Experiment: GENESIS

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12

Chapter 1

Prelude

Just as evolution made us the victors, so, too, are we its victims. We are victors because at this moment we exist in an evolutionary tributary that continues to flow, un-yielded by outside intervention. We are victims because the processes of evolution put us, as individuals, at risk from the movement of conception and make our mortality inevitable. For evolution has produced not only the array of organisms that exist in the universe, but also molded, for its own uses, the mechanisms of heredity by which organisms pass genetic information from generation to generation. These mechanics are almost perfect in every way, except for the impatience of pony kind. This impatience has led to many ponies to try to take evolution into their own hooves. Most fail, returning to their work with a black mark on their souls. But sometimes, one succeeds, and it changes the rules that nature has laid down so carefully.

Prologue

The Director looked up from the paper work and looked at the scientist who had given it to him. He did this a couple times before he spoke.

“Are you saying this is possible?” he asked, not believing his eyes.

The scientist nodded. “We believe so. Experiments on animals have proved our research successful so far. We believe that it is time for the next step.”

“Which would be?”

“Experiments on fetal and growing ponies.” he said frankly.

“You can’t be serious. Experiments on ponies?! Animals are one thing, but on pony kind is another.” He set down the papers and pushed them back at the scientist. “I can’t allow it.”

“But, Sir, do you realize what this could mean? This could usher in a new period in Equestria’s history! A new era of perfection and prosperity! And you, Director, could be the one who brings it to life.”

The director looked uncomfortable. “I don’t know. What if Celestia finds out about this?”

The scientist smiled. “She does not see everything under her sun. Trust me, she will not know until you are ready for the information to be released.”

The Director sighed and sank further into his chair. He reached over and pulled the papers back to him. He read them over again, carefully. “Are you sure about this? There is no mistake?”

“We are positive that our findings are correct, Sir. All you have to do, is sign there.” he pointed at the last page, where a short, black line waited.

The Director sighed again. Leaning forward he grabbed a pencil in his mouth. He signed his name on the very last page. Spitting the pencil back out, he sighed. Sitting further up in his chair, he said, “Approved.”

Chapter 1

She was awoken in the same fashion as any other morning, by one of the doctors kicking her cage. She snapped out her leg in order to keep herself from falling over. Opening her bright blue eyes, she looked around the room in which they had been kept for the last eight years.

It had linoleum floors, white stone walls, and white ceiling with fluorescent lights. Cages lined the far side of the room, most were empty, and had been for a long time. However, the two on each side of her were filled with her brothers and sisters.

They weren’t blood related, but they had been together for so long that they just called each other family. The scientists came and un-latched their cages, one by one. They crawled out, slowly like they had been taught. When they stood up, they rose above the doctors. Standing in a straight line, they stretched out their muscles, flexing their over-long legs. Then, with a rush of wind and feathers, they unfurled their wings.

Their wings stretched farther than any other Pegasi’s. Even the wings of the youngest stretched over twelve hands wide. At first glance, the five were indistinguishable, identical. But when you looked a second time, differences began to fade in. They all had pure white coats with a dark blue mane and tail. Their Cutie Marks, normally never shared between a pony, were all the same. It was two strands of DNA forming an X with a pair of wings attached to the point where they crossed.

The differences were less prominent. They all had different color eyes. They were red, blue, green, yellow and, finally, black. For four of them, that was the only difference. But the Pegasus with the black eyes had the biggest different of all.

Being the first of the group, his genetic make-up had been experimented on too much. As a result, he had been born, or created to be more precise, with an extreme abnormality: a pair of bi-wings. He had a second pair of wings behind the first, making him look, from above, slightly like a dragonfly. This second pair of wings allowed him to fly farther, fly faster, and carry more, than any other Pegasi in existence.

A scientist held open a pair of doors at the end of the hall. Like they had been trained, they walked through the doors, and they kept walking until they reached the end. At the end of the hall were seven doors, three on each side and one at the end. All the doors on the side were marked. Five of them had colors, and one had a pair of wings on it. The doors with colors were marked with the Pegasi’s eyes colors: red, yellow, green, blue, and orange.

