdale; you turn right, you come here. Just above us," he pointed at the cave up the mountain, "used to be a mining tunnel. My bar is at the foot of this hill, actually. We're just on the other side of it is all." She nodded at his words, mesmerized by the sight of it all. Dash slowly came to her senses as she heard tapping in the background. When she finally opened her eyes, she found herself tied to a chair. She found herself in a dark interrogation room, the kind a spy would use in a TV show. Only this wasn't a TV show; this was her real life, and she slowly began to panic as she heard a familiar voice call to her, but now it sent shivers down her spine. "Well, well, well, look who's finally awake," said a familiar voice. Her eyes shot wide as she looked upon the figure in the dark. She turned on a light, and it slightly blinded Dash for a moment. "A.K. Yearling?" Dash questioned. "You're one of his workers," A.K. Yearling growled before lunging at Dash, tilting her chair back. "So tell me, Colors, what do you know of the Chaos King?" "The... the Chaos King?" she asked nervously. "Your boss!" A.K. Yearling yelled. "No, no, I don't know anything, I swear." She sputtered frantically. A.K. Yearling was about to stomp on Dash's head, but Dash harnessed her chimera powers. Her boots and fake hooves fell off, revealing her claws. She shot wings through her shirt and used her agility to catch her attacker off guard. Her face quickly grew colorful feathers as her muzzle fell off, revealing her beak. A.K. Yearling was taken by surprise but quickly gained the upper hand by swiping the chimera off her feet with a kick, tripping her over. She then pulled out her own gun and pointed it at the creature's head. "Wait, wait! Let me explain! I am Zap, one of the heroes capturing mutants." A.K. Yearling nodded, "I know of you. So, are the heroes working for the Chaos King then?" "No, no! We're trying to stop him! I was undercover; I didn't know those were weapons. Had I known, I would have stopped them. My friends and I were mutated by the Chaos King, and we're trying to capture him. We just don't know who he is. Honest!" she said, a bit panicked. A.K. Yearling narrowed her eyes; she was so close to pulling the trigger when a voice called out. "Lower your weapon, Agent Tempest." Dash's eyes widened once again. "I know that voice," she said as a familiar pony stepped into the light. "I know this one personally; she is a friend of my daughter," said the white pony in a grey business suit. "Mr. Shine?" Dash asked worriedly. "Thunder King, I had this under control," Tempest announced. "Oh sure you did, and that's why you were about to shoot her." Mr. Shine narrowed his eyes at her, but then put on a friendly smile, the same friendly smile he used when they met at the gala, though he didn't say much then. "Dash Rainbow, my apologies for my subordinate's mistreatment of you. But you see, this is a national security issue." He walked over to Dash and held out his hoof. Dash looked at it and then back to him as the feathers on her back stood on all ends. After a moment of not taking his hand, Mr. Shine lowered it as he spoke again. "Yes, well, it seems we have found ourselves in quite a dilemma. The Chaos King is a serious threat to the..." "I know! That's why my friends and I want to stop him. After all, it was him who mutated us." "You and your friends," he said as sternly as possible. "Tell me the truth, Mrs. Rainbow." His voice deepened a notch to show how serious his tone was. "Is my daughter also a chimera?" Dash's eyes widened a bit more, though at this point her eyes couldn't get much bigger. She was in quite the shock, but she knew she had to come clean here. She lowered her head solemnly, closing her eyes. With her expression, Mr. Shine already knew the truth. "I see," he said with a trembling voice full of pain. "One thing I wanted more than anything was to keep my daughter..." He trailed off as he winced. Dash wished she was lying as she watched the director, but he quickly gained his friendly composure with his next words. "You're working undercover, is that right? Trying to infiltrate their ranks?" Dash nodded to confirm it. "Alright, you were there the night of the gala. Did he have you perhaps look at a computer or something?" "I wasn't working for him at the time. We just went there to have some fun," Dash shrugged, trying to ease the tension in the room. "The night of the gala, we had a security breach; data showing the locations of our bases were copied and downloaded by the Chaos King. How, I am not sure," Mr. Shine stepped past Dash with his arms behind his back. "The Chaos King is planning something, something that could put this whole city, if not the world, in jeopardy. The question is, what?" January 18 ---- 9:05 "Sigh. It's begun," said Junior as he looked at his sister. "Our mission isn't to stop the outbreak; it's to stop him," she reminded her brother. Snow then began to fall, and the two of them looked up at the dark grey skies. The two, as always, sat on the back of their motorcycle. "I hope Aunty was right about all this," he said with a tired voice, as if he aged a hundred years right then and there. "Did you find Sugar Cube Corner yet?" she asked. Still looking up at the snow, he handed her a piece of paper. "Here's the address." She took it, scanning it with her eyes. "Hopefully, we can get there before it's too late," she said as she revved up the engine and took off. Celestia walked up onto the stage in front of her town hall. Cameras flashed, and the reporters lifted their mics and recorders, all excited to hear what she would have to say. She gave a smile as she always did but wasted no time getting into the nitty-gritty of the situation. "My fellow citizens of Ponyville, I am glad to say that with the help of these masked heroes, capture has been easier and easier. That isn't to say I trust them—no, far from it. But I cannot deny their results. My message to whoever these masked heroes are is simple: thank you for your contribution to keeping this city safe. But please turn yourselves in. If only asking were that simple; no one listens to that, do they? Especially in this town. I have talked with Sombra Kang, my husband and leader of the Equestrians; he has agreed to send the National Guard to help us in our time of need. The entire city must be quarantined for the safety of the city and of this world. Rest assured that we are making progress on finding a cure for the infection..." She was cut off by the sound of a gunshot. Her sister, who was standing off to the side, leaped over to her, tackling her to the ground, only to be hit by a bullet in the neck. "Yeash, Twilight needs to learn how to check out fewer books," Spike growled as he struggled to carry the heavy books down the road. AJ only smiled at that. She was walking Spike home, but as soon as she heard the screams of terror coming from up ahead, her expression fell. "Uh, do you hear that?" asked Spike. "Yeah, come on! We've got to get back to Twilight." She tossed the heavy books aside to deal with later. Spike copied her movements as the two ran in the opposite direction. Fluttershy twirled around and headed to the tree, giggling as she went. Mr. Ghost watched her as she danced; her eyes were wide and her smile bright. Though his gaze drifted everywhere but her eyes, she is quite the pretty mare. He sighed blissfully in his mind. "Wait, wait, what am I doing?" He shook his head. But when he heard her trip while trying to step towards him, she nearly fell off the side of the mountain. As she began losing her balance, he caught her by the waist and pulled her close, only trying to help her onto her feet. But to his surprise, she looked up into his eyes and began to get closer to him. But when her little voice giggled again, catching every bit of attention he had, his eyes caught hers, and he could even see how the stars sparkled within them. She lowered her head and snuggled into his chest; he could feel how close she was, how warm she was. He was at a loss for words. He didn't know how to respond to a mare being so close to him, and it showed in his stiff posture. "You're so sweet for doing this. You've always been so sweet to me," she sighed into his jacket. At first, nothing she said registered with him because he was in a full daze, lost beyond what he could say or do. A.K. Yearling was skeptical of Dash, but she asked in a calm manner, "So what do you know of the Chaos King?" "I wish Shadow Star was here instead; she's the brainy one. All I know is that this guy mutated us into chimera; he owned a bar and was in charge of a group called Chaos Vill. We do believe Chaos Vill and him are connected, so I infiltrated to get proof, but I have yet to meet the boss. And you, how are you involved in this anyway?" "That is easy; we are the E.S.A., after all," Mr. Shine told her. "So, so you're a spy? Oh, that's so cool!" Dash nearly squealed at the thought. "Daring Do, you're the real Daring Do." She slumped, "Yes, I'm a spy—or was. I've been on a case for a very long time, and I'm this close to catching the big bad himself in all of this." "We're just trying to cure all the chimera and bring him to justice." She then grew excited. "So those Daring Do books..." "Hmm, oh those, they are just a way to make an extra buck. A girl’s gotta eat." "You're Daring Do," Dash claimed happily. A.K. Yearling sighed. "You can call me Shadow, Tempest Shadow." "Those adventures, they were real, huh?" "That's enough," Mr. Shine chimed in, a bit tired of the conversation. "The question is, what now?" he huffed. "Boss, if I may, we could use this one." "Use her? She's my daughter's friend." "Boss," Tempest said dully. "No," Mr. Shine growled. "I will not let these escapades continue. I'm going to make sure my daughter has nothing else to do with this at all." "Mr. Shine," Dash spoke up. "Rarity is strong due to her being a chimera, and I am willing to help in any way I can, please." "I will not put my daughter's life on the line; she's in enough danger as it is," growled Mr. Shine. "Just be thankful she's alive," Tempest shouted at him. He lowered his face to hers, but Tempest never backed down. "Don't let your personal feelings get in the way of this, because if you do, you’ll end up like me," she said bitterly. "Really? Because it seems you're letting your personal feelings guide your way here, Mrs." "My family's gone; you still have yours." "Exactly, and I'm not gonna let my family be in danger." "The King is far too strong; you and I both know he's a chimera," Tempest told him. Dash watched the two older ponies exchange. "Umm," she said, wanting to interrupt but not knowing how. Mr. Shine sighed. "I will let you take this one as an apprentice, but my daughter stays out of it," he told Tempest. He then turned his attention to Dash. "Not a word of this is to be said to anyone; none of your friends are to know anything about this, especially Rarity. Is that understood?" "Yes, sir." Dash stood at attention and saluted him. "Congratulations then, welcome to the E.S.A. From here on out, you are to call me the Storm King, and this is Tempest Shadow. As for you..." "Zap," Dash interrupted him and held out her hoof. "Alright, Agent Zap," Mr. Shine shook her hoof. Just then, another agent, this time a dog, came running in. "Storm, we got an issue; the mayor's been attacked." "What?" Mr. Shine uttered in disbelief. Guards began blocking off the citizens from the crime scene, trying to control the pure chaos of the streets. They all ran in fear as more shots went off. "Seven, no, eight shots," one of the guards said, rushing the mayor and her unconscious sister down the stairs. "Luna," Celestia cried. "Luna, please speak to me," she said as she came close to her little sister. "Strange. She was shot, but there is no blood; perhaps she just got knocked out," said a member of the medical team. "Well, we have to stay here and wait for an ambulance," shouted the guard pony. Luna herself began to toss and turn, with a few moans showing she was coming to. "Oh, Luna, thank heavens. Luna, please wake up," cried her sister. Suddenly Luna shot open her eyes as she began to scream from the pain. A horn emerged from her head, as did two feathery wings. "Luna!" shouted the mayor. But the guard pony grabbed her and pulled her away just in time as the now-chimera Luna took flight, her eyes glowing yellow with red slits like a snake. She then burst through the wall, taking flight. The camera dog shook Mrs. Tails the cat, trying to make sure she was okay. She was breathing, and there was no blood to be seen, but she was definitely hit with something. Out of nowhere, catching him off guard, Mrs. Tails jumped up and grew four large goat horns out of her head. Her eyes glowed yellow as she began to go crazy. More shots were fired at the crowd as more emerged into chimeras. Arriving on the scene, the masked vigilantes looked down from the building above. Shadow Star (Twilight) and the others looked at the chaos below. "Ahh man," Mistress Marvelous said. "It takes all of us to take out one chimera, how many do we have?" "Six or seven, and counting," sighed Radiance. "Come on, guys! It's gonna take all of us to deal with this," Spike chimed in, dressed in his Halloween costume. "Remind me to make you a suit later on," Rarity said with a bit of disgust for the lazy outfit Spike wore. "Right behind you, Spike," Target said, readying his tranquilizers. "All right then, let's do it!" Shadow Star smiled confidently. The team all jumped down at the call to action from Shadow Star. Residence dove into the fountain and turned into a giant seahorse. She then began using her flippers to slap the strange chimera. There was a half-chicken, half-pony, a dog with a snake's body, and a half-lizard, half-zebra creature who all got slapped. While it did stop them for a moment, the chimera only turned their attention and hatred toward her as they leapt at her. Residence was pretty much defenseless if not for her extremely hard scales. Luckily for her, Mrs. Marvelous was able to swoop in with her scorpion-like tail and defend her friend. "Thanks for that," she huffed. "No problem, but we haven't got the manpower to deal with all of this," she shook her head. "I agree, you need some help!" said Dash, voicing over the communicator. "And luckily, the cavalry is here." She used her speed to knock out a half-turtle, half-dog with deer antlers. "Okay, I admit that helps quite a bit," smiled the manticore pony. Twilight used her back hoof to kick a griffin dog on the ground, while Spike was escorting civilians away from the scene. "It's okay, just follow me," he told a few scared ponies and a large dog. "Even so, we have to put a stop to whoever is shooting those darts," she told AJ. "On it," Target told her as he shot at where the shooter was. The shooter saw him and took off. "You're not getting away!" shouted Target as he took off after him. "Shadow Star, up ahead of you, the shooter’s getting away." She looked up in the direction of the building and found a shadow moving quickly through the windows. "On it!" she called back and took after him. Fluttershy looked up with a smile on her face as she tried to close the gap between them, her lips puckered slightly. At that moment, Mr. Ghost internally panicked. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you doing?" he asked her. "I was gonna kiss you," she pouted. "Kiss me? Why?" "Cause you've been so sweet, and I want to," she replied happily, swinging her head around. He then chuckled slightly. "You're kidding; you're drunk. I'm drunk. I mean, I'm pretty sober compared to you, but I had a few drinks, and you—you look so pretty, and we're here under the stars. You've got to be kidding me!" He chuckled nervously. "No, I'm not!" she said, annoyed at him. He began laughing, swaying back and forth as he facepalmed. "I like you, alright? What's the big deal?" she stomped. "What? You want to kiss me?" he argued. "Yes, I do!" she argued back. "Really? You sure about that?" he growled. "Yes, I am," she huffed. "All right, fine!" he waved his arms out. "Yes! I—wait, what?" she replied, expecting a fight. "If you're so keen on it, then do it! But only a peck, you got that?" he snarled. Her mood brightened as she jumped into his arms slightly, knocking him back against the tree. Mr. Ghost caught her in his arms as she smashed her lips against his, pinning him to the tree. Due to the height difference, he had to hold her in place. What was supposed to be a little peck on the lips quickly became a full-blown kiss. The feel of her against him, his lips against hers, only made him hungrier for more as he pulled her closer. He felt himself lose all sense of focus as something awakened in him—something primal, as he let her take control. Anyone who saw them would think the two were madly in love the way they did, eyes closed tightly shut. Mr. Ghost mentally blamed his intoxication and hers for that but didn’t fight it, as a growl of pleasure escaped him. But not one that a pony would make. It sounded more like one of a wild beast. Enjoying the kiss, he let his claws drift down her backside. He could feel her warmth against his claw tips. *Wait, claws!* He opened his eyes a bit in horror, but they weren't his usual eyes; they were glowing amber snake-like eyes. She, however, kept hers tightly shut, never even realizing the change in grip from hoof to claw. His neck was now longer than it was; he stood taller than he did a moment ago, and his limbs were that of a lion and eagle claw. He felt his hat nearly fall off due to the growing horns he had under it. He needed to stop this; he couldn't risk her finding out. She began to pull away, and with it, he feared she would open her eyes and see his true self. He forcefully put more pressure into the kiss, not letting her get away as he quickly began to morph his claw and paw back into hooves and lowered his head ever so slightly, so she didn’t notice the differences in height. It morphed back to what he had before as they eventually separated. Both stood gasping for air, a bit stunned. He was fearful, but she only figured it was because he was nervous and simply laid her head against his chest. He leaned against the tree, still in disbelief of the night's events. Dash was able to get better control of the fight from the air. She zapped several flying chimeras with her lightning powers as Radiance punched them and then caught the unconscious ones, setting them down easily. "Where is Saddle Rager when you need her?" Dash called out. "I don't know! She said something about going out with some old friends," Shadow Star called out. "Never here when you need..." Dash was cut off as suddenly a strange pink creature tackled the griffin to the ground. Was it another griffin, or something else entirely? The creature had a beak like hers but was not part lion. No, instead it was part eagle. The creature was definitely some type of horse. It was a hippogriff—a pink one with a curly pink tail. It was running wild as it giggled insanely. Its eyes were bright yellow with red slits, as all chimeras had. It drove Dash into the ground, laughing the entire time. Dash looked up at its attacker, mesmerized. "Uh, guys, we have a problem." "Dash!" Rarity called out and whacked the creature with her tail. Only the creature didn't go flying; instead, it stayed out of her reach and attacked, knocking her to the ground. She screamed as she looked at the beast, terrified. But then her expression fell as she recognized the creature. Mistress Marvelous came to her rescue, whacking the creature away with its tail. She then helped Fluttershy up onto her feet before looking at the chimera about to defend her and her friend. Her expression fell, tears began to swell up in her eyes. "Is it just me, or does that chimera look familiar?" asked Zapp (Dash). "Pinky!" cried AJ. The shooter was dressed in all black, with a helmet on, but it was clearly a cat by the body shape. She took off after it as it dove into another building. Shadow Star wasted no time jumping in through the window and smashing the glass. "Hold it right there!" she raised her tranquilizer gun at him. But the cat kicked the gun out of her hoof. He was agile and quick; she barely had time to block his next move. He was a tall, slender cat, and in these tight spaces, he had the upper hand. He jumped from one wall to the next, punching and kicking her with what only could be described as kung fu moves. Shadow Star had never gone up against someone who had this much agility. Though the punches and kicks did little due to her being a chimera, she stood on the defensive; she couldn't even think of getting a good hit on him. He spun around, whacking her with his tail and doing a backflip kick into her jaw as he landed on all fours. The kick drove her back into a wall; she slid down with a moan, struggling to stay conscious. With his opponent down, the cat ran out of the building and jumped into a car. Twilight heard him drive away. Moments later, her brother came in. "Twilight, where's the shooter? Are you okay?" "Got away," she huffed. "And I'm fine, just a little beat up," she moaned. "No, no, no, no," Jacky shook her head. "No, not her, not my cousin!" she whined. Pinky snarled, giggled, then attacked. Luckily, Rarity used her fishtail to slap Pinky down to the ground. "Well, all the other chimeras are dealt with," she said as she removed her tail from the unconscious beast. "I got Twilight, but the shooter got away. Whoever did this was a master at fighting," Target's voice came over the communicators. "Is Twi alright?" asked Spike. "No, but I will be," her voice said, to the relief of the others. "Come on, we have to go before the task force takes us in." "No! No, I'm not leaving her!" Jacky said as she sniffled and picked up her cousin. "Jacky," Dash began. "Help! She needs help; she's family, and family helps," Applejack said as the hippogriff lay on her back. "Okay, okay," Dash said, taking Pinky's back hooves. "We'll get her back and she can become one of us." Jacky shook her head. "Why? Why my cousin? Why Pinky?" In a car rushing down the road, the driver took off his helmet, revealing Capper the cat. He then pulled out a phone and immediately called someone. Mr. Ghost lay with his head back against the tree, staring out into the sky. He watched as a simple leaf fell off the tree branch and was carried away by a soft breeze, his expression unreadable. He slowly stroked a piece of fine, soft pink hair with his hooves. Fluttershy passed out not long after their kiss and lay on top of him, snoring away. He silently cursed himself for letting her get the upper hand on him; even more so that he almost lost control and showed his true self to her. Yet he didn't fight the urge to run his hoof through the beautiful mare's hair that lay on top of him, as he imagined instead of a hoof it was a claw. As he did, she gave a restful sigh in her sleep, and the sound of this made his grumpy demeanor fall to the wayside as he felt at peace. A smile tugged at his lips as his gaze dropped from the floating tree leaf down to the pony by his side, only to be interrupted by his ringtone. "And..." he asked as he answered his phone. "Sir, I'm sorry; the mission failed. I had to abort." "Oh, and why is that?" he asked in a bored tone. His anger couldn't even fluster at the moment with her by his side. "Sir, you are not near a television, are you?" "No, I'm on my way home. Why?" he lied; the last thing he wanted to do was admit to Capper he was currently in a romantic setting with a sleeping mare on top of him. "The town hall was attacked. Several civilians—I don't know how many—were turned into chimeras." "Interesting. I'll have to think of my next move then," he said back. "Sir, I'm sorry to tell you this, but..." "But what?" he muttered grumpily. The cat took in a deep breath and let it out through his nose before he continued. "Sir, your sister was turned into a chimera." The phone for a moment stood quiet. "Sir?" Capper asked. "Very well," said Mr. Ghost, whose voice was emotionless. "The innocent I cannot always prevent from getting hurt. Get back to the hideout and let them all know to lay low while I think of a new plan. I can use this to my advantage," he said with an almost cheerful voice now that would have disturbed Capper had he not been used to it. "Yes, sir," he replied before he hung up the phone. As Mr. Ghost set his phone down, he raised his sights back to the skies above him. "Well, at least I'm at my thinking tree." He raised his hand from her hair; she shifted a bit in her sleep but otherwise didn't wake up. "Now I just need to think." He stroked his beard as his eyes flickered from his normal ruby red to snake-like.
Chapter 14 Scars*Chapter 14: Scars** February 9th, ---- 4:00 AM Twilight sat at her desk, her hair a complete mess, and her eyes had bags under them like never before. To say she looked tired was an understatement. She was accompanied by the sound of a snoring lizard over in her bed, and she glanced over her shoulder at the teenager catching some Z's. She remembered that as soon as they got back to the apartment, Twilight received a call from Celestia telling her to keep Spike there, along with news about Luna. She spent the rest of the night calming down her adopted cousin, who was pretty much like a little brother at this point, while everyone else was calming down Jacky over her cousin. Twilight didn't even try to go to sleep that night. Once Spike was asleep, she decided to put her efforts into her work; it was the best way to take her mind off things. But even so, it didn't always work. In front of her sat two open books, her laptop, and several papers to write down extra notes. Her mind was completely elsewhere. Her aunt Luna, really her second godmother, was now a mutant running wild somewhere, and yet there was no sign of her. The worry crept into her mind as the thought of what could have happened to Luna lingered. Once mutated into a chimera, they all go berserk with an uncontrollable rage that can't be easily controlled without medication. Those who stay in that state the longest nearly lose all sense of self. The longest subject recorded in that state was the first chimera ever to be captured and studied. On her computer were her notes on the subject, along with a photo of his original self and what he turned into. A cat named Bobby Whiskers was a brown tabby who lived not far from the city. He often drove in and out of the city to work. One day, he never made it to work and never came home either. Eventually, a missing person report was filed, but after six months of searching, he was presumed dead. Meanwhile, reports of some large beast, once thought to be a bear, had people scared to death. Finally, a task force was put together to stop the bear and capture it humanely. But when they finally did, the bear was no bear at all. No, it was a rather large and out-of-control cat. Once DNA tested, it matched that of the missing Mr. Whiskers. Yet with his capture, the reports of large and out-of-control wild animals continued pouring in, as did missing persons reports. Once captured and DNA tested, they were found to be like Mr. Whiskers. Something was going on. After twelve reports, the mayor had to step in and address it, calling it a disease. That was months ago; in fact, it was the very same night Spike was kidnapped by a mutant bat pony, Fluttershy. There was a question that still remained, though. Yes, Fluttershy was studying fruit bats, so the idea that they just turned into creatures that they were in contact with made sense. Only there was a problem with that theory—several, in fact. For one thing, she, nor did AJ or Dash come into contact with lion DNA. And a lion wouldn't explain her scorpion tail. Twilight was half-goat according to her horn, yet she had never been near a goat ever, and when asked, Rarity said she didn't even like caviar. So why the heck did she turn into a big fish? She wasn't near anything that could give her fish powers, and if that wasn't strange enough, Twilight also remembered trying to figure out what type of fish she was but came up with nothing. What creatures were they, anyway? What was the link between all of their mutations and their abilities? Chimera—what a foolish name. A two-headed cat with one of a goat and a snake-like tail. Strangely, Mr. Whiskers did have a snake-like tail, and half his face looked like that of a goat, with a goat-like horn popping right out of his skull, just like Twilight's. She sighed as she looked at the photo and then down to a book she had open on goat horns. Unlike the others, though, she wasn't recently mutated within the last year; she had been mutated seven, almost eight years ago now. She yawned as she slowly drifted off to sleep. The memory of when she first came back to her senses played in her mind. Twilight woke up as a small filly to the sound of a heart monitor tracking her rhythm. She tossed her head slightly as a sharp pain hit her forehead. Still, she fought the urge to just stay asleep and gained consciousness, opening her eyes to a bright white light standing above her. Her mind scattered as she couldn't remember a thing. Slowly, she set a hoof over her aching forehead and sat up on the bed she found herself in. "Oh, you're awake! That's good; you gave us quite the scare there," said a doctor. "Where am I?" "You're safe," he reassured her with a friendly smile. "You're in the hospital," said a doctor pony. "My… my parents? Where's my daddy?" At the sound of this, the doctor grew worried in his eyes. He took a gulp and shifted a bit uncomfortably. "Umm, well, you see…" "Thank you, doctor," said a familiar voice. The two turned to see the mayor, with a hopeful yet exhausted smile. "I'll take it from here." The doctor left, relieved not to have to tell the filly anything else. Twilight raised an eyebrow at the sight of the mayor. She did know her well enough; she was a friend of her mother's. Perhaps she knew where her parents were. "Twilight Sparkle, do you remember me?" she asked almost pleadingly. "Yes, Mrs. Kang. Do you know where Mommy is?" asked Twilight. "Twilight," Mrs. Kang walked over and sat on the bed in front of her. "How old are you now?" "Me? Oh, uh… eleven. Why?" Celestia smiled, but her lip quivered as she tried to hold back tears. "Wow, eleven! You really are a big girl. Even so, I have something to tell you—something that isn't going to be easy to take, even if you were an adult." Twilight tilted her head, but Celestia softly grabbed her chin and made her look her in the eye. "Twilight, I am very sorry, but your family has been missing for months now. And the only one they found was you. You've been in a coma." "Huh?" Twilight said, not understanding the true nature of the situation. How could she understand, only being an eleven-year-old filly? "As your godmother, I promise you we will never stop looking. But Twilight, you're going to have to come live with me now until we do find them. Is that alright?" she asked with a reassuring smile. Twilight could only give a small nod as she slowly came to grips with the reality that her world had been shattered. Strangely, she only had one injury. On her forehead was a nasty cut that would leave a scar. Luckily, it was easily hidden by her hair, so she didn't have to worry about it. Still, due to the intense pain she felt, the doctors kept her on different medications to help make it go away—mostly painkillers that helped the body relax. As the months passed and time went on, there was no sign of her parents. Twilight grew frustrated and angry, as one would expect. Anyone would, and at first, she, as well as everyone else, would think it was only her grieving. "You're not looking hard enough!" she yelled at Celestia. "Twilight, I'm doing all I can." "No, no, you're not! Where are they? Where are my mommy and daddy? Where's my brother?" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Twilight," Celestia tried to grab her to give her a hug and calm her down, but Twilight was having none of it as her rage began to overtake her. "No!" Twilight responded and ran to her room, slamming the door. Once inside, she sat next to her time machine and began to bawl her eyes out, not even noticing that from her scar, a horn emerged from her head. She opened her eyes in the dimly lit room and saw something glowing in the reflection of the window that spooked her. Something had amber-glowing eyes with red slits. She jumped back at first, terrified, and covered her face, finding out about her new horn. She gasped as she felt it. She tapped it a few times, and she realized she could not only feel it with her hooves but feel it as if it was a part of her as well. She then looked at the reflection in the window. The eyes were still there, and soon she could see the horn as well, against the backdrop of the city. As she moved, so did the reflection, and soon it was all too easy to figure out what the reflection was. It was her. At this moment, she should have been terrified, and she was, but she didn't care. She felt rage build up inside of her—rage she just wanted to let out—and with her anger came a mighty roar as a burst of light shot from her horn. Suddenly, a ball of fire hit the window. Luckily, it didn't break, but it left marks of ash around it. Twilight's eyes widened as she stumbled back, falling over. She sat up, even angrier now, with tears in her eyes. She gritted her teeth as she let the rage out of her once more. Another blast of fire blew up some papers she had on her desk. Soon she blasted apart a few books, her school uniform, and was about to blast apart her Smarty Pants doll when she came to an abrupt halt, her eyes slightly widening as the anger subsided with the memory of the doll and who gave it to her. She walked over to the doll on her bed and picked it up in her hooves as the thought of Celestia giving her the doll crossed her mind. Celestia had taken her shopping once she was released from the hospital, and she saw the doll on a toy shelf. She was much too short to grab it herself, but Celestia noticed how she eyed the doll and, with a smile, picked it off the shelf and handed it to her. She curled up with the doll, and within seconds, fell asleep with it. Twilight woke up to the sound of the TV on in the other room. She quickly looked at the time on her computer—it was 8:27. She had fallen asleep for a few hours. It wasn't enough, but it would have to do. "Spike," she called out softly to see where he was, but she did not find him in the bed. She walked out of her room with a tired yawn as she stretched out to get her day started. To her surprise, she found Spike playing some type of game with her brother on the kitchen table. "Okay, Spike, all you have to do is roll a six, and the—" Shining stopped mid-sentence as he noticed their company. "Well, good morning, sis," he tried to smile, but it was all too clear what kind of day it was for everyone in their expressions. "Morning, you two. What are you guys up to?" "Oh, Shining's teaching me how to play Dungeons and Dragons," Spike smiled. His smile almost punched Twilight in the heart, but in a good way. She remembered how devastated he looked last night after finding out about Luna. While there was much sadness in his eyes, at least there was something to take his mind off the recent events, and she silently thanked her big brother for this. She turned to the rest of the room to find Applejack sitting on the chair across from the couch where her cousin was. Pinkie Pie, now a mutant like her, lay unconscious. Fluttershy left to go tell her brother. Dash sat in the kitchen, though it was clear from her eyes that she hadn't slept. No one slept last night except Rarity, who more or less fainted after realizing the griffon she knocked out with her tail was Pinkie. On the TV, the news was reporting about the message that was sent last night after the attack, along with the ten still missing chimera—nine, actually, since they didn't know where Pinkie was. But Twilight and her friends knew. Twilight made herself a bowl of cereal as she heard the message from the TV. "Hello all citizens of Ponyville and all those in the world."* said a deep dark voice over a squiggly line that moved whenever the voice spoke. "I have seen this world turned upside down by war, by all of you. Who am I? Simple, I am the Equalizer. I can make the world an equal place. How, you may ask? Simple: the chimera. You call it a disease, but I call it salvation. Think of it. With everyone as a chimera, no one is weaker or stronger; we're all, well, equal. There would be no more need for war or destruction; everyone would know true strength and would feel the same pain and rage. The formula is not yet perfect, but I can promise you soon I will be able to create the perfect chimera. Join me, join and become one of us—a perfect chimera beast. Be a part of the new revolution and salvation of the NEW WORLD ORDER."* yelled the deep voice before the video went blank. Fluttershy walked to the building where she knew Mr. Ghost worked. She not only wanted to tell him about his sister; it was also a good excuse for her to have a word with him about the night before. She wanted to apologize for anything she might have done in her drunken state. She didn't even remember how she made it home; most of the night was a blur after she sang a bit on stage with him. All except for one moment she recalled so clearly—it scared her. She remembered kissing him. The feel of his lips on hers, the pressure both of them put into it. Being surrounded by his strong arms, if only lightly so as not to hurt her. The very thought was enough to send a shiver down her spine. *Why?* was all she could think. *Why did I do that?* She needed to see him again; she needed to clear things up and explain she was stupid drunk and that she just considered him a friend. But then again, what if he didn't accept it? What if she broke his heart? What if she wanted this? What if they both wanted it? What then? Her mind was in knots, but she shook them away just before she knocked on the door, and it was his assistant who let her in. She remembered him from before but never told him her name. He was a tall, slender cat, but nowhere near as tall or slender as Mr. Ghost. "Oh, Miss. Breeze! Nice to see you again," he said, holding the door for her. "Nice to see you," she said, noticing the grin on his face. "Mr. Capper, I have important news for Mr. Ghost, so if you please..." "Of course, of course." The cat looked at his phone for the time. "He has an appointment soon, so keep it brief. As his assistant, it's my job to keep him on schedule. Believe me, he hates it when he's off." "I know," she deadpanned before walking past him. "He's upstairs—the only door down the hallway." She gave a thankful nod before heading upstairs. She found herself in front of a strangely painted purple wooden door and approached it a bit cautiously. She didn't even know why, but a feeling of something she couldn't quite depict settled in her stomach as she approached the door. She knocked on it as gently as her knock usually was, but she found the door already opened. She opened it wider, peeking her head through. "Um, hello. Mr. Uh, Ghost?" she said hesitantly. She found herself in what looked to be an apartment, oddly painted. One wall was purple stripes, the other blue with yellow swirls. Yet it also looked like something out of an old-time movie with its curtains all hung around—black large curtains that let in no light at all. As she walked in, she noticed a kitchen in the back corner and a small dining set in the other next to a piano and some guitars hanging on the wall above it. She was in a living room with a fireplace, and above it was a strange painting that nearly frightened her. She could not take her eyes off of it, as it seemed to draw her deeper into the room. It was a painting of some strange amalgamation of creatures—a lion paw, an eagle claw, and a serpent-like body. Two large wings were on its back; one of them looked as if it were bleeding. It was a predator, judging by its large fangs, and it surrounded animals of prey. A rather disturbing image, yet it seemed to fit the decor of the room, she had to admit. She was suddenly startled by the sound of something rustling behind her. Something between a snore and a cry came from the couch. She decided to step over and take a look, and as she did, whatever it was began to thrash around. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of him. Dressed in a lab coat and glasses, in his sleep was none other than Mr. Ghost, thrashing around and shivering. "Mr. Ghost," she called out, trying to wake him. Instead, he rolled over to the ground, muttering something she couldn't make out. She tried again but then realized he was breathing oddly, almost as if he was having a stroke or something. If not, she could hear his heartbeat even though her ear was nowhere near his chest. If it didn't slow down, she feared he would have a heart attack. Suddenly, his eyes popped open, a look of fear in them as he muttered, "Help." He said in a hushed tone, "Help me, someone help!" He said a bit louder, but still it was barely audible as he shivered. He gripped the right side of his shoulder. "It hurts. God damn it, it hurts," he said, clutching his belly as if in pain, his breath becoming more frantic by the minute, beginning to hyperventilate. "What hurts? What can I do? Please tell me," she asked him. "I’ve been shot. I’ve been..." He took off his lab coat, revealing what he was talking about. "I’ve been shot," he said, shaking. Indeed, he had been shot. There were two bullet wounds just above his belly—two small ones that left scars. Fluttershy froze at the sight of him. He was skinny, even skinnier than Fluttershy first realized. But he wasn't completely out of shape, either, being slightly toned, if malnourished. But it wasn't his figure that had her so in shock; it was the scars. She knew he was once in the war, but his body told a much more gruesome story. He had not only five bullet wounds of different calibers—one large one on the left of his shoulder, two small ones just below the stomach, and two tiny ones on his right arm—but above his stomach was a large stab wound. That must have been where he got hurt saving Mr. Cake that day in the story from long ago. As he tossed and turned, she could see his back—two large wounds, along with what looked to be burns, bruises and cuts that traveled over his shoulder and down his arms. But the worst one was across his chest. From the neck down, in a straight line all the way to the stomach on the right side was a nasty scar that concaved the right side of his body. It looked almost as if he had been cut nearly in half at one point, and it was terrifying to see. The slash looked like it could have been made by a sword or something. "Who? Who are you? Where am I?" he asked, breathing erratic. "Calm down, you have to calm down," she said, terrified for him. "Who are you?" he growled as he scrunched up, as if in pain. He seemed to be going for something in his pocket, but whatever it was, it couldn't help. She didn't know what else to do but lunge at him and hold him tight. "Calm down!" she yelled. He turned to toss her off, but for some reason, he just stopped and stared at her. As she held onto him, he could hear her heartbeat. He could feel it against himself and tried to match his breath to hers. It began slowly matching her rhythm, calming him down. He didn't know how long he sat there, but when he finally had control of his breathing, he looked at her. She looked at him worriedly as he laid back against the end of the couch. She didn't even realize her hooves never moved from his chest. He sat for a moment, catching his breath, staring into her eyes. She tensed up a bit, not realizing she felt the tough scarred skin below her hoof. Realizing she was holding on to him for too long, she immediately removed her hoof, a slight blush on her face. Mr. Ghost instantly wished she hadn’t. He enjoyed her touch, the warmth—if only for a moment longer, he silently wished. "What was that? Are you okay? Should I call you a doctor? We'll get you to the hospital," she said almost as quickly as Pinkie. Suddenly, Fluttershy heard something splash onto the ground. It was a tiny splash, but she looked to see what it was. It was just simple water. As she looked, another drop fell into her view. That was the first time Fluttershy noticed her own tears. "Are you alright then?" asked Mr. Ghost, mere centimeters from her face. "Uh, yeah, I, uh…" she wiped away her own tears. "Do you need a doctor?" "No, I'm sorry you saw me like that. I must have fallen asleep," he said, slowly coming close to her. They were centimeters away from each other; it would be so easy just for one of them to close the gap and kiss again. Fluttershy was frozen; she didn't know what to do. What could she do? Right now, if he kissed her, she would give in to it. He could easily make her his right now, and she would be lost in a daze. Did she want that? Did he want that? The question perplexed, excited, and scared her as she thought about it while he approached her, getting closer. But to her surprise, he didn’t kiss her. No, instead, he moved her—frozen body—out of the way a bit and stood up. As soon as he was up, he headed over to the counter of his kitchen, pouring himself a drink of something. "Are you sure? Because…" she whimpered, despite still being frozen in her spot. "I'm fine. I..." he sighed before continuing. "Was shot twice in the gut and survived," he said as if he were just remembering. "Yes, that’s right," he said under his breath. "The war ended over a decade ago, but it’s left its scars, I’m afraid," he said, looking away. She said nothing, and a long pause between them spread before he spoke again. "It’s just a little post-traumatic stress. I’m fine." He cleared his throat. "Of course, I had to have an episode today of all days," he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Well, maybe we should get you to a..." "No, no, no one, NO ONE, is to know about this! This is no one's business! YOU!" He growled. "YOU cannot tell a soul. Not even my advisers or assistant know; this is personal. So forget it ever happened." "But you need medicine," she claimed and finally stood up, heading to him. "You need..." "I have my medicine right here," he said as he began to take a gulp of his drink. "So, what brings you here?" he asked, pouring himself another drink. "Oh, I came to tell you about your sister." "I already know." This caught her off guard. "My assistant was down there last night when he saw Pinkie heading to the library and was turned into a chimera." He said it so nonchalantly that it scared her a bit. Seeing this, Mr. Ghost once again stepped closer to get a look at her. Tears began to trail down her face. She was so worried about him. "Hey, it’s okay," he soothed. "I’m fine. Why do you ca—" Just then Mr. Capper's voice came over a walkie-talkie that was on the wall. "Sir, your 1:00 opponent." "Oh hell," he ran over to the walkie-talkie. "I am not missing it; pull the car around." "Already did, sir," Capper said, a bit of humor in his voice. Mr. Ghost ran over to a closet, pulled out a dress shirt, and quickly buttoned it up, threw on a tie, and grabbed a coat. In seconds, he went from looking like a wounded scientist who was sick from the war to a first-class businessman. "Where are those cufflinks?!" he grumbled. Fluttershy looked around and found them on top of the banister. "Over here," she called out, picking them up. She approached him and held them out. He quickly fixed them to his jacket before he began tying his tie. But before he could, she did it for him, catching him off guard. He stared at her in disbelief, but she only gave him a warm smile before she looked over and found his business suit hat on the coat rack and handed it to him. "I promise I won't say a word," she reassured him. He stood in shock as he looked at her, tear lines down her face. Here she was, worried about him, even crying over him, and they had only known each other for so long. He wasn’t even her friend; why? was the only question he had. But instead of asking it, he shook his disbelief away and came close to her again, so he could look into her eyes. What was running through her mind was the hug he felt a moment ago. She was so warm and comforting; he wanted to feel that again. But instead, he only took his hat. His hoof just brushed against hers; the slightest touch was almost too much for him. He began questioning why—why did he feel this way? What could he do? A thought crossed his mind of just grabbing her and kissing her right then and there, like he did the night before. His mind instantly reminded him of the warmth he felt last night with her asleep on top of him, but instead of indulging his thoughts any longer, he simply turned away from her and began to head down the hall, stopping at the stairs. "Thank you," he called back to her before he continued on his way, leaving her with a smile and a thumping heart. Twilight ate her bowl of cereal as she watched Celestia take the stand on her TV to address the attack that happened last night. She breathed in and let out a shaky breath before she began her speech. "Citizens of Ponyville. I was just attacked last night by someone who called themselves the Equalizer. Their goal was obvious: to turn me and everyone here into a chimera… a raging beast. Yes, I don’t like the name Chimera, for it’s simply a creature of fiction. This, though, this is real… we have a terrorist within our midst terrorizing this fair city. My sister was one of 14 victims last night. Innocent lives were turned into beasts, and we will find a cure, and we will put a stop to the Equalizer—this I swear on my sister's LIFE!" She stomped her hoof. The reporters all jumped up excitedly to ask questions as usual. "Miss. Kang! Miss. Kang! Are we doomed? Miss. Kang, what will you do to fight back? Miss. Kang, is the cure ready yet? Mrs. Kang, does that mean this disease is made in a lab?" Suddenly the reporters all stopped as a long black familiar car drove up. Celestia looked at the car with skepticism. The driver of the car got out and walked over to let its owner out. The crowd fell quiet as Mr. Ghost came onto the scene. The crowd said nothing and made room for him as he walked up to the front of the stage. "Mr. Ghost," Celestia frowned. "Hello, Mrs. Kang. My deepest condolences for what has happened to your sister," he said, giving a slight bow, "and to all those who have also suffered." "Oh, thank you, but that isn't why you came here today, is it?" she asked in a dry tone. "Unfortunately, no." "What is it? I'm in the middle of addressing the city as mayor." "Oh, that's the thing, Mrs. Kang. While I do feel for your situation—and believe me, I do—I am simply here to take your job," he smirked cockily. With that, everyone gasped and turned to him. Twilight, still watching the TV from her home, angrily raised her eyebrows but said nothing, as Celestia shook her head in confusion. Mr. Ghost grabbed a mic from one of the reporters. "Listen well, citizens of Ponyville. In these troubling times, I must ask you: can you rely on your city's leadership? Now while it is true Celestia has just lost a member of her staff and family, I have to ask: is she well enough to actually do what is necessary? Does she have a level head in all of this, or is the stress of running a city and seeing her own beloved sister turned into a chimera right before her eyes too much for her?" Mr. Ghost then turned around and got up on a chair so he could stand higher. "For too long this disease has plagued our city. For too long, we have put our faith in her leadership, and look at where it has gotten us. Too many innocent lives—too many families—have been torn apart due to all of this. And while I am a private man, let me tell you, it wasn't just Luna who was one of the 14 victims last night. Why, it was my own sister who also got mutated. I shall not reveal her name; simply put, we’re not close. But still, my own family is hurt. Why? Because of her." He pointed at Celestia. "She has failed in her duty to protect this city. She has failed all of you. Will you let her fail again? She orders the National Guard—those who are not even part of our city—to help. But this is our city. Our home! Are we really going to stand down and let the government take over while we sit and wait for a terrorist to strike again?" He then pointed directly into a camera. "I say new leadership is needed, and yes, I'm throwing my hat in the ring," he said as he popped off his hat, letting it roll down his arm and catching it with his hoof. "But if not me, that’s fine. Just someone else. But before any other candidates decide to try to sit in that chair, let me ask you this one question: Do you have a plan, because I do?" He grinned as he jumped off the chair, handed the mic back, and began to walk back to his car. All the reporters tried to get his attention, but he ignored them as he got in, the car taking off immediately. The cameras stayed pointed at the spot he left. In her home, Twilight narrowed her eyes at the television as she began questioning who Mr. Ghost thought he was to come in there and say such nonsense.
