Into the Unknown: Boy Talk.

“This place is fucking sweet.” Kotetsu’s tone sounded mildly impressed with the level of care in the springs, there was even an area to bathe and wash off at first… he did not use it. A dark red towel with a purple ox head was wrapped around his waist, even though there were complementary ones he wanted his own. He settled into the water with his phone, which most people wouldn’t have brought into a place with a large amount of water.

The water was nice and hot with plenty of minerals to soothe an injured, tired, or just fucking sore body. ‘Heh, that guy got hit with a coconut. Fucking idiot.’

"Hm, only an egomaniac here. Disappointing." An androgynous human with a crotch as smooth as a Barbie or Ken doll's slipped into the tub. "Mind if I join you?"

Kotetsu’s face went from jovial over the coming funny prank he had planned… to lacking any and all interest for the newcomer. A background character messing with his time to unwind wasn’t the most welcome thing. “This is the men’s spring, jackass. So unless you’re a femboy, you should get out.”

Spot raised an eyebrow. There was a quick flash of green light beneath the water, which boiled for a second. "Well I am now. Spot, changeling companion to the Undying Angel. Nice to meet you."

“If I drown you is it a hate crime to trans people or genderfluids… either way you’re a guy now so welcome or whatever.” He went back to scrolling through his phone with a small smirk, the funny videos on his feed added into his mirth but somehow he felt like he forgot something… ‘Eh, fuck it I’ll remember later.’ Actually- “Wait. You’re one of the bug bitches? But not feral? How does that work?”

"Different world, different rules. I am given to understand that the precise way that changelings function is one of the most variable things in the Equestrian multiverse." He chuckled. "Fitting, I suppose. Oh, and it would be towards genderfluids. Not that you could manage it, anyway. I just created a literal dick to get you off of my proverbial one; growing gills would hardly even be an inconvenience."

Kotetsu lowered his phone to tilt his head ever so slightly, his wet hair following the motion while he eyed the bug twink up and down… he’d seen better. “Making a fake dick won’t get me on it, I’m married. And gills doesn’t mean you can’t drown, just means I gotta try. I set a fucking ocean on fire before…” He chuckled at the sight of a kid slamming into a wall on account of his bike not being able to stop in time, bad parents made awesome videos.* “They still don’t know how I pulled that off. But whatever helps you sleep, bugstolfo.”

Spot snorted. "Bugstolfo. I'll have to remember that one to torture Angel with." In a flash of green fire, Spot transformed into a perfect replica of Astolfo. He looked himself over a bit, smaller areas of his body flaring with green fire as he made adjustments. Finally satisfied, he returned to his twink form and turned back to Kotetsu. "So, setting an ocean on fire, huh? Impressive. What else can you do?"

If Spot knew what he just did, which wasn’t much all things considered, he might have at least hesitated to ask again. “It’s way easier to say what I can’t do… And I don’t really fucking know what I can’t do. I only win, I’m pretty much God tier if I say so myself, and the only thing that’ll ever kill me…” A cocky raise of his hand complete with a finger twirl to aim at his own pearly smile. “Is me.

Spot licked his lips. "Wow. That's some powerful cockiness you've got there. Makes for a nice palate cleanser after what happened in the girls' baths."

“It’s not cockiness, it’s a fact.” He decided to lift his phone back up to send a fast message to his cousin, not that he needed to but it never hurts to have corroboration. “I’m just that good. Now quit eye fucking and tell me what happened with the other hoes, female or otherwise.”

Spot shrugged. "Eh, nothing much. One of us has some demons the rest of us didn't know about. Things were said. Feelings were hurt. Nothing ill was intended, but the whole pool was left tasting of guilt, sadness, and general bad vibes. Not the most tasty bouquet, though I know some changelings that have acquired a taste for it. So I came over here to see if I could get a better meal. And some eye-candy, of course." He considered for a moment. "Oh. And there was some groping involved."

“Titty touching, nice. Only problem is that you didn’t really pick a time with this place being full, just me. But my dumbass cousin should be popping up like a tiny mole eventually.” He set his phone down to pull a rock from the water, and then squeezed it into his palm like some type of stress ball. “If I recall… you bugs eat emotions, so what did you want from here?” He opened his palm to reveal the dust from the crushed piece of earth, and he blew it into the humid air with a snide look. “Other than meatgazing.”

Spot shrugged again. "Honestly, I'm just getting whatever I can snap up for dessert. Angel keeps me plenty filled with affection." He smirked evilly. "And I'm not sure I'd call it 'titty touching.' I was groping Angel, after all. I've got more curves in this body than she does."