They passed the door marked with orange one by one. And as they did, they closed their eyes and bowed their heads, then continued walking down the hall. When they reached their specific door, they stopped and waited in front of it. When all five were in position, a buzzer sounded and the doors opened. They stepped inside and the doors closed.

The insides of the rooms were all the same. They had a normal operating table in the center, some cabinets on the wall, which were white as usual, and a platter of needles and scalpels. The floors in here were not white. They were a mixture of the old white, and the new maroon from years of blood being spilt.

The five Pegasi climbed up on the table and laid down. They waited for what was coming. Sure enough, a couple scientist, with masks, came through the door. They started to speak, but the five just shut out the voices. They had learned that if you do not listen, and just nod, then the pain will not be expected and will be much less.

The doctors started inserting needles, making them do endurance testing, and operating on them. The tests varied for each pony, depending on what their most advanced attribute was. When the day was over they were dumped back into their cages to await the same thing tomorrow.

But there wouldn’t be another day. They pretended to be asleep until the lights were turned off, then waited. Everything was silent and dark.

They opened their luminescent eyes. They had done this routine for the last couple of weeks, with no avail. However, tonight, it would pay off.

The five turned to the back of their cages. Over the past couple weeks they had been grinding down the three back bars of their cage with their hooves. With one of the five watching the door while the other four working, they had managed to weaken the bars enough. Blue Eyes stood up as high as her cage would allow her. She turned and looked at Dual Wings, who nodded. She gathered her energy and bucked.

The metal bars flew and slammed into the back wall. She tentatively put a hoof onto the floor, then another. For the first time she stepped out of the crate on her own will. She turned around just in time to see Dual kick his cage open as well. He stepped out and spread his wings, then launched himself into the air. He laughed for the first time in years.

“Red, Yellow, Green, hurry up we don’t have all day!” Blue flew up to join him, matching his wings beat for beat. The other three broke their cages as well and flew up to meet them.

“Do you know which way to go?” Yellow asked Dual, her small voice filled with fear and excitement.

“No idea. But I guess it’s through that door.” he pointed at the seventh door in the hall, the one that was always locked. He looked at Blue with determination. “You ready for this?”

Blue stared at the door. They had lived their entire existence in this room. What was beyond that door? She swallowed. “Yes.” she said, her voice trembling. But then she remembered, she was the second oldest. She had to set an example for the others. She jumped up and did a loop in mid-air. When she returned to her spot, she looked at Dual, a smile on her lips. “Yes. Let’s do this.”

Dual was the oldest, at sixteen. Next was Blue who was fourteen. Green was eleven. Red was nine. Yellow was the youngest, at eight. If Orange had been with them, he would have been twelve. She stopped thinking right then. She didn’t want to think about Orange.

Dual smiled, then took off towards the door, the others in pursuit. When he reached the door he dropped down on the ground in front of it. He turned tail and, with all his strength, bucked the door.

Wood splintered and his hooves left circular marks in the door, but it stayed in place. He lifted his rear legs and tried again. This time the door broke from its hinges and fell to the floor. He turned around to see what lied beyond.

Another hallway. More doors. At the end they could see the hallway break off into two directions.

“Damn!” Dual said, using one of the words he had picked up from the scientists. He flew off towards the end of the hall, then stopped. He hovered, his wingtips barely brushing the walls. He turned his neck one way, then the other Turning back to them, he said, “Which way do you think?”

Green Eyes suddenly detached from the group, flying back towards the room they had come. She returned with one of the cage bars clasped in her mouth. She pulled it out and held it in her hooves.

“I need you guys to be quiet. Really quiet.” She closed her eyes and let the metal tumble from her grasp. It landed on the floor with a reverberating crash that split the silence of the lab wide open. It slowly echoed away into nothing, but Green kept her eyes closed, listening for another minute before opening her eyes. When she did she pointed down the hallway going left.

“That way! There is a wide, circular room down there. It is made of something other than this stuff.” she knocked her hoof against the concrete. She did a loop, then started to fly down the hall. She stopped when she realized no one was following her.

“What?” she asked, her voice annoyed.

“How do you know?” Dual asked. He looked down the halls, but all he could see was darkness.

“I just know, OK?” she started to fly down the hall again. This time the others followed. Blue tried to think back. Green was the middle of their group. She was created a year after Orange was and two years before Red. They said she was the pinnacle of experimentation. They had tried to alter her as much as physically possible. They had succeeded to. But all this came with a price.