Chapter 15 Unanswered QuestionsSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
chapter 16 Break throughFebruary 23rd, 10:00 AM "So, Daring Do just jumps off a bridge and falls to her death trying to save her friend?" asked the lizard carrying a crate over. "Yeah, just like that," said the rainbow-maned pony who also carried a crate beside her. "I mean, I get she wants to retire, but writing the end of the story like that just hurts so many of the fans who’ve put their hard-earned money and lives into that creation. You know what I mean?" Dash complained. "I do. Thanks, by the way, for helping us unload these. We're running a bit understaffed due to most of us getting ready for the tournament," she said as she watched her brother put up a large banner across the entrance to a warehouse. "No problem! I get it," Dash said as she laid a crate onto a truck, the sound of seagulls overhead. She was down at the docks unloading boxes for Smolder. "What's in these things, anyway?" she questioned. "Hmm, oh, you know. Shipments of goods for the Boneless. Bought graciously and donated by Mr. Cheeze. Of course, once in our care, his name will be removed as always." Dash smiled at that. "You guys really do like helping, don't you?" Smolder sat back and popped open a canned drink, handing Dash one and opening one for herself. "Long ago, things weren't always so nice. My brother and I used to live east, but due to our dad losing his job, we ended up moving to the south side of town, in the slums. To stay safe, we had to join one of the dance gangs that accepted lizards since it seemed most lizards weren't accepted anywhere else. We were just kids trying to stay alive." She brought the drink to her mouth but didn't drink yet. "We just wanted someone to help us. And our cries were answered when he came along." "Cheese?" asked Dash. Smolder gulped down her drink before speaking but didn’t answer Dash's question. "Now we help others—others like us who need it." "So, gangs," Dash asked, trying to squeeze more info out of her. "The south side used to have a lot of gangs, but now we all realize how stupid it was and try to do better for our fellow citizens." She crunched up her can and tossed it in the trash. "Still, you can see the remnants of it— the way the south side is separated. Why do some of us wear biker jackets and others wear chains and suits?" Dash took in that thought as she remembered the info she got that night from Sunburst. The bar belonged to a guy who beat a bunch of gang members. It seemed he then proceeded to take control of the entire south side of town, yet no one could tell her who was in charge. Even when asked who owned the bar, all Smolder would say is, "She does" or "Chaos Vill does." "So, why are we having this here at the docks?" Dash asked, trying to change the subject. "Oh, that's because this is the only place large enough to host it. We usually host them at the bar, but this time we have too big of a group entering. Some are even traveling by train and will be here the day of." Then Dash cautiously thought of how to ask her next question without looking too suspicious. "So, do you know anything about a place called Ghost Labs?" Smolder looked at her with a bit of a bored look in her eyes. "Ghost Labs just owns the building and land. I own the bar." "Who is Ghost Labs, then?" asked Dash. "You sure ask a bunch of questions," Smolder remarked. "Oh, uh sorry! I just wanted to know more about what I'm signing up for," she smiled. "I told you this is a non-profit organization. We don't do that stuff. As for Ghost Labs, they are a part of Chaos Vill. I told you, the bar and all of this belongs to Chaos Vill." "Right, right, sorry." Smolder smiled at Dash. "I know it seems silly, but the reason why there isn't any information to give is because some would like to stay anonymous. We have nothing to hide; we just want our good deeds to speak for themselves. You gotta get with the program." She elbowed Dash in a friendly way. "Now go and get that last crate off the boat for me, okay? I'm gonna talk with my bro for a sec." Dash did as she was asked and headed back over to the boat to get the job done. She never noticed she was carefully being watched by a cat standing in the docks’ operating tower. Capper narrowed his eyes as he heard his companion counting the last of his money. "Seven, eight, nine—ah yes, yes! It all seems to be there," said Mr. Caballeron. "Tell your boss, as always, it's a pleasure doing business with him," he said snarkily. "You certain no one knows about the true shipment?" asked Capper. "We've done this how many times, and how many times have we gotten caught?" The pony assured the cat. "Besides, if anything goes wrong, it will be Cheese that takes the fall, not your boss. It's why we set it up that way, remember?" He chuckled. "Your boss sure is a genius, I have to admit. Last thing I'd ever want to be on is his bad side." The pony smirked, causing Capper to roll his eyes. "From here on out, the rest is up to you," Caballeron said and walked away with a duffel bag full of money. "Well then, I'm off work," Capper smiled cheerfully at the thought. As he began to take off, a thought crossed the cat's mind. "Hmm, I wonder why she hasn't been around in a bit." As he did, one of the workers currently operating a crane raised an eyebrow at the odd pair. She was a dark purple pony with a white hat and a khaki jacket. "Hmm, Caballeron, what kind of deal did you make this time?" she questioned as she got off the machine, used a grappling hook, and swung down from her height on the building to the ground of the docks, ducking behind one of the many shipping containers that the dock was filled with. She landed with a roll and took a breath. "Woo! Who said you’re too old for stunts?" she smirked to herself, feeling cool. She then crept up to a wooden crate that was inside a shipping container. From her belt, she pulled a hammer and quickly undid the nails on one end of it, removing the lid. Once she got it off, she took a peek inside and gasped at the sight, but then heard someone yell, "Hey!" She looked up to see a blue pony standing in the doorway. "Dash, dammit! I could have killed you!" she expressed angrily. "Sorry!" Dash said, a bit surprised. "What are you doing here anyway?" "I could ask you the same question," Shadow placed her hooves on her hips. "Uh, I'm helping move this shipment," Dash said, as if it were obvious. "Yes, well, do you know what you’re moving, Zap?" Dash shrugged, making the dark violet pony sigh. "You’ve got a lot to learn. Take a look," she told Dash. Dash did as instructed, and as soon as she saw what was in the crate, her face went pale. "Guns! We're moving guns!" "Not just any guns—sniper rifles, the type used for long-range shooting, like the kind that the Equalizer would definitely use." "Oh god, this is bad," Dash muttered. "No, really?" Shadow replied sarcastically in her usual dull voice. "Listen up, Zap. For years now, I've been tracking down the Chaos King. It seems he’s going by the Equalizer now, or the Equalizer is working for him—one or the other. He's the king of chaos and the leader of Chaos Vill. They'll lead you to believe they’re only good Samaritans helping the city, but the truth is they’re a group that arose out of the south side of town nearly a decade ago. Before that, there were several gangs—about eight or nine of them—most of which had a head who was one of the higher class. That's how they made their money in this city. Gang fights spread across far and wide; it was a dangerous town despite it being one of the wealthiest cities in Equestria, with some of the best school districts in the country. Well, one day a lot of those heads went missing, at the same time a lot of the gang members were found beaten to a pulp. And those who weren't stopped fighting. Many would like you to believe it’s because the world got a little better after the war ended, but in actual fact, it's more likely someone came in—someone with more power—who shook the place up and built an empire. Now this city’s crime rate is at its lowest it’s ever been. The reason why is because there’s only one crime boss left: the Chaos King. Whoever is left has bowed down to him or has already gone missing." "Ten years? How long have you been after this guy?" "Since it all began—ten years ago," she muttered. "I had a family—three kids, my youngest being a daughter who would be your age if she were alive." She exhaled. "For them, I need to take him down." Dash's eyes widened a bit at this. She couldn't see the ponies she knew flat out murdering anyone. "You said Smolder was an elite. How do you know that?" "I've been keeping a close eye on Chaos Vill and their deals. However, whenever I get close to the truth, it always escapes me. The Chaos Lord has four divisions of his business—one leader per division. One trade: Cheese Sandwich is head of it and keeps trade routes between all income. Second division: recruits. Every single member is known and recorded by Smolder Flame and her brother, who look like hardworking bikers at a bar but were, in fact, part of one of the nastiest gangs of the last decade. The Lizards of Hell were known to torture and harm anyone who got in their way. She and her brother were once leaders of that group; now they work under the Lord of Chaos. Don't let their friendly exterior fool you—they're dangerous." Dash nodded but felt a bit apprehensive to believe that. "Third division: transport. All these have to be carefully maneuvered. You'll often find a good doc playing politics in all of this. Doctor Cornelius Sunburst handles most of that. "Final division is communications. The man involved with this division is also the king's chosen second-in-command, giving orders straight from the top himself—a cat. But in the ten years I have been working on this, his name has never once come up. All I know is that he's the one who would often be the one gathering information, delivering information, making deals, and trading cash for the king himself." "And who’s the king? Got a name?" asked Dash. A.K. Yearling looked away. "He's as tricky to track as could ever be. He has his dirty hands looking as clean as a child's. I do have a name, but forgive me if I don't tell you. It's a name that's hard for me to say." She stuttered. "As long as you got a name," Dash smirked, but truly she didn't want to push Shadow any more. "So what about the Equalizer? What about the chimera stuff?" "I don't know how he does it, but I am more than certain he creates the serum that transforms ponies into chimeras." "By the way, about those books, I get it if you want to retire, but seriously, can't you write a better ending for Daring Do?" Shadow rolled her eyes. "Here's a lesson for ya, kid. Learn this now." She grabbed Dash by the collar of her shirt and pulled her to her face until they were at eye level. "Not every story has a happy ending," she told her in a deep tone. She then tossed Dash aside. "Learn that, and you might just grow up a bit. Now close up that crate and get moving before someone sees us," she demanded. Dash stood a bit perplexed. She wanted to argue that it was her who opened the box, but knew to keep her mouth shut and did as she was told. ** ** Fluttershy was walking down the street trying to ease her mind in any way she could. But as she walked, the thought of Ghost’s arms around her and their kiss began to haunt her. "A penny for your thoughts," said a familiar voice, which surprised her out of her daze. She looked up to see the tall, slender cat standing in front of her. "Oh, Mr. Capper! What brings you here?" she questioned. "Did Mr. Ghost send you?" She grew a bit excited at the thought of him, and it showed through her voice. Capper smirked at the happiness he heard in her voice at the mere mention of his boss. "No, Mrs. Breeze, he doesn't even know I am here. I came hoping to have a word with you, if you don’t mind." "Oh," she said, sounding a bit disappointed it wasn't Mr. Ghost that sent him. "Sure, I guess." He smiled and turned the other way; she followed him around the corner, a bit apprehensive. "So, uh, what's this about?" she asked, a bit nervous. Capper continued his walk and kept his eyes forward. In a cheerful tone, he responded, "Nothing much. I just wanted to ask you about my boss. What are your thoughts of him?" Fluttershy was caught off guard by that. Of all the times to be asked about her thoughts on Mr. Ghost. She took a deep breath and let it out as she decided the best course of action was to be honest here. With a somewhat longing smile, she answered, "I think he's rather nice. A very kind gentleman, if not a bit strange." "Strange? Strange how?" "Oh, I don't know. He just..." She bit her lip. "I feel like he's acting or something, like he's hiding something. Tell me, Capper, what do you think?" Capper half chuckled. "I think you're right. I think he's hiding from his past." "His past?" "The boss has never had it easy. Even so, I've never seen him show his true feelings for anything—anything except muffins." He laughed. Which made Fluttershy giggle a bit as she pictured in her mind him with his goofy grin eating his favorite breakfast. Capper finally turned to her. "Forgive me if I cut to the chase," Fluttershy saw how serious his expression was. "Where are you going with this?" she asked, a bit concerned. "I've never once seen anyone get true emotions from the boss," he said slowly and drawn out, "but there have been a few cracks in that façade of his recently. I've seen him smile a genuine smile; I've heard him laugh a genuine laugh." He narrowed his eyes. "I've seen the way he looks at you." Capper stopped in front of her, catching her off guard. "Tell me, Mrs. Breeze, what are you trying to do?" he asked darkly, almost as if it were a threat. "How do you feel about the boss?" Fluttershy instinctively shrunk back a little, frightened, but as she thought about his words, she realized what he was asking and why. The reason was so blindingly obvious. She relaxed, if only slightly, and her face softened. "You really do care for him, don’t you?" It was Capper's turn to grow surprised; he raised an eyebrow but quickly placed it back down. "He's like a father to me. You know how he was made a lord?" "Yes, his acts of bravery in the war. I read an article about it once." "Yes, well he saved a group of children who were orphaned due to the war. I was one of them. Since then, I've been his assistant for nearly a decade. The things I've seen him do, the things he's gone through..." Capper shook his head. "He acts like it's all a joke, but I've never seen anyone fight more for what he believes than Mr. Ghost." Capper set his paws in the pocket of his jacket. Satisfied with her answer, he walked away, leaving Fluttershy to get back to her work. Capper sighed and turned around. "I encourage you, I do. He deserves so much more. But if you're planning to hurt him..." Capper grumbled and clenched his fist. The message was clear—perhaps too clear. However, Fluttershy couldn't help but smile at how sincere Capper was. "Thank you, Capper." Satisfied with his actions, the cat set his paws in his jacket and left without another word, leaving Fluttershy once again to her own thoughts. Fluttershy was now sitting on the couch, her mind completely lost on what to do. In the background was the sound of Twilight tinkering with her time machine, her plans for the device spread out all over her bedroom. When she was finished with her wrench, she looked over some calculations she had on her computer. "Hmm, now if I could just make enough energy to surpass the speed of light, I should be able to time travel." She set a pen to her chin. "But the energy to do that..." She then walked over to what was left of the strange goo that had mutated them all. Its energy output was close to what she needed for time travel. She only needed perhaps half a teaspoon to make it work, but she had so little of the strange material left; she couldn't risk using it. She then examined a pepper that was sitting by it. "Hmm, its DNA structure is bizarre, but it is DNA nonetheless. Strange that it gives off that kind of power," she said as she grabbed a soda. With it in her hoof, she stopped and looked at it. "Hmm, warm. I'll fix that!" Her eyes went yellow, and she blasted the can with an ice spray, turning it cold again. She took a drink as she thought to herself, "What kind of creature has a goat horn and can blast ice rays and fire beams?" Suddenly, there was a knock on her door. It opened to reveal Rarity. "Hey, Twilight, did you find anything about my father yet?" "No, sorry, I've been busy." "Looks like it," Rarity laughed at the sight of her room. "Good golly! Is that your time machine?" Rarity asked, seeing it for the first time. "Yep, just something for fun; it's never gonna work. Besides, I really do need to put it down and figure out more about us and the chimera." Just then they heard Pinkie rummaging through the fridge, looking for ice cream. "It's in the back, Pinkie," Twilight called out with a smile, already knowing what she was looking for. Pinkie’s ears perked up at that, and she instantly looked in the back. "Oh, found it!" she replied. Twilight and Rarity just shook their heads at her antics, grinning as she pulled out a tub of ice cream. Then Twilight noticed Fluttershy, who was deep in thought as she pet her bunny rabbit. "She's still like that," Twilight whispered to Rarity. "Actually, I think I might have an idea as to why," Rarity smiled. Rarity chuckled. "Do you mind distracting Pinkie so I can talk with her one-on-one?" Twilight shrugged. "Not like that’s gonna be hard," she replied sarcastically as she walked away. Rarity walked over to Fluttershy, startling her as she didn’t even notice she was standing there. "Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to scare you. I'm about to go over and ask what Dash has been up to; why don’t you come with me?" Fluttershy, a bit shy, didn’t say a word—just agreed. The two friends walked out of the apartment and into the hall. It was a short walk since Dash and Applejack's apartment was just the next door across from them. Fluttershy nearly walked into the door, not realizing Rarity had stopped to open it. She looked up just in time, embarrassment written on her face. "Oh dear me, Fluttershy, this guy must be something if you’re not even paying attention," Rarity commented with a sly expression. "Huh? No, no, it's, uh, um..." Rarity laughed. "I knew it! Oh my, who is he?" She asked. Fluttershy jumped back from her friend a bit, her expression nervous. "Oh, come now! This guy must be incredible if you’re willing to give your heart to him." "My, my heart?" she screeched in a tiny voice. Rarity shook her head. "Let me guess: you haven't even considered it, have you?" Fluttershy raised her head a bit in shock, but knowing there was no denying it, she finally decided to open up a bit. "Okay, okay, so there's this friend of mine. We sort of kissed and—" "Kissed?" Rarity gasped. "Dear me, Fluttershy, I didn't know you had it in you!" Fluttershy grew a cross face. At that, Rarity realized they were out in the open. This was a private conversation, and they were alone—so long as the walls were thick, which wasn’t much. "Sorry," she replied. Fluttershy continued, her expression turning back to one of worry. "You see, that was a while ago, and since then we haven't had time to talk. He's been busy with work, and so have I, being an intern, college student, and a part-time superhero. Rarity, I just don’t think this is a good time." She shook her head. "There's never a right time." This caught Fluttershy off guard. She returned her gaze to her friend, who wore a genuine, friendly smile. "I've known you for how long, and you've never been interested in any pony? There is never a right time for love, not unless you make the time." Fluttershy stood in silence as she took in her friend's advice. With a giggle, Rarity continued, "It's nearly dinner, dear. I'm sure he's almost off work; why don’t you go to him? Go to him right now." Fluttershy was slow to comprehend what Rarity was saying, but when she finally did, she tried to make another excuse. "But..." "No buts, just go! You can thank me later," Rarity winked. Fluttershy hesitated at first, a bit dazed; however, she slowly warmed up to the idea. With a mighty nod, she agreed to it and began to walk away. With every step she took, she gained more and more confidence, ready to face Mr. Ghost for what would be either the last time or the first time of many. Rarity watched as she left, a smile on her face. She gave a happy shake of her head before entering Dash's apartment. Twilight looked at her computer at the different files, though she could barely pay attention as she listened to Pinkie Pie go on and on about some new recipes she wanted to try. If that wasn't bad enough, there were also two loud mouths playing their board game right across from her. She sighed and wondered, where is AJ when you need her? Out loud, she picked up a cup of noodles. "Oh, she went back to her hometown to visit her sister, silly! She already told us that yesterday, but she'll be back tonight," Pinkie smiled. "Come to think of it," she placed a hoof on her chin, "I wonder where Dash is, and for that matter, Fluttershy and Rarity." "I hope Dash gets here soon. She should've been back an hour ago. Shining, any new info on the Ghost Labs yet?" Shining picked up the dice. "Nope, none of those Ghost Labs have anything to do with that bar." He rolled an eight. "Ha! The dragon freezes you with its freeze blast from its horn. What will you do now?" he questioned the lizard in front of him. Spike smirked. "I have a fire spell just for that!" At the sound of this, Twilight's eyes widened. "Wait, Shining, what did you just say?" "Ghost Labs have nothing to do with the bar." "No, no, what did you say about the dragon?" Twilight asked, bewildered. "Oh, uh, I used a spell that the dragon knows to freeze Spike in place." "Freeze?" Twilight said, shivering. "A horn that can freeze." She turned around, muttering the words "a horn that can freeze" as she walked away. "Uh, Twilight!" they called, but she didn't answer. Instead, she just took off into the library, searching for a book. "Okay, here we go again," Shining exhaled. "Yep, we lost her," Spike deadpanned. "Now back to the game," he smiled happily. Pinkie looked between Twilight and the boys and shrugged. "Alright, boys, have you room for one more player?" she asked, to which the two smiled. As the sun began to set for the day, Capper walked into the office of the mayor. "Well?" asked his boss in a dull tone. "Mission successful, sir. The inventory is all delivered and set on the Ghost Train." Mr. Ghost smiled at that. "Good, and what of our little spy?" "Dash, Rainbow, and the other mutants haven't got a clue. Sir, if I may ask, I thought you said you were done with them, so why have you let them in so far into your operation?" "Hmm, questioning me, are we?" Mr. Ghost said with a sly grin that unnerved Capper. "Just curious is all, sir. Forgive me, I am a cat." Mr. Ghost chuckled. "Simple, Capper: keep your friends close and your enemies closer. They're pawns, nothing more. By the time they learn anything useful, I will have already won this war." "Mm-hmm, and what of Mrs. Breeze, sir?" "What about her?" Mr. Ghost asked, looking over his paperwork. "Oh, nothing. It just seemed you're getting quite close to her, sir. Not that there's anything wrong with the company of a mare with such fine assets." Mr. Ghost froze in place, a single eyebrow raised. "Assets?" "Yes, she's quite the looker, being a model and smart, being on track to become a vet. Why, it's a wonder she isn't dating at all." Capper smirked. Mr. Ghost narrowed his eyes, not liking where his subordinate was going with this. Twilight wasted no time heading to the library. "Oh, hello, Mrs. Sparkle! Here to check out more time travel books?" she asked. "Uh, no. Can you point me in the direction of dragons and mythical beasts?" she said, a bit dazed. "Oh yes, aisle seven," said the librarian with a smile on her face. Mr. Ghost stood up, towering over the tall cat with a sly smile. "Capper, you are of great use to me, but one more quip like that and I might think you're worth more trouble than I initially thought." "I'm just saying, boss, she could be a great use to you as well, if you just open your heart to the idea." Suddenly, Capper found himself lifted off his feet. Even for a tall guy like him, this was terrifying; he came eye to eye with Mr. Ghost, and for a moment he could have sworn he saw them flicker. "For that, I would have to have a heart, and I don't. Don't misstep where you don't belong." He dropped Capper, but Capper acted as if nothing happened at all. "Yes, sir," is all he said with a cheerful smile. But in his head, he thought, "All you have is a heart to give; I've seen it." "Good, keep me informed if anything changes," Mr. Ghost commanded as he set his hat on his head. "I must be going." Twilight had several books laid out in front of her. Dragons of all sorts filled the pages along with their fairy tale descriptions. The western dragon had claws and a mane like a lion; its tail even came to a sharp point, almost like a scorpion's. Though it bore no wings, it could fly. Then there was a Middle Eastern dragon: sharp fangs and mighty tall goat-like horns, with scaly wings. Then there were sea serpents—dragons of the seas with long serpent bodies and scales tough as armor. "Dragons..." Twilight muttered as she looked between the books. The claws, the tails, the scales—her jaw dropped as her eyes landed on the Eastern dragon. She placed a hoof where her horn would be if she wasn’t hiding it at the moment. "Horns," she muttered with a shudder. Fluttershy walked down, heading to town hall. She hadn't seen him ride his bike in a while either. She remembered how fun it was to be on the back of it and once again wanted to be there with him. And now she was free to do so. But just before she could step into downtown Hall, she came to an abrupt stop. "Oh no, what am I doing?" she asked herself. "We're just friends, and..." She stopped when she remembered he kissed her neck. She placed her hoof where he had. She was so deep in thought she never even noticed the sound of the bike pulling up behind her. "Well, if it isn't Mrs. Breeze," Mr. Ghost called out, making her jump out of her thoughts. She turned to see him in his usual trench coat and hat, looking the same as the night they first met—or the night that they... She shook her head. "No, don't think of that right now," she told herself. "Um, you feeling alright?" he asked her. "Huh? Oh, yes! Yes, I was actually on my way to see you," she smiled. "Really? Why is that? It's not Friday, and besides, you really don’t need a tutor anymore, I thought..." He raised an eyebrow. "Um, no, but, uh, we’re friends so..." "There you go again, assuming we’re friends," he chuckled. Her face grew into a spiteful frown. "I am more than just a muffin!" she replied back. As she did, Mr. Ghost stole a look at her. Capper's words still rang in his mind, and he muttered the words, "Fine indeed." He said, catching her off guard. "Hmm, what was that?" "Oh, uh," he coughed, realizing he just said that out loud. "I was just saying it’s a fine night." "Oh yes, yes, it is a fine night," she smiled. "Say, you haven't eaten anything, have you?" he asked her. "Hmm, oh no, actually I haven’t." "Well, um, I'm heading home. Just got off work and planning to make something if you’d like to join me." He smiled. This caught her completely off guard. "Like a date?" "No," he coughed. "No, not at all. We're just friends; it's just a friendly dinner," he smiled nervously. "Don't make this weird," he narrowed his eyes. She smiled at that, nervous herself. "Hmm..." She pretended to think about it. "Sure! Just a friendly dinner sounds great to me," she replied. "Then get on!" he gestured her to get on the back of his bike. She did so, and the two rode off together. As they did, they never noticed two figures watching them from a distance. "You think it's him?" asked Jr. His sister shrugged. "Well, he's got a bike, he's tall like you, and she is driving off with him." She set a hoof to her chin. "Let's just see where they go, alright?" "Alright then! I'll get the bike ready," Junior smiled. Twilight closed the book, terrified. "We're not just chimeras; we're dragon chimeras," she whispered to herself. "We're dragon ponies.We're draconiqui." Her expression turned to one of a sadistic smile. She began laughing uncontrollably, shaking from head to toe, losing her mind. "**We're dragon ponies! Haha, we're dragons! Ha, ponies. "Hahahahahahhaha!!!" Author's Note So to pick up on what I was talking about wit my last author note, explaining how I made this story. My ideas at first seemed endless. MLP gives such a brod stroke for possible fan fics and au. Several came to my mind that I thought would be fun to write, and I wrote the ideas down. How ever I struggled with forming a cohesive story out of them for the longest time. Then one day, some one I won't name saw my work and told me I should give up on writing because it was so bad. 😑 yeah long story short I didn't listen. And indeed I have that person to thank now, beacuse to prove them wrong I made it my mission to form a full story. Ok more on this later 😂👋
chapter 17 cross lines.Rarity entered AJ and Dash's apartment to find Dash dressed in a trench coat and hat. She froze as she saw Rarity step in. "Oh, are you going somewhere?" she asked politely. "Uh, maybe. I actually have something I got to go do, so I’ll see ya soon, okay?" Dash said and quickly walked past Rarity, only for her to catch her by the arm. "Dash, these past few months you've been kind of quiet. Where are you going?" she asked, this time a bit more concerned. "Doesn't matter, Rarity." "Really? Because you've been acting like this ever since you joined Chaos Vill." "Chaos Vill, Rarity—those are the bad guys! You know I'm just a spy." "Yeah, a spy that hasn't come back with any intel at all. What have you been doing, Dash?" "I, uh..." she stuttered, not knowing what to say. "You've been avoiding everyone, especially me lately, and I'm pretty sure it's not because of a guy like Fluttershy." "That's not..." Dash shook her head. "Wait, Fluttershy’s got the hots for a guy? Since when?" she asked in disbelief. "You're changing the subject. Tell me what you know about Chaos Vill that you're hiding from us." "I told you everything I know." "Really?" "Yeah, really." "I don't believe you." "Well, I'm telling the tr—" Just then, a ringtone went off. Dash went to go pick it up, but Rarity slid in and picked it up for her. She looked at it and saw the name Tempest Shadow. "Who is this?" she answered. "Zap! Get your butt over here now! That cat is on the move and I need backup!" yelled Shadow. "On my way! Got a situation!" she yelled back. "WHO the hell is the cat?" demanded Rarity. "Who are you? Are you a member of Chaos Vill?" "Chaos—Zap! Who is that on the line?!" "It's no one, just a friend, Mom," Dash lied. "Mom? You're her mom? Hi, I’m Rarity Shine, one of her best friends from college." Rarity immediately cheered up. "Nice to meet you, Tempest." Tempest Shadow's eyes widened. "Uh, yes, I am Dash's mother. Uh, how do you know my name? Did Dash tell you?" she said through gritted teeth. "Rarity! Give me back my phone!" "No, it's on your contact." "Con—" Tempest nearly had a car wreck. "Dash, you seriously put my spy name as a cell phone contact?" she grumbled as she tried to follow the cat's trail without looking suspicious. "And so who is the cat? Your brother or something?" "Uh, yeah, yeah, my, uh, brother." Rarity smirked. "Ha! Got you in a lie. Fluttershy already told me your mother's name, and I know you're an only child. Who is this really? Are you a member of Chaos Vill?" "Dash, you imbecile," Tempest grumbled and hung up the phone. "Great," she gritted her teeth and pulled the car around, letting go of her track on her target. Fluttershy was as happy as could be in that moment as she walked down the hallway, following Mr. Ghost to his apartment. Mr. Ghost stopped at the door, unlocked it, and stepped back with a slight bow. "Ladies first," he grinned, to which she smiled and entered the dark room. Discord turned on the lights, revealing the strange place he called home. Fluttershy had been here once before, but this time she was actually invited in by the man himself, and she smiled at the thought as she asked, "What's for dinner?" "Sorry, my place isn't exactly ready for a nice dinner or anything. I wasn't expecting company; I never do—except Capper." "Oh, no, I don't mind." Mr. Ghost smiled. "Anyway, I have pasta and garlic bread. Would you like to help in the kitchen?" She nodded, and the two headed to the kitchen together. As they soon began preparing for dinner, the entire time Fluttershy couldn't help but feel happy about it. "So pasta, huh?" she asked with a sly smile. "What? I like pasta. Besides, it's a simple dinner to make." "I suppose," she replied. "It's just, I remember a certain movie with two dogs and pasta," she smiled. Mr. Ghost almost lost it. "Ha! I assure you, Mrs. Breeze, there will be two plates! After all, this is just a friendly dinner. Right?" he asked. "Hmm, right. Since when am I your friend?" she asked in a small voice. Mr. Ghost set the pot on the stove just before he answered her. "I don't know," he replied before he walked over to the dining table in his home and poured a glass. "Oh, uh, you know I'm not that good of a drinker," she said. "Oh, don't worry. Yours is grape juice. Mine is... well, a little stronger," he shrugged. "Now have a seat," he said and pulled out a chair for her. She sat down and smiled as he pushed her in. "Dinner will be only a moment; I cooked most of it this morning before I left." She giggled at that and looked around the room. She'd only been in here twice before. Hung over the fireplace was his signature artwork—a predatory beast that looked to be injured, surrounded by prey animals. Nothing above his piano, but over the table sat his uniform from back in the army, sitting in a shadow box. Other than that, the room usually seemed dark and dreary, yet tonight it seemed brightly lit and cheerful—although it could have been just her. Soon he brought out the plates and placed a basket of garlic bread in the middle of the table before he sat down. She took a bite, and he asked her, "How is it?" She nodded in approval, making him smile as he started diving in. While he had meatballs, she only had sauce on hers. She took a bite of the bread, and her eyes shot open. "Wow, that's good! Where did you get your bread?" "Baked it this morning," he replied as he took another bite of his dinner. "You made this?" "The dough and everything. The spaghetti, too, actually." "Wow, you really can cook! Who taught you?" "Living alone, you gotta be able to survive. I wasn’t going to just eat ramen for the rest of my life. I taught myself at an early age." "Well, for someone self-taught, you really have outdone yourself," she complimented before diving in to eat a bit more. He smiled at her compliments and watched her for a minute. "What is it?" she asked. "Oh, nothing. It's just I can't remember the last time I ever actually sat down and ate dinner with someone fun. I enjoyed being around. I'm invited to things all the time," he took his drink, "but I normally can't stand anyone. You are the exception." She grinned and continued eating. "Well, Dash, who is she?!" Rarity yelled. "A super spy!" she yelled back. "Not just any super spy, but Daring Do herself, okay? She’s helping me get down to the bottom of who the Chaos King is." "Really? And why don’t we know about this then?" Rarity threw the phone, smashing it. "Because!" "Because why!?" "Because we're in so over our heads, Rarity, and it's scary, alright? I'm terrified every freaking day, and yet here I am on the front lines infiltrating a known criminal organization. You really think this is easy for me?" "Daring Do is the only one who knows what they're doing, unlike a bunch of amateur mutants who don’t know what we’re dealing with!" This sudden outburst from Rarity's friend made her gasp in disbelief. "You don’t think I don’t know what we’re up against!" "He killed them, Rarity! He killed Daring Do's whole family—her three kids and husband. I heard her say it." "I am not gonna lose any of you, any of my friends, or any of my family!" She huffed and walked right past Rarity. "So stay out of it for your own safety!" she yelled, only to bump into a bewildered Twilight with a shocked, crazed smile on her face and a pile of dragon books in her hands, muttering, "Dragon ponies, we’re dragon ponies. Haha, hahahahahaha." The two mares stood staring at her. In unison, all they could say was, "Uhh?" Still eating dinner, Fluttershy thought of some small talk to start a conversation. Just as always, it was her to begin the small talk, much to their surprise. "So how long have you been able to cook like this?" "Since I was very young, actually," he replied in a reminiscing voice. "Your mother must've been proud." He narrowed his eyes, and a look of disinterest crossed his face. "No, I grew up in an orphanage. Not a very nice one either." Fluttershy's eyes widened. For the first time since the night they first met, he actually said anything about himself or his past. "I ate alone for so many years... And even after I was invited to parties and outings, I just never really wanted to hang around," he told her before continuing to eat. "Well, it's nice to see you've grown out of that then," she told him. "So you were an orphan. But you were adopted, right? What was it like growing up with Pinkie? She’s such a nice girl, but she definitely has a lot of energy." Mr. Ghost's muzzle twitched a bit at that. "She adopted me as her big brother. I was never adopted by her family. For three years, I couldn't get rid of her until I went into the military." His expression changed to one of a faraway distance. "In hindsight, I'm actually rather thankful for it. It felt nice to have someone want me to actually come home from the war. She wrote to me every week and sent plenty of care packages full of little gift boxes to me over my time there." He grabbed his glass. "Still, I never wrote back to her or anything. It wouldn't have been right to do so since she is not my sister, adopted or otherwise," he sipped his wine. "Well, I think that's a very sweet thing to do, and she still brings you muffins from Sugarcube Corner. Between the war and the event at Sugarcube, you're quite the hero." "Event... What event?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, Mr. Cake told me the story of how you stopped those gangsters from ruining the shop." With every word she spoke, his muscles seemed to tense up. But she never noticed. "I can't believe you survived being stabbed, and then all those gunshots. I'm so happy you're alive." At that, his eyes widened. It was clear from his expression she completely caught him off guard. "Oh. Oh, I didn’t mean... I mean, I just... you're a hero," she tried. Once again, his expression fell to one of disinterest—his usual poker face. "Yes, well, that was long ago." "Perhaps, but it's clear Mr. Cake is thankful for it... And to think you kept them from going out of business. I think that's..." "Enough," he grumbled, startling her in the process. "Let's talk about something else." He then grew a sly smile. "How did you get into modeling?" "Oh, that," she nervously chuckled, a bit embarrassed. "Well, you see..." As she went into the story, Mr. Ghost relaxed into his chair again and began finishing his dinner. "Dragon ponies, dragon ponies," she repeated crazily as her hair became frizzled by the minute. "Twilight, what are you muttering about?" Rarity asked, only for the door to open up and Shining Armor to come out. "What's going on out here?" he questioned. "Dragon ponies!" Twilight tossed her books in the air, and they conveniently opened to the right pages. "Look, look! A lion's mane, a fish tail, a goat horn!" She pointed at the illustrations. "We're not just any old chimera; we're dragon ponies! We're draconiqui!" Twilight shook and shivered and laughed to herself, scaring everyone around her. "Okay, maybe you should switch to decaf, Twily. Pinkie, don’t let her eat sugar!" Shining called back to the table behind him as Twilight walked in through the door. "Oh, oh, don’t worry! I won’t—not if she’s acting like that." Pinkie smiled. Dash picked up a book and looked at it. The claws on one of the dragons resembled hers, as did another's beak. "Sooooo... we're dragon ponies? Yeah, I'm gonna stick with chimera because I don’t know, that just sounds twenty percent cooler," she shrugged. "Twilight, I know this is huge and all, but we got bigger issues," Rarity told her crazy friend. "Dash here is working for someone called Shadow Star and is trying to go solo on us." "No, no, let me explain! Look, I found out that Daring Do author, A.K. Yearling, is actually a super spy, and she's been trying to track down the Chaos King for years, seeking revenge for her dead family." "Oh, and what organization is she part of?" asked Rarity, not buying it. "I, uh... I can’t tell you, Rarity. Sorry." Dash winced. "Hmph. Likely story. You trust them more than your own friends." "You don’t know what we’re getting into; trust me, Rarity. This is for the best," Dash explained. Twilight set a hoof on her chin as Dash finished her story. "What's ya thinkin', Twi?" asked Dash. "The question is can we trust her? How do we know she's not involved? How do we know she's not the Equalizer?" "Or Lord Chaos in disguise!" Pinkie shouted. "She's like a super spy for the agency. What more proof do you need? She also handed me this phone and said she'd call when she needed me." Twilight's eyes widened. "Dash, that could have a tracker on it. If she's working for the enemies, she could know our position." "Don't worry; I already broke it," Rarity boasted. "Hey, I told you she's one of the good guys! Why don't you trust her?" Dash asked. "Because I don't trust anyone!" Twilight yelled. At that, the room grew silent. Dash's expression was filled with a look of hurt as she asked, "So do you trust me? Do you trust your friends?" "Trust you? You're all chimera. I'm in charge of you!" Twilight tried to grab her. Dash moved out of her reach, spun around, and kicked Twilight into the floor—not enough to hurt her, just enough to send her back. "Dash!" Shining exclaimed! "You should trust your friends! You should be loyal to your friends!" "Friends? Do friends kick friends into the floor?!" Twilight yelled, her eyes beginning to glow. "You speak of trust, yet you didn't trust us!" Rarity called her out. At that, Dash stared at her in disbelief, but soon her expression turned to one of anger as her own eyes began to glow. "Fine then; I guess we're not friends." Pinkie, upon hearing that, dropped her jaw. "Now hold on a minute!" She stepped in the middle of the two. "Everyone just needs to calm down and think this through." "Think? Think? No, no! We've been working together for how long? And here I ask her to give me some trust, and she tries to claim I’m the bad guy here. No, I'm out of here!" Dash said and walked toward the door. "Leave, and we'll hunt you down." "Twilight," gasped Spike. "No, Spike! Now that I know what we are, I know how dangerous this is. If my theory is correct, if we truly are dragons, one wrong move and we could be playing into the villains' hands. Dash, as your leader, I'm telling you this one time: stand down." "Ha! Some leader! From the start, you never actually worked with any of us! So what if I say no?" Dash grumbled. Mr. Ghost and his friend finished their dinner, and she even helped him clean the dishes. The two of them seemed to be getting along, at least to her. But she learned very quickly that unless he gave it away, anything about his past was a subject off-limits for the most part. Still, she did learn a few new things about him. It was a start. He told her more about what he did for work and how he was studying the chimera disease himself to find a cure. The one thing he talked about most, though, was the trips he often took on his bike. Turns out he's been all over the world, not just Equestria. His favorite thing was his mode of transportation. The entire time he had a genuine smile when he explained his travels. "I once rode on the back of my bike through the jungles of Zeefrica. I was there visiting on a business trip with a politician. You would never imagine the size of the trees there and the many strange creatures who lived there." "I always wanted to visit there one day. I love elephants." "Saddle Arabia is a good place to see elephants, believe it or not." "You've been there too?" "Absolutely," he boasted. "Probably the most fun I've had on a trip. I can tell you one thing: the drinks there are something else," he shook his head. "You can't take the ones we have here; you wouldn't be able to handle anything back there, believe me," he chuckled. "So you seem to have been on a lot of business trips. Ever just taken a vacation?" she asked. He shook his head. "Far too busy. Mostly my job consists of business transactions. I only go because someone wants to meet with me about money and trade. Otherwise, I never leave this town." He sighed with another look of disinterest. "Always on the constant move. Despite having this setup, I actually barely stay here, never having a home to be honest," he finished. Seeing that look again made Fluttershy's frown deepen a bit. They were having such a good time, and she didn't want him to close up again. She had to think about something—anything—to change the subject. Luckily for her, something came to mind. "Umm, what interesting art," she said as she pointed at the piece over the mantle. "Yes, that happens to always be a conversation starter," he replied. The art was of a strange beast, a predator judging by its fangs and claws. It had a serpent-like tail and a skull-like pony head, yet there were no eyes or much detail to its face at all. There was a lot of detail, however, depicting its large bat-like wings, which it seemed to be using to hide its face. Yet on the wing, it appeared to be bleeding. The gruesome detail to the bloody wing was what made Fluttershy uncomfortable. Surrounding it was a bunch of prey-like animals: rabbits, deer, squirrels, and other small rodents and creatures. "Um, so what is it?" she asked. Tensions ran high in the room as the two chimera with glowing eyes stared daggers at each other. Finally, Dash blinked and took a more aggressive stance as she said, "I'm out of here." She reached for the door, and as soon as she did, Twilight pulled from her door her tranquilizer gun. "I don't think so," she said confidently. "Twilight, what are you doing?" Shining tried to grab the gun, but Twilight used her abilities to not only evade him but knock him onto the floor. She'd been training, and so far it seemed to have paid off. Dash looked at Twilight over her shoulder. "You know the last time we did this, I remember you walked away with a broken rib." "Sprained, actually, and this isn't like last time." She said as she cocked the gun. Spike and Pinkie took a step back just in time as Dash growled. "Well, see." Suddenly, she jumped and was so quick that she almost