“Small titties count too. All size makes the wood rise, so don’t leave out the little ones.” Kotetsu leaned up with a fully serious smile and eyes that shifted from coal black to piercing crimson with three tomoe in both irises. “Bug. Ass, or tits. What do you like more?”

"Flanks." Spot chuckled. "I'm afraid that while I understand humanoid sexuality, my preferences remain equine."

Kotetsu had to think about that for a moment and then grinned, maybe the bug wasn’t as annoying as he could’ve been. “An ass fan isn’t bad to me, and flank is pretty much ass but for pony people. If you were a bitch and tried to say something about-”

“About how boobs are better… he’d probably ignore you for a while.” Zeko stepped into- He somehow stepped right into the water, unnoticed by anyone until he decided to speak up on his own preferences. “I’m on team big boobs, Kotetsu’s a closet pedophile and says flat chests are okay if ‘the ass fat though’ so-

A splash, more like a small wave, of water cut him off from the bullshit he was spewing. “And the midget with mommy issues tries to tell me something. Bug, you’re not as big a stain as I thought.” Fans of a nice rear end were always valid in Kotetsu’s book, Spot was alright enough for now…

Spot shrugged. "As Angel is so fond of muttering under her breath, Flat is Justice." He smirked at Zeko. "And oppai may be truth, but I'm a changeling and we deal in lies; I cannot support your camp."

“Angel… the guy you came with? So he likes small tits too.” Zeko leaned back against the stones and sank himself ever so slightly lower into the water, enjoying the heat and comfort of the water… it reminded him of the only other time he’d been in one. “I don’t really need either of you to be on my side, Kotetsu’s wife has nice boobs so he just says it to be against me.” His relaxed gaze went to the feminine changeling and assessed for all it was worth. “You’re here to eat emotions aren’t you, is that why you act so eccentric? Get more reactions.”

"Part of it," Spot admitted, deciding not to correct his misunderstanding about Angel. "Mostly it's just that I have very little opportunity to interact with others, what with having to hide what I am and all. So I'm finding myself a touch... unrestrained at the moment." He shrugged. "I'm sure I'll mellow out as the tournament progresses. By the way, who do you favor to win?"

Zeko closed his eyes to think about that, still letting the warmth of the water caress his body. “Hm.”

“I’ll be real.” Kotetsu interjected to pull another rock from the water, but this time he decided to throw it over towards where he believed the women’s bath was. “I bet, and I don’t take losing bets cause that’s dumb as hell. All my money would go on Zeko and I’d pay out, full offense to your flat friend.”

Spot simply smirked in reply. "I think Angel will surprise you. Heck, I fully expect her to surprise me, and I trained her."

“Well I’m not gonna whip out everything that I can do. It wouldn’t be fair, but I think that W could win.” He was more humble over it than his cousin… but he felt like giving his everything in this tournament would defeat the purpose of it being fun. “We aren’t all trying to kill each other, it’s just fun. But what could Angel surprise me with… Something that could turn me to stone?” Now he was thinking of the applications to be found in the flat girl, which he knew was a girl but he decided to cut deep regardless of her not being here to know, and the mystery of what she could have in her arsenal made Zeko think.

Spot laughed off the notion while adding "Petrification Abilities" to his mental list of future programing projects. "Nothing quite like that. But you'll find that my Angel has quite a few tricks hidden up her sleeves. Weapons and abilities you wouldn't expect just from looking at her. But why do you take W for the winner, then? Is she that powerful?"

“W’s pretty impressive to me.” He was just drifting in the water now, only his head and upper chest were above the surface in his supreme relaxation. “Tactical mind mixed with resilient energy and almost suicidal methods… a crazy woman who will blow everything and herself up. If it works it works, and self destructive ability gets you far.”

"Interesting. She seemed more level-headed than that when we were talking, but I guess the heat of battle brings out a different side in some people." He shrugged. "What about the others? The Links, the Furry, the Rock, and the Edgelord? Personally, I don't see most of them as a threat."

Kotetsu pulled something from the water again, except it couldn’t have been a rock… rocks don’t have eight legs and fuzzy bodies the size of a hand. “I dunno, that edgelord might be short but like I said he’s got my fucking money on him.” The spider crawled along his arm before setting onto a cozy spot in his damp hair, somehow not bothered by the heat or the humidity.

Zeko rolled his eyes at his own nickname but didn’t care enough to correct it, even he could admit that sometimes he had the edge of an alt music fan. “I hate to say it but he’s right, the dog might be a problem since he’s got a lot of power but maybe not as much technique. Everyone else, including your flat friend…” Zeko allowed a small chuckle to leave his mouth, bullying the less endowed wouldn’t leave him. “Yeah I’m not seeing them as too big of a problem, but I’ll keep my guard up.”