She was mentally unstable. She would have breakdowns from time to time. Most were simple, she would just curl up and whimper. But other times it was much worse. She would become violent, throwing things at the scientists, yelling, even hurting her brothers and sisters. One time she stabbed a scientist with his own scalpel. That time they had done something to her, shot something at her that made her fall to the ground, screaming and convulsing. The scientists made sure that next time, they didn’t mess with the genes and alleles as much.

They reached the room that Green had said was there. They looked around in awe. The ceiling in this room was made of something that was transparent. Through it they could see a dark blue roof with pin-pricks of white on it. A large tube stood in the middle of the room, glass on both ends, pointing at the blue.

Red stood in the doorway, staring up at the ceiling. “What is this place?” he asked, tearing his eyes away to look at Dual.

Dual walked back outside and looked at the sign next to the door. “Ob-ser-va-tory.” he looked back at Red. “I have no idea, but it looks amazing.” He stared for a few moments, then shook his head. “We need to stop being sidetracked. Let’s try to find a way out.”

Yellow looked at Dual with a smile on her face. The youngest of the group, six, her genes were the most stable out of all of them, and she showed it. Her coat almost glowed it was so white. Her eyes shown with a light that was absent in the others eyes. And her intelligence was incredible. She started talking at the same year that Dual did, even though she was two and he was eight. The doctors always treated her best, giving her candy and not kicking her awake.

She ran over to one of the walls. She pointed at a red case that was resting on the wall. “Use this.” she said, still smiling.

Dual walked over the the case. “Break glass in emergency.”? He looked at yellow like she was crazy. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

Yellow let out a sigh. She walked over to the case. Raising her back legs, she bucked the glass. Her hooves broke through the glass, causing a cascade of shards to rain down around her. She pulled her hooves out of the glass, something falling to the ground next to her.

“This is an emergency.” she said, a look of annoyance on her face. “Break the glass.” and with that she turned and walked away. Dual looked at Blue who just laughed. Dual shook his head and looked down at what had fallen on the floor.

It was a bright red canister, about five hands tall and made of metal. He picked it up in his hooves, the metal cold against his fur. It weighed a good ten pounds. He looked at yellow, still wondering what she wanted him to do. He looked at the canister, the window, then to Yellow. He did that a couple more times, the realized what she wanted.

Hefting the canister he threw with all his strength, which was increased due to his genetic make-up. It sailed though the air and stuck the transparent wall. From the point of impact, cracks started to spread. Finally a small spiderweb of cracks covered about 15 hands in each direction.

Dual looked at Yellow, astonished. “How did you know?”

Yellow beamed with pride. “I just did.” she walked over to the cracks. “Now what?” she asked turning back to the others. Blue walked up to the window and stood next to her.

“I think...it just needs a little kick.” she turned around, gathered her strength, and bucked. Her hooves sailed through the glass. The window broke, sending a cascade of sparkling shards falling in a rain around her and Yellow. When she opened her eyes, a hole wide enough for three of them to fit through at once, had opened.

She turned back to Dual, smiling, a feeling of pride spreading through her. But that only lasted a second.

Alarms sounded. Bright red lights flashed. Hooves pounded. Above them, bright florescent lights turned on, blinding their over-sensitive eyes for a brief moment. When the glare faded, Blue saw scientists and other ponies pounding into the room. Dual turned to the group, panic on his face.

“RUUUNNN”!! he yelled, galloping towards the hole in the glass. As he ran through, his shoulder caught on a ragged edge. His skin ripping, crimson blood flowed down his chest. He grunted in pain, but kept running. When he was free of the building, he unfurled his wings, twelve hands in each direction, and soared into the sky.

Stark white against the black of the night sky, blood flowing over his heart, wind ripping at his mane, he looked like an avenging angel. Even his own group looked slightly afraid as they flew up to join him. They turned back towards the lab in which they had grown, just about to say goodbye forever. But it was not over.

One of the scientists brought out a cage. Dropping the cage onto the floor, he opened the latch, then galloped back a few steps. Out rushed a pitch black Pegasus, roaring and spitting. He turned his nose towards the sky, spotting them as they hovered two hundred hands off the ground.