kicked Twilight's gun out of her hoof. Twilight wasn’t the fastest of the group—definitely third behind Dash—but nevertheless, she dodged her and brought her own hoof up into the rainbow griffon's jaw. Dash stepped back, rubbing the end of her jaw. The knee definitely hurt, but it was nowhere near enough to take her out. Twilight readied herself for another attack as Dash recovered, looking for an opening herself. "Hmm, what about the painting?" She gave a slight nod. "Oh, well let me ask you this: What would a dragon and a pony look like if you combined the two?" He smirked. She tilted her head at that. "I guess a dragon pony. Like your bar." "Correct. This here is a painting of it. I painted it myself," he said, examining his hoof. She took a look at the painting of the beast. "So why is it hurt?" Mr. Ghost's eyes widened as he heard those words. Dash found her opening and lunged at Twilight, who dodged it and came back for a back kick, only for Dash to throw her through the window. But this did not stop Twilight; she quickly got on her feet as Dash came in for another punch. Twilight used her horn to create an ice shield that made Dash slip over it and hit the wall face-first. "Stop it, you two! Pinkie, do something!" Spike panicked. "But what? I don't want to hurt my friends." Just then, Dash growled and created a burst of wind that sent her flying toward Twilight, who used her ice powers to ice skate her way to safety, though she did slip on her own powers. "If you don't do something, they're gonna kill each other," Shining told Pinkie, who quickly bit her lip in fear. "Please!" Rarity yelled out. "Hurt?" he asked. "Yeah, you see his wing? It's bleeding." Discord narrowed his eyes at that. "And how do you know this creature didn't kill?" "Because if it did, then there would be blood on another animal," she twitched an eyebrow. "But it seems to me the dragon pony is scared because of his injuries, and the other animals are only glaring because of how frightened they are of the obvious predator in their sights—injured or not." He stood stunned, his mouth opened at the surprisingly insightful comment made by the mare. "Congratulations! I think you're the first to ever dissect that photo and be right." "Huh, I'm right?" "Yes," he said with his eyes narrowed. Yet there was something sad in his expression. "The dragon pony is definitely hurt in that painting." Fluttershy watched him, curious about what he was going to do next. Seeing his expression, she quickly wanted to change the subject. Oh, but to what? She didn't want to lose him—not after learning so much and breaking down so many barriers with him. Then her eyes widened with an idea. "So, uh, you said you had a jellyfish tank once?" Mr. Ghost nodded. "Umm, can I see it then?" He smiled at her and gave a slight nod as he walked over to the stairs. "The jellyfish are in the back of the lab. Come, I'll show you." He held his hoof out to her. She took it, thrilled to touch him, if only slightly. Pinkie stood in place, watching her two friends tussle as she struggled with what she was going to do. "Pinky!" the boys shouted at her to do something. The two went from the nicely set, almost romantic atmosphere of his apartment down to the sterile, white, cold, clean lab. Fluttershy had seen part of the lab before, but she never got to see all of it. She gasped as she saw the large round fish tank in the back corner, full of colorful jellyfish. She marveled at the sight of the majestic moving creatures in the water. Some were pink, some white—almost clear—and some were dark blue, almost hard to see in the fish tank. "Amazing, are they not?" he said with a dreamful sigh, letting go of her hoof. She wished he had held onto it, but didn’t fight it when he let her go. "Why do you have so many?" "Oh, well it's, uh... They're actually my test subjects." Fluttershy's eyes widened at that. Mr. Ghost gave a slight nod. "You see, these creatures have no brain, no heart, or really any pain receptors of any kind. It's delicate work due to their jelly-like texture, but due to their transparency, it's also easy to see what happens on the inside to them during an experiment. The best part is I can get what needs to be done, whether that's implanting an organ or something in the jellyfish, or simply seeing whether or not the experiment would kill the creature without causing any pain to them at all. Most people use lab rats, and while it's far easier, I actually don't like the idea of harming any creature. By using jellyfish, I've eliminated that issue." Fluttershy was a bit stunned by this but then slowly came around to the idea. It was true that jellyfish had no brain, heart, or pain receptors. She didn't like the idea of any creature being experimented on, but one without feeling any pain would be acceptable in some odd sense, right? The question was, what kind of experiments did the Lord do on such creatures? Still, it was one question that she decided she didn't want to know the answer to. "And here I thought you said you weren't one for animals, Mr. Ghost," she gave a slight giggle with his name. "That doesn't mean I like seeing them in pain. They didn't do anything to deserve it." The way he said "deserve it" made Fluttershy raise an eyebrow, as if there was another question she wanted to ask but decided she didn't want the answer to. Still, the question remained: Did anyone deserve it? And somehow it seemed like he believed there were those who did, the way he spoke. "Some of them have turned into quite unique creatures due to my experimentation. Normally many do not survive, and I dispose of them, but one in particular I've come to keep as a useful pet. You just got to meet him. I think you'll rather enjoy this, seeing as to your liking of animals." He said as he walked down a ways from the fish tank. She followed him, never taking her eyes off the beautiful jellyfish in the tank until she bumped into him, not watching where she was going. She quickly turned to him. "Sorry," she said, as he stood still, hardly moving. "That's quite alright. Now look," he told her as he held out his hoof to a glass box sealed with a big black lock on it. Inside of the box was a purple substance that filled the entire container. She looked into the box, expecting to see a jellyfish swimming in the ooze, but there was nothing. She raised an eyebrow and only snickered at her look as he pulled out a rusty black key. He slipped it into the lock and opened the latch. "Come now, Smoose, you have a visitor." The purple substance began to bubble and expand, making Fluttershy a bit worried. It continued to expand and bubble until it overflowed out of the container, making her eyes widen more, unsure of what to do. He just watched her reaction with an amused look on his face. The substance boiled, bubbled, and expanded until it was at least three times its size, and then it literally all bubbled out of the container and seemed to collect itself into a pile of goo. No eyes or anything, but it seemed to have a mouth not unlike that of a jellyfish. It finally stopped bubbling and sat there, almost as if it were staring at the two of them. "That's it, that's it! Come here, buddy," he cooed as he reached his hoof out to it. The Smoose seemed to approach it and almost sniff it before it bubbled over Discord's hoof. As it moved, it left a slimy substance in its path as it ran up his arm and almost seemed to cuddle with it. A strange sound, which almost sounded like a cat purring underwater, came from the slimy substance now all over Discord's arm. He then turned to the still unsure and slightly frightened Fluttershy. He snickered a bit before he spoke. "No need to fear. It's harmless—well, mostly harmless," he said as he held out his arm to her. As he did, the slime seemed to come to life on its own as it continued to move around bubbling as it did. Fluttershy very cautiously built up the nerve to reach for the creature, if you could call it that. She did shake in fear a bit when the substance finally moved off of his arm and onto hers. It was a strange substance. It felt as if a bag of hot water was on her arm—hot but not uncomfortable. It seemed to sway back and forth on her arm, and the more she had it, the more used to the strange creature she got. As she warmed up to it, she began to play with it, poking it and brushing it. Funny enough, the creature seemed to like the interaction since it continued to make strange sounds—a cross between a dolphin and an excited dog-like sound. "See? He likes you. Or it, I suppose," Mr. Ghost shrugged. "What is this thing?" she asked. "It was one of my first experiments. I don't know why it survived. Every time I try to recreate the thing, it never does. It started out as a jellyfish and somehow gained not only intelligence but the ability to well do that," he shrugged. The creature then made a sound that almost resembled a stomach growling. "Oh, he's hungry. The funny thing is he's not actually making noise. Somehow he's able to repeat sound. Believe it or not, that's my stomach he's mimicking whenever he's hungry." "He eats?" "Yeah, though he has one of the strangest diets," Mr. Ghost said as he headed to a fridge. "He eats metals. The problem is that when he eats too much, he grows too fast, so don't let him eat your jewelry or anything, okay?" He pulled out a pouch of what looked to be old, rotting blood. "I keep him around since he's great for disposal. Watch this," he replied, opening the blood that reeked of decay and placed it on the counter. The creature seemed to know the scent well, even though it had no nose, and it began to bubble and move off of Fluttershy and over to the bag. "I thought you said it eats metals." "Oh, but it does! There is plenty of iron in a blood cell and other metals in the body. Smoose will eat it all, leaving only water to remain." He said as the bag of red turned into a cleaned, clear liquid. The creature was half in the bag, absorbing the red stuff and leaving it clear. It bubbled and seemed to begin to boil the blood as it did so. "It won't harm anything, but you might notice that wherever he touched, dead skin might be gone due to him eating it." Fluttershy looked at her arm, and he was right. There wasn't much of a trace of dandruff or anything on her arm where Smoose had touched. The strangest part of Smoose, though, wasn't the fact that it was alive, but the fact that it seemed she once saw something like this before. This color, at least. But she couldn't figure out where she had seen the color before. Something to think about later, she supposed. The creature finished its dinner and made what sounded like a burp noise. Mr. Ghost laughed a bit nervously at that. "Ahh, mimicking me. Believe it or not, I can get it to mimic my voice too." He cleared his throat. "Smoose, say something." The Smoose seemed to move and twist, as if curious like a puppy would move its head when trying to figure out a command. "Something!" it said, mimicking Discord's voice but squeaky. "Good boy, Smoose. What else can you say?" "What else can you say?" the creature said. "Oh wow, that's incredible," Fluttershy gasped. "Yes, even if he's only mimicking. He can also dance." Mr. Ghost clapped his hooves, spun around, and slid a little to the left with his hip out. The creature, to the best of its abilities, copied his movements. Fluttershy giggled at the sight of this as Discord continued his dance moves with the pile of goo copying him. Mr. Ghost smiled at her laughter, not realizing just how much he enjoyed hearing it. "It's only too bad it leaves such a mess when it moves around; otherwise, I'd have it follow me like a dog or something." "A dog or something," it repeated and stopped dancing when he did. "Well, it sure is a strange one. But I love it." "I knew you would," he smirked. "This one's a survivor, that's for sure... Just like me," he said the last part under his breath. Fluttershy did hear it and raised another eyebrow but decided not to pry. "Love, love. Love it, love it," the Smoose said which made the tall pony tense up a bit. Hearing his own voice, whether squeaky or not, say such a thing in front of her made him uncomfortable. "Um, okay, now the hard part. Smoose, it's time to go to bed." He said as he picked up the glass box it was originally in and placed it next to him. The Smoose didn't seem to want to go in at first, but Discord grabbed a little jar and sprinkled something in it. "Iron shavings," he told Fluttershy, who looked at it curiously. The creature, along with its treat, got into the container and settled back down, shrinking into every inch of the box before Mr. Ghost closed it and locked it tightly. As the fight came to a close, Twilight raised her gun at Dash, who came in for a finishing blow. One way or another, this fight was going to end in the next two seconds. In that time, Pinkie watched, scared of whatever was going to happen. A gunshot went off, and a flash of pink ran past them. The two mid-fighting eyes didn't register at first what had happened, but as their minds caught up, it was all too clear what had occurred. Pinkie ran in between the two as Twilight shot her tranquilizer. It hit Pinkie and not Dash, sending both her and Dash flying. "Pinkie!!!" shouted the two. "Look at what you did!" Dash yelled. "It's a tranquilizer; she's gonna be fine. She'll sleep for... a few hours." "Hmph!" the griffon snorted. "You've got your priorities twisted, Twilight." She picked Pinkie up. "Where are you going?" asked her opponent. "Where do you think?" she replied. Twilight wanted to follow but knew she had no more ammo and decided to let them go. She lost this round, and she knew it. She then walked right into the window of the apartment. Just then, AJ walked in. "Oh, guys, I'm back! Did I miss any—" she stopped just as she saw the mess around the room. Twilight didn't even hesitate walking past her and going straight to her room, slamming the door shut. "Things..." AJ finished her sentence with a look of shock. "Well, this was nice," he smiled. "Yes, yes it was," she blushed. "So, uh, perhaps we could do this again sometime then?" He was asking her on another date. She saw the clock on the wall and knew he was ending the night. "Uh, yes, I would like that very much. Umm, are you busy tomorrow?” "No, I mean yes, but I always come home for dinner," he said, a bit out of breath, pleased with her response. A moment of awkwardness began to settle in as silence came between the two of them. "Umm, so." "So," he repeated after her. "It's a date then." "A date? Yes, we're dating now," she grew a sly grin of her own. "Since when was this a date?" He chuckled, "For a shy pony, you're not very shy." "I'm not around my friends. If I am, at least you're my friend." He looked at her with a smile on his face. "Very well, friends, if nothing more." "Goodbye then." She finally said and began walking to the door. Of course, it was behind him, so she was walking toward him. "Y-yes, good, uh, goodbye for now." He said, not wanting to admit how much he wanted her to stay. As she was about to walk right past him, the two exchanged happy looks. A question on both of their minds that was never asked or answered: "Are you going to kiss me goodbye?" But no such gesture came from either of them. It was too soon for that. As soon as she was out of the door, Mr. Ghost dropped his facade, a look of bewilderment on his face. Did he really just have a nice date with someone he actually got along with? And wanted another? Did he actually hope for a kiss goodbye from her? He could not answer; all he could do was shake his head. "What did I get myself into?" he said just above a whisper. Fluttershy ran into the bus, and when she sat down, she hid her face with her hair as always. She had a smile on it, though. One she couldn't hide. Author's Note Continuing off my last author note I was telling how I came up with this story. Thought I be a cool idea. So my ideas were many. Some I might turn into a full fan fic later. One ide was what if instead of multiple villains, MLP was about twilight vs one villain. Of course they'd be side villains but one big bad guy to take over everything. Discord being my fav obviously took this spot. And I started a rough out line of that story... In it I thought it be cool to have all the ponies be a bit difrent. We'd have Alicorn twilight, unicorn rarity, seapony pinky, I know wierd. And shy flutterbat. They'd come together as knights of the round table to fight off thire true enamys discord. Except being a flutercord fan I wanted discord to eventually fall for flutterbat and in the end give up his right for her... Good idea right... Well problem was flutershy became the main lead. Something I didn't like because twilight is the main lead . And no I am not doing twicord. Not the worst ship ever I just like fluttercord. Twilight is the main lead of the show. And I wanted to focus on her as the main lead. But Everytime I try to introduce flutercord that all fell apart. And I gave up. Ok more on this later 😂👋
chapter 19 Future Warning'sMay 3rd, 2011 - 2:00 AM As the clock kept ticking late into the night, Twilight lay in her bed, tossing and turning. Her mind scattered amongst the memories that tormented her that night. When she finally did fall asleep, for a moment or two, it was the same nightmare that haunted her for years. "Twilight…" She could hear her brother, Shining Armor, call out to her in a shaking voice. He was scared to death. "Twilight…" "Twilight." She heard another voice ringing in her ears. "Twilight… it's gonna be okay," her father shouted. "Twilight, everything's gonna be alright, I promise." "Run, Twilight, run!" she heard her brother cry out. A maniacal laughter filled the air as her father pleaded. "Please stop this. Don't hurt them. Don't. I'll help you; just don't." "Hahahahahahha," laughed the Lord of Chaos himself. Only now it was worse. With the sound of a gunshot, she woke up in a pit of sweat, knowing all too well what happened next. She breathed in and out, trying to calm her pulsing heart in the reflection of her time machine. She saw the eyes of a monster—the eyes of the chaos lord himself—only they were her own eyes. She knew they were her own eyes. She gritted her teeth as she looked at the clock; it was nearly 3 in the morning. She had enough of this and decided she needed to get some air... Twilight quickly took off into the warm night air, a sign that summer was on its way. She used to only be able to run around in the shadows on the ground; even with her grappling hook and other small gadgets, she couldn't jump across town as easily as she could now. She leaped and flipped across the rooftops of the city somewhat easily. But as she took one jump over the edge of the wall and began to plummet to the ground, a twinge of panic ran through her for a few seconds, only for her to gain composure and use her chimera powers (or dragon powers, thanks to her theory) to create an ice beam and slide down it. As she did, though, she slipped and fell on her ice powers. She got up and shook the dirt off her. "God, I really need to get better at that," she scolded herself. She then grabbed her phone and checked where she was. She was heading to her brother's place, who still lived on the south side of town, along with Spike. At the mere thought of Spike, her aunt Luna also came to mind. She had no clue where Luna or any of the missing chimera were, or how many chimera there really were. The very thought of this had her banging her head. Then she thought of something she hadn't before: when was the last time she got a phone call from her godmother, the person who was like a mother to her after what happened to her own family that night? She hadn't spoken to her in a while, and that thought brought her down in the dumps as she used her horn to make a walkway made of ice back up to the top of a building. "I should call her tomorrow," she told herself. As she stood on top of the building, she looked up at the night sky. She took in a deep breath of fresh air as the wind blew through her mane. "What have I gotten myself into, Mother?" she said in a pleading, depressed tone. "What are you up to?" Suddenly, her chimera hearing caught a ruckus from down below, which caught her attention. "Hmm, oh, of course, this is the south side of the city; there are crimes here every night," she grumbled but then smirked. The thought of kicking someone's butt tonight actually sounded quite pleasant at the moment. She took off towards its direction, never once realizing she was being watched like a hawk from atop the rooftops. Capper walked out from the shadows as he watched the hero jump from the rooftops toward him. "You don't think I know that you are there." "I wasn't exactly hiding," she answered him in a sarcastic tone. "What's the word, Smolder?" asked the cat. "They are on the move. I don't know who those two are or why they are here, but they're pretty close. At this point, I feel we should kick Dash and her little friend out." The two had signed up for the tournament now. "No, that would be problematic. Perhaps a trap should be laid to see where their loyalty lies." "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" "I am," he said almost comically. "Alright then. I mean, the tournament is a few days away, so I can set up the boys to be ready for her when she wins. What will we do when we have them cornered?" "Leave that to the boss to decide." Just then, they heard something come from down in the streets. "Shouldn't you take a look at that?" she asked. "Nope, I think the pawns got it," he smirked. What he didn't realize was that through a pair of binoculars, Tempest Shadow watched him carefully. She lowered her binoculars as she heard snoring behind her. She looked over to see Dash and Pinkie completely asleep. She shook her head as she chuckled. As she looked at Dash, she was instantly reminded of her own daughter. The very thought of her nearly broke the stone-cold posture she kept herself at. She sighed as she returned to her work. She chuckled at that as she closed her eyes and sighed a solemn sigh before she heard a train roll in. She grabbed her binoculars and muttered to herself, "Just on time, aye?" A big black train came to a roaring stop; it had both cargo and a few passenger cars. She watched as a group of tough-looking lizards walked out of the train car and met up with Capper, who was working late. She tapped Dash's shoulder. It did nothing, so Tempest had to shake her until she woke up. "Wake up!" "Ahh! I'm up, I'm up. What’s going on? Are we being attacked?" she asked. "No, it's just time to switch watch. Remember the plan?" "Yeah, yeah, me and Pinkie join the fight. You know, most likely our friends are gonna come and try to infiltrate too." "Which is why we'll keep an eye out for Rarity. Now take a look." She handed Dash the binoculars. "You see them? Those are some fighters from the Dragon's Gang, located in Newhoof. Along with them, the Pony Gang builds from Atland. These are your competitors. They are members of some tough street gangs in other cities here to compete under the chaos king himself." Dash yawned but nodded. "They may, though, but..." she yawned again, "I'm a chimera; they're not." "Either way, don't get cocky. The goal is to win and get close to that cat. Once you give the signal, every cop and agent in the city will surround the building." "The second in command? But I thought we were after the Chaos King." "Yes, but the likelihood of him showing up is unlikely. However, all we need is his location from the cat, and we'll be able to give air support to his location." Dash smiled. *The Chaos King is going down.* Tempest rolled her eyes at Dash's enthusiasm, turning away, not wanting to show she smiled at it too. "What took you so long?" muttered a female voice. "Sorry, it's not easy finding a crowbar," a male voice said as he pulled a crowbar from his jacket and began to undo the door. "Hey! Breaking and entering is illegal, ya know," Shadow Star said as she jumped down in front of them. The one with the crowbar quickly tried to hit her, but she was able to catch it and knock him to the floor with one kick. The other jumped on a bike, and the one who got knocked down threw smoke bombs into the air. As the bike drove off, it hit a bump, and something fell, smashing onto the ground and shattering into pieces. Twilight tried to go after them but could only find the broken bits of what looked to be a computer. She picked it up carefully, trying not to cut herself as she attempted to turn it on. While it didn't work, she figured she might be able to learn something about those two from its hard drive. “Hmm,” she pondered who these two were and why they were trying to break into this building in particular. But she just shrugged and checked to see if the door was broken; luckily, those two didn't even get in. **May 4th, 2011 - Noon** On this fine spring day, Fluttershy found herself on the back of her colt friend's bike. He wouldn't tell her where they were going, only that it would be a surprise. While she held on tight, the wind blew past her mane, with whatever bit of hair wasn't under the black helmet she wore for safety. Although he refused to wear one, much to her dismay, he did buy her one at her request. She wasn't really following where they were going or what streets he was taking her down. Instead, she focused on the warmth she gained from him in her forelegs. To hold someone or be held by someone you love always felt nice. But unlike when she hugged her brother or family members, this was a different kind of feeling—one she hoped never to let go of. She was so focused on her thoughts that she didn't even notice the bike stopped until Discord turned the engine off. She looked around, and much to her surprise, they were up a mountain road just looking over the valley below where the town stood—the same mountain road they shared their first kiss. They hadn't been back since that very night, months ago. But instead of the chilly night air wrapped up in glorious lights and little flowers, it was a bright spring day as flowers of all sorts of colors spread across the trees. "Oh, Discord, it's beautiful." "I have one little more surprise, my dear,” he said as he got off the bike and grabbed something out of the trunk. He pulled out a picnic basket and a blanket. He walked over to the edge of the cliff and laid it down. "Oh, a picnic! Oh, this will be wonderful for our three-month anniversary." Discord smiled as he set it up. Inside the basket were several sandwiches, Discord's favorite chocolate muffins, and a little campfire tea set. "Three months of officially dating, maybe. But it's been merely five since our first time here. I thought you might want to see this place in the springtime." "Thank you," she told him as she helped set up the picnic. "Do you remember that night?" he said smoothly as he wrapped his arms around her. "The night you were so drunk you wanted to kiss me," he said, planting a small kiss on her cheek. "Mhmm, and we snuggled for a while, I do," she replied. He let go of her and began looking around for some firewood, but not before he said back, "Happiest night of my life." Discord made a little fire with some sticks and heated the tea. It was ginseng—their favorite. They sat and ate lunch; the conversation didn't go too far as they enjoyed each other's company. "So, Rarity has a whole new line of summer gear already lined up. She asked me to model for it, but I don't know if I can." "And why not?" he said as he took a bite of a cucumber sandwich. She sat facing him but was in the bright light of the spring sun. Even for a vampire, with a somewhat pale color, her pale yellow fur practically glowed in the light. He, on the other hand, sat in the shadow of the tree, watching her every movement. "Because I'm now a mutant. I mean, the wings, the pale skin... I got a bit skinny too. I don't think it's a good idea, and Twilight is insisting we all take extra precautions." "It shouldn't stop you from living, though. You need the money to pay for college, after all," he said, taking a sip of tea. "You just want to see me in a bathing suit, don't you?" He spat out a bit of his tea. "What? No!" he said dramatically and chuckled nervously. She giggled at his reaction. "Yes, well, I just don't think now would be a good time." "Well, there is still plenty of time before summer ends," he told her as he moved some of the leftovers back to the basket and got closer to her in the process, propping himself up on his elbows as he lay by her, a happy, dreamy look in his eye. "True," she said. He sighed happily. "Just the two of us, alone at last." "Don't you mean three?" she asked him. He narrowed his eyes a bit, confused, then looked down and noticed his muffin. "Oh," he said and ate it in one full bite. “There, now it's just the two of us." He chuckled, wiping his mouth with a napkin. She giggled at that for a moment, but her expression fell. That isn't what she meant, but how to tell him she had no idea. Seeing her expression, he asked in a concerned tone, "What's wrong, dear?" This caught her attention immediately, breaking her train of thought. “Oh, nothing,” she said before leaning down to give him a quick kiss. She broke it off too easily, and as she lifted her head from him, he grew his signature sly grin she had come to know him for. She knelt back down and laid into a passionate kiss—one that he returned happily. Not wanting to let her go, he set a hoof to her chin, pulling her gently closer into the shadows along with him. Twilight was on the phone as she entered a room, staring at the broken computer she had gotten last night. She looked at it as she replied to the phone, "Yes, it is a work in progress, but I think I'm finally figuring it out." "Really? Well, that’s amazing. I'm so proud of you and your studies. You've been trying to make a time machine for years. I'm so happy for you..." Celestia encouraged in a sweet, motherly tone. "And I know your mother would be too." At that, Twilight smiled, but it wavered a bit as she thought, if only Celestia knew. "Wherever she is," Twilight mentioned by accident. "Oh come now. You know your mother is looking down on you, with the biggest smile from the heavens. You know that." "Thank you! Thank you so much for what you've done for me. You know, raising me and all," Twilight said, as her lip quivered. "Oh, now where is this coming from?" Celestia chuckled gleefully. "I'm sorry; it's just I feel really bad for Spike right now." "Oh, and how is he doing? I mean, he calls me every other day, but he’s actually doing a lot better than I am… he has a lot of hope." "Hope is all you need, Twilight. We’ll find Luna; that I am certain of," Celestia replied, sounding wise. Twilight smiled, and her tone shifted back to a happy one. "You’re right. Anyway, I gotta go; I’ll call you again soon." "I’m free anytime you want to talk. I mean, after all, I kind of don’t have a job right now," she giggled. Twilight joined in the humor with her own amused laugh. "I suppose that’s true. Bye." She hung up the phone. Celestia hung up the phone, and as she did, her happy expression fell into a serious one. "So… how is she?" asked Sombra’s voice. Celestia turned to him. “I thought her studies on the chimera were going to slow her progression on the time machine down, but it looks like I was worried for nothing.” "Oh, and what's with that look, my queen?" he asked as he bowed. Celestia rolled her eyes at his use of the word ‘queen.’ Something isn't right. Something I don't know what, but something is very different from last time—something we must be cautious about, to say the very least. She narrowed her eyes, her irises shifting to a reddish color shining like a snake. She must complete the machine; otherwise, all my plans are lost. And to think I lost power to that beast. "And what about Luna?" asked Sombra, whose eyes flickered the same as hers. "I could care less, so long as she doesn't get in my way," Celestia said coldly. Twilight sat by her computers—one was hers, one she got from the mayor, and the third one was in shattered pieces. She took that one, trying to access it once again, hacking into its hard drive. The computer was trashed, but its hard drive was still intact. She yawned slightly, as it was still early. "What are you doing here, sleepyhead?" her brother asked her as she awoke. "Oh, morning," she yawned with a stretch. "Morning? It's noon. Let me guess: you couldn't sleep and came here on your own, didn't you?" Shining remarked. "Yeah, that’s pretty much it." She cracked her neck from sleeping in an odd position. "Isn't Fluttershy going to be worried about you?" "No; she's been busy at work, not coming home lately. However, I left a note. Got any flakes? I'm starving," she argued, beginning to raid his kitchen for some cereal. As she said that, Spike walked into the room with a sandwich. It took him a moment, but he soon noticed Twilight’s presence. "Oh hey, nightmare again?" he asked. She sighed, confirming his suspicion, and continued making herself a bowl of cereal. "So any news on..." She shook her head, knowing what Spike was asking. Spike gave a little annoyed look at that—a bit disappointed. "We’ll find her, I promise," Twilight told him. Spike gave a nod; the look on his face showed how hopeless he felt. It wasn't just him, though—they all felt that way. "Well now, what about this thing?" asked Shining. "Oh, I got that from these two robbers last night. They were trying to break into some building. I don't know what's on it. I figured I'd either find out who they are or who they stole this from and return it to them." Shining looked over the computer. "You know you're using the wrong cable for that." "Hmm?" "You're using an HDMI, but that will never get the entire hardware. Let me see if I have an old DVI cable; I think I might. It's in the back." "Since when are you a computer whiz?" asked Spike. "Since middle school, actually. What, you think Twilight is the only smart one around here?" he called back as he walked away. Junior was pacing back and forth. "Ahh, why did I drop that? Why did I drop it?" he muttered again and again, much to his sister's annoyance, who sat eating a pancake in hoof, leaning on her bike and staring at something through her binoculars. As he uttered the words for the thousandth time that morning, she finished her pancake and called out to him, "Hey!” She caught his attention as he turned toward her. "Don't worry about it; what's done is done. We still have a mission, remember?" She lowered her binoculars. "Yeah, and all our data is gone!" he exclaimed. "Hey, quiet down! Do you want them to hear us?” she grumbled, looking back through her binoculars. She was watching as two figures lay kissing under a tree. Discord lay on his back, staring up at the canopy of his thinking tree above him. Fluttershy lay on his bare chest, and he had opened his shirt for her at her request. She was telling him the story of how she was turned into a chimera. "And so, that's when we all decided to try and team up to stop whoever turned us into chimeras." Discord chuckled at that, making them both shake a bit from his laughter. "So that's the origin of the heroes, is it?" He could have laid there forever, hearing her voice—her sweet little voice—talking and laughing, telling him stories. "So what about you? How did you get turned into a chimera?" He dropped his gaze to her with a sad expression. "Unless it's a painful memory, I understand if you don't want to talk about it." "No, not really, but if you must know, it’s…" he winced, "...it’s complicated. I wasn't made, you see. I wasn't turned." He shook his head. “My parents were…” He trailed off. "My dad was…” This surprised Fluttershy as she watched him struggle with his words. "You were born a chimera, but… but you’re an orphan." Discord turned his head away from her. She could tell he didn't want to talk about this, but she couldn't help but ask her next question. “Who were your parents? Did you ever meet them?" "Mhmm," he replied. "My mother." The two then lay quiet for a while, listening to the sounds of nature that surrounded them. Fluttershy slowly began to run her hoof over his scars, not realizing what she was doing. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to do that." She took her hoof away, but he placed a hoof over her own. "It's okay; it feels kinda nice," he replied, encouraging her to continue. "So, she's alive then?" "No. I met her years ago; I got to see her before she died. She asked me to watch over her children." "Children? So you have siblings?" "They’re not my siblings. We only have her." "Half-siblings or not, they’re your family. You have a family?" "They don't know?" "Then tell them." "It's complicated." "But you know them." He sighed. Her eyes widened a bit at this news, tears began to build up in her eyes again. "Please don't cry. I'm safe now. I'm with you." "Are you though? Are you safe?" she raised her head to look at him. "Aren’t those who tried to kill you still out there?" Discord chuckled at that and yawned. "They can't get to me. You see, the research—my research was highly classified, and to accuse me now to the public, they would have to declassify such information, and they're not gonna do that." He shook his head playfully. "I'm protected by being in the spotlight. Still, they try to do everything they can to ruin me. My reputation is destroyed by all those rumors—rumors that they have no proof of. And it is because of that that my business is clearly intact. Not only that, but as someone who has power in the banks, I have access to all transactions. I can tell where most of the money is going and why. They can't hide anything from me anymore. The government can do what they want; I'm in charge of it all—especially in this city." "The rumors of you being involved with the black market." "All true. I am watching for any transactions and dealing with them accordingly. If I wasn't," he yawned again, "then we would have a lot more to worry about." "And the black market?" "A few paintings here and there or jewelry goes missing; I don't really care. It's weapons I'm looking for. I make sure no weapons can get in or out of this city without me knowing about it." "You keep us all safe." She smiled as his hooves morphed into claws and played with her hair. She could feel a scaly tail wrap around her leg. She didn't know what he looked like completely; he often only showed her his claws, keeping his tail out of view. Yet she had a good guess as to what he looked like— that painting. Twilight did tell Fluttershy about her bizarre but plausible theory of them being dragon-ponies, so with that in mind, it made sense his mutations would have features similar to her fangs and bat-like wings. She didn't think twice about it as she snuggled with him. "Ah ha! Finally!" Shining announced as he got the computer working. Twilight walked in along with Spike and entered to see what he had found. Twilight's eyes went wide as she looked at the file names. That's strange. "What is this?" *These files, they are…* Twilight shook her head. They’re set up almost like my files. “Twilight, all files are set up the same,” Shining said, rolling his eyes. “No, I mean the way I would organize my…” She stopped mid-sentence as she slowly said, "Wait a minute." She quickly went to her laptop. As she searched through her personal laptop, her eyes widened in disbelief. “Shining?” “Yeah?” “Look.” The two boys looked at the screens of the computers. “What am I looking at? They’re the same,” Spike asked, not following. “Yeah, Spike, they’re exactly the same—same files, same names, same way organized. Spike, this is my computer, my *personal* computer.” Shining raised an eyebrow at that as he put two and two together. “So your computer got hacked or copied, by the looks of things.” “No, this thing never leaves my side. And when it does, it's put up in my safe. It's the only thing I ever keep my research on the chimera on—my logs, my paperwork—everything.” “Wait, that doesn't make sense, Twilight. Who has access to that computer except you? It can't be exactly the same,” Shining told her. Twilight then opened one of the documents on the other drive and compared it to one of hers. She glanced over it, beginning to grow more and more concerned. "Guys, these are word for word what I wrote. These… these are my files." "Twilight, the only explanation for that then is that someone stole your computer and copied it. I mean that..." Shining told her again. Twilight nearly fainted as she opened another page. Creeks and snapping sounds of the trees in the warm spring breeze accompanied Discord as he took a breath of fresh air, letting in her scent. He set a few small and quick kisses on her cheek, only to then set one on her neck, lingering a bit longer. This turned Fluttershy’s face a bright red, with her face burning hot. The exact opposite reaction happened down her spine. A chill ran down it, making her entire body shiver. Discord could feel her shiver against him. The corner of his mouth grew into a sly grin. He loved the way she reacted whenever he kissed her there. She had no control over the way her body reacted, and it amused him greatly. But he didn't do it too often or for too long. He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable, so he let go and laid his head on her shoulder. The two never did anything in public. To the outside world, they barely looked like friends. While she herself hated the fact she reacted to this every time, she never fought it—or him. He only did it once in a while. Satisfied with what he got, he nuzzled her shoulder until he found a spot to lay against her, making them both comfortable. The two simultaneously breathed out a calm, peaceful sigh, closing their eyes and taking in the sounds of the mountain forest. "I wish it was like this forever." She giggled a bit, feeling sleepy and relaxed. "It is very nice, isn't it?" "Makes you just want to run." "Run?" she asked, still in a dreamy state. She finally opened her eyes and saw the tree that canopied above them. "Mhmm," he replied. "Why don't you and I hop on my bike and just go somewhere?" "Where would we go?" she asked. "Somewhere far away." His voice was just above a whisper. "Somewhere my past won't bother us," he said with a frown. "Just run away from it all." For a moment, she said nothing and just stared at the tree swaying in the light breeze. When she didn't respond, he continued. "Somewhere—probably in a forest. You can be a vet for all your little creatures. I'll build you a cabin or a cottage; I'll get a job as a mechanic. I like tinkering with old parts." He then smiled again. "Maybe open up a little coffee—no, a tea shop together for fun on the weekends." A slight chuckle came from Fluttershy. "What would you call it?" "Flutters, of course." "You'd name the tea shop after me?" she asked, blushing. "Absolutely." "That sounds nice, Discord... a dream for the future." "Yeah," he sighed, "only a dream." "Wha, now Twi, don't do that to me!” her brother scoffed. "Guys, my nearly daily vlogs of my research... I just wrote this one yesterday morning." Twilight showed him the file with the date on it. "And now look at this one." They were identical in every way. "That, that's crazy," Spike said in disbelief. "There’s something else." "What now?" Spike asked, a bit apprehensive. "That's not the last file on this laptop," Twilight said, with a twinge of distress in her voice. "Ok, so that means it's not yours then." "No, it is. The next one is from two days from now, according to its date." "Twilight, that hasn't happened yet. It's impossible to see something from two days in the future." "No, it's not," Twilight said as she began to shiver in fear. "What do you mean by that?" her brother asked as Twilight searched up her time machine. "What, does your time machine..." As he said the words, Shining already knew where Twilight was going with this. "No, no. There is no way—no, that’s ridiculous." "Only one way to find out," Twilight said as she hopped back on the computer. She quickly went through the drive and found the blueprints. "These are my blueprints to the machine... um, but they're modified," she said as she clicked on a file. "Wow, this is some elaborate prank; I gotta hand it to you." Her brother began chuckling. "Now seriously, what's going on?" "I'm not joking!" Twilight yelled. Spike snickered at her tone toward Shining. "You gotta be joking; there ain't no way that's real." Twilight scoffed at her brother’s sarcasm, then scrolled down the files and found a vlog clip. The last vlog clip is on the hard drive. Twilight took a deep breath as she hit play. "Twilight? What are you doing?" Spike questioned, but was shushed by her. The camera shook a little as the screen began to clear up. A recognizable voice, yet somehow different, sighed as the camera began to focus. A light above flickered, barely staying on; eventually, a spark shot out, scaring the pony in the video, and she just grumbled. "Ok, well, just have to do this in the dark, I guess," said Twilight Sparkle’s voice, yet it sounded scratchy; it sounded older. The pony who vaguely sounded like Twilight sat down in a desk chair with wheels in front of the camera. The little light that was on her was from the computer and her camera alone. It only illuminated her figure but was not enough light to reveal any true detail from her within the video. "May 15 2028, 12:50 am-ish," the voice of Twilight spoke. "I think I might have finally done it! The time machine is done, theoretically..." the voice said tiredly. "One component left to add: pure chimera blood. With it, the energy to start the time machine. In doing so, I reconfigure the time machine to go back to that first night—the night this journey truly began for me." She chuckled. "It's strange to think of that night as the start of all of this. It seemed so random, yet I wonder if it was random at all," the figure seemed to smile, "as if fate has anything to do with this. As if the god of this world himself decided to test us to our limits." "Chimera. Definition: a mythical hybrid creature. The most famous is the one that holds its own name—a monstrous two-headed cat. One head of a cat, one of a goat, and a tail of a snake head. Often depicted as the villain, or at least the adversary of a hero. Some chimeras are said to have magical powers—breathe fire, control seas, shape-shift, and have the strength of a hundred elephants. They can even command the very heavens above with the power to control lightning, wind, and other elements. Most were depicted as grotesque and terrifying, yet you can also find many depicted as nature's most majestic creatures to ever exist. Gods would often send heroes after such beasts to prove their worth. But whether they were the spawn of evil or nature's greatest, there's no need to be alarmed. Such monsters only exist in legend… or so I thought." "Then I met him." She shook her head. "The Chaos King." She sat quietly for a moment. "Turn my whole world upside down. I never really knew him; I never really knew what this world would come to because of him—what *my* world would come to because of him." "With the changelings on the rise and no way to defeat them, going underground was our only option. Now, now you have a chance to stop him." She breathed in and out slowly, "Mission Alpha. You must go and find him in the past. You must stop him at all costs. You must stop the Lord of Chaos," she winced again, as if the words themselves hurt her to say them. Her next words sounded as if she were about to cry. "You must stop Discord from..." "THEY'RE HERE! THEY'RE HERE! THEY FOLLOWED US!!!" Someone yelled in the background. The mare presumed to be Twilight grabbed a large gun and loaded it just before she turned off the camera in a hurry. "Discord?" Twilight repeated, horrified by the name already. "The Chaos King *is* Discord." "Stop him from what? Whose Discord?" asked Shining. "I don't know. From making more chimeras, I suppose—something about a changeling," Twilight said as she stood up and backed against the wall. She slowly slid down it as she tried to take in the new knowledge that she had acquired. "What do we do now, sis?" asked Spike in disbelief. "That was me in the video. That means those two who were breaking into that lab were probably time travelers entrusted with this mission. If they were at that building..." Twilight shook her head in determination. "We're on the right trail. We can stop him. We can stop Discord. We have to; the fate of the world depends on it, it seems," Twilight said as she stood up, still slightly off balance from the shock of it all. "Twilight, do you even hear yourself right now?" asked Shining in disbelief. "I know," she gasped. "I know. For now, we'll keep this between us. Don't even tell the girls. Right now, I need to lie down and think this through." The boys stood a moment, staring at each other, but simultaneously decided to join her, lying next to her, their expressions all the same—crazed, shocked, and disbelieving. Twilight thought to herself, “If we reveal this information to the girls, it could change the course of the timeline, thus creating alternate events. Have you seen Back to the Future? I’m not Marty McFly, but let’s go to the future.” Fluttershy and Discord finally drifted off to sleep, not realizing someone was watching them from a cave above. Junior lowered his binoculars and gagged in disgust. "You are such a baby," his sister commented. "Of course, they’re gonna kiss—they *are* dating, after all." To that, Junior rolled his eyes. “So, that’s him, huh? I didn't think Mayor Ghost would be our dad. The dude looks nothing like us," he turned to his sister. "Okay, so what's the plan?" he asked. "Simple, we go up to him," she replied. "Are you crazy?! He's terrifying! I am NOT going up to him. Did you see how tall he was!" He shuddered at the thought. At that, she giggled, showing she did have a girly side to her after all. The very sound of her laughter nearly took her brother back, as he muttered the words, "You sound just like Mom when you do that." "And you—the tallest pony I ever met—are afraid of some skinny dude from the 1990s in a trench coat? Anyway, we know Dad was a part of Chaos Vill and always went to the big fight club tournaments associated with it. We now know where he lives, and we know the location of the bar, so why don't we just join that? If we see him, we'll just kidnap him." "Kidna—?" he asked, appalled. “He's the most powerful chimera ever to live, and you want to just kidnap him like he’s a lonely schoolfilly?!" "Oh, only long enough to survive his death date," she smirked, looking at her own hooves as if it were a genius idea. He wanted to argue, but he gave up with a sigh. "You’re unbelievable sometimes," he expressed and walked away. "I know,” she smirked to herself. “Wonder where I get that from?" Author's Note Dun dun dun!!! Didn't see that coming did ja. Please tell me you didn't. 🤣ok now to continue my author note story of how I made this story. Co-written and edited done by NagelTubeHD Productions https://www.fimfiction.net/user/635987/NagelTubeHD+Productions So I wasnt really liking my work and I read some other fan fics. Being a fan of love stories, family stories and the like I read a lot. Like Opera phantom discord. Which is why discord last name in this is Mr ghost. A bad reference to that. And other stories that gave me some inspiration, like the draconiqus with the dragon tattoo ( another great story on fim fic) and me being interested in mystery and cop shows figuring stuff out, or supernatural, also Scooby doo. I wanted to form a mystery with our heroes trying to solve it. Solve who is the villan instead of right out making it obvious to them and have the audience second guess where the story was leading. I soon added this changing the story once again. At this point I literally re wrote this story a dozen times. Long before I was anywhere close to releasing the first chapter. By the time I did finally release the first chapter I was working on it for 3 months before. Ok more on this later 😆👋