"More power than technique, you say?" Spot nodded. "I'll bear that in mind."

“You’re the bugstolfo, Spot. Kotetsu said you could be the ‘breedable homeboy’ since you can transform.” He finally lifted his body slightly from the water to acknowledge the changeling. “You and Kotetsu acting like each other might make someone go insane.”

Spot raised an eyebrow. "'Breedable homeboy?' I hope I'm the stud in that equation; I never let myself be fertile when I take female form."

Kotetsu cocked an eyebrow at Spot’s intentional dumbassery, no way in Hell the bug thought he was doing the breeding. “Nah, you’re the one getting it. I know like four people who would make you a housewife, one of them is my wife.”

“Except she makes Kotetsu the housewife, you should see his maid outfit.” Zeko was chuckling at the memory of seeing his elder cousin in his… very provocative maid dress. Mainly since it was a funny moment for the friend group.

“I served and ate in that shit.”

Spot chuckled, a little darkly. "I highly doubt that anyone here has what it takes to break my will like that. I may occasionally play the sub for my partner's enjoyment, but believe me, it is always an act. Never have I met a will that could dominate my own; I highly doubt I ever will."

The cousins looked at Spot, then at each other, then back to Spot just to be sure they heard that correctly. They weren’t doubting it, they weren’t questioning it, and they definitely didn’t want to test it… “You can’t find a dom in gay horse world? Damn that’s crazy.”

“I’d be more concerned if there was one, Equestrians are pretty soft. I got fined for cursing out loud when I was in mine… and that one was probably at the tougher end.”

They by no means doubted, wanted to test, or questioned Spot… but considering the pool of what he could have? “Soft ass bitches are all you fucked, but if that’s what you want go for it bugstolfo.”

Spot snorted. "Bitch, please. You think ponies were the only ones on the menu? I've bedded zebras, gryphons, minotaurs, yaks, and even a couple of younger dragons. Not to mention other changelings with some truly freaky transformations. If there was anyone who could adequately top me, I'd have found them by now. Humans might have an impressive imagination when it comes to porn, but I highly doubt they can pull out anything I haven't seen before."

“You haven’t been with humans who have unlimited stamina.” Zeko decided to rest against the rocks again while his black hair started to shift and move, revealing a snake with purple and white scales. “Liking the heat? You can swim around if you want.” His snake proceeded to quickly leave his hair in slink into the water, having a blast with getting to be totally warm and in high humidity.*

“Doesn’t matter what shit you’ve seen, you just haven’t gotten a human who knows what they’re doing. A basic bitch with a giant strap on isn’t as bad as a dommy mommy with a normal one.” Kotetsu was still messing with his spider, but his logic wasn’t too off base… how did they even get here? What was this conversation? Gold. It was gold.

Spot scoffed. "There's nothing basic about bedding a yak or a minotaur. You want to talk endless stamina? Yaks don't stop because they get tired; they stop because they're satisfied. You want to talk skill? The things that minotaurs can do with their hands... well, I'm sure humans are well aware." He shook his head. "Whatever skills or stamina the beings gathered here possess, I highly doubt any of them could dom me into being their, ah, 'breedable homeboy.'"

Kotetsu cocked a brow while his spider ever so casually climbed down to cover one of his eyes. He couldn’t believe what the bug twink was saying, but ignorance is bliss. “So yaks have three days worth of fucking in them? And flexing hands to a human is like flexing hard work to a bee, shit is redundant.” His spider leapt down to the water with a plop. Curling into a ball and drifting with the warmth. “You little dumbass… Anyway, one of those fruity looking blondes might have what it takes.”

“Those three don’t feel like they’re endless, but maybe they do the hiding thing like me. And Kotetsu… you don’t have infinite stamina. You’re just a freak of nature.”

He lifted his arms to splay himself up proudly, muscles that he worked hard for with a notable scar around his bicep. “Goddamn right.”

Spot eyed his muscles. He then quickly dipped his head beneath the water to eye up everything down there. He surfaced with a smirk. "I've seen bigger. In every respect."

Kotetsu shook his head with a smirk. Spot’s lack of real experience was showing to a man as worldly as him. “Size isn’t bad, but good size and perfect technique beat everything. Plus I’d bet money I can arm wrestle the biggest dickhead you know and win… after snapping his fucking arm in half.” A nod to his shorter cousin. “And he’s the physically stronger of us two.”

Spot simply shook his head at this cocky manchild, recalling that time he met the God of Minotaurs and the one time he saw Yak God from a distance. Not to mention his several meetings with Tiamat all those years ago. "There are more things in Heaven and Equus than are dreamt of in your philosophy. If I were you, I'd be cautious of judging another's experiences from a brief conversation. I have met beings before whom you would be but a mildly annoying wasp. Check yo'self before you wreck yo'self."