With a shriek that chilled Green to the bone, it jumped up into the sky, bounding towards them.

Dual pushed Blue to get her flying, then grabbed Yellow and flew away as fast as he could, not looking back. He could hear the Pegasus, right behind him, shrieking. Looping and circling above the lab, Yellow screaming in his grasp, he tried to out race the Pegasus, but it was no good. He turned back just in time to pull his tail away from it’s snapping jaws. Suddenly he had an idea. He slowed slightly to allow the Pegasus to catch up. Blue let out a gasp. The others were watching the scene, not wanting, or unable, to move.

When it was within range, Dual brought his hind leg up. Then he brought it down with all his force, landing a solid hit on it’s muzzle. With a grunt, the Pegasus dropped altitude. After a few tumbles, it righted itself, then began to fly after them again.

A second later, the Pegasus cried in pain, reaching up to claw at it’s neck. A terrible sound was escaping it’s lips, a combination of a shriek and a growl. Dual looked and saw a small metal collar around it’s neck. A small red light was illuminated. It stayed like that for a few moments, the Pegasus screaming the whole time. When it turned off, the crying stopped. With a guttural snarl in Duals direction, it returned to the ground.

Dual rose up to rejoin the others. The rest had already soared into the night sky, leaving the pain and death behind. Dual turned back and spit in the direction of the lab, then flew off. But Blue hung back. She has seen the black Pegasi’s eyes. What she had seen was hate, rage, fear, and pain. But that was not what had stopped her. What stopped her was the color.

They were bright orange.

Chapter 2

Dual woke gasping, sweat dripping down his body. His hoof was clutching the shoulder that had been ripped open years ago. Looking around the room, he realized where he was. He let his body go limp, falling back onto his cloud pillow. He folded his wings over himself in an effort to hold in the bad memories. There was no need to relive those days, they were safe now.

After a few minutes, he decided that it was time to face the world. Placing his hooves on the soft, yet slightly spongy, clouds that made up their house, he started his day.

He walked over to the balcony that he had added to his room. He stepped out and breathed in the fresh air and drank in the view.

They had created their house in the valley that was formed by four mountains. His balcony faced east, and every morning, the sun would rise between two of the mountains, staining his room shades of pink, yellow, and orange. That thought brought him to a crashing halt.

Orange. He should have been here to see this. Blue had told Dual, and only him, about the black Pegasus. How it had orange eyes. But they couldn’t have been orange. It just wasn’t possible. They had seen him die. Seen his eyes, one that had been full of life and spirit, close for the last time. He had died in his cage, right next to Dual, shaking away his life as his very DNA unraveled before their eyes.....

“NO!” he yelled, throwing himself into the air. He unfurled his four, powerful wings, which carried him into the morning air. He flew around the house as fast as was possible, his fury slowly ebbing as he did. Finally, after about ten minutes, he perched on one of the mountain tops, observing his home down below.

From the outside it looked like any other cloud floating in the sky. But on the inside, there were walls, bedrooms, even a play room for Yellow and Red. When they had first found this place, deep in the Coltorado mountains, they had spent days trying to make it look as Innocent as possible. Evidently they had done a good job. It had been two years since their escape, and they had not been found yet.

His eyes picked up something moving in the house. Someone, probably Blue was already up. He flexed his wings and dived back down towards the house. He hovered above the kitchen, then dropped himself through the clouds, landing right next to Blue, who didn’t even jump. She had become accustomed to Dual’s tricks.

“Hey,” she said when he dropped in. “Breakfast will be ready soon, why don’t you get the others.” Dual looked over her shoulder. She was cutting up wildflowers and bits of barley from the field a few miles away. It wasn’t much, but it was what they needed to survive. Without a word, he walked out of the kitchen and down towards the bedrooms. He stopped off at each room, waking up whoever was in there. Soon all of the Gens, as they had started to call themselves, were awake. He walked back into his room to see the sunrise. It was something that he did everyday. It was his ritual, what he did to remain same. As he watched, a small yellow glow appeared on the horizon, then slowly grew until the sun burst from the mountains. His room glowed and changed colors, dazzling him with with it’s brilliance and its warmth.