chapter 20 Traps and SpringsChapter 20: Traps and Springs Lights flickered on and off as he ran through a broken laboratory. His breath came in heavy gasps. Suddenly, something jumped out at him from the shadows. He couldn't see exactly what it was despite his chimera eyesight. Suddenly, he woke up in a pit of sweat, shivering, his breathing erratic. Discord gritted his teeth, feeling his heartbeat faster than he could control. Immediately, he reached for the lighter and cigarette on his nightstand. But just as he was about to light it, something jumped on his arm. He didn't know what or who it was. In this state, he wasn't Discord Ghost the Pony with everything; he was the pony who had just come out of a war zone. Whoever this was could have been an enemy ready to take his life. He immediately turned to them with intent to kill but stopped as he saw her gripping his arm, his entire body still trembling. She stayed mostly under the covers, a nightshirt laid on top of her fur. She opened her teal eyes. "I don't want you to smoke anymore. It's bad for you." Who was she? He could not remember; the recollection of her was not in his mind. Still, he could tell by the way she held him that she actually cared for his well-being. Slowly, he dropped the cigarette from his claw as he asked, "Who are you?" She only snuggled into his side and mumbled, "Someone who loves you." As she rolled over onto her back, she began to hum Rara's song. **May 10 — 5:54 am** This was the morning Discord knew what he must do as he looked at her. Her name finally came back to him. "Fluttershy." At the same time, Fluttershy was on the other side of the room, shaking a bit herself. A look of happiness filled her face, but there was worry in her eyes as she questioned in her own mind: "What am I going to do? What will he say when he finds out?" She began to think of the possibilities. "I'm done. This is too much for me; I'm sorry," the Discord in her mind said. Or will he say, "Why, this is fantastic! I know, why don't we get married?" He smiled at her with his sly grin. Or maybe he'll be romantic: "Oh my dear Fluttershy, you are the love of my life. This... this is only a sign of that love." Discord in her mind grabbed her by the hoof and got down on one knee. "I ask you, no, beg you, sweetheart. Please be mine and run away with me." He pulled out a ring. She giggled at that last thought; the likelihood of that happening was never going to be. "It just wasn't him." But she did like to think of him in that way from time to time. "What are you laughing at over there?" he asked smoothly. "Oh, oh nothing. Come on, I think it's time we get some breakfast," she told him as she got out of bed. "Would love to, but I actually have to go into work early this morning." He lied, not wanting to spoil the surprise he had just thought of. "Tonight, I will make you mine forever," he thought. "I will see you tonight, though," he told her. She yawned. "Alright, but tonight I have something with my friends, so I'll be a bit late." This made Discord stop in his tracks. "Tonight?" he questioned. He already knew what was going on tonight. "Fluttershy, there's something I must tell you." He turned around, seeing her fixing her hair. "I'm listening," she said tiredly. "Umm," he tried, wanting to tell her everything. "Umm," was all that came out. "Yes?" she asked. "I, uh, I care about you... you know that?" She smiled. "Love you too," she replied playfully before she grabbed her purse from the chair in his room and headed out. Discord stood, staring at the door for a moment after she left. He sighed. "Tonight everything will be revealed. *Tonight.*" He smiled a bit evilly. "I will **win everything tonight,**" he said as his phone rang. He looked at it and saw it was Capper. Answering it, he asked, "Well?" "Trap is ready, sir." "Good, everything is going according to plan." He hung up the phone. Capper hung up his phone as he looked around, watching members of Chaos Vill put the final touches on the caged Ariana in the middle of the warehouse. His eyes drifted to the doorway where he saw Pinkie and Dash enter. He smirked at the thought of the events tonight, not caring about the two others who walked right past him. Little did he know, the two were planning their own tricks to hopefully capture the chaos king themselves. Once they were away from the many ears around them, Junior asked his sister, "Are we ready for them?" "Yep! As soon as we see Dad, you clobber him with the bat, I bag him, and we use our chimera powers to escape." "You know everyone's gonna try to shoot us, right?" her brother reminded her. "Luckily, we have our ways to deal with that," her eyes shone a bit yellow. Fluttershy walked into her and Twilight's apartment. The first to greet her, surprising her, was not any of her animals or Twilight, but Rarity instead. "Hey Fluttershy, where have you been? You look as if you just got home." Fluttershy smiled nervously. "Oh, you got to give me the details!" Rarity urged her. She giggled. "Not gonna say a word," she told her friend. Rarity giggled herself as she looked at her. Fluttershy was no longer as shy as she used to be, and it showed just by her hairstyle. In the past few months, she kept her hair up, revealing her entire face. She stood with more confidence, smiled more confidently, and spoke more confidently. It was a sudden change you wouldn't notice if you hadn't paid attention to her like her friends did. Rarity could only smile at her bravery. "So when are we going to meet him then? If you two are starting to get serious, as your friend I want to see him." "Oh, he's quite busy, and really, we're not all that serious," Fluttershy blushed, knowing she was lying as she laid a hoof on her stomach. "And what's his name?" demanded Rarity in a happy tone. Fluttershy sighed blissfully as she thought of his name. "I'm sorry, Rarity, but due to his line of work and mine, we both decided to keep that from our friends and family." "Oh now, I bought that excuse before, but now, you must tell me," Rarity said enthusiastically. Fluttershy giggled at the sight. "Sorry, no can do. Besides, it's kinda nice just having this between us." She shrugged. "Yes, and what of, well, you know?" Rarity asked, a bit concerned. "He knows; I told him what I could. We're not keeping secrets from each other. But he knows I can't tell him everything, and I know he can't tell me everything. We both agreed to let it go and just be happy." "Well, so long as you're happy, then I'm happy for you." Her friend smiled. Just then, Twilight entered the living room from her bedroom. Along with her were her brother and cousin. "So today's the big day, is it?" he asked her. "Yep, the plan was to have Dash sign up as a new contestant for Chaos Vill. Now that she's gone, I'm afraid I'm just going to have to use hair dye and join myself." "You think Dash is going to be there?" asked Fluttershy. "Most likely, and working for our mother no less," Twilight smiled. "So what's the plan then?" asked AJ, who was sitting on the couch already. "The plan is to go in, find Dash, and work with law enforcement and the ESA to catch the Chaos King, or at the very least, his second-in-command. Once we do that, we'll win." "Do you think Dash is even going to want to help?" asked Fluttershy, concerned. "Once I make up with her, she'll need it. Dash has to see reason," Twilight smiled sadly. "Besides, if she doesn't, I know my mom will." "Alright, well, it sounds like a plan to me..." AJ smirked. "And to think when tonight's over, you'll have your family back—possibly even a third sibling. We'll find Luna, get Dash and my cousin back, and end this whole story on a good note with the Chaos King behind bars." The group all laughed happily at that, all except Fluttershy, who oddly felt a pit in her stomach. Instead, she only smiled but couldn't shake this bad feeling. Discord sat in his lab, fiddling with his hooves as he stared at a small black box with a dazed look in his eyes. He sighed happily at the thoughts of his plans tonight. He would take her to Sugarcube Corner first and sit down for a nice cup of tea, then offer a ride on his bike, and they would drive up to his thinking tree. Then when things were at their best moment, he would pull her in for a kiss; the wind would blow sweetly through her hair, and when he parted her lips, it would finally be at the perfect moment. "She'll never see it coming," he told himself, giggling a little at his own fantasy. Just then, as he leaned over his right hoof, he heard a tiny voice similar to his own: "Fluttershy, Fluttershy." He chuckled happily at the name. "Yes, Smooes, my pet, this is indeed a gift for Fluttershy—a very special gift at that. If all goes well tomorrow..." He opened the caged box, letting Smooes slime his way out of it. "You and I will never be alone again," he smiled softly. "I will never be alone again." Then he noticed the creature bubbling its way over to the box, and he snatched it up. "Na-ah! I know you like gold and can probably smell it, but this is for Fluttershy. You can't eat it." The slimy form seemed to retreat a bit. "Gold can be quite expensive; I know it is your favorite treat. But soon, after the tournament tonight, I will have more than enough money to treat you, alright?" He said as he took a blood sample labeled "chimera" and placed it under his microscope. "Besides, there's plenty of gold in chimera blood to suit you, isn't there... there..." His eyes widened as something occurred to him. He ran to the back refrigerator and grabbed a blood pack—one frozen, but it would have to do—before racing back to his pet. "Smooes," he said as if teasing a dog. "You want a treat? You want gold, don't you?" The odd creature of pure science bubbled in response. "Yes, yes. Well, what if I told you I wanted you to do a new trick for me?" The Smooes seemed to flop over as if it questioned what its master wanted. "Yes, yes, I know, Smooes, I know. Tell you what, boy: how about you only eat the gold? Can you do that for me? Can you? Oh, can you?" he repeated as if the puddle of slime were a dog. Strangely, it seemed to wiggle as if happy to try, just like a dog would wag its tail. "Okay then, Smooes, eat up." He placed the blood pack down. The creature didn't hesitate to surround itself in it and bubble up. "Ah, ah! Remember, Smooes, only the gold," he reminded his pet. The strange creature seemed to stop digesting it all and soon turned its focus to what it wanted most. As the gold compound fed into its system, the purple substance that made up Smooes's body began to shift to a greenish tone. Finally, when it was done eating all the gold, it left a puddle of blood in its place. Discord smiled and decided to take a sample of it. He planned to look at it through a microscope. He continued his work. When he found nothing—no gold anywhere—his jaw dropped. He leaned back in his chair as he returned his gaze to the pile of green goo. "You've done well," he smiled, taking a syringe from a drawer and drawing some of the ooze from the Smooes, chuckling somewhat evilly. "Ah, Smooes, you've done it. I've been researching for years, but this..." He turned back. "Who knew I had the answer all along?" He set a hoof to his chin and stroked his beard. "Hmm, this might be an incredible breakthrough, but to fully cure a morphed creature would be quite a difficult task, but not impossible," he grinned as he stroked his beard some more. "We have work to do," he said as he stared at the black box in front of him. As the clock hit seven, Smolder walked up on stage inside a fighting cage. "Alright, folks!" she announced into the microphone. "Welcome, welcome one and all to the annual street fighter tournament!!!" She yelled out to the cheering crowd. "You all know the rules: no weapons of any kind except your fists; other than that, anything goes. The goal is simple: much like a wrestling tournament, pin down your opponent for 5 seconds, and you win the match. Now, this is one of the biggest tournaments on this side of the country, with participants—some new, some old, and some straight out of the country—ready to give it their all and win the prize of ten grand. So let's start the match!" She yelled, exciting the crowd. Among the crowd, sitting in his own booth, was none other than Capper, who nodded approvingly before taking a bite of his nachos. Dash and Pinkie watched him as Smolder introduced the first match: a girl named Swiffle and a big dude named Bulk. Little did they know that Swiffle was indeed AJ in disguise. By her side, a green-colored pony patted her on the shoulder. "Alright, you ready for this?" asked the green pony in a familiar voice. "Yeah, Twi—uh, I mean Grennie." AJ smiled at Twilight's announcement. "The fights I have no problem with; it's after that that I'm worried." Twilight bit her lip. "Just find Dash, my mom, and kidnap the biggest bad guy of them all. No biggie," Twilight said sarcastically, trying to hide her own nerves and failing to do so. "In this corner, we have the mighty Swiffle Soundra!" announced Smolder. "That's your cue! Go get 'em," said Greenie as she turned her head to the crowd. She couldn't see them, but she knew that Shining, Rarity, and Spike were there, watching the fight. Spike even had a bag of popcorn. Round 1 went pretty quick, as did Round 2. It wouldn't be until Round 7 that Dash would finally fight. Dash had a good fight and ended up with a bloody nose thanks to her opponent kicking her in the face, but due to her chimera abilities, she was able to flip her opponent down into a chokehold, pinning him to the floor and winning the match. Greenie was relieved to finally find her friend and headed to her booth. It was also Pinkie—a huge relief for the green pony. "Way to go, Dash, Pinkie!" Dash's eyes widened, knowing that voice all too well. "Twilight! Figured you'd show up." She turned to see a green pony. "Oh, oh sorry, Greeny, thought you were—" "No, you're right. I'm in disguise," she smiled. Dash's eyes narrowed. "Ready for round three then?" she grumbled. "Dash, I'm here to help." "Help who? Yourself?" "You were right, alright!" Twilight announced. "I know why you did this. Rarity's dad is Shadow's boss. He ordered you not to get her involved, am I right?" "And let me guess, she's here tonight, isn't she?" Dash replied, crossing her arms. "Yeah, we're all here! We're a team, remember?" Twilight pleaded. "Oh, that's rich coming from you! Some team we turned out to be!" She then pulled out a walkie-talkie. But before she could say anything, Greenie kicked it out of her hand and caught the talkie. "Give that ba—" "Listen, our stupid squabble doesn't matter. What matters is stopping Dis—" "And we will! You're just a lone wolf that doesn't know how to play fair," Dash snarled. "You're right," Greenie spat, but then sighed. Pinkie, who had been sitting back watching the whole fight, smiled. "Ha! Let's get the band back together. Let's finish this and bring the baddie down! What do you say, Dash?" Dash, whose nose had finally stopped bleeding, fixed her fake nose and stared at them. "I can't be a lone wolf anymore; I need your help, Dash. We can do this together." Dash's eyes narrowed, but she gave a reluctant nod. "Fine, but we are not friends." "Fine, but where's your boss? I need to see her." "Why?" "Because I think," Twilight chuckled, "she's my mother." Dash's eyes widened in surprise as Pinkie gasped. "No way, your mom is Sha—" "Quiet, Pinkie!" the two mares told her, trying not to let the enemies know. Pinkie crossed her arms with a pout, but not much of one, since she had a smile on her face. "Well, Dash..." Dash cracked her neck and her hooves. "The idea is to get close to that cat; he's the Chaos King's second-hand man. We capture him, we get his location, and the police force already has air support ready to fire on the building. Surrounding this place, both in the crowd and out, is law enforcement ready to move on Shadow's signal, which she'll get from me or Pinkie." "Alright, I'll let you take center stage. Just know we're here to help if you need it," Twilight smiled. "And now we got the big mean green Greeni tree! Give it a hand!" announced Smolder. "Well, that's me." Twilight said apprehensively as she turned around. "Greenie," Dash shouted to catch her attention. Dash looked away, still cross, but uttered the words, "Good luck." Greenie smiled and gave a nod. "You too," she replied before heading into the ring. The crowd went wild for the newcomer as Twilight jumped for a backflip kick, hitting her opponent in the jaw and flinging him to the ground, knocking him out cold. "Wow!!!" the crowd shouted. "One-hit knockout! Dash, you got some competition!" Smolder patted her on the shoulder before heading out on stage to announce the next match. Two more matches came down to Dash and AJ, who let Dash win. Greenie forfeited the match, her excuse being that her foot hurt after that last round. "Well, I'll be darned! I didn't see it coming, folks! But here we have Dash, the winner!" Smolder said as Dash flung her arms up in victory. "Now your prize," Smolder announced as Capper began to walk towards them with a suitcase full of cash. "Ten thousand cash prize!" announced Smolder as Capper opened the case to show off the big win. He held out his paw to congratulate her. Dash smiled and went to shake Capper's hand, only for her to jump him, knocking over the cash prize. Capper was caught off guard but was able to raise his knee into her gut, flinging her off. He rolled over and stood up cautiously, only to have several members of the crowd jump up—some Chaos members—but they were quickly subdued by officers of the law. One of them even went for Smolder, but she punched his head and turned to Capper. "We're trapped," she announced. "Oh, you think?" he said sarcastically and somewhat panicked. Dash fell so hard that her fake muzzle fell off, revealing her beak. In seconds, as she raised her wings, her facial feathers came out as well. The crowd was scared, but the cops quickly got a hold of everything. On the ground now, most of them shouted at those in the crowd. Chaos members tried to fight back, but Rarity and Fluttershy jumped into action, taking their mutant forms and supporting the cops. Fluttershy dived for Smolder, but she was quick on her feet. She wasn't expecting a chimera, but she held no fear, fighting back against the creature before her. She was quickly able to get under Fluttershy's legs and twist her down, taking her out of the fight for good. Only when she rose did she find herself at gunpoint. "You," she growled as she saw Shining. Capper wouldn't stand still; he was quick on his feet—too quick for most others. However, a green pony jumped in front of him. A blue horn emerged from her head, and her eyes went red. Twilight quickly engaged him, trying to knock him off balance. Smolder was able to knock a barrel of beer at her, ruining her disguise—not that it mattered, as it washed away the makeup and hair dye from her. She shook it off, hating the smell of beer all over her. "You," Capper said, a bit astonished. "Ready for round 2?" she asked. This time, she's not alone, Dash said as she flew at Capper. He dodged her attack and then side-kicked Twilight, who caught his foot and went for a punch, giving him a black eye and knocking him to the ground. However, with his tail, he knocked Twilight off her feet. As he hit the ground, he quickly came up for another round, only stopped when he heard the click of a gun at his head. "Don't move," said Shadow. "Dash, who is this?" asked Shadow. "Yeah, uh, that's my friend Twilight Sparkle." She smiled, knowing all too well who Tempest was. With that name, Tempest's mouth dropped wide. "Twilight?" she whispered in a pleading manner. "Could, could it be?" "Yeah, it's me! And that over there," she pointed at the guy who captured Smolder, "is my brother, Shining!" Shining turned his attention to Shadow. He was serious about not letting Smolder get away, but he couldn't help but let his expression fall to one of hope. Hope that they were right— that Tempest Shadow recognized them. "I know it sounds crazy, but—" "We know Mom," Shining said. "We read your files," Twilight uttered in a half-cry. "Oh, great! A happy family reunion," Capper said, running the moment. That snapped Tempest out of her daze. "Alright! Tell us where your boss is! Where is Discord!" she shouted. Fluttershy, who was being held by Pinkie because of her leg injury, had her jaw drop along with her friend. "Discord? But that's—" "Like I'd tell you! You're never gonna get anything out of me or any of those who are loyal to him! You might as well just shoot me and get it over with! Long live the Chaos King!" he shouted. His voice was unmistakable. Fluttershy grew cold at the very thought. "No, no! Discord's not a villain!" she shouted. "Fluttershy, how do you know him?" asked Twilight. Fluttershy felt sick to her stomach as she placed a hoof over it. "Please, there must be some mistake!" "You know where he is?" asked Tempest. "Probably at his house on Elm Street!" Pinkie said, sputtering nervously. "Last house on it! Why don't we go there and ask him?" "Oh god, no," Capper muttered. Tempest didn't hesitate to call in the strike team. "Elm Street, last house! Take him down now!" she shouted. "Copy that." "Wait, you're not just gonna bomb a civilian house!" Dash stuttered. "This is the Chaos King! We must take him out now!" "Bomb!" Pinkie repeated in a panic. "No, no! Not my brother!" She yelled, turning into a chimera herself, only to be subdued by a dart shot by Tempest. "I've come too far now; we have to take him out. The orders have already been made." "Yeah, like mother, like daughter," Dash uttered. Fluttershy fell to her knees despite the pain in her leg. The pain in her heart was unspeakable. Two helicopters equipped with explosives flew over a house. They dropped their payloads, letting the building explode to smithereens. "Target neutralized." At the sound of that, Fluttershy collapsed into grief. "Am I missing something?" asked Twilight. Then Capper gave a chuckle. "What's so funny?" Twilight asked him. "Oh, you think you won. Granted, my performance has been almost as good as his. Was I a bit too convincing?" "Huh? What performance?" asked Dash. "Um, does anyone hear that?" asked Rarity as a sound of a motorcycle could be heard. Fluttershy's head shot up, tears still streaming down her face. "Discord," she whispered as a bike jumped over a train sitting by the warehouse. As it hung midair, Discord muttered something to himself. "500 psi at a third-degree angle, two bullies, 12 targets." He pulled out his gun, and as the bike landed, he shot one bullet and then another that ricocheted off the wall, smashing into the other. With it, the two bullets flew around, disarming and freeing every Chaos member in one go. But that wasn't all. Another train, this time led by Sunburst, came screaming to a stop, a hundred members of Chaos Vill all gathered, surrounding the entire building and taking it hostage. "Late to the party as always, boss," Capper chuckled. As he quickly spun around, he back-kicked Shining’s gun up in the air before catching it for himself. Discord chuckled slowly at first, before it built into maniacal laughter. Shining's eyes, as well as Twilight's, went wide. Tempest stood staring at Discord, dumbfounded. "Oh, what's with that face sparky, I'm beginning to think you're not glad to see me. After all mother we are blood, aren't we, hhahhahahahah." Author's Note And the meaning behind the title of the story is revealed. 🤯 IVE BEEN BUSY, my apologies but with the holidays and me getting back to work I barely have time to write. tho this story has been done for months I need to spell check it and other things, and that just takes time. Continuing my author notes on how I made this story. So I had one major issue that I couldn't overcome. It's the same issue I had with all my fan fiction ideas and why the others were scraped. 😮💨 How to keep Twilight relevant as the MC, despite having a fluttercord story. And I wanted to connect her to the mystery of the tale as well. Well, this was my solution. Make Twilight Discord's brother. That kept her involved the entire way through. Once I had this down, I needed to go back and change half the story to make it work. Then the title of the book. I needed something that was relevant to the story. Before this change I thought of calling it beast or mutant mayhem. Or heroes of harmony. I didn't want to call it power ponies. That name, I'm sorry sounds lame even to me who loves that episode. But once I figured out Twilight was Discord's brother I figured naming something like Family of the Beast. Didn't like how that sounded. And one random Tuesday ... Why Tuesday 😆I looked up Discord and read somewhere he was some type of chimera. ... Yep. Family of chimera... Not edgy enough... What's another word for family? Blood . Ding ding ding we have a winner. And once again I went in and changed everything again. I even called the. mutants chimera. 😏 More on this later 😂👋
Chapter 21 CheckmateChapter 21 Checkmate "What?!" shouted Twilight. Discord ignored her, putting all his focus on Tempest Shadow. "Well, Mother, I didn't expect you to be alive. Still makes sense—I mean, you do have the motivation to kill me now, don't you?" he said, amused. "Oh, but I knew of your little scheme for a while now; however, I did not know who you were exactly." Tempest's breathing began to become erratic as Discord continued. "My, my, my, this is quite the surprise to see you alive. I thought you were long gone years ago." He chuckled, then sighed. "Tsk, tsk, always the reason why my life is pure hell." Discord slowly blinked, his entire expression as relaxed as possible. Twilight, Shining, and their mother gasped as the mayor of the town got off his bike. "Hello, Mother, I'm home," he said sarcastically. "Mother?" the two Sparkle siblings said in unison. "Mom, please tell me it's a lie," asked Shining. Discord grinned but otherwise ignored their outburst. "I really didn't think you survived that night." "How? How are you still alive?" she asked, anger and fear lacing her voice. "Oh, that," Discord smiled. "Simple, really. I was never at my home, though I was surprised to learn you blew it up!" He spat angrily, but his tone shifted again to a happy one. "Then again, a personal touch, I suppose. I was always planning to draw you out of hiding and capture you in one failed swoop. And look, here we are." Discord said as he pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. "Mr. Ghost, you're under arrest for your crimes as the Chaos King," demanded Mr. Shine. He exhaled a breath of smoke, keeping his cigarette in his mouth as he spoke. His expression was one of boredom, his poker face. "I think you're misjudging the situation here, officer. You're the ones who are under arrest," he chuckled. "No. No, I'll tell you what is going to happen here. I'm going to free my subordinates, capture my mother for questioning, take back my stolen research, and kick all your asses." He inhaled his cigarette and let out a puff of smoke from his lips. "AND DANCE TO MY FAVORITE SONG! I'm in the mood for it. I'm so giddy I can hardly control myself," he said, the last part accompanied by a wide grin. He then turned on some music from his bike, letting it blast at the top of the speakers. The piano began playing as the song started; it was the same song they heard at the gala. *I will survive...* As the lyrics began, Discord mouthed the words as he raised his gun. "Take them!" he shouted, and the other members of Chaos Vill quickly ran into the crowd. "Stop them!" shouted Mr. Shine to the cops around. Discord leaped forward at the officers. He kicked one in the face and spun around on one foot, doing a dance move while catching the beat as he quickly punched the enemy's vitals, knocking them to the ground but not killing them. Several others began to rush him. He pointed his gun at them at first, but his smirk widened as he shot not at them but at the light above them, making it dark to see. As the lights flashed along with the sound of the music, the enemies stood no chance against Mr. Ghost and his spontaneous dance moves. Several tried to fire at him. He leaped into the air, dodging their bullets, a wild smile on his face with the cigarette still hanging from his mouth as he lip-synced to the song. He quickly punched a guard; even with their armor, it was clear how strong he was. With a twist of his leg, he back-kicked one into another, making them fall. He quickly took their guns and, still dancing to the beat, shot fire at most of the ceiling and other lights, bringing the building to its knees in seconds. Discord took out a few more guards before doing a backflip and landing on top of a train, losing his hat in the flip and revealing his horns. Through the chaos, Twilight and the others tried to fight back. Rarity grabbed Spike and tried to keep him safe as the crowd turned into a war zone. A laugh that was anything but friendly erupted from Discord—one that only the deranged would make—as he seemed to enjoy the chaos around him. Discord rose to his full height, a button snapped revealing his lower neck and part of his chest scar. Capper had just finished undoing the others' chains as he came to a stop, a look of terror filling his face. Mr. Ghost was not a pony anymore, not like he was before. His face resembled one, but he had a scaly, snake-like tail, and his neck was long. His tail and neck made up half the size of his full body. The gray fur on his chest darkened to brown and seemed to be stronger, yet his chest and arms still showed the many scars he had gathered over the years. He had a lion-like paw, an eagle-like claw, and a deranged smirk as he took the cigarettes from his mouth as the song came to an end. He lifted his head, and a mighty roar escaped from his mouth—one that seemed to shake the very ground itself. It sounded like a wild beast. Gone was Mr. Ghost, the ugly yet charming pony. Now stood the mighty Chaos King in all its glory. Only one word could be used to describe it. ***CHIMERA*** Discord heard the clicking of a gun and turned around to see his mother standing across from him on top of the train, like he was. In her hooves, a gun was pointed straight at his chest. Discord chuckled. "So, here we are," he said, amused. "I should have done this a long time ago," she breathed. "Yes, you should have." He smirked as he caught her off guard. "What?" she asked, her hands beginning to shake. "Do you know how much pain I had to endure?" he smiled. Her hand shook even more at the sound of his voice. He began to walk closer to her at a leisurely pace. "How much I went through my entire life because of you," he chuckled. "I, I..." she stuttered. "You left me!" he yelled, startling her. "You were just a baby. One I thought wasn't going to survive!" she yelled back. "And you didn't make sure I was gone, did you? Did you?!" Her eyes widened. "You should have kept me; you should have raised me. Instead, my life is hell, and somehow I'm the devil?!" "You...you turned people into chimeras. You killed my husband," she whined. "You took my family away from me!" "No, Mother. You did. I don't care about your so-called family; I never did. I only ever wanted what was rightfully mine!" He stepped closer to her, making her flinch, almost pulling the trigger. "What I rightfully deserved! A home... Go on, Mother, go on and shoot, and this time, don't miss," he grinned. "Not like your husband." Her eyes narrowed as she focused her weapon. Discord only had a sly grin on his face. Everyone else was beyond shocked. What could they do? What would they do? Their eyes were glued to the scene in front of them. Most of the struggle came to a stop as both sides were interested in the outcome of this face-off. But after a moment of endless silence, Tempest Shadow finally choked on a cry and lowered her weapon. Discord laughed. "I knew it. You can never finish the job. You deserve the Mother of the Year award, Equalizer." His words barely registered with her. It took her a moment, but Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Wait, Equalizer?" "Yes, that's what you are," he teased. "And I have you under checkmate." "No, no, I'm not the—wait, so you're not the Equalizer." Discord scoffed. "No, I'm the Chaos King." But then his eyes widened as if what she just said registered with him. "Wha—? But you have to be the Equalizer!" Twilight shouted out. He turned to her. "No, I told you the Equalizer is someone who was close to the previous mayor. I am not the Equalizer, and who better than the old friend of the mayor to pull such a stunt?" "But you turned creatures into chimeras!" shouted Shining Armor. "With your crazy research!" "No, Sparky," he uncrossed his arms and pulled something out of his pocket. "I've been trying to cure the chimera disease ever since our dear sister here got turned." Twilight gasped. "But you're the one who turned me!" she sputtered. "You were never my target; I don't go for the—" "The innocent! Only those who deserved it! So you went for Dad!" Shining finished his sentence. "Exactly. And by the way, side note: I found the cure. It's back at my headquarters. Luckily, I knew of this scheme; otherwise, if that attack on my lab had succeeded, there goes the cure and the only one who knew how to create it." "Wait," shouted Rarity. "If you're not the Equalizer...?" "Yeah, that begs the question," AJ said, putting a hoof to her chin. "Who is?" asked Dash. "Good question. I still have no clue," Discord answered, rolling his eyes. "Still, since neither of us are the Equalizer, this entire fight is pointless. So we're done here." Discord griped as he leaped off the top of the train car. Just then, sirens began rolling in, followed by several cars and trucks. Discord rolled his eyes. "Mother, call your goons off!" he snarled. "Wait! I don’t call for backup," she replied, looking around. Mr. Shine shrugged. "I didn't." "Wait, so who are they then?" asked Spike just as several cars rolled up. A group of at least fifty creatures dressed in soldier uniforms ran out and surrounded the area; one of them shot a missile-grade rocket from a launcher. "Oh, shit! Everyone down!" shouted Discord as it came in. Luckily, everyone ducked as the rocket hit the warehouse, knocking a wall down. Twilight, who was next to Discord by surprise, looked over and asked, "Who has military—" but stopped as she and Discord came to the same conclusion at the same time. "Someone close to the previous mayor," Discord said slowly. "Someone who had access to army-grade weapons and knows about Chaos Vill," said Twilight. One figure walked up among the soldiers, heading toward the group. Twilight decided to take a chance and look up. "What the—" she said in disbelief. To Twilight's surprise, it was Discord who raised his head next to hers. She glanced over at him; a bit of sweat dripped from her brow as he took a look. She wanted to be nowhere near him—not at this moment. No, she wanted to be this close to take him down, to gain justice for her father and for her mutations. Yet at that moment, it seemed all that was irrelevant compared to the situation now. Discord grew a sly grin, one she had often seen on the mayor plenty of times, only with his eyes glowing, making him look far more intimidating than she wanted to give him credit for. "Well, well, well, this is a surprise," he chuckled. "I didn't think of all creatures, the Equalizer would be you, Lulu." Luna stopped her approach and stood with her arms behind her back. She was clad in decent armor and a trench coat she used as a cape. She lowered her chin so she could get a better look at her opponent. Discord couldn't stifle his deranged laughter. "It all fits quite well, actually. So little Mrs. Supervillain, mind filling in the cliché and giving us your motive for this?" "I am no supervillain," Luna replied. "Oh yes, yes, the villain who's a hero. Go on, go on," he mocked. Luna smirked. "It's very simple, really, when you think about it. Tell me, Mr. Ghost, what could my motives possibly be, since you're always one step ahead of the game?" His eyes narrowed, but his smile never diminished. "Well, if I had to guess? Let me put it this way: this is a lot of trouble just to ask me to dance." She grinned. "Oh, it's a little more than that. Shall I elaborate?" "As you wish," he said cockily. "Ever since I saw what you were when we were kids," she narrowed her eyes, her smile diminishing. "You were always a freak." "All this because I stole your lunch money?" he shook his head. "Now, honestly?" he taunted her. "After all, it was you and your sister who sent me to jail." "Yes, and you got out. I knew it wouldn't keep you, but when I heard you got in for a second time, I knew a way to keep you locked up forever," she grit her teeth. "Who do you think started the Beast Program?" Discord's eyes widened a bit at that, but his grin never faltered. Luna chuckled, seeing how she actually already did break him with that information. "Your own research was going to keep you locked up forever—at least it would have if you hadn't killed my top scientist." Knowing who Luna was referring to, Fluttershy's eyes widened as she recalled what Discord had told her. "A fellow scientist. A feline. Oh, she was gorgeous, funny, and had the most beautiful name: Cosmos, Cosmos Galaxy," he shook his head at the memory. "And I was a stupid boy just trying to figure out who I was in the world. I mistook her fascination with me as affection. How could I love someone who wanted to turn my children into lab experiments?" Fluttershy felt worse for him, knowing it was apparently his childhood friend who set him up. "I thought you were finally gone when Mr. Sparkle ordered that attack on you, but then, like a bad rash, you just kept coming back! For years, I wanted to destroy you but couldn't since you became a public figure. Even with all those rumors I started about you. But from the moment I saw you at the gala, I knew I had enough of you. You, who murdered my subordinate, cursing my godchild to a life without her family." Luna choked on a cry, shaking to hold back tears. "It ends today. You end today!" she snarled. Discord kept his expression and raised his mismatched hands, clapping slowly, mocking her. "Fantastic performance." He shook his head, gleefully amused. His slow clap picked up pace as his laughter rang over the crowd. He snickered. "So let me get this straight. To stop the devil, you became one—knowing you stood no chance if you didn't. You even set up a night so you could turn yourself into a chimera and build up an army just to take down me. Wow, really, no, no, I mean it—I am flattered," he placed a paw on his chest. "Truly. Let's cut to the chase then." His smile disappeared, replaced with a look of boredom, his signature poker face. "Let's make a deal. I have quite a few members of my own gang equipped with tranquilizers here. But they are normal. Then you have a bunch of soldiers who are also normal, and finally, there are civilians—other gang members I invited who are all made up of normal day-to-day creatures." "Let me guess?" she interrupted. "You’re going to act like the hero and say we shouldn't let the others fight for us?" "Pointless bloodshed of those who don't deserve it was never my style," he told her in an annoyed tone. He shifted his weight a bit and slowly stood up to his full height. As he did, he handed Twilight a key. She flinched, shocked by this, but he didn't address her, not taking one eye off of Luna. "Chimera vs. CHIMERA! Think you can take the king?" He held his arms out. "Let's not let anyone else get involved. Let my boys take everyone on the train and we'll settle this," he told her. Luna rolled her head from side to side, pondering the deal. "Twilight!" she shouted, catching her attention. Twilight was startled to be addressed, but she turned her head to her godmother. "Take care of Spike for me. Get out of here. You have a deal, Discord, so long as she goes safe." Discord smiled and turned his head to Smolder but didn't take his eyes off his opponent. "Get everyone on that train and go." "But boss," Capper tried. "Are you questioning my orders?!" he barked as the cat flinched. "No, sir," was his only response. "Good, then get going." Discord removed his jacket before taking a step forward. Capper was still in denial, but it was Smolder who took control. "You heard the boss!" She raised her tranquilizer gun. "Get moving; everyone on the train, NOW!" Twilight was pulled by her brother, Shining, onto the train. "Stop Discord! We have to stop Discord!" she thought. "Wait!" she cried out. "Don't do this!" "Get going, Sparky," he bared his fangs. "Nooo!" cried Fluttershy, who leapt toward him. "No, you're not going. Discord, I—" Discord didn't hesitate and swiped at her with his tail to keep her away. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy," he told himself. "Truly I am," he said as he felt the weight of the small object he had in his pocket. "This is not going according to plan." She ended up being the first one on the train due to Discord flicking her with his tail. The others began quickly gathering on the train as well. "We gotta stop him," whispered Junior to his sister. "I don't understand—his death day isn't until tomorrow." She shook her head. "This can't be happening now." "We don't really have a choice," he told her as they stared in the shadows at the scene before them. But before anyone could make another move, Luna, now Night, closed her hooves. Several large chimeras joined her on the battlefield before them. Six in total: a large dog with a nose ring and bull-like goat horns; a cat with deer antlers and dragon-like bat wings; a lizard with a lion mane similar to AJ; another pony now Griffin rolling her shoulders a bit, preparing for the fight; and finally, a massive bull-like pony who stood at Discord's height walked up behind Luna, who chuckled to herself. Discord removed his jacket, revealing the rest of his scar-laden, skinny body. He held the jacket to the side with his lion paw—it served as their flag. He dropped it, and everyone watched with bated breath as it fell. It took only three seconds, yet the seconds felt eternal as it slowly hit the ground. Boom. In a quick flash, the cat was the first to try and strike. These weren't like the other chimeras Twilight and her friends had dealt with. No, these were trained to fight. *He can't do this alone,* muttered Fluttershy in a cry. Twilight nodded but didn't exactly know what to do, awed by the strange scenery before her. Discord leaped back, dodging the chimera's swipe, as the cat's claws embedded themselves into the cement, showing just how powerful that attack was. Discord landed a foot away, but he was suddenly rushed by two more chimeras. They brought out a few moves and a bat with nails in it. They swung at him, but Discord effortlessly dodged their attacks and swiped one with his tail and the other with his lion paw, giving the lizard with a lion mane a good scar over his eye. However, it wasn't enough to take him down. He reared up his head and hissed at Discord, who only smirked. As the battle raged on, Discord's eyes glowed brighter with the chaos that consumed them. The bull and the griffon tried to hold him down, but Discord was slippery. Knowing he had to gain some distance from them, he jumped and spun around, using his ice powers to create a block around him. He then used lightning to smash it into shards that jetted out in every direction, taking the chimera by surprise. Discord finally dropped the cigarette from his mouth, only to let out a burst of red-hot flame. The flames quickly deepened their color, turning from red to green to blue and purple. It would have burned away the cat had she not been a chimera and used her ice ray to shield herself, barely keeping up with the fire. Discord twisted and contorted his body into different forms, evading capture. Luna's eyes widened at the sight. He was holding his own against four of her strongest chimeras—easily at that. She gritted her teeth as she yelled out, "Kill him!" She ordered her other two chimeras to enter the fray. Soon the six of them surrounded Discord on all sides, circling him, looking for an opening to attack. The train finally began to move. Inside, at the back, Fluttershy was able to just get a glimpse of the scene before her. It was as if she was staring at a painting come to life. Her beloved beast was surrounded by scared prey animals ready to take him out. He snarled back, his fangs bared, wanting them to leave him alone due to his injuries. Soon the mighty bull found an opening and went for his tail. Discord, however, felt the twitch in the air and moved his tail accordingly, only to flip around, preparing to throw a punch. Just before his fist made contact, his body expanded to twice its size, throwing the mighty bull-like chimera into the ground and creating a small crater. He landed on all fours like an animal and snapped his jaws at the cat, who tried to confront him. The others attacked his back all at once. Discord's hair stood on end as a mighty roar escaped him. The sound was so loud it blew back his opponents. He smirked as he saw his ability successfully work—only to stop as he heard the clicking of a gun. Not just one but several. Every member of the military was pointing at him, including Luna. "You didn't say they could shoot!" she snorted with laughter. Discord's grin never diminished as he took a fighting stance against the threat. "Well, I haven't lost yet," he said in his mind. They all aimed and fired at him. He had only milliseconds to react and was just about to when he suddenly felt something tackle him to the floor. He looked up amazed as a dark purple pony was hit several times in the right shoulder and leg. Discord's heart sank instantly—a feeling he had never felt before: dread. "MOTHER!!!" Author's Note LUNA, WAIT WHAT 😲 Ok continuing with my author note story. So now all the pics were coming together. But you may ask why the science, why the twins. And how is Luna the villan. Ok ok I'll tell you. As a science fan myself, as well as a sci-fi fan and a mravel and DC fan. Knowing this was at one point just joker Discord vs bat man Twilight, I of course added the science stuff for funzeez. And eventually time traveling twins. Now original that was a different story. In that story where discord took over equestria and the knights of harmy was fighting hiM. I got the idea of a warrior from the future using magic to come back and helping them out. That warrior being screwball, the charecter offten depicted as discords doughtier inspired by ofcorse doughtier of discord. She was also fun to write for. Adding a new mystery to who she was. Was she the villan of the story making chimera, adding more of a mystery element and making the reader second guess what's going on. I like the name melody and change it. But as I wrote her I didn't like how quiet she was. She was just a creepy grumpy stalker like charecter with little to no dialogue or charecter. And the possibility of making her a boy instead crossed my mind. Not many people do a son for Discord. Then I got the idea of adding her brother. This added so much to her charecter. Having some one to bounce off of giving her more personality. The story didn't change much she just had a little brother along for the ride. Where this time travel story line leads I won't spoil. Ok more on this later 😂👋