And there was the boot… Kotetsu’s eyes flashed crimson and looked into Spot’s, the single moment was all it took for Kotetsu to grin. “Oh you’re a twisted bug. Killing that bitch over and over, hunting and killing to live, you’re getting more impressive bugstolfo. Being scared of gods...” Kotetsu leaned forward again with a calculating look, and yet his eyes still kept the same energy he held near and dear. “If it bleeds, it dies.”

Spot leaned forward as well. "Then I suppose they don't die." He leaned back, relaxing once again into the hot spring. "I don't know how the gods of your world work, but the gods of mine do not ache, bleed, or perish unless their believers reject them. And that has happened maybe three times in recorded history. Apart from that, you could mutilate Moon-butt's avatar until it was a fine red paste and it wouldn't do a thing to the Goddess of Ponies, The Night, Dreams, and Coffee. It would be annoying for her to have to create a new avatar, and you would make an enemy of all of Equestria for slaying one of their Princesses, but you would not be able to touch the divine nature behind the mask that is 'Princess Luna.'"

Kotetsu was going to propose his clear cut idea to that wad of nothing he heard, but his relative beat him to the punch. “So they’re like that dragon, Sahloknir.”

“That big lizard that came with the masked faggot?”

“More than a lizard.” Zeko hummed and went through his memories, recalling relevant details. This talk of divines was getting interesting enough to see where they stood. “Sa-sa made it clear, those dovah are timeless. They always existed, and unless their soul is taken by someone with their blood… they’re unending. Like gods really, massively powerful and intelligent. But their physical bodies can be hurt and killed, their soul just doesn’t go anywhere. Souls are a metaphysical thing that can only be affected by some people, a soul is tied to anything that exists… I messed with Sa-sa a little, maybe if I spent more time at it I could’ve destroyed it.” All that talking made him decide to lay back and float again, working into concepts always felt like a chore. “Blehh… but maybe it works different for you, maybe it doesn’t? Concepts are difficult. Imagination and Yin tie together so the idea that I can hurt a god where you’re from isn’t crazy.”

“Orrrr…” Kotetsu’s interruptions came with Zeko’s eyes trailing to him and his immediate sigh, since he knew very well that he would say- “If I killed all the horse people who believe in them. They’d die.”

“Ughhh… that’s the guaranteed way. Damn it. I hate when you’re right.”

Spot hummed in contemplation. "You'd have to kill a lot more than just the ponies. The Goddess of the Night is recognized by everyone, even if the Goddess of ponies is less well-known. She'd definitely change fundamentally as one of her domains would be gone, but she wouldn't die. You'd have to destroy the night, dreams, and coffee as well, or at least change how everyone sees those things on a fundamental level. And you'd have to do that all at once, too; as everyone started getting less and less scared of the night, Luna's divine aspect gradually became less and less frightening." He snorted. "Well, the gods are terrifying as a rule, but that's a different sort of fear."

“Either kill every fucking thing on your planet, or hypnotize all of them to never see the shit she controls the same again.” Kotetsu exhaled to think about God murder even deeper, there wasn’t anything he couldn’t overcome after all. “I don’t know… what if I killed the pony bitches and declared myself as the new god? I already proved myself there, they’ll follow up or die.”

"Then they will die. Especially amongst ponies, raw might is far from enough to gain their obeisance. They would mourn the loss of Celestia and Luna while still worshiping the Goddess of Protection and the Goddess of Ponies. Eventually, new avatars would be born." He chuckled. "Not because every god must have an avatar, but because those particular goddesses can't seem to leave their little ponies alone. The Gryphon god hasn't had a semi-mortal avatar in centuries. Possibly millenia." He tilted his head curiously. "Why are you so hung up on this, anyway? Why formulate ways to slay our gods? Do you have something against divinity in general?" He smirked. "Or is your ego so fragile that just the concept of something you can't kill is enough to threaten your self-image?"

“Year one psychology is cute bugstolfo, but it’s not the concept that I can’t kill it.” Kotetsu raised a middle finger to the sky with a flex of his muscles, a simple sign and showing of what he was all about. “I am Kotetsu Uchiha. The best of the best. And killing a full fledged god is on my list of shit to do.”

"Ah, that makes sense," Spot said with a nod. "You're a full-fledged narcissist." His tone conveyed no judgement or disapproval, simply observation.

Zeko huffed before calling out, “Spot.” He didn’t raise his body but kept his head slightly up to show his own care. “Kotetsu might sound like a bratty, full of himself, spoiled kid who needs to get humbled… And he is sometimes. But, he’s Him with a capital H. If he and I fought with everything we had, even as I am now, he’d win. Kotetsu’s narcissistic but if it’s backed up by actually being that good, is he really wrong?”