He turned away, but something caught his over-sensitive eyes. A small, dark shape had flown from one mountain to then next, directly across the sun. It landed on the the opposite mountain and disappeared. He stared at the space between the mountains, waiting for it to fly again, but it didn’t. He shook his head and turned away. It was probably just a Condor or eagle, nothing to worry about. He pushed it to the back of his mind.

He walked down the hallway again, this time stopping at Blue’s door. He pushed it open to take a look inside. Excluding his room, this was his favorite. It faced the opposite direction of his, west. Her room was granted with a view of the sunset, which was her favorite time of day. She would disappear into her room, just to watch it. Dual assumed it was for the same reason that he watched the sunrise, to keep sane. Everything looked normal, but he took a second look. Something new adorned her room.

Standing next to her bed was a small tablet made of cloud. It was about four hands tall by two hands wide. Colors swirled and mixed on it’s surface. Purples and deep reds. Yellows and oranges. It took him a minute to realize that it was a sunset. Perfectly captured in cloud and color. How long had she been working on this? He started to walk towards it when he heard a sound behind him. Turning he saw Blue standing in the door, leaning on the frame.

Busted, he thought. Blue didn’t like to have others in her room. Now he knew why. “Umm.. I was...” he started, stumbling over his words. This just caused Blue to laugh.

“It’s no big deal. Come on, breakfast is ready and your the last as usual.” she left the doorway, Dual close behind her. They reached the kitchen, the other three were already eating. Dual sat down and began eating, but Blue didn’t. She was busy preparing the rest of the food for the day. Ever since their escape, she had taken on the position of ‘Mom’ in the group. Feeding them, taking care of the younger ones. When Dual saw how hard she was working, he felt ashamed. He was the eldest, he should be doing the work. But he saw how well the others responded to her, almost as if she was their real Mom. Dual just didn’t have it in him to do that.

When they were all finished eating, Dual stood up. “You guys know what day it is.” A collective groan grew from the Gens. “Yeah that’s right, it’s training day. I want you all up on the south mountain in a few minutes.

Green put her back hooves up on the table. “Do we really have to do this? We already know how to fly.” Blue walked over and knocked her hooves off the table.

“Yes, we do.” Dual replied. “And I don’t want to hear any complaining. South mountain. Five minutes.” he got up and left the table, walking back to his room. He could hear someone following him.

“Blue, I don’t want to hear it.” he said without turning around.

“I just think that--” Blue started. Dual turned oh his hooves and walked up to her, putting a hoof on her shoulder.

“You know why we have to train. You and I both saw what that black Pegasus was capable of. It was faster and stronger than any of us, even me. That is why we have to train.”

“But why all of them? Yellow is only ten..”

“And she is smart enough to realize why we need to do this. She just doesn’t want to realize it.” he took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “What if, one day, we were attacked? What if we were not prepared? You know what would happen then.”

He saw her eyes take her someplace far away. Back to the lab, back to the pain, the suffering, the fear. A couple seconds later, she was brought back to reality. She bowed her head. “I guess you’re right. I will be there in a few minutes.” she walked down the hall and into her room, shutting the door behind her.

Dual walked back into his room and threw himself off of the balcony. He waiting until he was as close to the ground as possible, then unfurled his wings. They filled with air and he started flying. He soared up and out of the canyon. He looped a couple times, then landed on the summit of the southern mountain. He waiting for the others.

After a couple minutes, they arrived. Some were still half asleep. When they were all settled, the training started.

It began with simple loops around the house as a warm up. Afterwards, the hard stuff began. Dives and swoops, loops, evasive maneuvers. They were spectacular, even little Yellow, who’s wings were them smallest out of the group. A couple hours past, then he called them in. They landed in front of him, breathing heavily.

“OK, I want to try something new.” he put them into pairs. Red with Yellow, Blue with Green. “I want you guys to see how long you can carry your partner. When you can’t carry them anymore, drop them and both of you come back here, got that?” The four nodded. Blue grabbed Green under her fore-legs, and Red did the same with Yellow.

They took of flying around. Dual knew it would take a long time for one of them to tire. This was his version of one of the ‘Endurance tests’ the scientists used to make them do. He hated to take ideas from the disgusting, evil ponies that had made them suffer so much.