Chapter 22 Just A GameChapter 22 Just A Game **Chapter 22: Just A Game** With her fallen to the ground, Tempest Shadow looked up. "Son," she slurred as she began to lose all feeling in her body. Discord hit the ground, amazed that he only got scraped by a few bullets but never hit himself. He was speechless as he scurried across the sand. "Fire again!" shouted Luna. At that point, the train began rolling away, and in seconds, it picked up speed. Not even thinking about it, Discord roared the loudest roar he could. The sound waves kicked up dust as a shockwave blew back the enemy. He quickly grabbed his mother and used every ounce of strength he had left to catch up to the train. Luna took flight, pulling out a sword. "You're not getting away!" she snarled. Discord jumped, landing on the roof of the train. Luna tried to follow but stopped just in time before she went splat against a sign. The train, now at top speed, entered a sub-tunnel system. A fellow chimera caught up to her. "Ma'am, your orders?" asked the dog. She huffed in annoyance. Discord ripped open the side of the car, not caring about the damage he was causing. "Sunburst!" he demanded. "Here, sir!" Sunburst said, trying to get past the crowd. Discord laid his mother down. The room tried to back up to give him space, but the car was so cramped that little could be made. "Mom, Mom!" Shining said, trying to get through but to no avail. "Twiley!" held onto Spike in complete shock. Discord stood up but hit his head on the roof. In his true form, he was much too tall to be inside. Even in his pony form, he was quite tall. He rubbed his head slightly as Sunburst began to look over Tempest. "Do what you can for her," Discord ordered. "Yes, sir," he said a bit frantically. To his surprise, she was alive despite being hit three times. Discord took a moment to catch his breath as Capper wobbled his way through the crowd. "What now, sir?" he asked. Discord took one final breath, his eyes still burning amber. "Now..." He sighed and looked around. He then looked at his own bloody hands and scars. He groaned in frustration as he looked at Capper. "Your jacket?" he asked. Capper didn't hesitate and handed Discord his jacket. It didn't fit Discord completely in his true form, but it would have to do. As he put it on, covering up his scars, Discord gave his orders. "Listen up, all of you. Due to the following circumstances, you all know too much. Rest assured, no harm will come to you as long as you behave. I am sorry, but you are now prisoners of Chaos Vill." He snapped his claws, and all Chaos members raised their guns and stood at attention. "Anyone who tries to escape gets shot! SMOLDER!" "YES, SIR." "I want every Chaos member in the city to report to the hideout immediately. Once we get there, we shall prepare for the oncoming attack. In the meantime, I'm going to think of a new strategy. We have to make our move soon—within the next three hours at the very least. We can't let this opportunity to capture the Equalizer go." He stepped over to the door, and the passengers made as little room as they could for him. "All hail the Chaos King!" shouted those in Chaos Vill as Discord left. Fluttershy sat in the corner, her leg broken, her hoof on her belly, tears in her eyes as she watched him leave without saying a word to her. No one noticed except Rarity how she was acting. Her face grew curious as she thought about why, but then, like a ton of bricks, it hit her. She put her hoof over her mouth as she realized the truth. Half an hour later, the train came to an abrupt halt in the mining tunnel. The Chaos members ushered out their prisoners into the large cavern. Sitting in the middle of the strange, large mining cavern was a three-story building carved into the rock. At the top was a rather large deck and a few screens; otherwise, it was just a strange-looking building that made no sense as to why it was there. Those who were injured, especially Tempest, were moved out right away to a location where she could be taken care of better. Twilight, her friends, and family watched as she was carried through the doors of the building. Fluttershy felt bad but then looked around for Discord. He stepped out of the train last, his body now that of a pony, yet his eyes still glowed amber. His horns were gone. She watched as he put on a hat, the brim just covering his eyes. Someone came over to look at her injuries and told Twilight the king would like to have a word with her in a few minutes. Twilight nodded, not knowing how to feel about this at the moment. Soon, Twilight was brought to the top of the building, out onto a balcony. Everyone else stood in the cavern below. Twilight looked out over the edge, seeing at least a few hundred. As she walked over, there were also cameras showing her face on large screens around the building. "What is this?" she asked the guards. The guard shrugged. "The King wants to have a word." There was a table set up with a chessboard and two strange devices next to the two chairs. Suddenly, the door opened behind her, and she turned. Four steps out and lined the walls; next came the cat called Capper. He walked down the center of the room and stood by the table on the left side. It wasn't long before Mr. Ghost walked out in his pony form, wearing another black trench coat (that fit him much better than Capper's) and a hat. A cup and bottle of vodka were in his hooves, which he placed on the table as he took a seat. "Twilight Sparkle, take a seat," he demanded. Twilight, with a raised eyebrow, sat down across from him, the white pieces of the chessboard by her side. "Tell me," he said as he poured himself a drink, "do you know what this device is?" he asked. She looked at it and took a guess. "A lie detector?" "Correct. Though someone of your smarts would know that they don't actually detect lies; they only monitor heart rate, which is a good indicator of nervousness. Still," he placed the bottle down, "it is better than nothing." "So you're gonna hook me up to them and ask questions then?" she deadpanned as she held out her arm for Capper. "No," Discord smirked. "As you can see, I have every member of Chaos Vill watching us. They can also hear us. This is a simple trade of information. You have questions, questions everyone below has; I figure we'll kill two birds with one stone." He took a drink. "I would offer you one, but I know you're underage." He placed the drink down and gave Capper his arm. "So what's with the chessboard?" she asked. "Do you like games?" he asked. "I love games. Hell, all I do is play games, and let me tell you this," he gestured to the room, "it's all a game to me." She scrunched up her face in annoyance. Which only deepened his smirk. "It's simple; we'll take turns playing chess. Each move, we'll ask each other a question until the game ends." He said as Capper finished hooking him up to the lie detector. "I have nothing to hide, and everyone here can learn what they need to learn. I even gave you the first move." A cocky smile crept onto him as he took another drink. Twilight narrowed her eyes as she slowly said, "Okay." She moved a pawn. "What do you know of the chimera disease?" "Nothing," he said cockily. "You lie!" she yelled. "No, you simply didn't ask the right question. This is a game of strategy, sister. I do lie from time to time, but not often, as I find the truth much more chaotic. Come now, think carefully." She bit her lip for a second. "Fine, what about the mutations?" "Not so fast. You already moved, and I already answered, so it's my turn," he said as he moved his left knight. "How long have you been studying the mutations?" "Since I figured out I was one when I got angry one day, and my eyes turned red. I think I was thirteen." He smiled at her answer. She then moved another pawn, this time taking one square instead of two. "What do you know about how the mutations started?" "Now that's the right question," he replied. "As a boy, I wanted to understand my own strange body. As soon as I learned about DNA, I began my own studies, diving into mine. The government took the research; in the days of the war, they were desperate for any chance at stopping it and used my research in altering genetics as the basis for the mutation project." He then slid a pawn over. "What are your chimera abilities?" "I can freeze and melt things with my horn, or burn things to a crisp. I also have a unique sense of smell, sight, and hearing." She moved her rook. "How'd the government get a hold of your research?" "I at the time got myself into trouble; I had a few years in prison lined up for me or a few years in the war. I picked the war." He shrugged. "They were interested in my work and gave me a chance not to go to prison, and I took it." He then moved his bishop. "Tell me, what are Rainbow Dash's powers?" She told him and asked her next question. "What are your powers?" He laughed. "I can alter my genes to transform into any form I want, as well as yell a sonic sound wave blast, superspeed, and every other skill. I can even camouflage, erasing every sign of my being there. It's quite a useful skill, actually. Gets me out of a lot of crowds searching for me." Twilight remembered how, at the gala, he disappeared; that must have been how he did it. He moved his next piece. "What is Rarity Shine's powers?" Twilight took his pawn out as she told him. "If you can change into any look, what's up with the monster vibe with the antlers and such?" "I do have a true form. My true looks are pretty terrifying. I choose not to show it often unless needed. Still, I suppose since everyone's already seen it, there isn't much of a need to hide it now." He took a drink and tossed off his hat. A horn and antlers emerged from his skull, and as his limbs morphed, his neck grew as he moved the next piece with his scaly tail. "What is Pinkie Pie's powers?" She told him and quickly asked her next question, moving her piece. "What are you?" "That's more a question for our bitch of a mother, don't you think?" "Don't curse my mother!" she yelled back. "She just saved your life." He chuckled. "She really does warrant that best mom of the year award, I suppose. I am a dragon—yes, dragon, not a lizard—hybrid with a pony. I was born, not made." He shook his head. He used his tail to move his knight, taking her pawn. "What is Applejack's powers?" She told him and took his knight with her bishop. "Why did you turn me into a chimera?" "You were just in the way, an innocent. And I don't go for the innocent; I go for those who deserve it. You were never supposed to be a chimera, and while you might not accept it, I am sorry you got hit. But I am not sorry for going after your dirty politician of a father." He spat before he took her bishop with his. "What are Fluttershy Breeze's powers?" She told him and moved her knight. "What was it that made you go after my father, then?" "Your father was the one in charge of the research funds. After the war ended, I found out he was continuing my research, and all I wanted was my cut of the money he owed me. We were business rivals since, like him, I am in charge of the banks. I went to end his stupidity once and for all. But you got in the way." He spat before moving a pawn. "What other skills are you good at, like computers and stuff?" "I'm pretty good at hacking and researching now," she moved her rook. "What about all this? Why did you make Chaos Vill?" He narrowed his eyes, his expression straight. "Simple: while there are those who deserve it, there are those who do not. I don't like seeing those who don't deserve it being hurt. I made Chaos Vill originally to protect my city and the good folks in it. To do so, I became a crime lord. Soon, once I found out about the so-called chimera disease, it turned into more of a spy group I use to stop the CHIMERA." "Thanks to it, I have found the cure to the so-called chimera disease," he said dramatically to mock the name. He then moved his other knight. "What do you do in your spare time? Do you have any hobbies?" he smiled. "I tinker with devices," she said, a bit surprised by the question. She wasn't expecting a personal question like that. She took her move and asked, "How do you know Pinkie Pie?" "Like I said, I once had trouble with the law as a kid. My parole officer brought his kid around all the time. I consider you my sister as much as her. That is to say, I don't care about either of you or Shining for that matter." He took his turn and asked, "What's your favorite color?" "Marron," a bit surprised, she took her turn and asked, "So what's up with you? Are you just some anti-hero then?" He chuckled at that and poured another glass. "No, I am not stupid enough to claim that. Hero, villain—it's all ridiculous." "You're a hero if you go and fight for your country or save a life. You're a hero to those you inspire but a villain to those who hate you. All great villains think they're heroes because they think they're doing the right thing. And they're only right if they win the game. But I am above all that and below. Simply put, I am not the villain here, but I am no hero," he smiled. "I am only looking for revenge. Revenge for those like me who didn't deserve what they were dealt in life, revenge on my mother who abandoned me as a baby, and revenge on those who used my research and didn't give me what I deserved. I don't like seeing those who don't deserve it being hurt, but I don't care either way as long as those who do deserve it get what they deserve and I get what is rightfully mine." He took a drink and then slammed down his glass. "I just like the chaos of it all. And I know how to play the game well. It's my responsibility is all." He grinned. "And I will win the game—or die trying." He then moved another rook. "So, how good are you at shooting?" "Pretty well, actually," she said and made her move. "So what was the blood and painkillers for?" "Research—a cure for all of you, which I found." He moved his rook and took her knight. She then moved her queen and took the same rook. "Why didn't you just tell us? Me or Shining—you had him for years." "Simple: I didn't want you involved. But I'm not losing sleep over it; it was your choice to come after me," he moved his queen next. "You want revenge for your daddy, isn't that right?" Twilight’s eyes widened at that. "You want to kill me, wanted to avenge him for years." ***You're just like me. *** Twilight opened her mouth to say something but had no words. This creature, this chimera, the Lord of crime and chaos among the city… She had wanted to take him down for years, but now—now what could she do? He was her brother. He may have been the reason why the chimera existed, but it really wasn't his fault now that she knew the truth. And she knew it was the truth. Like him, she only wanted what she thought she deserved. She took a deep breath and opened her chimera eyes. "So what if I am?" she replied. He grinned an evil grin. "Check—" his eyes glowing like hers. "What is your relationship with Fluttershy!" she yelled. "Oh, sorry, sister, but you didn't let me finish: checkmate." He was right; she left her king wide open to attack. If she moved to any other spot, she'd be in the dead zone of a rook or a knight. Simply put, he had her, and he never moved his king once. Because the game was rigged from the start. And she had fallen right into his hands—and she knew it. The Lord then drank some more straight from the bottle this time, not caring for the cup, as he stood up, tearing off the lie detector wires. He then walked over to the edge of the balcony and looked down at the crowd. "I didn't ask for this, ya know. I was born. I am the Lord of Chaos, and I have my own goals and wishes. I don't care if they are right or wrong. But you..." He gestured to the crowd. "You all stand here and praise me like some hero. You all have families—innocent ones—and you're all pretty much innocent yourselves. I know I'll end up getting what I deserve one day, and I look forward to it, but you... this community... you don't deserve what has happened to you. And as the one who created it, it is my responsibility to stop it, and stop it alone. I do not consider you my friends; you're just employees, pawns even. Loyal, and I am thankful to you, but that is all I see you as. So leave. You're all fired." He deadpanned. The crowd looked at each other for a moment, then back to him. "With pay. Go on, all of you!" he yelled. But not one person left. He then sighed as he leaned over the balcony and placed a claw over his face. "I'm surrounded by idiots—brave and foolish idiots, but idiots bent on protecting their city." He chuckled. "I hate all of you." He then took one more gulp of his drink and smashed the bottle. "Very well then, listen up," he turned to Twilight. "How many chimera cases have there been?" Twilight had to think for a moment. "Nineteen." "You’re just thinking of the ones you know. No, in fact, there have been thirty-two in all!" He smirked. "Minus the six of you and the six I took out back, that leaves a total of twenty chimeras, most likely fully trained under orders from Luna herself." "This is what we're up against! If you follow me, you're following death. I have to fight, but I won't stop any of you—it is your choice!" "But assuming you do come, we're split into three teams. Team one will distract the enemy's firepower, including the chimeras, and team two will infiltrate and take over this facility." Discord clicked a button on a remote, and then a screen showed a picture of an army base. "This is where they're working. I got this information thanks to infiltrating ESA. The base is secure, but we have no choice but to attack—attack soon—before they move." "Team three will handle communications. We just capture and take down all chimeras, especially Luna." Joining me, you join a terrorist group—one that will fight for this city." The crowd cheered for their leader. "GATHER THE GUNS! WE LEAVE IN AN HOUR!" Just then, the crowd ran to the crates of supplies and tore through them, passing out weaponry and body armor. Even the civilians and those who didn't belong to the city joined in to protect their homes under the leadership of their mayor. Discord rolled his eyes at the sound of their cheers. "so sister you in?"He asked. Twilight nodded and pulled out the key Discord gave her. "Keep it, call it insurance." He turned to the crowd. "It's time they learned a lesson, he began to sing. It's time that they understand, the crowd began to grow more excited as they heard him sing. Don't ever count on anybody else In this or any other land I once hoped for friendship To find a place among my kind But those were the childish wishes Of someone who was blind Open up your eyes they all shouted out loud. See the world from where we stand Be among the mighty The world at my command" Discord sang. Open up your eyes Give up your sweet fantasyland It's time to grow up and get wise Come now little one Open up your eyes The crowd sang, as they did tempest could hear their songs as she slowly came back to consciousness. "We all start out the same With simple naive trust Shielded from the many ways That life's not fair or just But then there comes a moment A simple truth that you must face If you depend on others You'll never find your place And as you take that first step Upon a path that's all your own You see it all so clearly The best way to survive is stand alone. Open up your eyes!" THEY all shouted back. Open up your eyes discord sanged sweetly. Twilight was shocked herself. She knew that song. It was her mother's lullaby. Twisted into something far greater. But if there was any proof Discord was her brother, it was that he knew that song word for word. "Open up your eyes" Discord sang softly Turing away, he then chuckled darkly as he left the room, Capper following him. Author's Note I had to do open up your eyes, one of the best MLP songs in my opinion. What's yours let me know? Now back to what I was talking about with these author notes. So how did Luna become the villain? Uhhh. Ok, I have a confession. I didn't have this figured out. 🤣 In my original try at this story, I had a third party show up and fight Discord. Who was the third party, at a time it was either an OC, or a character that I'm going to be in the sequel so I'm not going to reveal that. But as I wrote this chapter I realized while it was a great twist that no one saw coming, because I literally didn't put them in the story till at the very end. I realized that that character has at this time no connection with our heroes or discord. So I needed someone to replace them, but who? Not even trying to set this up. I originally just wanted a story with Discord and Luna. Because everybody does Discord backstory with Celestia, and I find the stories with Luna instead much more interesting. No, I never was doing Lunacord. I just wanted to give Discord and her a story, so I made her once a friend that betrayed Discord over her fear of his true form and self. I wanted to add some tragedy to the situation so I had her turned into a chimera, and originally the heroes were gonna fight her first, take her down way back before the equalizer was ever discovered. Ok so here I am writing the big twist villain now, who to pick? I had no idea. And was slightly panicking over who this villain was gonna be. Being tired myself I decided to for fun read back what I wrote, in the story. As I was reading I realized Luna was perfect for this role. 1 she has a connection to our heroes and discord. 2 She gets turned into a chimera. And 3 Nightmare Moon is a villain, it all just worked out in the end. 😏 Ok more on this later 😂👋
chapter 23 Family At Warchapter 23 Family At War Sitting in a small tunnel connected to the large mining cavern, two shadowy figures watched as nearly three hundred people went to work. "Well, sis," Junior said as he leaned against the wall. "What now?" Mells leaned up against her bike, watching the crowd. "I never knew Dad had such a life," she said to no one in particular, despite her brother being by her side. "Yeah, neither Mom nor Auntie ever told us any of this. He's a strange one, that's for sure." Jr's eyes went cross. "I thought our dad was a hero." She chuckled. "Never meet your heroes, I suppose. Still, it is interesting to know we have all his powers and that we're apparently quarter dragon." "So, still think it's a good idea to kidnap him?" her brother deadpanned. "Shut up! I never said that." She smirked. "Melody, this is how he dies. By tomorrow's first light, he is killed in the morning." "And if so, the world loses. We gotta stop it. It is our mission. Otherwise, Chrysalis wins." "And how are we gonna do that?" her brother asked. "We have no choice: go to war and protect Dad at all costs," she said just above a whisper. She raised her eyes to meet his. Neither of them said another word. They didn't need to; they knew what had to be done. After a moment of silence, all they could do was give one last hug before the final battle. Once Fluttershy's leg was wrapped up and looked over, Rarity sat down next to her. At first, neither said anything, nor did they need to. "You okay?" she asked Fluttershy. "Physically, yes," she replied tiredly. "That's him, isn't it? The colt you've been with." Fluttershy gave a sad nod as a whisper escaped her lips. "Well, he's a bit, uh..." Fluttershy whined. "Hey, he's not the villain. The—um—Discord," she struggled to say his name without sounding scared. "He is our ally now, at the very least." "You don't know him like I do," Fluttershy cried. "Discord, I know was a chimera, but I don't know any of this. Still, he's..." She cried more. Rarity wrapped her in a friendly hug. "Hey, hey, it's okay," she soothed. "As long as he cares for you, then I'm fine with it. And so will the others eventually." "But what if it was all an act? What if—" "Hey! Do not do that to yourself. If anything, I think it's clear how much you care for him. And if he has half a brain, I don't think he'd fake such a thing, especially with you." Fluttershy still cried but smiled at her friend's encouragement. "Do you really think the others would be okay with this?" "I think Twilight's gonna need some time, considering it's her brother. But then again, a lot is happening right now." "Can you keep this between us? Please, Rarity, I don't want to cause any more of a scene than what's already happened." Rarity looked at her, amazed. "Uh, sure, sure, you know you're not the same Fluttershy I met a few years ago." Fluttershy looked away, wiping her tears. "You're a lot stronger," Rarity finished. "Can you fly?" she asked. Fluttershy looked at her a bit confused but nodded. "Then fly to him. Go, go and tell him what you need to say, dear. I'll keep everyone busy; we're going to see Twilight's mother anyway, just go find him." Fluttershy wiped her tears and nodded as she took in a deep breath. As Twilight walked down the dark hallways of Chaos Villa's secret base, she held tightly onto the key Discord gave her. This key was to his lab in Chaos Vill, and within it lay the cure to all of this. She was lost in thought, even now as she watched the back of Capper guide her down the halls. It was strange to her. How could she have been so wrong? She had even gone toe to toe with Capper, and now they stood on the same side. "Just through that door, you'll find your mother," he said as he gestured to the door up ahead. "I have work to do, so I'll be back in half an hour to get you ready for the fight ahead." He said somewhat in a dull tone. None of Twilight or her friends said a word as they entered. Inside the room, Twilight and Shining finally had a chance to digest the fact that their mom wasn't just alive but was a secret agent working for the government and was the mother of their Discord as well. It happened so fast that no one had a chance to process any of this, and soon the room turned its attention to the dark purple mare who lay on a makeshift bed on the ground. She was hooked up to a heart monitor and had her legs and arms bandaged. Sensing everyone's eyes on her, she took in a deep breath and let it out before she said, "Well, it seems I have some explaining to do." The room just nodded as they waited on pins and needles to learn the history. "Right, well then…" she winced. "If I'm going to tell you this story, I'm afraid I'm going to have to start from the beginning." She tried to sit up but couldn't and decided to remain in her position. She gestured for Twilight and her brother to sit down, which they did, circling the mare. "I was a single child adopted by the government, raised to be a top spy. Barely 15, I was sent on my first solo mission out of the country. I've had other missions but never been away from home. I was sent to the Lizard Lands; my alias was a foreign exchange student trying to get my archaeologist license. The truth was, however, far more complicated. Though there wasn't a full-out war for centuries, tension ran high, and always in the shadows a cold war was fought for government power. As an agent, it was my job to prevent anything from going hot." She shook her head. "That I failed." A young dark purple pony with a fiery red mane sat at a table with a non-alcoholic drink in her hoof, listening to the tall gray lizard who sat across from her. With ruby spikes and matching eyes, he dressed a bit fancy, with a dark blue suit, a black shirt, and a white tie—a bit unconventional for just a plain date, but one that he didn't think too much of. "So, how are you liking it here, Mrs. Shadow?" He grinned a friendly, somewhat flirty grin, even if it was full of sharp fangs. "Being so far from home must be hard on you—feeling a bit homesick?" "Perhaps, but really, I didn't like it much there; that's why I left in the first place," she replied as she took a drink. "I see. Well, thank you for taking me up on my offer to have a drink with me. After all, I hadn't seen you make many friends since you moved in across from me a month ago." "Yes, well, a nice night to get my head out of my books is just what I needed," she returned a smile. "So tell me, how are your studies in history going?" He moved his gaze around the room. "Well, actually, I'm just trying to get my license so I can go to Catgypt." "Catgypt? Really? Even with everything going on there?" He narrowed his eyes. She grew a smile as she replied, "Oh, who cares about the ins and outs? Just think of what riches could be discovered there—the greatest archaeological discoveries yet to be unearthed just below the sands." She laughed. "Sorry, I get excited when I think of the possibilities," she narrowed her eyes. "I see," he nodded. "Well, here's to finding riches untold among the sandy dunes." He smiled with a twinkle in his ruby eye. He was somewhat charming and handsome among lizards. He walked her back to her apartment, and just before she walked in, the purple pony started feeling a headache. "I don't feel so good," she said before she passed out. Rainbow gasped. "Oh, oh! I know this one! Daring Do wakes up captured by the bad guy. He congratulates her on also getting the drop on him since he felt drugged too." "Yeah, I mean, it wasn't Daring Do who drugged him. The two were surprised that both were double-crossed by a mutual friend and soon had to battle it out for, in the books, the golden key to the mummy's sarcophagus. And it turns out the gold she found was the friendship—or, as many guessed, the love she found with Larry the Lizard on their adventures in the sandy dunes," Rarity finished. "Uh, guys?" AJ raised an eyebrow. "No, they're right," Tempest nodded. "Only it wasn't a key to a mummy like in my book. It was secret plans to an entire army facility. Our entire journey through that book was all pretty much true." She chuckled. "Including our somewhat strange romance." She coughed a few times before continuing. "Neither of us could tell each other's names. He was secret agent Scales; I was Tempest Shadow, an agent that came from different corporations. Our goals were the same: to protect the world and stop an underground cold war from going red hot. But we failed." Shadow grew a sad look as she sighed. "When he died, a part of me went with him... and I couldn't take it anymore. I left the spy group entirely, failing my mission, and that's why the war started. The same war that didn't end until long after you kids were born. To my surprise, however," she grew a sly yet sad smile, "he did leave me with a surprise that not even I was expecting." "Discord," Rarity looked away. "Correct. I was happy at the time; I thought I could have a little bit of the creature I loved back in my life, if only a little." "So what happened? Why didn't you raise him?" asked Pinkie. "Well, you see…" Tempest coughed again as her tone shifted to one of regret. "He was born a strange creature. He came out twitching and skinny. And despite the noises he made, which did not sound like that of a pony at all," she winced, "he wouldn't open his eyes." "The doctor told me he wouldn't live for very long and that it was a miracle he came out breathing at all. I spent what must have been a month trying to coax him, trying to make sure he survived. I even made up that lullaby to calm down his endless tears. And simply put…" her voice began to crack, "I felt like I was losing him all over again. I couldn't handle it, and so I left, thinking he'd never survive." She coughed again. "It would be a few years later that I would finally fall for someone else. I didn't want to, but your father won me over and we had you two kids." She shook her head solemnly. "I never knew he was alive until much, much later." Fluttershy hovered down the hallways of the massive building. She was surprised by how large it was, considering it sat in the middle of an underground cavern. But even so, it would not deter her from her quest. If anyone asked—she did run into a few guards—she always asked for directions to the ladies' room. A weak excuse, perhaps, but one that worked well enough; despite their suspicious looks, they often pointed her down her path. But it wasn't to the bathroom she was searching for; despite the growing sensation in the pit of her stomach, what she was on a quest for was one thing. Him. He needed her, perhaps now more than ever. She tried to remember the pathway Twilight mentioned when heading up the tower, but to no avail, being for the most part completely lost. After turning down the hall for what must have been the fifteenth time, she gagged in frustration. She pounded a wall, not caring for who would hear, a look of defeat on her face as she whispered, "Where are you?" frustratedly. She leaned against the wall, tired. As she turned her back to it, she slid down, trying not to cry. She lowered her head into her hooves as she felt her stomach turn again, the pit of worry overwhelming her senses. She shook—not with fear nor anger—but sadness. This is hopeless, she thought as the smell of smoke filled her nostrils. She hated that smell more than anything. Wait a minute! "Smoke?" she asked herself as she lifted her head. A quick sniff told her what direction it was coming from. Not wasting another second, she immediately jumped to her feet and ran toward its source. Using her heightened sense, thanks to being a chimera, she followed it step for step. She could even tell what direction it was coming from and, more importantly, she also knew that the source was moving. She followed it all the way until she got to a door and headed out. As she did, she could no longer smell the underground caverns but instead the fresh night air. Still, there was a hint—just a hint—of him, but a hint was more than enough for her to follow the smell of smoke. As she got closer to its source, she realized she had exited a small side cave. Now she was on a small path that was on the side of the mountain. And not just any mountain; she recognized it as their mountain. She soon found the location of a small windy road and she instantly knew where she was and, more importantly, where he was. Discord took a gulp of whatever he had in his bottle. He gasped for air as he moved it aside from him; two more bottles already empty sat in the branches below him. He sat with his back against the tree, on top of one of its many strong branches. The only sound he could hear was the crackling of the fire and a few chirps and cracks from the inhabitants of the forest. So peaceful, so tranquil—everything he was not at that moment. He winced in pain as an angry growl escaped his throat. His head was pounding, his body ached, and it took all he had not to barf up the bile in his stomach. To his surprise, a cold breeze swept through the night air. In some ways, it felt nice against his pulsing skin. His many scars bathed in the relief the cold brought him, but it also made him feel lonely and reminded him of just how alone he was, how alone he truly felt at that moment—despite being the king of an entire crime organization that all praised him and did his bidding. Their so-called love and adoration weren't what he wanted at the moment; if anything, it made him feel worse knowing that all of them had the one thing he never could: family, friends, loved ones. What a joke, he muttered at the thought as he raised his other hoof and bit onto the cigarette he had in his eagle claw. He deeply inhaled it, feeling its effects working. The pain he felt coursing through his body subsided, if only a little; a little was all he needed to push past the pain—both physical, emotional, and mental. He narrowed his eyes at a chessboard set that was hanging off the edge of a branch, a black king and a few pawns set up against a white army. This is what he needed to focus on: the oncoming attack and his next move to make in the game. He let out a puff of smoke as the word "game" spread across his lips. "It’s all just a game." Just then, he heard the small outer pattern of movement outside the canopy of the forest. He growled as he leaped off his branch, landing perfectly and raising himself to his full intimidating height. "Capper, I told you not to disturb me," he said. But to his surprise, it wasn't Capper who stumbled onto his location; no, instead it was a mare. And not just any mare, but Fluttershy who had come to him. Finally, she thought to herself as she raised her eyes to see him at his full height. She had to admit that with the scars and height, he did look quite scary; his back against the light of the campfire behind him made him look like a tall, empty shadow devoid of any detail except his glowing red and amber eyes. It reminded her of the day they first met; he looked so much like the shadow of the night itself in that alleyway all those months ago. His expression didn't help either as she shook a little; why she didn't know—she wasn't afraid of him. She knew he would never hurt her. But to him, that's all he saw. It was bad enough he had seen her face earlier that night, and now she stood inches from him, shaking in fear to his perspective. And with it, his heart sank, and the pain just seemed to return. He longed for her touch, the warmth and love he felt from her in his arms the past few months, but now it was gone. She was scared of him, and he couldn't blame her. He was, after all, a monster. As the thought hurt him, he took in another inhale of his cigarette... its smoke circling his entire body as he lowered his claw. "Go away," he moaned with more emotion than she had ever heard from him in all the time she knew him. There was something there, and she knew what it was—pain. "That's why you drink and smoke, isn't it? And why you take these?" She pulled out a bottle of painkillers. "I noticed them in your house one time and... and…" she repeated softly, not knowing what else to say. He looked at the bottle and then at her, only to return his gaze to the bottle. In a quick slash motion, he snatched the bottle from her, making her flinch in surprise. He opened it and scarfed down all the pills he had, wobbling back over to his tree to grab the bottle he had of whatever liquid substance he was drinking. He used it to flush down the mountain of pills he had just taken. With the bottle empty, he threw it into the fire; it smashed and shattered as the fire grew slightly—clearly, whatever he was drinking must have been some type of alcohol. He looked back at her over his shoulder. She was still there, a look of fear on her face, but at least to him, it appeared to be fear. It hurt him to see her like this, yet there was nothing more he could do for her. "Well, go on then," he groaned, making her flinch once again, but it was only at the sight of him. "Oh, Discord," she stuttered. "Why are you still here? Didn't I just tell you to get lost?" His question struck a nerve with her; all the pity she had for him nearly turned to anger at his tone of voice. "I'm not leaving," she stated clearly but seriously. Discord raised an eyebrow at this. Just a second ago, she was shaking in fear and now she was talking back to him. Brave girl, he thought to himself. "Oh, and why is that?" He retorted with a huff. "Because I promised you I wouldn't," she said in the same strong tone. This nearly broke Discord's poker face, and it showed as his posture began to soften. He looked away so she couldn't see his expression, but his voice gave him away. "Aren't you—" he said before lowering his head, "Aren't you scared of me?" he asked, as if it hurt him to just say the sentence. "No," was all she said. The one word was enough to finally break him. His expression softened a bit in surprise. "I’m sorry I…" He turned away from her as he winced. "I just thought you'd be like the others." "Do I look like the others?" she asked sternly. He looked back. Even in her now torn superhero outfit, she was beautiful. In fact, her torn suit made her look even more attractive to him, strangely enough. The way it sat tight against her body showed her true form—not too curvy, not too straight. If anything, she looked perfect to him, as she always did. "You say you’re not scared, but I saw the look on your face during that fight earlier." "Because I was scared for you," she pleaded. "I don’t like seeing any of my friends in danger. Especially you," she whispered the last part. He looked away, ashamed of his own thoughts. "I'm sorry, I... this... I never had this before. I’ve never been loved by anyone or loved someone as much as I do you, so when I saw you were scared of me..." He lifted his head and looked at the sky above, like Luna, like Twilight, "I thought I lost you like everyone else." With that, despite her own tears, Fluttershy giggled. "You haven't lost me, silly! You never will." She placed a reassuring hoof on his back as high as she could reach. His eyes widened as his body shivered at her touch. He bit his lip, trying to hold back the emotional outbreak he wanted to have. "Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down," she chuckled as she spoke the words of their song. Even if the song had started as a joke, it meant so much to her now. "Just tell me, Discord. I want to know. I can't help you if you don't tell me." Discord lowered his head in defeat to the mighty mare. "Very well," he said in a hushed tone as the wind blew past, making the tree above them creak and sway. "But it's not a very good story." He sat down. With him sitting, she was finally able to place her hoof on his shoulder. "I'm here," she told him. "It all started when I was just a kid, seven or eight—I can't remember. It feels like a lifetime ago." Author's Note Oh boy next chapter is a long long loooooong one giving all the back story. Welp now to continue this author note story. lol this was supose to be out last week but oh well beter late than never, I do plan to upload the next chapter either chritmas eve or christmas day so look forward to that.... I really should't make promises like that lol. Ok so here we are, we talked just about everything except for one key charecter. Tempest shadow. How'd that come to be. Well in one draft of the story I had Fluttershy help discord find his long lost mother. Who that was I had no idea and decided to figure it out later. When I finally had to add this charecter It was either gonna be an oc, or someone I liked a lot. Hay you know who I like a lot. Tempest shadow. HURAY we have her. 😆 It was long after this that I figured out twilight was discords sister. So adding tempest to be her mother was simple. Oh but what about the daring do thing. Well as I was writing the story I wanted to give everyone something to contribute to it. In highndigjt sight, I could remove apple jack and pinky compleatly and it wouldn't change a thing. It's nice they add to that family part of the story, but they don't serve much a role. Rarity I new I wanted her dad to be part of it, since I did have discord want to capture her in the beginning. Flutershy was fluttercord. Twilight was mc. I needed something to do with dash. Eventually I wanted them to try and infiltrate the ranks of chaos vill. And I could give this to anyone I picked dash to give her something to do, and I continued with it I really liked it. She was a super spy. Literally super. Now I also had her bring up daring do only beacuse I wanted to reference it from the show. I had no plans to put her in the story. But eventually as I wrote the super spy dash, I wanted to have her be found by a real super spy working for the government. And so adding daring do was ano brainier. But just having her there and not connecting her to anyone wasn't gonna work. So I made her tempest. Don't even know why just thought it would work. Did I get the pay off I wanted. I'll leave you to decide that. Ok more about this later.😂👋