Spot shrugged. "Most people would approve of that as an excuse for cockiness. Narcissism is more difficult to defend. After all, the cocky can still consider how their actions affect others. Narcissists struggle with that. Whatever god you someday slay, you will bring about the suffering of everyone who worships that god. The suffering of thousands, millions, billions is your stated goal, just so that you can prove that you have the might to slay a god. Any moralist or ethicist would say that that makes you wrong." He shrugged again. "Of course, I am neither a moralist nor an ethicist. So long as the god you kill is not one of ours, I will not try to dissuade you. But I will warn you to beware the retribution of those who you bring suffering to. Or of agents of justice who would fight for their sakes."

Kotetsu looked dumbfounded entirely by that winded explanation. Thousands, millions, or even billions suffering? “The fuck would I care about them for? It either exists because I like it, or it shouldn’t exist. And I have fun when I want, maybe I wanna dress in all pink and beat up someone. Or I’ll teleport and give someone the pimp hand.” He grinned with his crimson eyes turning into a distinct pattern, fractured black lines and red irises. “Fembug, think like this. You don’t care about the dust you clean, but the fucking mites are there in it. You wash your- Uh… appendages, but the bacteria need to live. Shit, you could dig a garden but you still ruined a tiny ecosystem. But this ain’t about morals, it’s about being free.” Kotetsu folded his arms while his spider crawled up his back to perch on his shoulder. A tilt of his head and a cocking of his brow predicted his next question. “Do I look like I should care about anything but what I want?”

Spot shrugged. "'Should' isn't really my specialty. Just be prepared to be taken out by someone stronger than you who does care. There's always a bigger fish, and the biggest fish tend to care about mortals, for some reason. Eventually, doing whatever you want will lead to consequences that you don't particularly care for." He shrugged again. "Unless of course you're fine with getting done by someone stronger than you eventually. In which case, go ham."

“If they were stronger than me, then it had to have just been another version of me. Nobody kills me but me.” His eyes went back to their black color and he laid back against the rocks, conversation done on his terms with the finality he spoke with. Some could say his head is up his ass, but it didn’t matter if he was the greatest.

Spot rolled his eyes, but left it at that.

The sound of footsteps can be heard meeting the wet floor. The moment anyone turned to look would see Jeff, one of the three Link Displaced that had arrived (days/etc) ago. He had a fairly toned body that looked to be a balanced mix of speed and strength. The most noticeable and possible eye catching detail about his appearance, would be the wide star shaped scar on his chest. He has not heard anything about the conversation other than the last few words.

Kotetsu’s neck nearly snapped to check out whoever just walked into the springs, and the sight of the blonde clone twink didn’t entertain him. “Another nobody, can't we have some more big booty bitches?”

“You don’t even like other women than your wife.”

Kotetsu shook his head at his younger cousin, not seeing the bigger picture. “It’s not about them being women I can leer at, it’s about the idea of ruining their confidence. Hot bitches that I can call ugly and break the spirits of… that's the best shit.”

“..Well they’ll most likely going to stay if you think they’ll accept you degrading them.” Jeff said with a frown of disapproval.

“And females aren’t as fragile as you think,” added Spot. “They’re more likely to ignore you than have their spirits broken if you straight-up insult them.”

“Pfft- As if I can’t break someone in fifteen seconds. The bitches I avoid don’t compare to my Shiro, she’s the baddest bitch there ever is.” He loved his wife and only loved his daughter as much. He pulled a photo of his wife up so they could all see her beauty… while she had a bloody sword in her hand with a vicious grin on her face. “The best woman.”

As a man who loved his own wife… Zeko fully understood that. Demeaning women who weren’t his perfect and beautiful Kuebiko? Yeah, he understood Kotetsu completely. Oh shit, new guy. “You’re one of the Links right? Jeff?”

“Yea, one of the three.” Jeff said as she sat down into the hotsprings, leaning his back into the rocks.

“What exactly is a ‘Link?’” Spot asked. “I’m an Equus native. Not really familiar with Earth culture.” A bold-faced lie, but these guys didn’t know he had internet access.

Kotetsu squinted at the lying bug but didn’t care enough to call him out on it, the bastard didn’t want to pay him for intel after all. “They’re some kind of elf or some shit.”

“No, Link is who I became physically in body. My race is actually a Hylian.” Jeff explained to clear up the confusion.

Spot rolled his eyes. “Okay, what’s a Hylian, then?”

"Oh boy, it's a long story. It's kind of like an elf but much longer ears, among other things but we’d be here all day if I had to explain in depth, like how we can hear the messages of the goddesses due to our ears, or how our blood is infused with magic.” Jeff said with a shrug.