Blue watched Dual as she carried Green around. He seemed to be in the middle of some sort of fight. His expression changed from happy one moment, to dark and angry the next. What was causing him to do that, she wondered. They had been flying for about thirty minutes, when Red dropped Yellow. She caught herself, then flew over to sit by Dual, who smiled at her.

Blue had gotten bored and started to look around at the scenery. When she reached it, she took a look at the eastern mountain. It looked like a flock of migratory Condors had stopped there as a pit stop. Their black feathers ruffled in the wind.

It was another thirty minutes before she even got tired. But just to end the boredom, she dropped Green, then flew back to Dual. He looked at her, like he knew she had faked loosing her grip. She just smiled innocently at him.

He cleared his throat. “Well that was good. I think we can end it here today. Just take another couple loops around the house, then let’s eat.” The sun was starting to sink in the western sky. He jumped off the mountain, spreading his powerful wings, and taking off towards the house. The others jumped off just as he did, and soon they were flying in a V-formation around the clouds.

As they passed, Blue could see more and more Condors landing on the mountain. But then she noticed something. She focused her vision on the birds. She saw wings, definitely, but Condors don’t normally have hair. And they certainly don’t have hooves.

She panicked, her voice caught in her throat. She struggled, but was finally able to scream a sentence.

“DUUUAAALLL!!” she yelled over the sound of the wind. “Dual there back! They found us!!”

Dual stopped in his tracks, his expression filled with fear and disbelief. He looked where she was pointing, his eyes widened. He turned as fast as possible, heading towards the house, screaming, “Everyone inside! NOW!!”

They rushed towards the house, panicked and afraid. Blue looked over her shoulder as she flew. He wing would block her view for a second as it beat up and down, causing the scene behind her to skip frames.

As one, the black Pegasi rose into the air, a solid mass of fur and feathers that obscured the sky behind them. Blue couldn’t count them, but she had to guess there was at least sixty. She raced towards the house. Her life depended on weather or not she made it.

Celestia must have not been smiling on them, because the Pegasi reached them first. Screaming and spitting they attacked, biting, hitting, and grabbing at them. But Dual hadn’t just trained them to fly. No, he had trained them to fight.

As the first Pegasi reached them, Blue sent a kick that smashed into the muzzle of one of the attackers. With a sound that was a mix between a squeal and a growl, it back off, blood falling from its nose. She lashed out with her front hoof, nailing it in the side of the head. Unconscious, it fell towards the ground. Off to her right, she could see Dual in a fight of his own. He had yellow clinging to his back, her small eyes filled with tears and fright. He lashed out with all he had, punching and kicking the attackers away. He landed a kick right on one’s back, causing him to drop like a stone.

She was distracted so much, that she took a hoof directly to the side of the head. With a cry of pain, she was sent spiraling away. When she righted herself, she felt blood running down the side of her head. She sailed back into the fight, the familiar felling of fury returning from all those years ago.

She flew back in, landing punches and kicks to their backs before anyone even tried to stop her. She could see Green up above, dodging the black Pegasi’s blows, trying to get behind them. She did, and then she punched as hard as sh could, hitting it right in the spot that it’s wings met its back. With a cry of pain, it plummeted towards the ground.

All Pegasi had a week spot on their backs. Snap a kick, land a punch, anything, and their wing bones will break away from their spines, injuring them for life. However, up here, ‘life’ was about ten seconds before the ground met you.

Red was fighting well for someone his age. Using his size as an advantage, he could easily dodge punches and kicks, getting behind them to land a fatal blow.

Dual had taught them all to protect their backs. If they got surrounded, like now, they would form a circle. They just hoped that the enemy would not be smart enough to know about that spot.

They formed the circle now, fighting to keep themselves floating, and alive. Together, they had fought off about twenty, and it showed. They all had some sort of wound. Dual’s wounds were the worst. A gash had opened over his eye, another was under his first left wing, and it was possible that his nose was broken. The one eye was shut tight against the flow of blood.

“What should we do?” asked Blue, as she kicked a Pegasi in the chest.

Dual looked like he was in the middle of internal debate. He didn’t know what to do. They could fight, but that might lead to them getting overwhelmed. The only realistic option was.

“Run.” He said it so quietly that Blue wasn’t sure that she heard him right. She fought off another Pegasi, then turned back to him.