chapter 24 Ancient HistoryChapter 24: Ancient History A skinny young colt was tossed into a pile of trash cans. Along with him were several books on self-defense martial arts—ironic, since none of them were working for the boy at the time. "Haha! And stay there like the trash you are, freak!" shouted a big, fat pony kid. The pony in the trash can slowly got up, a day-old banana peel dangling from the top of his hat. He was dressed in an oversized blue raincoat that was clearly too big for him, along with a large blue hat that matched—though now it threatened to fall off, something the pony did not want. The foal looked nearly starved despite being a pony. His face already showed signs of a skull-like appearance, with sunken eyes and heavy cheekbones. As the bullies—there were three of them—laughed at him, his hooves began to shift. He tried to hide them by sinking deeper into the trash can. He could feel his tail flicker underneath his large coat. But it wasn't a ponytail he had; it was one that a dragon would have. His anger began to boil within him as he heard the bullies laugh. His eyes began to flicker from normal to a bright yellow. "Hey, wise ass, why don't you beat it? Leave him alone; he was minding his own business," said a new voice. Discord turned to see who it was and was surprised to see a dark blue, skinny filly pony with night-like hair dressed like a goth. "Why don't you mind your own business, Luna?" one of the bullies sneered. "Oh, really? Why don't you make me?" she smirked, chewing on a piece of bubble gum. That made the bully mad, and he quickly tried to hit her. But she glided out of the way and stuck her feet out, landing on her tiptoes and whacking him in the face with her foot. She landed back on her hooves as the other two tried to jump her, but she slid past them, bumping them with her rear end and sending them tumbling into the trash can. She smirked cockily at her work as the last one came from behind her and got her in a chokehold. But before he could do anything, Discord whacked him with his tail, knocking him out cold. She turned to see him, but he quickly made sure to hide his tail back under his trench coat before she saw it. "Thanks for that," Luna smiled. "So, got a name?" "Umm, Discord," he said, trembling, with tears already building up in his eyes. "Discord what?" "Oh, uh, just Discord. I, uh, don't have a surname." "Hmm, that's weird. I'm Luna—Luna Princess." "Luna Princess, as in the rich kid," Discord quivered. "Hey, got a problem with that?" "Uh, no, no. I was just wondering what you're doing on this side of town. It's not safe here." "No, I guess it's not. That's what's kind of fun about it." She smirked. "Tell me, Discord, what do you do around here for fun?" Luna asked. "Fun? Uh, well, uh..." "You do know what fun is, don't you?" Luna pressed. "I know what fun is!" he argued back. "I just, um, don't have much, I guess." He pulled out an old storybook. "Hmm, what's that?" "Huh? Oh, oh, it's nothing." "Nothing huh? Come on, let me see." "No." "Come on." "No." Luna grew a sly grin and quickly went to the left of him, which he moved to the right. It was a fake-out, though, as she moved to the right, catching him off guard. She twirled around him and pried whatever he had out of his hooves. "Huh, but, but..." "Haha, my mom taught me that," Luna chuckled as she looked through what she got from Discord. It was some type of old fairy tale—one she had never heard of. She flipped through the book, trying to read its odd language, but it didn't make sense to her. "What is this?" she asked. "It's Old Lizard Young." Old was right. She couldn't make out any of it, except for one word: Discord. "Your name's in this book?" she questioned. Discord tried to take the book back, but she switched on her heel and jumped out of his way. "How are you doing that?" he asked. "Do you know Kung Fu?" "Kung Fu? Is that what you were trying to do earlier? I thought you were just trying to be silly." "No, I was trying... to learn how to, uh, to stop those bullies." "Really? Well, I could show you how." "Really?" he asked curiously. "And why would you do that for me?" "Hmm, it's what friends do." "Friends?" "Yeah, friends! You saved me from that last choke hold, so I'd say we're friends." "Okay, so friend..." Discord said nervously. "How did you do that? What fighting style was that anyway?" She giggled. "No, no, it was just some dance moves." "Dance moves?" "Yep. Most of it was ballet, but some of it was breakdancing. I've taken dance lessons for years, and out here I've used it a couple of times to get out of situations like that." "I'll show you if..." "If? If what?" "If you teach me to read whatever this is." "Ancient Lizard Tongue." "Yeah, that. So, we got a deal?" She held out her hoof. He looked at it skeptically at first, but eventually took it, giving her a handshake. "Okay then, meet me here in this alleyway tomorrow, and I'll teach you." The next day, she came with a boombox and began to teach him. From then on, every few days or so, she taught him how to dance-fight. He also learned Kung Fu and jiu-jitsu and incorporated it into his dance moves. She joined him, and soon the two created a crazy form of fighting style, using a mixture of different dances and fighting moves as he taught her about the book. It was an ancient legend, and it was hard to read and understand, but Discord's caretaker had forced him from a young age to learn reading and writing, hoping to get him into a high-class family and out of the slumps. Discord was a word that meant chaos, and his caretaker would call him it so often that he soon just adopted it as his name. From the book, the legend of Discord was simple. It was a magic spell that brought chaos to the land. Luna felt bad he had such a name and chose to call him something else. "Hmm, I know! What about Shadow?" "Shadow?" he asked. "Yeah, or Phantom or something." "Why that?" "Because shadows and phantoms are cool. Plus, you always just blend into the shadows most of the time." "Do I?" "Yeah, you're like a ghost." She gasped. "That's it! You're Ghost." "Ghost?" "Yeah, and you know what? That's what I'm going to call you: Mr. Ghost," Luna grinned. Discord laughed at the silliness of it. "Fine, Mr. Ghost it is then." He smiled. "So, Luna was your first friend." "No, you were my first friend. She never really cared, especially once she saw my true form. The alleyway I met you in..." Discord said emotionless, yet he moaned slightly as she rubbed his neck. "It was the same alleyway I first met her." "I originally lived in an orphanage that wasn't too far away from it. But a few months later, I would eventually set it on fire by accident and run away." "And where did you go?" she asked. "To her?" "No, no, I ran from the city. I wanted to escape. I wanted to be free. Free of it all. And I found it here." He gestured to the area with his paw. "Once there, I could actually sit and think. And when I didn't want to do that, I could fly." "Fly?" "Yes, fly. The first time I came here, sad as it may seem, I jumped off the side of the cliff here, figuring that would be it for me. Funny, I wasn't scared at all. I'm still not," he laughed a bit pathetically. "As soon as I was off the ground, my instincts kicked in." He breathed in, a look of peace on his face. "And I took flight for the first time. I soared through the sky, and as strange as it was, I needed no practice. It was like my body already knew what to do. It was like a dream being set free," he said as the wind blew, picking up another leaf from the tree and drifting into the night air. "I was free," he said, his voice trailing off before he fell silent. Even though she couldn't see his face, Fluttershy could sense the emotion in his voice—the same kind of freedom she had seen in his eyes when he rode his bike. "Is that why you ride your bike then?" she asked. He nodded, his eyes clouding over with a mix of emotions. "After I got my wings blown off, I needed something to fill the void. My bike might be tethered to the ground, but..." He narrowed his eyes. "I can still get the rush of the wind when I'm at high speeds. For so long, it was the only thing that freed me." "Was?" Fluttershy questioned. He chuckled at her gaze and grew closer to her. "Then I met you... and with it, a whole new kind of freedom." He told her in a hushed tone. She smiled at his words and asked, "So then what happened?" "I never went back to the city. I lived on the streets—sometimes in a cardboard box. All the while, I wanted to know who my parents were. Did they have wings? Were they like me? Why was I so different? However, despite my best efforts, Luna found me." Fluttershy tightened her hoof, growing irritated, and accidentally pinched him while deep in thought. "Trust me, dear, I was never interested in her. We were, at the time, friends," he winced in pain. She loosened her grip, an apologetic look crossing her face, both for her grip and for being caught jealous. "One day she even offered to help me find my parents," he said, his voice cracking on the edge of tears. "We couldn't find them, of course, but she did help me for a few years, until the day she turned on me completely. Then again," he shook his head, "it really was my fault." The young strange colt grew into a decent-sized teen; his oversized blue coat barely fitted him now. Still, he wore it to hide his tail, especially around his friends. He sat waiting for her, perched on top of the very trash can he was thrown into when he was little. In his hoof was a chocolate muffin, one he was quite happy to devour. Suddenly, as he was about to take the last bite, Luna ran up to him. "Did you hear Sugar Cube Corner got robbed last night?" she exclaimed with a hint of worry. "Oh yeah, I know," he replied nonchalantly. "Sorry, but I ran out of the money you gave me," he popped the last piece of his muffin in his mouth, talking with his mouth full as he continued, "and had to take matters into my own hands." "You stole those," she shouted at him. "I just took two or three," he shrugged. "Or ten," he chuckled. "Can you do me a favor and let me borrow a few bills? I'll pay you back once I get a job." "You stole ten muffins!" she shouted back. "Where did the cash I gave you go?" "Hmm, oh, I had to get this jacket tailored. Besides, it was only a few muffins. It's not like I stole jewelry or something. Just give me the cash so I can go make up for it. Oh, and can I have a few extra bills for dinner?" He smirked as if it didn't matter at all. The teenage mare's eyes widened at this. "You're insane! No, there's no way I'm ever giving you another dime." "Hmm, really?" He narrowed his eyes. "Stop playing with me and help me out. You know I'll pay you back once I get a job." "And when will that be? Four years from now? Perhaps never in those clothes." "Oh, you're one to talk! You're filthy rich, yet you go scampering around town dressed like that." He gestured to her jeans. "Holes in jeans are a new fashion trend." "Ha! Fashion? Such a stupid excuse," he said as he effortlessly closed the distance between them. She could feel him; was it a hoof at all? It felt more like a claw snatching her wallet out of her pocket. She hated purses and always carried a man's wallet, thinking it suited her better. "Hey, give that back!" she yelled, attempting to swipe at it. He swiftly used the dance moves she taught him to avoid her hooves, making sure to be extra careful with his steps. He then used his height against her and raised the wallet out of her reach. She jumped for it, but he dodged and she landed right into the trash can herself. An old cup of noodles splattered on her face. Her sister was in the car waiting for them, but when she saw Luna in the trash, she immediately jumped out. He quickly took out her money, grabbed what he needed to pay for the muffins and a little extra for dinner, but nothing more—setting the rest of the bills back in her wallet before tossing it back at her and hitting her in the head. "There, was that so hard?" he retorted before walking away. Just then, her older sister ran up and nearly tackled the teen. She was a teen herself, but being five years older made quite the difference. Still, the colt stood as tall as she was and she was eighteen in her last year of high school. "Give back whatever you stole from my sister, you little twerp!" "Little? I'm the same height as you, Tia," he said, amused. None of this was bothering him in the slightest. "I knew I shouldn't have let my sister hang out in the south side of town," she huffed. "Oh yeah? And why is that? You think all of us who live here are here because we want to be?" He grew angrier with each word. "You think if we had a choice, we would choose this path. You, in your stuck-up rich life whose biggest issue is deciding whether or not to wear holes in your pants! I was frickin' hungry; give me a break!" At this, Celestia grew even more angry. In a deep, angry tone, she simply said, "Give me back my sister's money or—" "Or what? You think you can take me, is that it? I'd love to see you try," he snarled. Just then, a cop—one of the very few on the south side of town—was walking by, looking for clues as to who robbed Sugar Cube Corner. "Help!" Celestia shouted. "This guy stole from my little sister!" Discord looked at the cop and rolled his eyes. "Really? Tattling? That’s what you’re gonna do?" "He also robbed Sugar Cube Corner!" Luna said, finally getting out of the trash can. "Alright, bub. Come with me," the dog officer said as he tried to grab Discord's arm. But in a quick shift, Discord used his skills to evade the cop. "I don't need this. I'm out of here." "Hey!" the cop yelled. "Hey yourself," Discord retorted in a grumble. The cop then grabbed his walkie-talkie. "I need backup. Teen resisting arrest, tall and skinny, wearing a blue raincoat." With that, in seconds, two cop cars came rolling up as the cop tried to stop Discord again. He evaded the cop and soon evaded the others. "All this over a frickin' muffin," he shook his head. But finally, one cop tackled him to the ground—a large fat lizard, actually. Discord, though, wasn't going to go down that easily and with a mighty roar that sounded almost beast-like, he tossed the cop away with his tail. He was proud of himself for that; his own strength and rush flowed through him as he grew an evil smirk, only for his expression to falter when he noticed the two girls—especially his friend Luna—stood in complete shock and fear. The sight of them cowering before him shook his train of thought, and it was easy for the cops to get a hold of him, tie him down, and arrest him for good. "All that over a muffin? Really, Discord?" Fluttershy scolded. "Not just any muffin, but my favorite muffins," he rolled his eyes, looking away from her. She was now sitting on his lap, and he sat with his back against the tree. "To my surprise, Mr. Cake's grandfather never pressed charges. But Luna and Celestia did, despite the charges being low. I was sent to jail and then watched by a parole officer for the rest of my teen life." "Pinky's father," Fluttershy mumbled. "I didn't care. All I cared about was finding my family. And if I couldn't find mine... I thought..." After a moment of silence, Fluttershy encouraged him. "Go on," she said in an almost motherly tone—a sweet one at that. "I thought I could help others find theirs. I became fascinated with the DNA test, and I wanted to understand how it worked. So I put everything I had into becoming a geneticist. I studied my own unique biology and its DNA strands. What I found was how unique my DNA actually was. It constantly alternated and never settled. I used my research to gain some recognition and delivered a scientific paper on the subject of alternating genetics." "I didn't make friends after that; I didn't want any. I just kept to myself and my research. With it, I was going somewhere. That was until the day I nearly lost all such freedom." "Minding my own business at Sugar Cube Corner, the place was attacked, and I didn't care. I didn't have a leg in this fight, and I didn't want to either. I just wanted to leave, but the big bulky cat pulled a knife on me. And despite being stabbed, I beat them so bad," he winced as she placed a reassuring hoof on his chest. "I beat them so badly they were an inch away from death," he said as the wind blew. "But it was in self-defense, wasn't it?" asked Fluttershy. "At first, maybe, and sure that's what I did claim. But despite that—and Mr. Cake and his family calling me a hero—I was facing at least a decade in prison if not more... I hate cages," he snarled. The very thought of being locked up when all he wanted was to be a free bird made him feel sick. "Luckily for me, a top scientist who was helping with the war efforts saw potential in my studies and had me transferred." "Star Swirl," Fluttershy commented. Discord nodded before continuing, "That's when things just went from bad to worse as I joined the war effort. I didn't join because I wanted to protect the people; I joined because it was the only way to protect my own freedom." "Two years went by, and then I met him—the man in charge of funding our little experiment to end the war: Mr. Don Sparkle. He came in to look at the research along with his family." "A security risk, perhaps, but at the time it didn't really matter." "It was him, his wife, and two kids. One of them begged to learn about genetics. She was so interested in science even back then." Discord shook his head. "I didn't want to, but Mr. Sparkle insisted it be fun for his children and asked me to do a DNA test so they could see how they all related. I couldn't exactly say no to my boss, so I did as I was asked and explained to the little filly how DNA worked, as basic as you could to a six-year-old at least. I then, of course, took samples of their DNA and began to genetically decode them." "Nothing too out of the ordinary, until I saw the mother's. I studied my own DNA strands so closely that I could tell when I was staring at my own. So you can imagine my surprise when I found that same exact DNA in a mare that would be the right age to be my mother." Mrs. Sparkle looked at her two silly children as she hummed a little tune to herself—the same tune she often hummed to herself—as a sad smile kept on her face. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," she told her children and headed to the door. When she opened it, she was greeted by the sight of a rather tall pony in a lab coat and a pair of sunglasses. "Ah, Mrs. Sparkle," he said, almost as if in a jazz tone. "Yes, can I help you?" she raised an eyebrow. "Um, yes, you see, I…" he shook out of the daze. "I am Doctor Ghost. I am the scientist second in command of the project your husband is working on." "Oh, he's not here right now. Perhaps if you come later?" she replied. "Oh no, I am not here to talk to him; I am here to talk with you, actually. Do you mind if I come in?" he said as if out of breath all of a sudden. "Uh, I am not comfortable with…" "Oh, oh, of course not! Please, can I just have a word with you out here then? I have some papers I just want to show you." "Oh, well of course," she said as she stepped out of the house and onto the porch. She sat down, offering him a seat at the little side table. He quickly pulled out a folder and handed it to her. She took it and opened the file; he eyed her carefully as she did. "You see, Mrs. Sparkle, all personnel involved with the program are genetically identified. Since your husband's son was cleared to come onto the campus, so was his DNA tracked. If you look here," he pointed at a piece of genetic code on the papers, "this here is mitochondrial DNA—DNA you can only receive from your mother. It's the dominant link to your family tree. This next page is, of course, yours for obvious reasons." He grinned as he looked at it. "It's exactly the same," she grinned. "Yes, so it is." "Well, I mean, he is my son, so of course, it would be 100 percent." "Yes, well, there's just a slight problem." He pulled out a paper from his pocket. "You see, Mrs. Sparkle, I am a geneticist. In fact, it is my own research that has given way to what your husband is spending his hard-earned money on. Most of the research is on myself, actually." He took off his glasses. "Ma'am, I know my genetic code like someone would know their best friend, and that is not your son's. This is." He handed her another paper. It was exactly the same, and she grew a surprised and worried expression as he saw the colt's ruby eyes. Discord chose his next words carefully as he calmly expressed, "What you have there is my mitochondrial DNA. I, uh, I never knew my mother." His face grew neutral as he looked into her eyes. Mrs. Sparkle stared at him for a moment. "It can't be," she said under her breath, but he heard it and grinned. "I'm 19 years old. I grew up in the back alleys of the south side of Ponyville. I made many mistakes in my life, rounding up given a choice: either do time behind bars or fight for my country, using my genetic research to fund a way to stop the war. I have been searching for my mother ever since I can remember, Mrs. Sparkle," he said, a bit choked up. Mrs. Sparkle sat staring at him, amazed and yet terrified. Just then, the door slid open; it was a young colt. "Mommy, Twily wants to know if we could use the kitchen bowl for an experiment." She quickly turned to her youngest son. "Oh, uh, yes, uh..." she said, as if out of breath. Mr. Ghost looked between her and the young child. "Umm..." she sat, not knowing what to say. "Who are you?" asked the little colt. At that, Mrs. Sparkle was about to say something when Mr. Ghost spoke up first. "Oh, I'm just working for your father. Your mother and I were just talking about boring grown-up stuff." He quickly took the folder out of the lady's hooves and dumped it in the trash on the side of the road. "I think I should get going. I am sorry to bother you, ma'am," he said with a friendly grin before putting his glasses back on and walking away. Just then, Mr. Sparkle walked up, bumping into him. "Oh, Mr. Ghost, I am sorry, sir! I didn't see you there. What are you doing all the way out here?" "Oh, it's nothing really," he grinned. "I need to be on my way." "Nonsense! Come, come! You must have dinner with my wife; she makes some of the best salads you'll ever have." "Tempy, this is Mr. Ghost. He's second in command of the big project I'm working on at work." "You know my daughter loves science; you must stay for dinner. She'll have hundreds of questions for you." "Perhaps another time," Mr. Ghost grumbled. "I'm sorry, but I really must be on my way." He took off without another word. Mr. Sparkle turned to his wife. "What in the blue blazes was that about? Why was he here?" She said nothing at first and just turned. "Dear, are you alright?" he asked in a concerned voice. "Yes, he was just on his way when I ran into him. Don't worry about it," she said clearly. Her husband looked at her confused at first but gave an "Alright then," before walking into his home. "That I'm afraid was only the beginning of my troubles," Tempest winced. With a loud thump, Shining sat back against the wall and slowly slid down it. "I can't believe it. So it's true..." he said in disbelief. "He really is our brother." "But he tortured you for years," Twilight turned to him, "and me. He turned me into a monster." Her lip quivered. "A monster that killed our father. Why?" Their mother gritted her teeth. "Revenge. Revenge for what your father did to him. Simply put, what he's done is unforgivable, but…" She opened her eyes and looked at Twilight. "Your father was far from innocent; however..." she paused, and with a deeply sorry voice, she said, "In the end, it is my fault things turned out the way they did." Discord sat in his lab feeding his pet Smooes. Though the creature slimmed away its food and slithered across its path, making Discord chuckle as he watched it, it was clear where his mind was. He thought back to seeing the grand house that she lived in, the image of her son, and apparently a daughter he didn't see but heard. The nice, strong stallion that was her husband. Could it be? Could it really be her? Could she really be his mother? Discord often wanted a life like that. He tried to imagine what it would feel like to look up to a mom and dad, and the possibility of a younger sibling to play games with. He loved games and telling jokes. "Why?" he asked out loud, catching the slimy thing's attention in front of him. The creature repeated his question as a question of its own. "Oh, sorry, Smooes, I—" he winced as he felt a bit of pain in his chest. "I'm just not myself right now." He set out his lion-like hand, letting the slimy substance crawl over it. He picked it up, giving it a sad smile before setting it back in its box and locking it up. Just then, the phone rang. He cleaned off his paw with a handkerchief before answering the phone. "What do you want now?" he grumbled, expecting it to be his boss. To his surprise, it wasn't his boss, but his wife. "Um, hello, Dr. Ghost. I was wondering," she said nervously, "if we could perhaps meet up." Discord was bewildered, absolutely flabbergasted at this. "Uh, Mrs. Sparkle, I..." "I would just like to get to know you a bit is all," she said timidly—almost as timid as Fluttershy. "Of course! Just give me some time, and I'll try to fit it into my schedule." He offered a smile of disbelief. "Oh, uh, what about 1:00 for lunch at the diner? Would that be alright with you... tomorrow, I mean?" He quickly grabbed a piece of paper and wrote it down. "Sure, sure, that works. 1:00 at the diner; see you then." He hung up the phone. "And did you go?" asked Fluttershy. "I just wanted to get to know her; I wanted to understand why," he sighed. "Why she left me behind." "And so for a few months, we met up in secret, had lunch, and chatted. Sometimes we'd go out where little would recognize either of us. Other times we ate at her place when the kids were at school or out of the house, or even mine... But soon, my research and the war got in the way of us seeing each other. They were hoping that by using my research, we would be able to create an army powerful enough to wipe out the enemies in seconds... But there were many doubters, who needed proof this could not only work but would be worth it—so I was drafted into the arms of battle. I kept my pony form up most of the time during boot camp and through normal routines, but on the battlefield, I was let loose to show what I could truly do. Alongside me were a select few who worked directly under the watchful eyes of Mr. Sparkle and his fellow politicians." "He was also there down in the trenches with me, only to see what my skills could do. I was fast and strong; however, I was never completely bulletproof. While long-range projectiles gave me time to evade or shield myself, if I was up close with one, there was no way out of it." He placed his eagle claw over two bullet wounds he had on his stomach. He sighed; due to my acts of bravery, I was awarded the honor of being knighted, and due to my injury, I was finally given some time off from both my research and my duty." Discord was in a slim black suit, standing in front of the Sparkles' doorway. In his hand was a fancy wooden cane that he leaned on. Mrs. Sparkle, his mother, opened the door and greeted him with a smile as she held out her arm, gesturing him inside. He did so, using the cane, making her raise an eyebrow. She had never seen him walk with a cane before; with the fancy cane, it looked like just a piece of his wardrobe and nothing more. But his mother had never seen him with a cane, and at first, she didn't question it. It wasn't until she asked him to sit down and he refused that she knew something was amiss. "I thank you for the offer, but at the moment, I'd really rather stand," he said, gripping his cane a bit tighter. She thought it odd, but then again he was always a bit of an odd pony. "Alright then, so tell me, how does it feel to be a lord?" Mr. Ghost smirked at that. "To be honest, I could care less about my so-called reward. It really does nothing to improve my situation; it's just a fancy title," he scoffed, taking a piece of bread from the table below him. "Oh, come now! You were given the title by the queen herself. What an honor! A single queen, might I add," his mother winked. He grinned his signature grin as he replied, "Oh, you've been listening to those darn papers, haven't you? I can assure you, it was just a bit of fancy wavers—nothing more." "Oh, come now! You have to have someone in your life—someone you felt attracted to for whatever reason." Mr. Ghost fiddled with his hooves a bit. "As a matter of fact, there might be one... Oh, but she'll never see me that way, I assure you." "Oh, do tell, do tell!" Mrs. Sparkle smiled. He scratched at his neck a bit before answering her question. "A fellow scientist I work with—nothing more. She just..." He sighed. "She tends to—well, it doesn't matter." "Yes, it does," she retorted. "I say perhaps you should give it a go and see where things take you." "Is that what you did with my father then?" he asked as he took a bite of the bread finally. With the loud crunch, it might have well been a crack in their conversation. It was Mrs. Sparkle's turn to feel uncomfortable as she fell silent. "You always do that when I bring him up," he said with his mouth full. He swallowed and continued, "What do you know about him?" "There isn't anything more I can tell you. We were spies; we got together, never told each other's names—that's it." "Really? Because if you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly a full pony," he argued back with his mouth full. "Don't talk with your mouth full." "Oh, now you want to act like a mother," he said bitterly. "What do you want from me?" she asked angrily, standing up. She then quickly closed the distance between them and aggressively jabbed him in the chest, "I have a family! I have a husband!" She stopped as Mr. Ghost leaned over from her jab and coughed up blood. She screamed in terror, "Oh my God! Are you alright?" He coughed again; a few more splats of blood fell from his lips, but he cleared his throat. "I'm calling for help!" she said frantically, but he stopped her by pulling her back with his hoof. She watched as it morphed into a claw. "No, no! I'm fine! I've had enough doctors." He pulled out a napkin and quickly cleaned his face. "I was shot recently, that's all. You just surprised my system a bit." "Shot? You should be lying down if you were shot! What are you doing up?" she scolded him. "I wanted to come see you," he whined a bit. "I don't know how many more chances I will get to see you." He looked away from her. "Show me." "What?" "Show me right now." Mr. Ghost's eyes widened at that; he wanted to retaliate but instead gripped his cane for support in his left hand and undid his shirt with his right. Across his lower chest and stomach were bandages covering scratches and bullet holes. Still, the sight of him, all bandaged up and seeing how skinny he was, was almost too much for his mother to bear. It reminded her of her first love, and the sight brought a tear to her eye as she gritted her teeth. "Lay down!" He tried to argue, but she grabbed his hand and pulled him into a bedroom, pushing him down onto the bed. "Hey!" he yelled back at her. In response, she only lifted his feet onto the bed. He tried to get up once more, but she placed a hoof on his shoulder, catching him off guard. "Can I get you anything?" she replied in a motherly voice, tears still in her eyes. At first, he was stunned, but then he slowly smiled as he knelt back and began to get comfortable. "My tea and bread," he replied. "I'll fetch it, as well as my own. We can continue our conversations in here," she said and headed out the door. Mr. Ghost just smiled as he watched her. For the first time in his life, he actually felt—felt what, he asked himself. Love? Is this love? Does my mother actually care for me? He pondered. It didn't last long, however, as the door opened. He expected it to be his mother, and he had a genuine smile on his face, but as he saw who it was, his expression turned to one of fear. Standing in the doorway, holding a shotgun, was none other than Mr. Sparkle. "Your father that day saw us together and thought the worst possible outcome," she shook her head. "At this point, I wish it was that simple." "Dad thought you were cheating on him," gasped Shining in horror. "With your own son." "What did you do?" asked Rarity, aghast. "I froze, that's what I did. I mean, how could I explain that I was once a secret agent who fell in love with a dragon and had a monster for a son—a son that was not his?" "What happened next?" asked Applejack in disbelief. "Well, the two argued. I tried to intervene, but things escalated quickly to the point where both males got into a fistfight. My husband was given a black eye, and as for Discord, despite everything your father could put up, it never phased him. He was just too strong, even with his eye injuries." "So that's what started those rumors?" asked Fluttershy in a tired tone. "Yes, soon everyone considered me some type of ladies' man trying to woo a rich and wealthy woman despite being married." "Yuck!" he stuck his tongue out in utter disgust at the mere thought. "And my reputation was run through the mud. They tried to do anything they could to discredit me. Most of it, I know now, was Luna. As for Mr. Sparkle himself, I don't know what, or even if, Mother told him anything." Discord leaned into Fluttershy's touch as he told the next part of the story. "Unfortunately, my boss quickly became my worst enemy after that. He soon started taking credit for my advancement in the research. But if that wasn't enough, he publicly humiliated me any chance he got thereafter. One day, I even confronted him about it. He swore he'd see me in bars like the freak I was." Fluttershy tried to hug Discord, but he simply stopped her and looked her in the eye. His story was not done yet. "At the same time, I was a fool who thought this scientist had the hots for me," he said shakily. "No, Discord, you don't have to repeat yourself," Fluttershy tried to ease him. "That night, I went to the only person I thought could help me; someone who could believe in me," he began shaking. "You went to your mother, didn't you?" He only nodded in response. Discord stood in front of their home, covered in his own blood. A manhunt was gathering because of his deeds. Mrs. Sparkle and her husband gasped at the sight of him. He was in his true beastly form, blood splattered across his chest. What must have been his victim's blood, they thought. Luckily, Shining and Twilight were asleep inside. "Mother," Discord called out, tears in his eyes. "Mother, please!" He sniffled and took a step forward. But Mr. Sparkle stood between them. As for Mrs. Sparkle, she didn't know what to do. She only begged for her children not to wake; she didn't want her two children scared for life because of him. Her children were now barely six and eight, respectively. She wanted nothing more than to look away and run to her little ones inside, pretending this was all a bad dream; a nightmare. Her husband raised his own gun and demanded that he leave them alone. "No, no, please," Discord pleaded. "Mother!" Suddenly, several tanks and men all surrounded Discord; in a moment of fear, he took off to the skies. "Don't let him get away! Fire!" demanded Mr. Sparkle. The sound of a cannon went off from a tank, and it quickly caught Discord mid-air, as a blood-curdling yell of pain echoed for miles. But it didn't sound pony nor lizard, but that of a horrified beast finally giving its death call. "After that, I don't know what happened to him. I was certain he was gone. The nightmare was over," Tempest told the room before she coughed. "We moved to a new place, hoping to get away from the past but..." She coughed again. "A year later, however, he would emerge again—this time far worse. Everything that occurred that night, everything that has to do with Project Beast, was classified. So when he did resurface, Mr. Ghost was seen as a hero. He was quickly raised to a high-class business status. And standing out in the open, we couldn't make a single move to take him down." "But the strange thing is he never made another gesture towards the family—not for a little while anyway. Until one day, he came to our new home. I was beyond scared and didn't know what he would do. Yet all he claimed was that Mr. Sparkle was continuing the Beast Project, to which I told him that was ridiculous, and I made him leave." "So now you know just about everything," Discord said in a hushed tone. "Tired and alone without wings, without flight, I was no longer free, and I knew I could never be. So I became whatever one thought I was, even better." He chuckled sadly. "I became the very thing they feared: chaos itself. I took control of chaos, overthrowing the underground crime boss until I stood on top. With it, I took control of the entire city from underground. And I made sure no one had to endure what I had ever again." "You're a hero," Fluttershy said softly. "Hero? No, that's what you don't understand. I didn't care who I hurt or who got hurt so long as it furthers my own goals. I'm not a villain, but I am no hero. I am the Chaos King. I figured I'd go until the day I died... I thought there was only one way I was going out of this, and I only grew stronger in preparation for the day that I'd go down in a blaze of glory. But I wasn't stupid or suicidal, no," he chuckled darkly, beginning to lose it once again. He set a claw over her hoof as his eyes glowed. "It's all just a game. A game I was losing, and I decided if I'm gonna be forced to play this life's sick game, I might as well play it my way—the chaos way," he said with a crazy look in his eye. He took in a deep breath and let the craziness subside. "Mr. Sparkle stole my research and continued the Beast Project. I wouldn't find out until a few years later that I wasn't interested in stopping him; I only wanted compensation for it." "Compensation?" Fluttershy asked. "Money, my dear. And if he wouldn't pay me for what was rightfully mine, I'd turn him into what he wanted to be so badly." Discord tightened his claw into a fist. "I went to confront him personally—a move I don't do very often, but for him, I made an exception. I only wanted to hurt those who deserved it. No, I'm not some judge of death who decides who or what gets hurt. I just hurt whoever I felt deserved it, because that’s all I've ever done. Anyone who dared to hurt me, I would hurt ten times more," he said as his voice began to grow angrier. "But I never wanted to hurt anyone who didn't deserve it." Discord stood as a tall dark shadow; only his outline could be seen in the alleyway. Mr. Sparkle turned to his wife. "You know what? I'm going to finish this right now," he said before stepping off to confront the shadow. "You! You stay away from my family!" Mr. Sparkle snarled. "I don't care about your family," Discord spat back before waving a paper at the colt's face. "This is why I'm here. I know what you're doing," he said slowly with a grin. "I know you," Discord chuckled. "It doesn't take a genius, yet here I am, to deliver your new occupations. You're still running the Beast Program." "And what if I am? You should be at the bottom of some pit! Now, for the last time, stay away from me." "You're stealing my research. I have no problem with its continuation, but I want my compensation and my part to play in it." "Your compensation? You should be dead!" growled the white pony. "Alright, that's enough you two," said a new voice entering the conversation. "My children are present, and I don't want them involved. Can't we discuss this another time?" she retorted. "Ha! Funny coming from you. Since when were you ever worried about your children?" Discord snarled at Mrs. Sparkle. "Okay, that's it! You can say what you want about me, but don't you ever talk to my wife like that!" Mr. Sparkle demanded, trying to keep his voice down so the kids in the background wouldn't hear. "I just want my compensation. I don't even care!" "You can go jump off a cliff," Mr. Sparkle retorted. Discord rolled his eyes. "Mrs. Sparkle, if you please." Mrs. Sparkle stepped away from him, a bit frightened. "We'll deal with this another time," she replied. "I'm only asking you for help, and this is the way you treat me," he chuckled darkly. "Typical, I suppose," he said with an evil grin. "You give me no choice," Discord pulled out a gun. Just then, the youngest filly walked over, not paying close attention. "No, Twilight, don't come over here!" shouted her father, making the little filly freeze in fear. Just then, a shot went off. "Mommy!" she exclaimed and ran to her in fear of the loud noise, not realizing she was heading in its direction. Her mother screamed. Then the bullet hit her, but was it a bullet? No. Her dad was the first to run up to her. "Twilight! Twilight! Oh God!" Twilight was crying. "It's gonna be okay! It's gonna be okay!" he said as he looked over her. "Twilight, everything's gonna be okay. I promise." "You shot her! You shot my daughter!" Discord's face showed horror at what he had just done. Lightning crackled in the air as it began to rain. The creature stood up. "I was aiming for you!" he punched her father. None of the words registered with the little filly as she stood up. "Run, Twilight! Run!" She saw her brother cry out. Crazy laughter filled the air as her father pleaded. "Please stop this! Don't hurt them! Don't! I'll help you; just don't!" "Hahaha! It's too late," Discord nervously laughed, a crazy grin on his face. "What have I done?" he laughed uncontrollably, his eyes glowing a burning amber color. Lightning struck from the sky as he lost his mind. "You!" he said, pointing the gun at the filly. Just then, the filly began to mutate. Twilight froze, not able to move as her mother shouted, "No! Twilight, run! Please, run!" Just then, Shining got to her just as she collapsed to the ground. "Twily! Twily!" he shouted again and again. "Mom! Twily's!" Just then, Twilight grew bigger and stronger; a horn sprouted from her head, and her eyes glowed furiously. Shining didn't know what to do as the creature that was once his sister punched him in the face. She jumped over, and both the creature and Shining watched in horror as the creature tore apart their father and, most likely, their mother. He tried to stop her, but the creature turned around and struck him in the eye. As he blacked out, the last thing he remembered was the blurry image of a claw over his face. Discord watched in horror yet laughed hysterically at all of this, taking in the chaos that ensued. Her mother tried to stop her, but was kicked back, her horn scratching her face as blood began to seep from her wound. She went flying into the back wall. Discord's crazy look never wavered until he heard her plea. "Please," she coughed, from the impact, spitting up blood. "Please protect them—watch over them!" she uttered before blacking out. Discord's eyes widened at what he had assumed was his mother's corpse. "How dare she!" he thought. How dare she ask him to take care of her brats when she didn't even once take care of him? He looked over to the others. Mr. Sparkle was in a pool of blood; there was no saving him. Little did he care, but the boy still cried out in pain, slowly blacking out. Discord walked over to him, thinking, Why should he care? The thing that was Twilight ran down the other way. "So why did you help him then?" asked Fluttershy. "It's not because I wanted to fulfill my mother's dying wish. I simply didn't care. I just took pity on the boy, that's all. I took pity on the girl as well but thought she'd be long dead soon. I didn't think anything could survive being mutated at the time. So I picked the boy up and brought him home, but I couldn't keep him there; I couldn't let him know anything. At the same time, I saw it as an opportunity I couldn't pass up.” "An opportunity?" asked Fluttershy. "Yes," he confirmed. "I was still continuing my research, not because I was looking for a cure for the chimera, but because I wanted to be a pony—no longer a freak. I needed subordinates to get back what I needed. Even more so, I needed an heir for when I would die. Someone to continue my research, perhaps... someone to continue my reign over the city. I figured I’d long be dead by the time I had my wish. I could use the serum against my enemies or allies if they became a threat. I figured I would take Shining under my wing and do just that. I also thought how grand it would be to turn Mr. Sparkle's son into my own image. But Shining proved to be difficult—always trying to poison me or ruin my research. When I found out his sister was alive, I decided it was best to let him go be with his family." "I had no idea about you in any way, dear. Falling for you was never my plan." Discord said, a bit seductively on his part. "As soon as I figured out you were a chimera," he gently slid his claw across her face, "knowing it was my fault that turned you, my research that turned you. I had to find a cure. And I did," he whispered to her. "I can cure every one of them," he whispered a bit more excitedly. "Including you?" she questioned. To answer, his expression fell to a sad one. "Oh, I see," she simply said as she frowned. After a moment of silence, Fluttershy tried to speak. "Discord, I have something I need to…" "I'm about tired of world-shattering news right now." "Oh. Uh..." was all she could reply with. Of course, perhaps now would be a bad time to tell him. "And that, my children, is the truth of what happened. That's everything. He is your brother. And I..." Tempest coughed. "I should have never left him at the hospital. I should have raised him alongside you guys. All of this," she sighed, "all of this is, in the end, my fault. I've made my mistakes." "Mom, you couldn't have known he'd end up like he did," Shining told her. "I suppose," she replied solemnly. "Now, I think I need to get some rest. A big fight is coming," she winced. "And I'm asking you guys to look out for one another. I'm also asking you to find it in your heart to look out for him. He doesn't deserve this." "Really?" Twilight yelled. "After everything that guy has done?" "In the end, I just can’t find it in myself to hate him despite all of that," her mother told her before she coughed again. This caught Twilight off guard. She wanted to retaliate, to argue against it, but found she couldn't say a word as she stood, consumed by shock. Seeing her face, her mother softly smiled. "We've all lived with so much pain, hatred, and fear for so long. I think it's time to move past that and let go of such grudges, don't you?" she told her youngest child. "Mom." She nodded. "I'm not saying forgive; I'm saying to look past it and move on." "And what if I can't?" Twilight yelled in disbelief. "Then you'll end up just like Luna," her mother whispered before drifting off to sleep. Luna... The name brought Twilight back to the harsh reality she was now facing. Her aunt. The mare who raised her alongside Celestia when her family dispersed. Luna was now the enemy. And not only that, she was Spike's adopted mother. She turned to see the young purple lizard standing in the corner of the room. His entire expression that night was not one of anger, fear, or sadness, but one of shock. At that moment, Twilight could do nothing for him. She wanted to tell him that everything was going to be okay—that his big cousin, no, that his big sister would take care of it all and make it all okay again. But right now, she couldn't do any of that, not without straight-up lying to his face. All she could do was comfort him, so she wrapped her forearms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. He didn't even respond to it, still in utter shock. And all Twilight could think of was what would Celestia do? She made a note to herself to apologize to Celestia for how she acted as a child and to thank her for raising her when this was all over. "Fluttershy," he sighed and nearly touched her but stopped himself. "Fluttershy, I... thank you. Thank you for everything, dear. Everything you've ever given me." He shook his head slightly. A look of longing struck his face. He then made her stand up off of him so he could stand himself. He took a few steps, keeping his back turned to her. The warmth of the fire spread across his back as he did, along with her presence. "I thought I would long be dead by this time, but..." he began just above a whisper. "But..." he said a bit louder and swallowed. "Tomorrow, this will all be over. And if I..." he began but winced. "Tonight, I was planning to bring you here. Before all this happened. I thought I'd show up, catch the bad guy, prove to the world I'm not the villain everyone thinks I am. And before this all got out of hand, I..." He sighed. He then turned to her and took a step toward her. "Remember what I told you about just running?" "About building a cottage and living somewhere," she nodded. "Yes, well. When this is all over…" he said, taking her hoof with his paw and flipping it to her palm. He then brought something out of his pocket—something she couldn't see. But with his claw, he placed it in her hooves. She could feel it; whatever it was, it seemed sturdy yet soft. He removed his claw, revealing a tiny black box—the kind jewelry would come in. Her eyes widened, and her mouth gaped. She went to open it with her free hoof, but he merely stopped her by placing his claw over hers. She looked up at his face. The pain he had in his eyes was nearly too much for her to bear. Yet his lips curved into a slight grin. "When this is all over," he told her. He wanted to grab her. He wanted to pull her close and hold her tight. But he knew if he did so, he would not be able to let go of her tonight. And tonight wasn't the night for such things. "Tomorrow night," he told himself. Tomorrow night, when this was all over, he'd pick her up, jump on the end of his bike, and take off, never looking back. Never caring what kind of prison this city had become to him. All he needed to be free was her. But tonight wasn't the night for the answer to the question that box proposed. Tonight was a night to prepare for a bloody battle—one that he'd been fighting longer than he even knew. Discord stepped back away from her. As he did so, he felt the shift in temperature immediately: the warmth of her, the warmth of the fire just behind her. The light shined, enveloping her in a warm glow. He knew he needed to step back—back into the shadows once more. One more time. One more day. After that, he needed not ever be alone again. He coughed, clearing his throat. "So you were saying something… I'm sorry to interrupt," he said, wanting to talk more with her, at least. Wanting to hear her soothing voice again. It was like music to his ears. It both calmed his heart and excited it. She looked at the box and then back to him. "Oh, oh, don't worry! It's nothing really," she gave a half-laugh. "It can wait," she assured him as she held on a bit tighter to the box in her hoof. "It can wait till later..." she nodded. "Good night, Mr. Ghost." She smiled. He smiled back before replying, "Good night, Miss Breeze." And with that, he watched as she walked away. Author's Note Wooo 🥱 I really should have made this two chapters. The reason why I didn't was because I wanted 25 chapters only. Even so, I think making this, this long was a mistake. Oh well, at least I reached my goal of 100,000 words. That was something I challenged myself on and boy did I make it 😆. Ok, I think you read enough and I wrote enough for today. Let's skip the author's note story till next time. Later 😂 👋 by the way Merry Christmas 2024 or better yet Happy Hearts Warming