Spot shrugged, making a mental note to do a deep-delve into Zelda lore. “Fair enough. I guess the next question is, what makes you different from the other Hylians here?”

“Other than appearances, height, age, personality, their outfit? That’s about it. We’re all different incarnated versions of Hylia’s Champion.” Jeff explained as he pushed his long hair back.

“He’s less fruity looking.” Kotetsu gave his own input on that field. Making fun of a twink elf would give him joy.

“Is he?” Spot asked with a smirk. “Hard for me to think of that one Link as ‘fruity’ when he and his Luna are banging.” He turned back to Jeff. “Anything going on between you and either of your guests? I haven’t really had time to suss that out yet.”

“Volvagia is pretty off on her own little adventure exploring the place while Cadance is at the library. This is their first time coming with me to other worlds, so there’s a lot of new things here for them.” Jeff said as he ignored Kotetsu’s comment.

“You’re with a Princess? The moon one right?” Zeko looked somewhat interested again at the idea. He didn't spend time with the rulers much but he remembers Luna a little bit. “How did that happen?”

Spot waved his hand dismissively. “No no, one of the other Links is with his Luna.” He smirked at Jeff. “But from the taste of it, you’ve managed to bag the Food - er - Love Princess. Nice.”

Kotetsu stared at his cousin with a blank expression. “…Damn, is that racist?”

“She’s the Twilight Princess, not love. She’s quite different than the other Cadance’s you’re familiar with.” Jeff pointed out to Spot.

Spot pouted. “Phooey. And here I thought I would have an easy source of food for this tournament. Guess I’ll just have to keep feeding off of Angel.”

“Not unless you stand outside any of the Displaced’s rooms though, but I suggest not doing that…” Jeff said with a raised hand.

Spot smirked. “Why stay that far away when I can be a literal fly on the wall? Or under the bed.”

“Any of the Displaced could sense you or see through your disguise, especially me with my Lens Of Truth.” Jeff said as he gave a warning stare. The hylian did not want anyone spying on him during his alone time with Cadance.

“‘Any of the Displaced,’ huh?” Spot questioned. “I don’t know; changelings are pretty stealthy.”

“Trust me, the Displaced is a whole world to you, and when it comes to them, they can be and use anything they want depending on whatever twisted fate their Displacer decides.” Jeff said with a sharp breath from his nose as he didn’t like what said Displacers were doing.

Zeko looked at Spot for a moment to think about a fresh memory of a fun day… fun after the torture at least. “Spot, can you sense when other changelings die? Or that I killed a nest of them?”

Jeff gave Zeko a long stare, as if trying to figure out if the sand ninja was asking metaphorically or if he was planning to pull a stunt.

Spot shrugged, unconcerned by the revelation. “Not specifically. Changelings are usually very good at not emitting their emotions, but even the best will falter at their time of death. So I get an overwhelming wave of terror that’s suddenly snuffed out if I’m close enough to taste it. But no, nothing really supernatural to tell me.” He hesitated before adding, “unless I’m in the same hivemind as them.”

“Different hive mind… Those jackasses kidnapped me, made me younger, and then I decided to clear the nest.” As casually as mowing the lawn. Zeko explained that he wiped out a high amount of changelings in one go. “But there was one I wanted to save, I just couldn’t. No regrets really, but if I could’ve I would’ve.”

“They made you young, like literally sucked the old age out of you??” Jeff asked Zeko with a tilt of his head.

“Hm… They poisoned me with something and it reverted my body, some of my brain, and maybe even my life energy to when I was twelve. But twelve isn’t young enough for them to have stolen from me.” His eyes went from black to purple with black rings. “They were trying to raise an ancient god and wanted my chakra.” Zeko pouted a bit while sinking into the water. “It’s actually my fault they did it… I was overcharging them every time we fought.”

"By Din's wrath, that sounded rough.. Did they succeed? Did you stop them? What happened afterwards?" Jeff asked with interest in his voice, leaning forward to listen.

A hum of thought came while he sat in the water. “They did succeed. There were five groups. Black Talon, Razor Wing, Gleaming Scales… I don’t even remember the pony one. But it didn’t matter, we stopped them.”

“That fucking god was a bitch to fight.” Kotetsu could remember the strain of it all. Not that it was that hard but the damn thing was practically immortal. “Probably would’ve reshaped the fucking world.”

“But, a forest spirit. Ano, she helped us seal him away and locked him through a door to who knows where.” The only issue was what he was leaving out but they probably didn’t care for those details. Not now at least.

“At least they were taken care of, although temporarily more or less until someone breaks them out, or the seal breaks.” Jeff said as he crossed his arms.