Chapter 25 Wolf PackThe moon hung high in the air as the clock slowly hit midnight. Twilight breathed in and out, slowly. Her eyes were still her own. The sound of the rushing soldiers around her. She chuckled a bit herself. Of all the things to think about at the time. A battle about to rage, one that would change everything she knew, and all she could think about was the last months. Before October, despite being in a home with her godmother and adopted cousin, she was a lone wolf, one who wouldn't allow anyone to help her. The days seemed like years, yet were only a few months ago when Spike opened the door, making her drop her trial cure for the chimaera disease. That night, she would meet her friends, her very best friends that she went on a journey with. She found her brother still alive, along with him a mystery to solve. She'd found not only her mother but her oldest brother as well. Long since the days that she felt alone and on her own. Yet the question remained in her mind: how could she ever forgive him? Forgive what her brother Discord had done. Yet her mother's wise words still rang in her ear: "If you don't, you'll end up like your Aunt Luna, who's now waging an army against them She opened up her eyes to the sight of the dark field before her, as she gripped the key to the cure she had been searching for for so long. In front of her was a government base. By her side to face such a treat was her brother shining and to her surprise, Mr Cake, Smolder, his brother, and Capper Cat. He noticed she was looking at him and asked"nervous?" She only nodded. "Yeah me too. But don't worry you got a lot better at fighting." He chuckled as he rubbed his arm. "Sorry bout that." She apologized. "No need, I'm glad you're here." He smirked. "So shining you ready?" He asked. Shining turned to him, a bit in shock himself. " You used to drive me to school." He chuckled. "I thought you were so much older than I am." "Hah nope, just 22." How'd you get involved anyway?" Shining asked "Simple if not ironic. Your brother Discord saved my life when I was little. I was always curious why he took you on but was never allowed to ask questions. The fact that your his siblings,"; the cat chuckled. "Well, team two you ready?" He asked the small group. 'As we'll ever be." Smolder replied. "Ok good, course I think team one is about to go." Discord stood in front of Team One. Luna noticed him right away and had every chimera already set to take him out. Discord took his jacket off as the chimera began to run towards them. Remember folks were only here to capture them. He reminded his troopers. They Were armed with tranquilizers but we're very frightened beyond belief. Pinky, Dash, Rarity, and Applejack all stood in their chimera forms ready to attack. Everyone else raised their snipers ready to shoot. In the crowd of civilian soldiers, stood Jr and his sister, who were sweating bullets. Discord smirked a cocky grin as he took off his hat. His neck grew slightly as did his body. He resorted back to his true form, and with a mighty roar from him, the battle began. He jumped and came smashing into another chimera. Dash spent no time flying in herself trying to stop another. Rarity whacked one with her mighty tail and pinky and her cousin ran quickly giving the enemy small wounds. Not enough not to take them down at first but enough to leave a mark. Still, the enemies were not dumb. They used their training from Luna to stand against the heroes. Even with the tranquilizer darts that went flying at them, they needlessly evaded it. They also had armor on themselves. making it that much more difficult to pierce their skin. Discord wasn't holding back. He used everything his body could muster to fight; he used his ice blast, his fire blast, and his lightning zaps to hold down the enemy. He twisted his body in unusual ways to evade capture. As he punched, for a split second he'd let his missiles grow twice their size to give more of an impact only to return it to normal as he pulled it back. He had to use all the scenes. Sight smell touch, the twist of the air, the sound of an oncoming opponent. His sixth sense was everything he could to fight back. And he was not alone. Dash and the others struggled to keep up with the many chimera that were on the battlefield. Luna sat in her tower and watched as the battle raged on. "Captain," she announced. "You may fire." "But mam there are chimera on our side down there."He asked, concerned. "And?" She asked rhetorically. "It shall be done, mam." He finished. Military-grade weapons, tanks, and rocket launchers were all lined up and ready to go within moments. Sitting on a moving train, Fluttershy stared at a computer, a headset on her head. She wasn't able to fight, but she wasn't going to do nothing. She had become a member of Team Three, communications. When she saw the movement of soldiers with tanks, from the drones that hung high up in the air, she tapped on her headset. "Discord, you have incoming – a lot of incoming," she said. "Thanks for the heads-up," he said back. "Alright, everyone – take cover if you can. Let's just hope Team Two gets done quickly," he snarled. Team Two infiltrated the base with little issues. Most were preoccupied with the fight going on outside, so the small team had little to deal with. A soldier here and there that was easily taken down by Capper or one of the other chaos members. Their goal was simple. Infiltrate and lock down the base thus cutting off the enemy from their backup power and artillery, giving the team one the chance to take down and capture the chimera with little disturbance. Then team two would look forward to taking out Luna, hopefully by then, team one would catch up. Thanks to team three they all said I was in close contact through walkie-talkies and earpieces that were in the rage of a moving train running by. They hoped when this was all over they'd all jump on the train and ride on home. Easy peasy. So you'd think. But these things never tended to go directly as planned. Still, twilight along with team two had little issues completing their goals. Twilight having the past words from her godmother knew she was perfect for this role. But she still had an odd sense of dread as they approached the building. They turned around a corner and opened a door, to their surprise they ran into several soldiers. "Take cover," cried Smolder as she quickly pulled out her weapon. They did as were told but were quickly cornered. "Look me and my brother will handle this you three go and finish the job we'll catch up to you, "Smolder told them. "But," Capper tried to argue, yet Smolder pushed him aside. "Go!" she yelled out. Capper hated to leave his friend behind but knew what was at risk and grabbed Twilight and Shining. Dragging them down the hall. The battlefield was full of chaos as both sides clashed and the chimera fought tooth and nail to survive. In the midst of it, trying to get closer to Discord were the twins. "Watch out!" Junior shouted as he pulled his sister away just in time for a tranquilizer dart to fly past her. "Thanks for that," she replied. He shrugged it off as he jumped and kicked an enemy soldier in the face, knocking him out cold. "Sis, I hate to say it, but I'm afraid we're going to have to go feral on this one," he said. "I think you're right," she said as her hooves began to shift into a pair of lion's claws. She spread her angelic-like wings, her ears growing more like a donkey's, and her eyes glowed a sharp amber. He grew antlers and a horn, not as large as his father's, but a horn and antlers nonetheless. His front hooves morphed into eagle-like claws as he spread his bat-like wings, his neck stretched a bit further. He was now even taller than he was originally, but nowhere near the height of his father. The two twins snarled, their fangs bared. In an instant, they jumped into the fight, only to vanish without a trace. The enemies felt ghost-like claws and teeth as they were thrown around. Their opponents had no clue what was happening, but they charged ahead anyway, knowing they were winning this fight. Capper stood beside her sonic gun, at the ready. As did the others... Alright, I'm in, she told him. Capper nodded. "Wow, how'd ya do that so fast?" asked her brother. "Discord actually gave me a few helpful tips on their security details before we left," she said. "I'm surprised at how quickly it worked. Just stay close and we'll..." "And well, what?" said a familiar voice. They all turned their sights and guns to see the dark blue, now black Alicorn. "Luna," Twilight said shakily. "You're on the wrong side, you know," her aunt expressed. "You don't have to do what he says. You can stand up against him. You can stop him," she said as she took a step towards the group. Capper cocked his gun, his voice firm: "Not a step closer." "Oh, yes, yes, I'm not bulletproof," Luna said, chuckling. "But come now, you're not going to shoot." "The hell I won't," Capper growled. Luna shook her head in frustration. "You can't be serious? Look at what he's done. Look at what that monster is." "The only monster I see is you," Capper muttered. "Really, so what? You're just going to ignore the fact that your boss turned people into chimeras and killed several of my friends?" Luna said, her voice dripping with dramatic flair. "Your ridiculous." Twilight looked at her in shock, biting her lip in fright. She didn't know what to do. "He is my family," Twilight replied, her voice barely above a whisper. Luna's eyes widened for a moment, and then narrowed. "Ah, that I didn't know. That actually makes it worse than... you should definitely be on my side here." "Your turning creatures into chimeras!" Twilight called back, her voice trembling. "To stop a chimera, one must become strong to defeat the strong – if not stronger," Luna explained, her eyes gleaming with an unsettling intensity. "Besides, think of it, Twilight – now we have the power to stop all wars long before they even begin. I'm not a villain." "No you're just a psychopath," Twilight muttered in a hushed tone as she herself was on the verge of tears. "Psychopath am I," Luna said as if she were arguing with a child that didn't know any better. "Twilight this is the future your father and I were creating, a future to protect you, to protect brothers like you." "Yeah and what about spike! How do you think he feels knowing his adopted mother is the cause of all this madness? How do you think I feel" Twilight said as a tear finally broke. She whimpered slightly as she finished her work on her computer. "Don't act like I don't love Spike, that I don't love you like your my own daughter. I sat here for far too long thinking only of you. Thinking only of this world." "No!" Twilight yelled.."no you only thought how you could take down a monster. who happened to be my brother! He may have done quite a lot in the past, but he never stooped so low as to this." Twilight snarled. Luna sighed, "Very well Twilight. You leave me, no choice." "You sound just like him, you know." Twilight huffed. Luna shrugged, "It's something we all have in command then don't we Twilight." Luna grinned victoriously and then quickly kicked the gun out of Capper's paw. She then flung out her wings and took out shining. Capper, having lessons himself, used his swift moves to evade her oncoming attacks. However she being a chimera, was much faster and stronger than the cat and quickly gained the upper hand knocking him to the ground. 'Giving Twilight enough time to finish what she was doing she hit enter and turned around to face Luna who only looked at her disappointed. "Come with me, Aunty. Please for my sake, for Spike's sake." She held out her hoof. Luna took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I've already done so much." She shook her head solemnly. "You can make up for it. You can be granted another chance, all you have to do is take it. Take my hoof please." Twilight begged. Luna winced. "I'm sorry Twilights," she opened her eyes revealing them as amber. "I've come too far, I'm not going to give up that easy," she snarled before she did over to Twilight and back kicked her landing on her back hoof like a ballerina. Twilight went back into the wall but stood her ground. "You know I've been hit so many times in the chest, one just gets used to it." Twilight smiled as her eyes began to glow the same as Luna's. "Twilight you've never been a good dancer, you're not the most athletic pony remember?" Twilight chuckled at that. "You'd be surprised, Aunty. I'm a really good studyer," She said a bit white before she leapt off the wall and went in for a punch. Luna effortlessly evaded her moves, her movements matching those of a ballerina, yet a bit more forcefully. "I don't want to hurt you Twilight." Luna scuffed. "Yeah, that makes two of us." Twilight chuckled as she stood in a fighting stance. Luna grew a smirk at her god niece conference. "I'm not hiding back." She smiled. "Wouldn't expect you to," Twilight smirked. I'm seconds Luna jumped at her and threw a fist. It took Twilight everything she had to dodge it and bring out her new. Luna saw this and stopped it with her wing. Twilight huffed a bit out of breath..she not only had to deal with Luna's attacks she also had to deal with Luna's wings. Wings Twilight did not have, on top of that, she had a horn just like Twilight. This wasn't going to be an easy fight. Twilight pushed herself off the ground and over Luna to create some distance between the two, nightmare tried to close the gap but Twilight blasted fire from her horn at her. She used her own fire to counter it and took flight, knocking right back into Twilight. Twilight dodged her but the two fell out of the window, nightmare used her wings effortlessly, but Twilight had to think on her feet. She used her ice blast to create a bridge and slid down it ice scaring until she was a le to land inside a window down the building, she slipped a bit and spun around but to her surprise, she actually landed on her feet.." woo I actually did it that time," she jumped excitedly. Luna lowered into the window frame. "A bit premature for celebrating, isn't it?" She smirked. Twilight chuckled, "You don't understand, I've been trying to get that move down for months." She smiled. 'Oh well I'm happy for you," Luna said sarcastically before blasting fire at her. Twilight jumped from behind a desk as the fire engulfed it. She spun around and blasted her own fire blast at Luna who used her ice ray to put out the fire. Rarity smashed her tail into an oncoming chimera. Dash dodged the chimera throne at her and used her lightning to zap it unconscious, the first one to truly be taken down. "Hey, watch where you're sending them!" She remarked. Rarity chuckled, "Sorry Dash." She sighed. As she looked around. Despite the unhappy situation they found themselves in she was just glad to be fighting by her friend's side again. Another chimera was about to hit her when Rarity turned around and punched it in the face. To her surprise, it was a double knockout thanks to Dash doing the same. "Hahah." She laughed. "What's so funny," asked Dash?' 'Oh nothing, it's just us fighting together instead of each other." She smiled. "You really are a good friend, you know that." Dash's eyes widened a bit as did her smile. It wasn't the first time she heard those words from Rarity. Then she remembered she told Twilight that they'd never be friends again. She grew a bit sad as she turned her arm a bit ashamed "Do you think Twilight will ever forgive me?" She asked "She already has." Replied Rarity, making dash look up. "And so have I." Rarity smiled. The griffins could only nod her thanks, too proud to say it. "Hey I know, why not after this, you and I go and dash through a rainbow?" Rarity chuckled. Making Dash chuckle alongside her. 'Maybe all of us should.' She replied. The two friends had their happy moments but it was short-lived as they two together jumped back into the fight at hand. As their endless battle continued the two mares found themselves on the ground trying to catch their breath. Twilight was breathing the heaviest. She barely got a punch in and could only dodge her attacker. She had a black eye and a few scrapes and bruises. Equalizer had to give her credit for keeping almost up. She couldn't believe she was actually doing this, and the worst part was when she looked at her she saw a daughter figure. She hated to lay a good on her any further. Yet despite that she couldn't hold back, she couldn't let Twilight get the upper hand. Luna was the first to stand up but Twilight walked her way to a fighting position. "Huh, how cute." Luna scoffed. She walked over to her gingerly. Twilight spat fire from her horn but Luna quickly put it out with an ice ray, she would have dodged it yet she too was nearly out of strength. This fight couldn't last much longer. "I'm not about to kill you, I only want Discord Ghost." "Yeah, well you could have fooled me." She chuckled out of breath. Twilight stood face to face with her aunt alone. She put up a good effort, but she had doubts that she could win. She begged for backup to arrive. But Capper was down, Fluttershy had two broken legs, Dash and Rarity were battling crazy chimera, and AJ was keeping the citizens safe. Pinky and Discord stood distracting everyone. Her mother was wounded and in bed. Her brother was swiftly moving troops trying to get the chimera transported back to Chaos Vill. She had no one, she stood alone. No one was coming to back her up, no one was coming to save her. And she still has no answers as to what she was to do. Her future self said stop Discord but stop him from what because right now she wasn't facing Discord but Luna. Did her future self even know..did that timeline even exist now? She couldn't think straight as she felt blood drip down her face making it hard to see out of her eye, luckily it was already black and bloody so I'd didn't even matter. What could she do? What hope did she have? After everything she's been through, out of everything she's done. She Trained, she got stronger, she got better use of her powers, she learned the truth about her family, she not only met her dead brother, she met her dead mother and her long lost brother she never knew she had. Out of her entire body, the most that ached was her heart, As she looked at her aunt walking towards her. The face she looked up to for comfort, the face she thought she could always trust. She couldn't hold back her own whimper as she thought of her aunt Celestia, what she would think of if she saw Luna and her now. And then spike..his little face. His shocked expression. It finally broke Twilight to tears thinking about Spike as Luna stood finally over her. Twilight went in for a punch but it was sluggish and slow, not that Luna's movement weren't also. Still, Luna didn't even try to dodge it she just lowered her leg and kicked Twilight in the chest smashing her into the ground, a loud crunch was heard proving her robes were now truly broken. Luna kept her hoof on top of Twilight's broken rib cage. Twilight moaned in pain. "You should never do anything alone, Twilight. You're simply not strong enough to do everything on your own." Luna said in a soothing motherly voice. "That is where your mistake lies, just like Discords." 'She's not alone." Shouted a familiar voice. Luna's eyes shot over to the direction the voice came in. There standing in a poorly designed Halloween costume was none other than Spike. In his claws Twilight gun. "Don't worry it's just a tranquilizer." "Spike.” His mother whispers. "Nighty night Equalizer." He said, narrowing his eyes..with a quick pull of the trigger a tranquilizer dart went flying into Luna's neck, knocking her off of Twilight and onto the ground. It wasn't enough to knock her out, it did stop her from moving at all. Twilight moaned as she moved to see him. 'Spike" she half choked on a cry. 'I told you to stay with my mom." "Yeah because you were doing so well by yourself, since when do I ever listen to you," he chuckled. She did but stopped as the pain hit her. "Owwwwrr she moaned. 'Spike do me a favor." "Yeah, what's that?" He asked as he walked over to her. 'Don't ever listen to me again." She smirked. "Wasn't planning on it.." he said just above a whisper, a smile on his face. 'Come on let's get you up," he told her and began to help her to her feet. With the battle over, most of the chimeras were already on the train, waiting to be cured and helped. As for those who weren't, they were waiting to be loaded. To Luna's surprise, she was also picked up and set on the train. The assumption was that they would kill her, but instead, they planned to turn her normal again. Normal, she thought. She'd been a chimera for so long; did she even remember what it felt like to be normal? Twilight watched as they loaded Luna onto the train, taking her away from her. Then she saw some of the medical team taking Capper and the other injured away to safety. Spike helped Luna walk and stand, but soon she unwound her arm from his and stood on her own two feet, taking small, tentative steps at first but gradually gaining strength back despite the pain she felt in her ribs. Capper surprised her by walking up to her and saying, "Well done, sparky." She smiled at that and then looked around. "Where's Discord?" "Over here," her brother called out, sitting on a piece of fallen rubble and trying to catch his breath. "I have Fluttershy on the line," he told her, noticing that he had an earpiece in his right ear. His ear then twitched. "Yes, yes, she's right here...she's fine." "Fine? No, I'm alive," she corrected. Discord chuckled at her remark, as one of the chaos vill soldiers walked over examining the disgusting messes of experiments left on the ground along with the ruble..eww he mutters a bit discussed at the sight of whatever it was. Suddenly from one of the bats, a creature presumed sead sprained to life and the two watched as it bit into him. Twilight Spike Capper and Discord all looked over at it. As it drained its blood the creature seemed to gain strength too. It growled as it finally let go of its meal. Its meal however didn't stay dead..no in fact the soldier began to mutate into a creature along it. "We can't let those things escape!" Said Discord horrified at what he just saw. "Changelings," Twilight whispered. "Discord I can't explain, but we have to stop them, I just know if we don't-" He stopped her by placing a lion-like paw on her muzzle shifting her up. "If they get out the entire world could be turned into chimera with just a bite.' Capper raised his gun and shot at it but the bullet only bounced off. "Sir thire bullet proof." He deadpanned tiredly. Discord lets go of Twilight's muzzle and strokes his beard in thought. Twilight eyes scared across the area trying to think of something, anything that could stop them. Then she saw the lab. "That's it," she shouted. "What is." Asked discord unamused. "Acid. I've forever tried to cure the chimera doses, multi le times I needed up with acid. If we can just give the chimera blood a quick shake and add a bit of charge-" "- it could form an acid that would melt them away. Twilight that genius." He told her. Yeah but someone has to go down there and do it. Cause an explanation to make sure the acid flies around and reaches all the changelings. "Heh done," Discord said as he pulled out a lighter. There has to be some gas or fuel down there that will do the trick. One explosion coming up." He said cockily. "Wait, no discord if." "It's my job, let me handle it." He lit his cigarette. "What no!" Shouted fluttershy over the intercom. "Discord you can't, if you go down there." "It's my research that started this mess, it's me who will end this." He snarled as a breath of smoke escaped his lips. "Discord no you can't I-" At the sound of that discord ripped out his earpiece. Fluttershy grits her teeth as she watched the line go dead. "Twilight," he barked. This is it." He said as he reloaded his gun with one bullet. "No, no I'm not gonna let you do this.' She retorted with a moan, due to her ribs Discord laughed. Really, "You're not gonna finish it then." He told her. "I'm going down there and when I do this, the whole thing’s gonna explode." He held out his gun to her. "If you don't want to, you and everyone else here to fry you, shoot that door, sealing me and all the chimera inside, got it!" He snapped at her. "No, no I." "What not gonna take revenge for your poor old daddy now, is that it." He snarled as he grabbed her by the color of her outfit. "Listen to her, we are not siblings. I murdered your father and I am about to give you what you always desired. He handed her the gun..not only do you have the key to the cure of the disease I gave you. I even set you up to look like the hero once I'm gone," he chuckled. And let go of her. "Boss?" Asked capper. But Discord ignored him. "Like your father before you, you can take credit for the cure and become rich and famous, a true hero," he chuckled. "When truth be told your just like me.." he laughed as his eyes glowed. Twilight's entire body shook as she felt the weight of the gun in her hooves. He turned his back to Twilight and Capper. "Long live the chaos queen." He mutters before running on all fours to the laboratory. Capper gasped as he watched his boss travel across the field for what would definitely be the last time. The twins stood camouflaged barely viable as they watched their father take off across the battlefield. Mells's eyes widened as her heart sank. We got to stop him she shouted out not caring who heard "Get on." Shouted her brother who was already on the back of their bike. She leaped onto it and the two siblings drove off after their father. "If he dies chrysalis wins!" Shouted Jr. "We'll stop him, we have to, we've come too far to give up now." Shouted his sister as they drove as fast as they could to the building. Twilight shivers in fear as she watches Discord reach the building. One shot to the shin holding up the door and it would seal him in. "Stop discord. Stop discord... ran through her mind. "I have to stop discord?" She mutters and raises the gun. But she didn't put it at the door. "No," she pointed it at him with a shaky hand. But she was too late as he entered the building. To her surprise, she saw a bike enter it as well. I have to. She grit her teeth, her eyes glowed amber and she took the shot closing the door to the lab, in seconds the building went up in smoke. A concealed blast could be heard from inside. Twilight collapsed to her news. 'I couldn't stop him '' she uttered. "I couldn't stop Discord." Capper stood in awe of what he just saw. The only one who could even move to their surprise was a little lizard who wrapped Twilight in a hug. "Hay it's over now. We have the cure and, and we stopped the equalizer." He smiled. She shook him off. As the sun peaked just above the horizon showing day break. 'No spike. No, I'm afraid this isn't over at all." She lowers her head revealing her burning chimera eyes. "No, I think, this," "This is only" "The beginning." Author's Note Cliff hanger!!!! HURAY it's finally out. This has been my longest story I have ever written. Ever. I've been a fan fic writer long before I was a MLP fan and I never written anything this long. Or this good for that matter. I want to thank everyone who stayed with and read this all the way through. As well as everyone who atleast gave it a chance and at least tried. Alright so this is the end. In a world where it seems like no one can put out a good idea anymore I'm glad this turned out so well. With that said I must say thire are a few things that even I don't like about it. 1 pinky and applejack are just there because I wanted to use all the mpp chapters. And in highnsight I wish I didn't. They could be removed and it change nothing about the story. 2 thire are many scenes In the first 9 chapters that I want to simplify. And in the audio drama I'm doing just that. 3 I tried to put in to many references to MLP and it kinda ruins the story. I kinda want to to unponify this and make it my own story to publish. If I do that these things will definitely be changed. Any way thank you again and if you think this is the end, oh no this is a trilogy. Next book won't be as long, and the story will be out soon enough. Untill then I'll tell you the title of the next story, hope your looking forward for Heart Of The CHIMERA And to think I finished it up just to release on Christmas Day 2024 merry Christmas everyone
prologueAuthor's Note Ok so heres one I have been working on for a long time. Ever since I saw the power ponies episode in the show I've wanted to write a comic book fan fic. Being a fan of both science, science fiction, story telling and the hero genre, like DC and marvel I had something in mind for a while. However the more I wrote this the more the story just evolved and took a life on its own. What started as a power pony fan fic has turned into something I hope you all enjoy, and please feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you all think about the CHIMERA TRILOGY... update 9/1/2023... I HAVE AN EDITOR!!! and the prolog has been fixed update /28/2023 im going back fixing more mistakes and gonna try to stream line the first few chapters so its an easier read. update 1/25/24 i now have an editor. Special thanks to: Rivershy for edditng this for me. prologue ”Chimera” “Definition, a mythical hybrid creature. The most famous is the one that holds this very name. A monstrous two-headed cat: one head of a cat, one of a goat, and with the tail of a snake head. Often depicted as the villain or at least adversary of a hero. Some chimeras are said to have magical powers. They could breathe fire, control seas, shape-shift, and have the strength of a hundred elephants. They can even command the very heavens above with the power to control lightning, wind, and other elements. Most were depicted as grotesque and terrifying, yet you can also find many considered nature's most majestic creatures to ever exist. Gods would often send heroes after such beasts to prove their worth. They were either the spawn of evil or nature's greatest. However, there was no need to be alarmed, such monsters only exist in legends…or so I thought.” “Or so she thought, huh?” murmured a male pony, pressing stop on a computer that was playing a rather dark video, only an outline of someone speaking could be seen on the screen. As for the pony himself, he had a soft yellowish fur, a black mane, and was tall for a pony. He wore a white lab coat and a pair of glasses. He kept his eyes closed as he wrote down notes on a clipboard. He stood in the middle of a forest, yet the sound of a wrench working on something was heard in the background. “Why are you even listening to that? We already know the mission, don't we?” complained a female voice. “It's always good to get all the facts straight.” He told her. While he couldn't see her face it was clear by the way her head moved that she was rolling her eyes. He only shrugged in response. His companion was a gray pony with pink hair and black highlights throughout her long mane which pulled back into a ponytail held by a blue flower hair clip, she wore a leather biker jacket. “Do you have that thing working yet?” The male pony asked as he grabbed a hold of a ring that was around his neck, “Hold on!” she called out as she tried to turn the last screw. Using all her strength, it seemed to be enough to get it to twist. She then let out her breath. ”Whoof got it,” she said, then took out the clip in her hair and shook her mane around a bit. “Ready to go," she turned to him, revealing her eyes. They were like a snake’s. Yellow glowing eyes with a small red slit for a pupil that could send a chill down anyone's spine. The male pony also finally opened his eyes, showing them to be just the same. “Alright then, let’s start the mission now.” He said as he checked his cracked and slightly burnt, almost barely holding on to its strap but still ticking watch. “October, 24, 9:29, ---- pm day 0” “Citizens of Ponyville…” The mayor of the city announced with a clear voice. She stood before a podium on the stage, addressing the large crowd of press that surrounded her below. “I know these are troubling times, with this strange outbreak of…” The mayor paused trying to think of the right words to use. She was a tall white pony, taller than most but a pony nonetheless whose hair sparkled and shined a pastel rainbow of colors, dressed in a simple blue business suit. “Mutations caused by a disease that we are still tracking down. To all those who are victims of this disease; we are doing our utmost best to fight back, with the help of some of the greatest minds of our entire nation, we are researching a cure for these tragic events that have plagued our fair city today”. She said, her voice sharp and strong, a true politician, yet with an almost motherly tone to her voice. While she gave no smile, there was great confidence in her demeanor. Suddenly, the reporters in the audience buzzed alive with energy. “Miss Kang! Miss Celestia Kang! please over here, Miss Kang!” “One at a time.” She raised a hoof, silencing them all. Celestia pointed to a blue lizard in the group. “Hello Miss Kang, I am with the Nightly News. Tell me what do you think of the new moniker the public is giving these..um victims as you say?” “Chimera. Yes, I am aware.” She continued, “True, the first captured mutant did indeed resemble such a beast, I can not deny that. But I personally can not condone such a horrendous name. Chimera is a creature of legend, and are depicted as evil monsters. These people are merely infected by a very real threat. And I assure you that a cure will be found.” At the end of her answer, all the other reporters started shouting their questions over each other once again. She pointed at a fat red cat this time. “Miss Kang, what of the rumor that the mutation disease only affects those of feline variety,” “A miscommunication. We have seen cases of lizards, cats, dogs, and ponies by now. We know this isn't just an isolated event.” The reporters hungered for her word, many hands raised in the air. “I have to apologize, I am out of time but rest assured if there is anything else I will address it another time.” As soon as she finished, several reporters swarmed her as the mayor ignored their questions and headed back inside, where she was greeted by a dark blue pony dressed in the same attire as her but in black instead. The pony tapped their earpiece and spoke something into it, the doors suddenly locked shut behind them. Celestia took several steps past the other pony and sighed tiredly, her expression showing exhaustion. “Well sister, now we can have at least a moment's rest.” Celestia looked over her shoulder. “If only that were true, Luna.” She collapsed into a chair, rubbing her forehead. ”I almost didn't even make it. I only won by two votes. The city has lost faith in me ever since these mutants showed up.” As she continued, Luna walked over to a table and poured two cups of coffee. “I have to gain the trust of the creatures back. Find a cure for the mutants and stop whoever is creating them in the first place.” “This is pure chaos, and I have no clue who's behind it at all. And now people are calling the victims chimeras. It’s only a matter of time before people look at these victims as monsters to be destroyed.” Celestia took the cup of coffee from Luna but did not drink. Instead, she sat with a concerned look on her face. “The last thing I need is a riot on my hands.” “Sister we are in this together, I promise that-” A knock broke her speech. “Sorry, am I interrupting?” “No, you are alright Mr. Shine. Has the ESA found anything that can help, Sombra?” “The Equestrian Security Agency is looking into these events but unfortunately we have yet to find anything.” “Do you really believe you'll find anything?” Another voice joined the conversation. It sent a chill down everyone’s spine as the smell of smoke filled the room. The opened door revealed a very tall stallion in an orange suit with a matching hat and purple tie. The brim of his hat shielded his eyes, but not his muzzle. Sticking out on one side was a lit cigarette and on the other was a large overbite fang-like tooth. A black goatee hung from his chin, and a black mustache sat above his lips. He had a very long snout, even for a pony, and with his ears, he looked more like a donkey than anything else. His face had a sunken-in, skull-like appearance. No tail to be seen. And despite the suit giving him a wider frame, it was all too clear how skinny he was. Celestia was taller than most ponies, and he was still at least half a foot taller than her. Standing at what seemed to be seven-foot tall along with his hat, giving him even more height. He towered over most creatures, including lizards who were usually a taller species than ponies. Despite all that, he was a pony, judging by his hooves. He slowly brought up his right hoof and took out the cigarette. A cloud of smoke escaped his breath like a dragon. He smiled, yet the grin on his face was anything but friendly. It was the kind of smile a deranged killer would make as he greeted his next prey. “What are you doing here?” Luna asked venomously. “I invited him,” Celestia answered for him as she cleared her throat and returned to her desk. “ Hmm, desperate times do call for desperate measures aye,” Sombra muttered just loud enough to be heard. “You may go now Mr. Shine.” Celetia excused him. “Oh sure go and act like I don't know of the cars that follow me around. Word of advice, If you're going to spy on somepony, make sure they don't see you,” the new pony chuckled. "Well well well. If it isn't the queen herself. What's it been? A decade since we last saw each other?” The mayor kept her cool, looking as stern but friendly as possible. “And look,if it isn't the general herself.” He turned his gaze to Luna. "Retired. I'm top of security for my sister now." Luna said, trying to sound neutral but lacking in her performance. The pony or creature chuckled, a deep, dark sound that could make the hair on the base of anyone’s neck stand on its ends. “So I'm guessing you didn't call me here to catch up on old times. A meeting with someone of my reputation wouldn't do well for your next vote." His smile diminished as he lifted his hat slightly, revealing sunglasses. "Let's stop with the pleasantries. Why am I here?" "Good, they weren't very pleasant anyways," Luna said under her breath. "Mr Ghost..." Celestia began. "Oh please Tia, we were once friends, weren't we? no need to be so formal.” He smiled a toothy all-knowing grin. Celestia blinked, but her expression hadn't changed. "Mr Ghost..." "Tough crowd," he muttered as he took a few more steps to look out the window. "With the rise of the chimera incidents, research to find a cure can never be more important. As a previous head researcher, we wish to employ you, sir, to help us find a cure. And also as one of the richest men in the state, we hope that we can come to an agreement that would be beneficial to all parties." "Oh, I see." He said with his back turned to them. "Ten years go by and the only reason you contact me is money. Isn't Dr. Filthy Rich or the Crystals putting in their fair share?" "Yes, but we need all the help we can get if we are to cure this epidemic," Celestia stated, trying not to sound desperate. "Why not ask for help from your citizens, since you oh so care for the creatures of this city?" "As leader of this city, they depend on me to make the right decision. Not to drain their pockets. I am only asking for your help to better your own reputation." A moment of silence filled the air, and the tension grew every second it remained. Only to be shattered by the sound of laughter. "Hahahaha." cackled Mr Ghost. His entire chest convulsed with his laughter as he started wheezing. Luna rolled her eyes as Celestia narrowed hers. "Something amusing?" She questioned in a dry tone. "Yes," he shot back, turning on his heel to face them. "You." He said through gritted teeth. "You actually believe you're in charge here. This is my city, do not forget that." He stated gravely. "If this is your city, then why won't you help us then?" Luna replied with anger burning in her eyes. "I never said I wasn't going to." He remarked in an equally angry voice. His answer made the two sisters’ eyes widen. Mr Ghost walked back to pull forward a suitcase they had not noticed him bring in beforehand, he passed by Luna not meeting her glare as he settled the suitcase on Celestia's desk. Clicking open the lock showed bundles of bills. "I don’t wish for my name to be on any document. This is anonymous, As for the other payments, I have already left them in donation boxes." He began to head to the door. As he reached the threshold he said. "And don't forget, Who really rules this city." And with that, he left the two sisters stunned. As the office door closed behind him, his assistant, a tall slender male cat, walked up to him. "Mr. Ghost, sir," "Pull the car around, Capper, and quickly. I want to get out of here ASAP." "Yes sir." "And what is it that you're wearing?" Capper looked down at himself, "Oh the suit sir? It's all I had." He was in a tuxedo. Mr. Ghost sighed. "I told you we were meeting with the mayor, not going to the prom.” "Sorry sir, it's all I could find on such short notice." Mr. Ghost sighed again and tried not to laugh at his assistant's expense. "Sir, I also have your next appointment ready." "Excellent, the sooner, the better." The two headed out the front door. "I'll take it from here, you go and meet up with our…" he grinned slightly, "business associate. But before you do that, please look the part will you?" He raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Capper. "Of course, sir. " "Good…now get going." And with that said, Mr Ghost got in the car and left. Luna stared at the cash on the table. Celestia noticed her sister’s line of sight and nodded. "That's just like him, he still hasn't changed a bit, has he?" Luna gave a stilted nod, still flabbergasted at the sight of the cash. CRASH!!!