Zeko laughed a little bit at that while his snake coiled back into his hair to rest. “It’s double sealed. Another version of me tried to drain it so I sealed it in… let’s just say I sealed it in the center of a lot of rocks. Ano buried it and made it look like a hill.”

“Nobody’s gonna mess with that shit for a while.” Kotetsu was scrolling again but semi tuned into the conversation, but not enough to give any real insight.

“Sounds like quite the ordeal,” Spot said. “Fighting off five organizations at once? Must have been some battle.”

“A lot of the time they were coming at me alone… okay not alone but, one group at a time.” Zeko raised his torso out of the water again to focus on Spot, respect and all that. “The hardest parts were dealing with the dragon’s aspect. They all had someone tied to that ancient door for the god, the dragon’s didn't like theirs. Torch asked me to kill it and I did.”

Kotetsu snickered at the hilarity of his fight during that climax. “I fought some minotaur jackass who swam in the ground, but he wasn’t shit with exploded lungs.”

“But I had another question, Spot… can you tell how people feel all the time?” Zeko didn't exactly bond with many changelings so getting information would be a nice venture.

Spot snorted and raised an eyebrow. “I’d be a pretty lousy empath and emotivore if I couldn’t. The only beings I can’t get a read on are other changelings who are concealing their emotions or…” He hesitated. “Well, suffice it to say that I can read just about everyone here like an open book. That Phos girl was a little tricky at first, but I’ve got her down, now.”

Kotetsu looked at the twink with a smirk on his face. Setting up his usual shenanigans. “You’re easy to read too, not much protection from high up shit in that empty head, bugstolfo.”

Spot returned the smirk. “The fact that you’re calling my head empty tells me that you aren’t as good at reading me as you think.”

“Oho a challenge? I mean, not fair since I didn't spend years on the run and acting like a pet for love. But I keep saying, I’m good enough to back it up.” He showed a picture of his daughter to Jeff, not fully caring that the man seemed a little tense but a cute kid would make most people happier.

Spot’s eye twitched as he forced Kotetsu out of his head, but he gave no other reaction.

“Life’s greatest treasure.. Speaking of which,” Jeff paused to look up at the ceiling. “I’m still nervous when the time comes of me having a kid of my own, especially since me and Cadance are almost different races, what with her being a Twili alicorn and me being a Hylian.”

Spot waved him off with an encouraging smile. “I’ve found that mixed-species families work out fine as long as both parents are open to each other’s cultures.” He paused. “Or are you thinkin about difficulties conceiving? Because in that case, you could just get a sire for Cadance.”

“Compatibility is what I mean, if her egg can bear my seed and make something without anything going wrong in the next few years of it forming.” Jeff explained, mentally hoping he worded it right without disturbing anyone here.

Zeko shuddered at the way he phrased that but still wanted to help out. “Maybe you should just try building a loving relationship? If kids happen they happen, but if you aren’t compatible you can adopt.” Zeko laid back into the water again and thought of his own oncoming child. “Plenty of ki- foals out there who want a loving family, and you seem like a cool guy. You’d be a good dad I think, even Kotetsu can do it.”

“The fuck are you implying…”

The two of them locked into an intense glare at one another before breaking it. It wasn’t worth fighting over in the springs. Not now and not ever.

Jeff looks between the two as a moment of intense rose, only to fade like a calming ocean. “I mean we’re in now and have been for a year. It took a lot of time for her to heal from the experience of being lost in the Twilight Realm, especially when she had to move in a small body she was cursed to be in by Sombra. As for her having a kid or adopting, I just want to make sure she’s happy, she means alot to me and I'd hate to see her sad.”

Kotetsu heard all of that and could only think of one fitting word. “Gay.” He was immediately met by a splash of water making him drop his phone. “SHIT!” He dove under to hunt for it while his cousin waved it off.

“Don’t mind him, but what you should do is just be clear how much she means to you. If she’s happy then it’s fine, but you can be happy too.” That was the moment his cousin burst from the water with his phone in hand, uncaring about it being dropped since it was waterproof.

“And if it turns out that natural conception is impossible,” Spot added, “but you still want your children to have both of your DNA, I could always transform into you and…” He trailed off, tasting Jeff’s rejection of that idea. “Huh. Guess that sort of thing isn’t normal in your world. Never mind, then.”

“Bugstolfo… shut up.” Not Kotetsu using the nickname, it was Zeko who glared at Spot and called out the dumbassery of that suggestion.

Jeff gave Spot such a heat filled glare. “You’d not only piss off Cadance but me as well, and you would not like me when I’m mad.” he said warningly as fire danced along his fingertips.

Spot held up his hands placatingly. “Hey, I didn’t mean anything by it. Getting a sire to help in conception is pretty normal on my Equus. But if your world doesn't have that sort of culture, then I’ll drop it.”

“Yeaaa no, not my Equus.” Jeff said with a shake of his head as the flames around his hands died down.

“Crazy way to ask for a surrogate… Sounds like an excuse to get railed.” Kotetsu was just calmly on his phone again and only causing mild agitation.

Spot rolled his eyes. “It’s just sex.” Tasting the reaction to his words, he chuckled. “Oh wow. Is my Equus the exception, or are all of you just prudish?”

Zeko cocked a brow at the idea but shook his head. “The one I got was pretty open. Except for the dicks who would come around during heat season.”

“Sex isn’t something casual in all worlds.. Is this your time void traveling or..?” Jeff pauses to let Spot answer.

“Yup. First extra-dimensional experience.” Spot leaned back, staring up into the sky. “Lots to learn. New customs. New moores. New faux pas’ and ways to put my hoof in my mouth.” His brows furrowed for a moment as he looked back at the others. “Is that a human phrase? Put your… fist in your mouth? Foot?”

“Biting lips is usually what we say. But a lot of places have casual fucking, me and my wife are teen parents.”

“And yes, putting your foot in your mouth is one of the sayings. I mean to be honest Equus’s phrases aren’t so different to humans other than a few changed words.” Jeff said with a nod.

“That’s weird, isn’t it?” Spot said, tilting his head curiously. “I mean, Earth and Equus exist in two completely different areas of the multiverse.”

“That’s the multiverse theory for ya, it’s either almost the same or entirely different world, so best keep an open mind.” Jeff said as he uncrosses his arms and rests them on his lap.

“Sure, but why are ours similar? I mean, it’s not like there’s any sort of connection between Earth and Equus, right?”

“There was that one mirror in my world, but not the same I’m used to. I mean sure, they’re humanoid but they’ve got skin colors matching their Equus counterparts.” Jeff said as a frown slowly formed on his face. “Hylia, how I miss my original Earth.”

Spot stuck out his tongue and scooted back from Jeff. “Blech. There’s a familiar unpleasant flavor. Novel to taste it from someone other than Angel.”

“I forget that not everyone can just… go home. Kotetsu can go anywhere and I can open spaces to where I’ve been.” Zeko didn’t mean to brag about it but he was very grateful over the fact that he learned how to just… jump to places. “I hope you can get back home, Jeff. But maybe your home is where your heart is.”

"By that logic, it's in my Equus. While I do want to go back to my home because of a number of things I can't get in my Equus, I don't know if my earth is still the same, goddesses know how much time may have gone by.” Jeff said before turning to look at Spot. “..Do you constantly taste emotions or do you have any control there?”

“Constant,” Spot said. “Which is fine, most of the time. I’m used to it. But when the negative emotions are powerful and sudden enough…” He shuddered. “Let’s just say that there are certain things that Ange and I don’t talk about unless we’re on opposite sides of the room.”

“So you instigate?” Zeko flopped back into the water and started messing with more sand, swirling it and spinning it in the air above him. “No wonder you and Kotetsu get along.”

Spot shrugged. “That’s part of it. Control other people’s emotions, and I don’t get any surprises on my tongue. But honestly?” He chuckled without humor, a dark look entering his eyes. “It’s just nice to be able to cut loose and be myself in public for fucking once.”

“Be free.” Kotetsu sat up and looked right at the bug. “Do what you want. Be free, I do whatever and nobody can stop me… but, who’s gonna stop me? Be someone they can’t stop and then you have freedom.”

Spot shot him a deadpan glare. “Yeah. Sure. I’ll just do that.” He shook his head and adopted a cocky smirk, all trace of humorlessness gone in an instant. “But enough of dark tidings. Who here brought the hottest companion? Remember, what happens in the baths stays in the baths.”

Kotetsu pointed at Zeko without a second to spare. “I’m the baddest bitch here, so the midget brought me.”

Author's Note

Wow, this Kotetsu guy really seems arrogant. I wonder if he can back it up! Anyway, that’s all I had to yap. Peace! – Uncle Iroh.

Kotetsu’s a little rough around the edges, BUT- Yeah no he’s just rough around the edges, you get used to it. Til next time! - Seeker

“Ugh. Feel like washing my own mouth out with soap after that.” Spot hangs out with the boys, looking for more information. Unfortunately, this will be the start of a rather… rocky relationship between Angel's party and Zeko's. This is probably the chapter I'd most like to rewrite if it were just up to me. Cut out the more vulgar bits of conversation. Ah well, that's what you get when you do a huge colab like this. -Show Stopper