Chapter 1: A lone wolf or was it a pony?Chapter 1 A lone wolf or was it a pony Celestia and Luna turned their heads to the sound of glass breaking. “Oops…sorry.” The two sighed in relief when it was discovered to be just a little purple lizard with green scales running down his back, dressed up in a little superhero outfit. “I'll clean it up, I promise. I was only trying to bring a snack to Twilight.” The little lizard pleaded. Celestia giggled at the sight, but Luna glared at the broken glass and vanilla milkshake splattered all across the hallway floor. She yelled at the top of her lungs. “HOW MANY MORE TIMES MUST I TELL YOU TO WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING? IF YOU CAN'T THEN AT THE VERY LEAST DO NOT TOUCH THE GLASS. Plastics are far better for the likes of clumsy oafs.” She mumbled after her rant. Spike was frightened by Luna, and hurt by her words. It showed as small tears started to build in his eyes, his claws beginning to shake in fear… “LUNA!!” reprimanded Celestia, “How dare you talk to him like that!” Luna jumped at her sister’s tone. “Oh, no, no no, I-I didn't mean to…” she sighed. “I’m sorry, Spike. Look I just bought those dishes and now they're broken. Please in the future get the plastic ones instead, okay? Now come here.” Luna hugged him and then began to clean up the mess herself. “Go and make Twilight another one.” Spike nodded and headed back to the kitchen. Celestia shook her head. “And that's another thing I have to add to my list. The fear of other creatures has been rising ever since these chimera incidents. Lizards, ponies, dogs, and cats. Ever since the war, it's been so hard to get everyone on the right track again.” Luna turned to her sister. “I didn't mean to- I swear I-…” “Spike is just a little guy. Let him be.” Celestia gave a small chuckle. ”After all, it was you who adopted him, right?” Luna nodded and continued cleaning up the mess. ”Now, I just wonder how my goddaughter is doing.” “Our goddaughter,” Luna corrected her. “Yes, our goddaughter.” In a bedroom that looked very similar to a science lab than it did a room, sat a purple pony. Surrounding her were vials and beakers of liquids, some boiling. Others were filled with strange ingredients. She opened a freezer and pulled out several more cold, colorful liquids. She singled out a green one and eyed it carefully. Taking a needle syringe and carefully drawing out the liquid, she set the rest of the vials back in the freezer and walked over to the other side of the desk, near a microscope. Taking a seat, she put on a pair of glasses and carefully let out a drop of the green liquid onto a plate under the microscope. Right then the door slammed open. “Twilight, I'm back.” The sound of the door made Twilight jump and the green liquid splattered onto the table. It quickly burned through the surface of her desk and began to seep through the wood. “Spike!” She yelled and quickly grabbed a glass pan, catching the green liquid as it dropped from a hole it burned. “Oh, sorry. uhh, is that acid?” He looked at it, feeling squeamish. Twilight shrugged. “It wasn't supposed to be, but it does seem to have acid-like qualities.” She rolled her chair over to one of her three computers and began typing. “Vial number 14, acid-like qualities, volatile, extremely dangerous if not lethal. Attempt 5568: Failure.” She finished in a monotone tone. “Oh gee…I'm sorry, Twilight. Uh, I have a shake for you, though.” Spike gave a timid smile and offered it to her. She looked over at him, unamused yet she reluctantly took the shake and sipped it quietly, staring at the computer. Thinking. “Is there any way I can help you with this?” he asked nervously. She shook her head as she continued to drink her shake. Spike then sat down on his little bed in the corner of the room. He began to lie down but heard a sound right then. “Umm Twilight, did you hear that?” Twilight shook her head again but didn't look away from her research. “Hmm, I wonder.” The lizard spoke as he stuck his head out the window. It was too dark to see anything. Suddenly, something flew out of the dark and tried to bite Spike. “Ahhhh,” he yelled, making Twilight look up just in time to see Spike being dragged out of the window. She frowned. “Ok, Spike I get it, it's almost Halloween. What have you been attacked by this time?” She asked unimpressed as she headed to the window expecting him to be standing on the ledge just outside. She looked out and saw something actually carrying him off high in the air. Her eyes widened, and quickly she jumped away from the window ledge and over to a large chest sitting by her bed. She tore it open and put on a dark purple uniform. With black boots, a matching belt, a mask, and what looked to be a witch hat. As she donned her costume and sped out the window, blending into the shadows of the night. Her eyes glowed yellow, and her irises turned crimson as a blue horn emerged from her head. With a flip of her cape, she took off after her lizard friend and whatever was the creature that took him. Twilight, now Shadow Star, followed them to a dark, old, and musty building on the north side of town and hid on a large tree nearby. On her belt, she had several gadgets attached, along with a gun and a pair of binoculars. She pulled out the binoculars and tried to see if she could find any sign of her friend. Nothing at first, but then she saw something in the corner of the building. She knelt down, hoping to not be spotted as she saw the glowing yellow and red eyes. “Oh, great.” She muttered to herself, “Another mutant.” This one she observed, seemed to have a wild lion-like mane and a scorpion tail, yet had hooves like a pony. “Well, this is just great, two mutants after my cousin.” She grimaced. Out of the blue, another creature flew over the trees. “Wait, another one?” She surveyed quietly at the creature above her, which could only be described as a griffin. The griffin then swiftly flew down till it landed next to the other creature. “Did you track her down?” the new creature questioned. “Will ya hush up?” the creature spoke in a country accent, “If we scare her again, she’ll take off.” “Okay okay, so what do we do?” “Ah don' know, but she has a lizard kid in there.” “You don't think she's gonna eat that kid, do you?” Hearing that, Twilight knew what she had to do. Jumping down from the tree, she tried to be as quiet as she could as she sped over to the spooky house and slid in through the door. The building itself could only be described with one word: creepy. The only noise that could be heard was a few scurrying rats in the walls and spiders crawling around. Thankfully, due to her own strange mutant powers, Twilight could see in the dark almost as well as she could during the day. She crept around, only hearing the sound of her steady footsteps. But soon enough, she heard a large crash upstairs and took off toward it. “Ahhh, no, no! Please don't turn me into a vampire, please! I-I eat a lot of fast food and my blood wouldn't taste that good!” The vampiric creature kept to the shadows, eyes glowing the exact same as the other mutants. However, there was no malice in those terrifying eyes, they only shone with curiosity and excitement. “Uhh, vampire?” Spike called out anxiously and a little confused. He expected the creature to devour him, instead the vampire started sniffing him. “Umm…are you gonna eat me?” Spike asked, less sure of what was happening. The vampire mutant’s eyes narrowed as it continued to act less like a vampire with a mission to kill and more like a curious animal trying to figure out if the thing in front of it is a friend or foe. Spike didn't know what to do anymore so he decided to tentatively stand up, “H-hey, my name is Spike.” “Help me,” squeaked the vampire, almost sounding like a cry. “Help you? Help you with wha…” The door split open. Twilight in her costume rolled in and shot a net launcher at the creature. The vampire was immediately caught in its trap and hissed as she tried to break free. “W-wait! Twi it's…” “It's okay Spike, I just saved you.” She said, putting away the net launcher and pulling out another gun. Raised and pointed at the creature in the net, Twilight took careful aim. “Twi listen-” “You can thank me later, Spike. It's just a tranquilizer, no need to worry. He's just gonna take a nice little nap.” But just before she could pull the trigger, something crashed into the window beside her. The glass shattered on impact, and the griffin creature from before came smashing in, kicking the tranquilizer gun out of Twilight’s hoof. “No one’s gonna hurt my friend!” shouted the angry griffin. Suddenly, the creature in the net grew three times its normal size and strength as it ripped through the net. Bat-like wings stretched as it took flight. Swooping down it attacked the griffin, breaking through a wall, and went out onto the streets. “NO WAIT! Flutters, wait!” yelled the griffin and took off after her. Twilight got up and shook off her hat, revealing her strange twisted blue horn. Spike clutched her by the cape. “That creature, s-she’s just like you.” “And so was the griffin, Spike. I don't know what's going on, but I have to stop them.” “She asked for my help, like she was scared, Twilight.” The purple pony sighed. “She's still a mutant, Spike.” “So are you.” Twilight, pulled out her phone. With a serious face, she started typing something on it. “What are you doing now?” Spike tried to look at the phone. “Investigating. That griffin mutant had a soccer uniform on for…” Twilight quickly scoured the internet for the school insignia. “Canterlot College. Wait! Is this the same Canterlot you got accepted into?” Twilight blinked slowly. “Canterlot is on the north side of Ponyville just up the mountain roads. It is part of the pristine and wealthy side of the city and has many insignias that represent different parts of the school.” Twilight started typing on her phone again. “Canterlot College is one of the hardest schools in the world to get into. I barely passed the entrance exams.” “So what are you doing now?” Spike was curious as he settled over her shoulder. “Looking up student profiles.” “You're hacking in?” “Technically no. I mean…I could and have to fight endless firewalls, taking me days to get the info I need,” Twilight smirked “Or I could just use the mayor's passwords and clearance codes. Things are so much easier when your godmother is the mayor of the city.” Spike slapped himself in the forehead. “Of course” Twilight ignored his antics and continued her work. “There.” She took her hooves off the phone. Spike read the page. “Dash Rainbow, age 20. Daughter of Hothoof Rainbow, a top WonderBolt in the Air Force. From Cloudsdale. She applied into Canterlot on sports scholarships for…” Twilight scrolled down the page. “Huh, looks like all of them,” Spike muttered. “When not busy in sports, she's studying to be a pilot like her dad in the WonderBolts.” Twilight went over the file herself. “Hmmm looks like she didn't enter alone. She and her two childhood friends from the same town”. Twilight clicked on another personnel file. “Jacky Apple, age 20” Spike gasped. “Apple as in the Apple family?! She's from Sweet Apples, the largest apple brand in history! Her family is famous for their apple cider.” Twilight speed-read through the file. “Looks like she was studying apple genetics. Trying to make the sweetest-tasting apple that ever existed. Not a surprise honestly, The Apple family keeps their recipes locked tight, not uncharacteristic for them to be fiddling with apple DNA to make it taste even better. Applejack must have been that country pony with the scorpion tail that I saw before.” “As for the third…” Twilight clicked on the third file. Spiked gaped, “The mutant vampire that kidnapped me and is terrorizing the city right now.” Twilight nodded with a frown. “Fluttershy Breeze, age 21. There's not much to tell here. She is studying to be a veterinarian and got into Canterlot on two scholarships, one for her singing talents and the other for modeling.” Twilight and Spike looked at her photo. Fluttershy had a nervous smile and her pink mane covered half her face letting out only one teal eye. “Hmm quite a pretty girl,” Spike said. Twilight nodded in agreement and closed the personnel files. “Canterlot College is technically not in session yet, but many students still attend summer classes to get ahead. However, these three,” Twilight tapped on the college attendance records, “Haven't attended class for a whole month. People thought they just went home for summer break. And since they're all friends, no one thought twice about their disappearance.” Twilight pocketed her phone, “So somehow in the last month, these three have become transformed into mutants.” She sighed, closing her purple eyes and when she reopened them they were a bright glowing yellow with red pupils. “Just like me…which means they were probably turned against their will by the same maniac that turned me. If that's the case then it's up to me to bring them to justice. And find a cure for all of this someday…” “All the mutants seem to have a few things in common, right?” pondered Spike. Twilight turned back to Spike. “Well, we all have glowing yellow eyes with red irises, unique powers that are unexplainable by science, and an uncontrollable anger that is not our own.” Twilight grabbed a syringe from somewhere on her belt and placed it on a vial, extracting the contents within it via the needle. “Every mutant that has been captured and studied seems to have this strange anger. Those who stay in that state the longest go crazy from it. As if the powers and the anger take control of the victim's entire being.” Twilight injected the syringe into her arm. “But it seems, while not a cure, those who were captured can be calmed down and returned to their senses with some simple sedatives.” “If I get these to those three then I might be able to convince them to turn themselves in. It seemed like two of them hadn't given into the madness yet, and maybe if I can give it to that Fluttershy girl surely she'll come too as well.” Twilight's face steeled in determination, she kept her back to Spike as he uttered her name in worry. “Make sure you get home safely, Spike” “No, please don't go without me,” he pleaded to her. “Sorry Spike, I work alone,” she replied coldly. “You have to go back and help me make sure my cover isn't blown for my godmothers,” and with that, she took off into the night air, after the other mutants. Shadow Star arrived at the scene and ducked behind a building to blend into the shadows as she observed the chaos around her. Crowds of creatures of all shapes and sizes were fleeing in fear. A young little kitten was running away when the monster threw a lamp post over its head, which soared past only inches away from hitting the child. Twilight saw this and in the nick of time, was able to blast an ice ray from her horn, making a wall of ice and snow strong enough to stop the lamp from hitting the kid. Another cat grabbed the younger one and ran off, seeming more terrified of the shadow in the corner rather than the monster that threw the lamp. “No need to thank me, I guess.” Shadow Star’s deadpanned comment was interrupted by the monster's roar. “GRAAAHHH,” Now under the city lights it was easier to see the beast, a quite pale yellow pony, with long messy pink hair. She had two sharp fang-like teeth and bat wings the color of her skin spread out from her back. Her black dress was ripped slightly, despite previously being a demure mare, she was extremely strong, breaking apart walls with a single punch. The mutant jumped and took flight. Twilight shot a ray of fire from her horn at her to stop her path. It stopped dead in its tracks and turned around to face its attacker. Twilight's eyes widened when they made eye contact. The mutant roared and catapulted itself mid-flight with a large flap of its bat wings and aimed straight toward Twilight, who barely dodged its oncoming punch. "For a creature your size, you're pretty quick on your feet, miss." Twilight huffed as she backflipped and tried to drop-kick the monster. When her foot made contact, it didn't even phase the beast. “O-okay? This could be a problem,” Twilight realized nervously as the monster once again roared at her viciously. She tried to punch at it with all her might but it showed no sign that it was working. She had no choice but to jump back and try her powers once more. Shooting a blast of fire to stun the creature only seemed to irritate it. The mutant swung at her, flinging her away like a ragdoll and onto a wall. "Ugh…yeah that's gonna hurt in the morning." She groaned as she rolled her shoulder, grimacing. Right after, the creature seemingly grew bigger. Twilight stared with her mouth hanging open, frightened yet amazed. The beast roared at her with saliva hanging from its mouth. Teeth bared, which somehow looked sharper. The creature seemed less like a pony and more like a wild animal. It threw a car at Twilight, who used her freezing powers so that it dropped down midair. She jumped up on the car and tried blasting some more stun blasts at the creature with no luck each time. A flash of rainbow light came out of nowhere and kicked Twilight right in the gut, flinging her back a second time. Twilight spat up a splotch of blood from the damage the hit gave her. She felt sure that one of her ribs must have been broken. Looking up, she saw the griffin from before hovering midair above her. In the light, her pale blue coat and rainbow-like hair could be seen with clarity. Still dressed in the soccer team uniform that Twilight used to identify her, the griffin’s red eyes narrowed down on Twilight. “Oh, great you again,” grumbled Twilight. “Hey, you! stay away from our friend.” The griffin yelled. Twilight blinked in confusion. “Friend? Our?” She questioned. Behind the griffin, an orange pony in a cowboy hat appeared and flung a rope around the creature and tied it up. With a closer look, it was none other than the second mutant of the night. She had a lion-like mane and a scorpion tail. “Yee haw!” Applejack exclaimed, pulling tightly on the rope. Twilight did not know how to respond to all this. She observed blankly as the monster struggled to break free. “Hush now, Sugar cube, it's me AJ, Remember me?” The beast still struggled as the orange pony approached cautiously. “It's alright, it's okay. We're here now hun.” The griffin flew over to her as well. “It's all going to be okay.” She reassured calmly. “No! you’ll never get it done that way” Twilight shouted as the monster finally broke free of the rope, and grabbed another car. Shadow Star got back to the scene just when a car was thrown directly at her. She ducked the projectile only for her ribs to start aching again. “Aghh” Twilight groaned. “This is not gonna be easy.” She took out the tranquilizer gun from her belt. “Okay, Twilight focus. All you need is one shot.” Twilight focused on her target. She breathed in and out. In the blink of an eye, she was ready to pull the trigger on the raging beast in front of her when… “WOAH!” She was pulled back by a rope and tossed over to the side. “Ah don' think so.” The country pony’s eyes glowed amber and red as she warned the costumed mare with her scorpion tail. “No Jacky, I'm here to help!” Applejack's eyes widened in disbelief. “How the hay do ya know mah name?” A rush of powerful winds caught both their attention as a tornado tossed the monster aside. “Sorry, Flutters. But you have got to calm down.” Dash smirked. Creating a thunderstorm, she tried to zap Fluttershy unconscious using lightning. The monster roared out in pain and grew, and as she grew larger, Dash’s smirking face turned into one of pure terror as a giant fist punched her away. Twilight continued her struggle to free herself from the rope, “That won't work, she's only going to get madder and bigger if you keep this up” Jacky pulled her up by the front of her costume roughly. “Whaddya mean? Ya seem to know ah thing or two ‘bout whatever happened to our friend, so spill.” She demanded through gritted teeth, her eyes began to glow brighter. “Okay okay, calm down,” Jacky growled back instead. “No! Seriously, if you don't you'll just end up like her.” Twilight was panicking now. “Explain!” Twilight held up her forelegs in a show of surrender. “I'm a mutant too. Someone turned me into this. I don't know who but someone out there is turning creatures into raging monsters like your friend. While there's no cure yet, taking certain medicines can stop the descent into pure madness. I know because it's how I stay sane.” “Ah-” Applejack shook her head. “Ah don' believe ya.” Her face settled in a harsh glare. “You. You want to hurt mah friend.” “No! Jacky.” Twilight shook her head. “I want to help.” “Ya tried to shoot her!” “With a tranquilizer. Inside these darts are relaxants, They're not heavy enough to knock out someone out, just enough to calm them. I use the same medicine on myself to deal with the anger.” Applejack shook her head and growled deeper than before. “A-ah can't.” She let go of Twilight. “...Ah can't!” Her hoofs punched a hole into the side of a car. “Ah can’t calm down!” Her eyes burned amber, blood-red fire burning inside her irises. Twilight didn't hesitate and shot her with a dart. As the relaxant flowed into Applejack’s system, the chimera in front of Twilight slowly began to come back to her senses. Twilight stepped forward and caught her as Applejack’s knees buckled and she began to collapse. “Breathe. Breathe in, hold, and breathe out.” The orange pony nodded. “Thanks, who are ya anyway?” “Some call me Shadow Star. I personally think it's a ridiculous name but I'm not about to reveal my identity to you.” “Aw, shucks.” The pony sighed. “It's alright, Jacky” “Applejack” “What?” “You can call me Applejack or AJ. Ah prefer it that way. You're a real friend for doing this, ya know?” “Okay, Applejack. Tell me, how did you end up like this?” AJ breathed out another sigh. “We were all at our college. There’s a lot of students studying there to be scientists and doctors. Fluttershy was researchin’ a new way to heal wounded animals through lizards. We don' know who, but someone had ah sample of mutant DNA in the labs. Ever since the first outbreak of mutants, everyone’s been lookin’ for ways to cure it, even if they’re not in that field. They even had me studyin’ it, and Ah was just researching genes for applesauce. Me and Dash were there helping out Fluttershy as much as we could when the experiments got mixed up...An explosion happened, and it caused Fluttershy to turn into that! She was studyin’ fruit bat behavior when it happened,” “Well that explains why she turned into a bat pony.” “We tried tah stop her, but she was too darn strong for us. That's when Dash decided that the only way we could catch up and stop her was to become like her too. Ah was reluctant at first but when Ah saw the mayhem Fluttershy was creatin’…Ah had to agree with Dash. So we took it together, not thinkin’ of the consequences.” Twilight sighed and her shoulders sagged. “Well, while Fluttershy couldn't have avoided this, you two could have.” She reloaded her gun. “You should turn yourselves in and get some help.” Shadow Star stood up and began to walk away. “Wait, ya can't do this on yer own, and Dash ain’t gonna let you shoot her. Let me talk to Dash first and we’ll work together to-” “No…I work alone.” Twilight looked over her shoulder to make eye contact with AJ. Seeing her eyes turn back to their normal green state, Twilight felt a sense of relief. “Here.” Twilight turned back and handed her a dart. “Look I'll let you deal with your friend Dash. But leave Fluttershy to me.” “How in the world did ya know my name?” “I read your file,” Twilight smirked and ran, leaving a confused AJ behind. She jumped up in front of the hissing bat pony. It’s eyes narrowed down on her form. “Oh god, maybe I should have thought this through.” She muttered. Dash was about to throw another lightning bolt, now at Twilight but was stopped by the sound of AJ calling her. “Dash! Stop! please.” Applejack pleaded. “Gimme a sec, I have to stop that mare from hurting our friend.” “No, Dash! Just listen to me will ya!” Dash stopped confused. “What?” After AJ explained to Dash what was going on, Dash hesitantly drank the liquid from the dart. “Alright, even if this works, what are we going to do about Fluttershy?” “We just need to get one of these here tranquilizers in her.” AJ reasoned. Meanwhile, Shadow Star was jumping from car to car, barely evading hits from the roaring giant. “Oh come on,” Twilight growled frustrated as she gripped her tranquilizer gun. Too late as the monster kicked Twilight in the gut, sending her flying a third time today. “Yeah, there’s no way she can do this on her own, we’ve got to help her,” Dash yelled. “Yeah, Ah reckon you might be right about that.” Applejack used her tail to grab her rope and flung it towards Twilight, catching her around the waist. She and Dash pulled the purple pony to safety just in time before the beast could crush her under her foot. “Uhhuggh…thanks for the save.” Shadow Star murmured gratefully. “Thank us later, now run!” Shouted Dash. The three mares bolted as the monster started chasing them. Twilight tripped, “My gun!” she shouted as the tranquilizer gun flew out of her hoof. “Not the time,” Dash grabbed her by the arm. After a few more moments of running, the three escaped behind a wall. “Alright, anypony got any bright ideas? Anyone?” AJ questioned through huffs of labored breathing. “Without that gun, I can't shoot the tranquilizer.” Twilight looked like she was about to start hyperventilating Fluttershy roared, the ground shaking as she stomped around in her fury. She flung out her bat wings. Dash dared to look over the wall. ”Oh no, guys! she's opening her wings. If she takes off now, there's no chance of us catching her.” “Well, what in tarnation are we supposed to do?!” AJ shot back. “I wish I knew”. Twilight whined. A gunshot cracked through the air like a whip. The monster hissed again, turning around. Standing there, dressed in possibly the worst Halloween costume ever made, was none other than a little purple lizard. “Nighty, night vampire.” Spike grinned. Holding Twilight's tranquilizer gun in his claw, he slowly brought it up to his lips and pretended to blow smoke away from the muzzle. “And who’s that?” Dash asked, puzzled over the change of events. “Our hero,” AJ muttered in relief. Twilight slapped her forehead with a heavy sigh. “Oh no.” She got up and headed over to him. “I told you that I work alone, didn't I? And what about uhh…” Twilight paused, remembering the other two behind her. They slipped out from behind the wall and ran over to Fluttershy. “Well, Ah say it's ah darn good thing the boy didn't listen,” Applejack called out. “Yeah, you just saved our lives, squirt”. Dash continued. Fluttershy began to shrink back to her normal size. ““They” don't know about this. I promise,” Spike told Twilight. “I didn't want to see you get hurt, so I followed you but stayed out of it. Well except when I saw that you dropped your gun, I decided to take the opportunity and well, I'm glad I did. Because what do you know, I saved the day!” Spike set his claws on his hips proudly. Twilight rolled her eyes fondly, “Yes. yes, you did.” She hugged the little guy with a smile. “So he ah mutant too?” AJ tilted her head at Spike. “Nope, just a plain lizard. Glad I got to save the day. Though, but uh by the way, I wasn't the only one following you guys, there were these two on a bike that…” A soft noise of pain silenced everyone as Fluttershy slowly stirred awake. “Oh…wha…what happened?” She grimaced as she held her head in between her forelegs. Exhausted eyes opened and its owner let out a tiny gasped. “Oh, look a baby lizard.” She ran over and hugged him. “I've never gotten to meet any lizards before.” “I'm not a baby.” Spike complained, “But I enjoy hugs,” and hugged her back. “Seriously though, can someone fill me in?” Fluttershy glanced around. “Where are we? and why does it look like we're in the middle of a war zone?” She asked the last part a bit scared and started to shake nervously. “Yeah, well…that's a long story, but you see…” Dash started from the beginning. One explanation later. “Oh dear, I’m so so sorry! I'm so sorry…I-I-” Fluttershy began to weep. Dash embraced her tightly. “Doesn't matter, you're all mutants and as such you need to turn yourselves in to the authorities and get medical help.” Twilight scoffed. “Uh-huh says the mutant hero,” Dash raised her eyebrow. “I'm not gonna be some test subject! I have school and things to do.” “B-but you can't just run around like this?! Unwatched, with your mutant powers.” “Now hold on Shadow Star, we know how to control them.” AJ stood strong. “Hell, we even know how to use our abilities in a fight. We all could stick together and-” “No no, no! I work alone. For safety reasons, I can't let any random civilian get in my way. Especially those who are mutated.” “Oh really?” Spike chimed in. “Because you were doing oh so great on your own tonight,” Twilight growled at him. “He’s right,” Fluttershy said softly. Everyone turned to her. “All of you are right. You all make good points. Speaking from my own experience, I…” She hid behind her mane. ”I don't ever want to be in that state again. And I don't want others to be like that either. They’re only hurt a-and angry. And I don't want to be locked away in a cage or experimented on either. Especially when we have the ability to help those like us. Mutated….suffering. But Shadow Star, you are right as well. We can't just run around willy-nilly. Perhaps if we all team up…Shadow Star can keep an eye on us, and we could help those who need us.” Fluttershy finished with a small nervous smile. The others finally nodded, surprised it was Fluttershy who made the most sense. Twilight sighed in defeat. “Oh well, then this is what's happening I guess. My name is Twilight Sparkle. But, we should all go by aliases” “Allice what now?” Rainbow asked. “Hero names,” Spike told her. “Ohhh,” they all nodded in agreement. “But hey….” AJ nervously turned to Twilight, “there's still one question that remains, right?” Twilight nodded slowly. “Who's turning creatures into mutants? It seems our best lead is at Canterlot College.” “You don't think someone at the college is behind all this, do you?” Dash asked, perplexed. Twilight closed her eyes, “I don't know Dash. I really don't know.”
Chapter 18 RevelationsApril 3rd, 7:00 AM Spike sat on patrol along with Shining Armor, overlooking the city sights that morning. Except they weren't looking for any ordinary sightings of a chimera; no, they were looking for one in particular. Spike sighed as he put down his goggles. "Whoa there, little guy! That’s quite a sigh, bro. What's going on?" Shining asked. "Oh, I'm fine, Shining. Just between my stepmom, Pinkie, and Dash missing," he sighed. "Yeah, man, I get it. But hey, we are gonna find them, we are going to cure them, and we're all gonna live happily ever after, you'll see," Shining encouraged. Spike looked up at him and smiled. "Right, right. Funny, I thought I did have my happily ever after when I met Twilight," he found. Shining Armor looked at the young teenager and felt pity for him. Most kids his age would be worried about zits and girls, but him? He had a lot more going on than Shining ever did. At least for Shining, he thought his parents were dead and he just had a rich godfather until he was eighteen and learned how cruel his godfather actually was. Yet that all seemed like kindness to him compared to what the little lizard was going through. Spike sighed. "Can I ask you a question?" "Hmm, sure, kiddo. What's up?" "Well, it's just... you know your real mother, or at least knew? For me," he chuckled, "I was made an orphan because of the last war. I was so young I don't even remember what my parents looked like. All I can see when I think of them, of my mom, is Twilight or my stepmother, Luna. So what about you? What was she like?" "Hmm, my mom? Oh, she was the best," Shining smiled at the thought of his mother. "Every day when I got home from school, she would often put out a snack platter for me and let me watch cartoons or read me comic books," he laughed, "much to Dad's dismay. He'd always told me cartoons and comic books were silly and that I should be doing schoolwork. However, Mom had a more relaxed approach to parenting. The two together, I guess, made a really good team. My mom was also super smart, knew a lot about science and gadgets, and was well-educated. That's where Twi got her love for science, I believe. Me? I took after my father in a lot of ways; I always wanted to be in the military like he was." "That's funny, because from what I hear, I think you took after your mom," Spike told him. "Really?" he asked. "Yeah, and I'd say Twilight took after your father." Shining thought about this for a moment. "Hmm, now that you mention it, you’ve got a point," Shining smiled. Spike smiled back, if not as big. "Come on, those chimera won’t find themselves, now will they?" Spike said, looking back through the goggles. “No, no, guess not,” Shining said as he looked at Spike. “You know, I always wanted a little brother. Don’t tell Twily that.” Spike chuckled at that. "Thanks, bro," he said back, making Shining’s smile widen. "I can't believe we're doing this," AJ shook her head as she walked up to the tall building in front of her. "Quiet down," Twilight demanded in a hushed tone. AJ lowered her voice but still continued to revolt. "THIS is such a bad idea! If we get caught, we’ll do jail time for sure." Rarity turned on her heel. "We will if you don’t quiet down! Now come on, AJ, we need your help." "I don’t want to be involved in this," she retaliated. "Too bad! We need you! You need to keep my dad busy so Twilight and I can get to his computer." AJ rolled her eyes at Rarity and huffed in annoyance, but she didn’t argue again. They walked inside and went straight to the elevator to the second top floor. The three of them then walked down the hallway and over to an office door. Soon the door opened up, revealing a white stallion. "Rarity!!!" smiled the excited colt. "Daddy!" she cried as she was pulled into a hug from him. "Oh, as soon as I heard you were coming, I freed up my entire schedule just for you. Now I'm starving! Let's head to The Tasty Treat, already!" "Of course, of course!" she smiled at Applejack. AJ rolled her eyes and coughed. "Uh, Mr. Shine, I was wondering if you could give me a little tour of how the ESA works? I'm kinda wanting to join it after college; I'm a bit tired of all the apples my family puts out." "Oh sure, we can do that after lunch." "No! Uh, I mean, why not do it now? Since we're already here, surely The Tasty Treat isn't going anywhere?" Mr. Shine was a bit taken aback by this, but our reservation is in a few minutes." "We’ll be able to make it, Mr. Shine! Go ahead and give AJ the tour. I actually have to use the restroom anyway," Twilight told him. "Uh, oh, alright. Come on, Rarity." Actually, you know, I gotta use the restroom too, sooooo..." Mr. Shine just shrugged and left alongside the country pony. AJ and Twilight headed the other way only for a short time until her father couldn’t be seen. Then they went right for his office door. As soon as the door gently closed, so it didn’t make too much noise, they ran over to Mr. Shine's computer. "Alright, Rarity, thank you for this," Twilight said. Twilight typed in the passcodes she got from Rarity. Her eyes widened as she exclaimed, "I'm in!" "Great." "No, it isn't! Rarity, I'm sorry, but it looks as though..." "I know!" Rarity huffed. "Let's just do this. Find out what we need to know." Twilight nodded and went to work on the computer. "It would take me forever to hack in, but with this, we can scan the files quickly. All we need is a time frame and a name." "A name? But Twilight, we don't know the Equalizer's name." "There you go, copying things into questions again," Twilight chuckled. Rarity ignored that. "We don't need the Equalizer; we just need..." she typed in her father's name. "As for the years, let's go back," she typed in "7 years." But before she hit enter, she stopped for a moment. "Twilight?" Rarity said in a concerned voice, seeing her friend's hesitation. Twilight shook her head. "Sorry, it's just... I've been wanting answers for so long, and... and here they are with a tap of the button." She began to shiver in fear. But Rarity placed a hoof over her arm. She didn't say anything; she didn't need to. Twilight got the message loud and clear. They were here for her, no matter what. They were her friends, and she could trust them with anything. She felt a little bad for not trusting them before, but right now was not the time to deal with such things. Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep, slow breath. She held it as she pressed enter on the keypad. She let it out slowly as her eyes opened. To her surprise, there was only one file that included her father’s name. She cautiously opened it and began to scan its contents. Most of them she quickly copied onto a flash drive to look at later. It finished just in the nick of time. Twilight quickly closed the files and deleted her search history before quickly heading out the door and catching up with Mr. Shine and Applejack. "Ah, there you girls are! Ready to grab lunch then?" he smiled. "Yes, Mr. Shine, I believe we are." Twilight gave a definitive nod, telling Applejack the job was complete. She sighed with "I hate this" written all over her face. As night began to fall on the city, bathing the sky in the last light of day, Twilight went over the files on her computer like a mad pony. She combed every nook and cranny the story had to offer, giving her as much detail as possible. Slowly but surely, she came to her answer just as there was a knock on her bedroom door. "Yes, AJ? Rarity? Come in!" she called out as she stretched out her legs. They were sore from sitting for so long. "Well, find anything useful?" asked Rarity, who handed her a milkshake. "A lot, actually! This might be the greatest treasure trove of information we've got," Twilight told her friends. "Oh really? And what’s the story then?" AJ asked. "Well, that's the thing: there are still so many details incomplete, things I’m missing. But in short, my dad, your dad, and a few others were involved with a government project known as BEAST. They were designing a superweapon to end the war that was going on at the time. Of course, it's classified, and really, while I have a name and a few of those involved, I've yet to discover anything on what it actually was. However, I can speculate based on some interesting facts." "Like what?" AJ's interest was piqued. "Well, for one thing, on one document linked to this, there was a prison transfer for only one inmate. The inmate's name I couldn't find nor why he was in prison in the first place. But I did decipher why he was there." "And?" Rarity questioned. Mr. Ghost sat in a chair, drink in his hand, staring at the mare across the room. She was laughing at the bad joke he just told her. To hear her laughter made him smile for reasons he didn't quite understand, or at the very least didn’t want to understand. "If you liked that one, I should tell you about the guy who told me when I walked into the bar." "What did he say?" "Ouch." She looked at him curiously as the joke settled in. He could see the gears grinding in her head as she came to the conclusion and gave a slight giggle. "Oh, I get it, 'ouch.'" "Wow, took ya long enough to figure that one out," he smirked. "Okay, I’m slow. Big deal," she teased him. The two laughed a little and enjoyed each other’s company. Mr. Ghost caught himself several times that night staring at her. Her teal eyes, her pink hair; being a model, she was quite nice to look at. She wasn't over-the-top in any way—not too curvy or too flat; just enough to say she was perfect. "Perfect? Oh dear, what have I gotten myself into?" he mentally groaned to himself. Mr. Ghost's smile then faded away as the hairs on his neck stood on all ends. He finally shook himself out of his thoughts, catching up on their conversation. "So I finally got Dash to take home the turtle. She's loved that thing for years now. She acts like she doesn't, but she's got a soft side for animals, even if she doesn't want to admit it. But now, since that stupid fight, I’ve taken care of him once again. I don't even know where she went to, but she's been gone nearly two months." Fluttershy's smile dipped a bit. "I'm sure she needed some time. Perhaps she'll be back eventually," Mr. Ghost reassured her. Her smile returned with his words, and she began talking again. He lay there listening to her talk. That's all he wanted to do—hear her voice. With every word she spoke, he could feel his heart beat a little faster—not like when he almost had a heart attack, but faster nonetheless. "What's wrong with me? I can't seriously be falling for her, can I? There's no way this is true. It can't be," he thought as his gaze drifted to her hooves. The memory of her touching his scars, the warmth he felt from it on his rough skin. "Hey, you okay? You seem distracted tonight..." With her words, his attention returned back to her. "I'm fine, Mrs. Breeze," he smiled his signature toothy grin. With that, she went back to her conversation with a smile. "I think that turtle should have been hers from the beginning. I mean, at first, she acted like it was nothing but a turtle, but slowly over time I caught her staring at it and petting it. Oh, and I can tell Tank misses her." "Yes, yes, of course," he said, more thrilled to hear her voice than the subject of her words. "Um... Mrs. Breeze?" "Yes, what is it? You look worried." She chuckled. "Uh, well, you see, um..." He played with his hooves. "Come on, you can do this," he told himself, trying to mentally prepare to ask her his burning question. "Do you, uh, remember that night at the bar? The night you were drunk and we, uh..." The memory of that night came crashing to the front of her mind. Was he actually asking her if he could kiss her? Her face turned red. Since their time together, the two would hold hooves for a moment or two, but he hadn't kissed her since that day she saw his scars. "Uh, yeah, I do. Uh, do you want to..." "Yes," he said a bit loudly, making her jump. "I mean, uh, we've been going out every night this past few weeks, and I, uh, just thought you wouldn't mind if..." "No, no," she walked toward him and sat on the couch. "I mean, it doesn't bother me, and it's kind of you to ask. Just..." She nodded. Mr. Ghost moved from the chair to the couch next to her. This was it—her second kiss. The first one really didn't count since she was drunk and out of her mind. The other kiss was just on her neck, so it didn't mean anything. She closed her eyes and puckered her lips just slightly, waiting for the contact. Only instead, she felt him wrap his arms around her and pull her close, laying his head on top of hers. This surprised her as she sat there with him around her. Twilight lay down on her bed as she continued. "He was some type of mad scientist, I think, but he was not the head of the project; someone else was. My dad was just in charge of funding for the project. I found Luna's name too, but she was a general at the time, so that makes sense; she would have to authorize it after all. And she was friends with my dad." Twilight shrugged. "What it was is all too clear when you realize the head of the project was a bio-geneticist named Doctor Galaxy. She is the only one who actually signed off on anything, including the transfer of the criminal." "Bio-geneticist, like..." Rarity said with a shiver. AJ nodded. "Just like what you would need to create the serum." Fluttershy was being held tightly by her coltfriend. She didn't exactly have a problem with this but wondered what he was doing. As for him, he nuzzled the top of her head, enjoying her warmth. His smile had never been so true. It simply felt nice to have her in his arms. He wished she would wrap him in hers as well, but he was fine with her so long as she let him hold her. As he did, his mind drifted; a blissful, sleepy sigh escaped him. After a minute or two, she then decided to ask, "Uh, what?" "Hmm? Oh, are you uncomfortable?" he said, raising his head and loosening his grip. Internally, he panicked. The idea of letting her go now nearly broke his heart right then and there. Too soon! He hadn't had her long enough. Still, he would let her go if she wanted it. "I'm sorry, I wasn't holding you too tight, was I?" "No, I just, uh, wasn't expecting this." "What do you mean?" He separated from her but didn't take his hooves off of her, keeping her in his arms. "I wanted to snuggle just like we did that night when we were drunk." "Oh," she said, just now realizing what he wanted. "Oh, yeah, okay." She said, snuggling into him, making the air awkward. "Uh, thank you," he said, confused but tightening his grip on her again. "Um, what were you thinking I meant?" he asked, a bit worried. "Oh, uh?" She quickly let go of him and scurried out of his arms. "I just thought that you were gonna kiss me. You know, like we did that night." His eyes widened as his fur stood on end. "Oh, uh, yeah, we did, didn't we?" he nervously chuckled. She then turned to him shyly. "You must forgive me, Mrs. Breeze, I never did, well, this dating thing." he said and sat back, almost laying back against the couch, his face nearly as red as hers. "Really? But I read—" "I told you before, all of those reports, my entire reputation, it's all a lie—made up by those who want to ruin my good name. I never even kissed anyone before that night." "Never kissed?" "Never anything," he slightly chuckled. "I know, weird right? With my reputation, you would assume I’ve been with a hundred mares and kissed a thousand more." He shook his head. "But it's all bullshit." "Really? So that night...?" "I never even snuggled with anyone before. Not even a hug." "What? What about your parents? Your—" "I'm an orphan, remember? Not one hug my entire life. I do tease; I like to keep people guessing. I’ll put my arm around a mare, I’ll dance with one, and yes, because of my reputation, and the fact that I'm rich, most do not mind. But that's just it, isn't it? They're just after my fame, my money. And while I have been drunk and had others try to kiss me, I just can't." He closed his eyes tightly. "I don't like anyone. I get along with them because I have to; it's my job. But you... you're different. I don't know what it is." She smiled a small smile. "I never got along with anyone this well. And though I enjoy a good drink and can definitely party, I have never been that drunk where I don't know what's going on." He then tilted his head a bit towards her so he could see her eye. "I wasn't even that drunk when I kissed you. I wanted to say no," he chuckled and took her hoof, guiding her to sit back next to him. "That night, I can't explain it," he gave his head another shake. "When you told me you wanted to kiss me, part of me wanted to say no, but..." He paused for a moment; he slightly laughed. "Then we snuggled, and it felt nice." He lifted his head and slouched forward. "And warm and safe." Her eyes widened at that. The honesty he had, the sadness in his voice. She leaned forward, about to kiss him, only to be stopped instead when he put a hoof to her lips. "I'm sorry, but... but there's something I have to tell you." "So, Galaxy the scientist, is she the Equalizer?" asked Rarity nervously. Twilight shook her head. "I searched her up," Twilight pointed at her computer. Rarity took a look and saw a light purple and pink cat. "Doctor Galaxy went missing and is presumed dead for over a decade now." Rarity gasped as AJ narrowed her eyes. Fluttershy sat up and looked at him, curious about what he had to say. He never used her name, except when drunk. "Okay, I'm here to listen." Mr. Ghost sat up and looked away from her, his back almost turned to her. A moment of silence spread across the two. "I don't think I can do this anymore." "Do what?" she asked, in a confused tone. "This." He turned to her as he began visibly shaking. He was actually scared. She nearly jumped; she had never seen anyone so frightened before in her life. To visibly shake like that... "It's been fun. Believe me, it has—indulging you. But I think we should..." "You're gonna break up with me? Why? I thought things were going great." "They are. They’re going too well. Fluttershy, I'm scared of falling, but here I am. And I'm falling way too fast." "Falling?" "Falling for you, my dear," he said as he placed a very shaky hoof on her hoof. "I can't do this." "Dead?" Rarity uttered in disbelief. "Yep, and not just her. In fact, most of the names involved with the project are missing or presumed dead." "Including that crazy scientist?" AJ asked. Twilight nodded. "Hmm, so..." Rarity raised a hoof in thought. "Is it possible that crazy scientist is our King of Chaos then?" "He would have to go underground, and with all the info we know about him, knowing he's a dragon, he could easily overtake the criminal underworld of the city," AJ pointed out. "Okay, so that explains him, but what about Tempest Shadow?" asked Rarity. Twilight sighed. "I was about to look into that when you two came in." "Let's see what we can find," Applejack sat down and began looking through the ESA files. "Mr. Ghost, I... I love you too." "Oh, please don't say that," he said as he stood up, pacing back and forth around the room. "I don't understand, just..." "I had someone once before, and it was downright terrible. It ended downright terribly. Besides, you don't even know me." "Yes, I do! And you just said I was your first kiss." "No, you don't! And trust me, if you did, you'd wish you never did." "Just tell me." "I can't! I don't trust you! I don't trust anyone!!" he yelled. "I can't," he whispered, with a faraway look. "Mr. Ghost. We've known each other for months now, just..." she sighed in defeat. "Please, I want to understand. I want to help you. You're scared; I get it, but I can't help you if I don't know why. Just tell me." She sighed again. *We’ve known each other for so long,* she began to sing. "You're seriously Rara-rolling me now?" he laughed as he stood shaking. She smiled and continued, *"Your heart's been aching, but you're too shy to say it. Inside, we both know what's been going on. We know the game, and we're gonna play it. And if you ask me how I'm feeling, don't tell me you're too blind to see."* Mr. Ghost grit his teeth, still shaking as he opened the doors to the balcony of his home. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out, placing it on the porch table in front of him, blocking its view from Fluttershy. He then pulled out two more things: a lighter and a box of cigarettes. "I didn't know you smoked." He said nothing and lit the cigarette. Smoke began circling above his head as he stepped aside and sat down. Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she saw a pistol sitting on the table. "Ah ha! Found it! Tempest Shadow, huh? Turns out she's an agent for the ESA, working under Rarity's dad," AJ said as she clicked on her profile. Twilight looked over to see what she looked like; however, she froze as the image of a dark purple mare with hot pink fire hair in the shape of a mohawk came into view. Despite being a middle-aged pony, she was so recognizable. "Yep, that's Daring Do's author, alright," AJ nodded. Twilight looked at the photo before her and gasped almost as loudly as Rarity. "Twilight?" Rarity asked. She only nodded, and the two mares simultaneously looked behind them at the photo sitting on Twilight's dresser—the dark purple pony with a fiery hot pink mane. "It couldn't be," Twilight said in disbelief. "What? What am I missing?" AJ asked, both concerned and confused. "How could it not?" Rarity replied. "My mother! Daring Do's author, A.K. Yearling, the super spy who's actually Tempest Shadow, is none other than my mother, Fizzlepop Sparkle!" Twilight spat in disbelief. "That makes no sense." "But you can't deny the two ponies look so similar," Rarity pointed out. "Yes, but I've seen A.K. Yearling tons of times! I never saw her mane! But you really think I wouldn't recognize my own mother? And for her to not recognize me!" Twilight breathed. "Well, darling, she definitely aged. Her facial structure is as young as it was in that old photo," Rarity pointed out. "And as for you, you grew up so much since then too. You were a little filly when she died," Rarity said, doing quotation marks with her hooves. "Neither of you are recognizable after so many years." Twilight plopped onto her bed. "I suppose that's true," she whined a little. Just then, the door opened. "Hey, what's going on in here?" asked Shining Armor, who was playing dragons and dungeons with Spike in the living room. "Oh, nothing! Just found out our mother is alive," Twilight smiled and said nonchalantly. "What! How? Wait, what?!" Shining called out. Twilight looked at her brother's goofy expression and smiled before she began telling him what they knew. Mr. Ghost took a shuddering breath before he continued. "She then tried to lock me in a cage like the animal I was, according to her. Well, I refused. And when I did, she gave me this." Mr. Ghost opened his shirt, revealing the worst scar on his body. "I had to defend myself, and... and I..." he clenched his hooves. "I felt her go limp in my arms. If I didn't defend myself, though..." He winced. "When it happened, I ran to the one person—the one person I thought I could trust more than anyone. And do you think that person believed me?" Mr. Ghost growled. "Do you think anyone believed me?!" he yelled at her. "Do you think they would see my side? No! All those I trusted saw me as a threat, and they even tried to kill me. You want to know how I got these scars all over me?" He removed the rest of his shirt, taking a step forward. "It's because they saw me as a threat." His hooves then morphed into a pair of claws. "So tell me, Mrs. Breeze, if I can't trust anyone?!" He grabbed the pistol and dropped the cigarette. He then pointed the gun at her head, making Fluttershy jump back a bit in fear. "Then why should I trust you?" "Wait, wait, that's..." Shining shook his head. "If that's the case, Dad couldn't be the father. I was his first child according to all the records." "True, but Mother never said her first child was you." "So, so we have an older sister or brother?" he smiled cheerfully. "Yeah, seems possible," Twilight sighed, laying her head back down. "Why aren't you excited about this? This is amazing!" Shining told her. "Simple, because we don't know if they are alive or dead. According to Dash, all of Daring Do's family was likely killed by the Chaos King." "And what if they weren't?!" Spike spoke up. "I mean, the Chaos King didn't kill Shining. What if he raised your sibling like he did you?" Spike asked. "Possible, but if that's true, then our sibling is likely the enemy right now. To convince a pony that their whole life is a lie and that they're working for a villain while they were their family—that's a tall order, Spike," Twilight said sincerely. "We have to start searching for them, right? We have to at least try, Twilight," Shining expressed. "And how do we start? Right now our only lead is Daring Do's author, slash super spy, Tempest Shadow, is likely our mother." "And to find her, you'll need to find Dash," Rarity said as she bit her hoof. "Yeah, and good luck with that," Twilight moaned in frustration. Mr. Ghost cocked the gun. "Why shouldn't I just pull this trigger and make this all look like an accident and move on with the rest of my life? I killed others for a lot less, so you better have a good reason why, because now you know too much!" he yelled, eyes furious and yet tear-filled. They were filled with so much anger. But was it anger she saw in them? No, it was pain Fluttershy saw in them. She finally knew who Mr. Ghost was. He was someone hurt. And she wanted to help him. "WELL?!" he yelled at her when she gave no answer. He lowered the gun to her chest. "I'm listening." "Because, you know if you do, you'll always be alone! Alone and hurt." He said nothing, stunned at her reply. "You trusted me, so I will trust you," she said, and slowly blinked. When she opened her eyes, he could see that she was a chimera as well. She took off her jacket, revealing to him her bat wings. He instantly knew she was the hero mutant that had been taking down the dangerous ones that ran among the city. She looked at him with a warm smile. “Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you.” Spike blinked and looked down in thought before raising his head. "Well, it's a start," he smiled. The kid's right. "It's a start, sis," Shining agreed. Rarity nodded. Twilight moaned under her pillow again, but when she came out from under it, she had a smile on her face. "Yeah, it is a start—one that we cannot lose." She jumped off her bed. "The tournament is our best chance to see Mom and catch the Chaos King." She said with newfound determination in her eyes. “Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye, never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.” Fluttershy continued the song as she slowly grabbed hold of the pistol in his claw. With a whimper that escaped him, he let go of the gun, handing it to her as he whined the next few words of their song. Their song—a complete joke to the world, but one that they made for themselves. “Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you. Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye, never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.” She then set the gun back down on the table, and as soon as it was gone, he fell into her arms. She softly stroked the back of his mane as he muttered the words "I've been alone for so long." "I know, Mr. Ghost, I know." "Please stay with me... please," he begged, tightening his grip on her and kissed her neck, knocking her over along with him. With his lips on her neck, her face grew bright red, and she instantly shivered, but otherwise, her body was frozen. "I will, Mr. Ghost... I will." "Discord," he whispered to her, his face looking as if in pain. "What?" she asked softly. "Discord, that's my real name." He said before locking lips with hers. Author's Note Lol no joke the scen with discord telling flutershy this was the third scene I ever written for this fan fic. Strangely woke up one night at three in the morning couldn't fall asleep and wrote it 😳. Any way on to what I was talking about in my last author note. Ok so idea 1 didn't work. Scrap the whole thing, despite having a third done because I didn't like twilight in it. Can you tell that my top 3 fav characters are 1 discord 2 twilight 3 flutershy, in that order. Lol. Another idea, when I saw the power pony episode of MLP I loved it. I am a huge marvel and DC fan. So I wanted to do a MLP a fan fic on superheroes. Being inspired by some of my favorite story lines form both marvel DC, and some anime. It started out as joker discord vs Batman twilight. No seriously that was it. And long story short it was goofy it was funny, and I didn't like it. Story 2 scrap. Ok more on this later 😂👋