“What?!”

He looked at her, determination and fear blanketing his face. “RUN!!” he shouted. Yellow still clinging to his back, he launched himself upwards, punching and kicking to make a path for the others. He reached the top of the wave of attackers, then shot off to the north, the rest of the Gens in pursuit. They poured on the speed, flying as fast as was physically possible. Soon, the black Pegasi were far away. They must have not had orders to pursue, only to attack. With their prey gone, they turned their attention to the cloud house.

Blue gasped as they fell on the house, ripping the clouds apart. Tears welled in her eyes as she saw her bedroom wall bucked out, her painting flying away and evaporating. Dual watched, his face solemn. But his eyes gave away his emotions. Hate, pain, grief, and, most frightening of all, unbundled fury.

His breath was ragged, his wing beating so fast, they were almost a blur. “BASTARDS!!” he yelled at the top of his lungs. “YOU SONS OF MARES!! WE WONT FORGET THIS! YOU WONT GET AWAY WITH THIS!!” Blue, for the first time, was afraid of her brother. She didn’t know what to say, she just let silent tears fall down her muzzle, and drop onto empty space.

Dual, still breathing hard, turned his back to the scene, and flew away. Blue, staying behind once again, watched the whole thing. Her eyes picked out a spot floating above the eastern mountain. She focused, using all of her natural, and unnatural, vision. The spot turned into a black Pegasus. She watched as the Pegasus turned towards her, its bright orange eyes glinting in the dusk. He saluted Blue, with a terrible smile on his face.

“Dual!!” she screamed. He screeched to a halt rushed over to her.

“What? What is is?” She was unable to get the words out, so she just pointed. He followed the direction of her hoof. When he saw who was floating there, his jaw dropped.

“Tha..that’s..thats not possible.” he stuttered. “We saw him die. We watched him die, from the inside out. How can he be here? He can’t be here...” he looked at Blue for help, unable to comprehend.

“I don’t know either.” she sniffed. “But we need to get out of here.” Dual nodded.

“You’re right.” he pointed at the mountains to the west. “Maybe there is a city there. At least we may be able to hide somewhere.” he turned and flew away. Blue had a feeling that he would not turn around again, and followed him. They took up a V-formation again. Soon, the canyon was a speck in the distance. They flew over forests, canyons, rivers, and lakes. Such beauty that had been ruined by the events of that day. Green was still crying, tears matting her fur. Red’s head was hung, following Green only by her tail hitting his hoof. Yellow wasn’t crying, but she had her head pressed against Dual’s back, her head bobbing with the movements of his wing muscles.

Dual looked straight ahead. His eyes never wondered from the horizon in front of him. Blue didn’t know what he was looking for, but she guess she would be able to tell when they found it.

By the next morning, Dual had guessed they they had travelled at least two hundred miles. Below them sprawled a city, lights still twinkling in the morning dawn. It covered the entire side of the landmass, with a dark orange bridge spanning the ocean in between. Rolling hills were covered with houses and buildings. More houses floated in the sky, as if taunting them. Blue looked at dual, who nodded. Together, the five of them swooped down and landed in the outskirts of the city. They walked along a road for a few minutes, then came to a sign, brightly colored with a painting of the bay and bridge on it.

“Welcome to San Foalsisco!”

Chapter 3

Fog was rolling in from the Ponific ocean, blanketing the coast in a murky haze. They walked down the street, staring at the unfamiliar sights around them. The sun had not yet risen, so the streets were bathed in orange circles cast by street lamp. Their coats shown with the orange light and their mane and tails turned a dull grey. Their hooves made soft clops against the concrete, all of which seemed to be amplified against the silence. No pony was on the streets at this time, so they too advantage of it.

Sights and smells overwhelmed them. Jaws hanging open, they walked down the street. As they walked, a soft glow appeared on the horizon, signaling the start of a new day. But they had about an hour before the sun fully rose, so they continued to walk. They breathed in the small of food and drink, their mouths watering. A soft breeze ruffled their feathers and fur, bringing with it the scent of salt and sea life. When they reached the top of the hill, they gasped.

Spreading in front of them, as far as they could see through the fog, was San Foalsisco. Bright, orange street lamps created a grid of roads and buildings. All the lights ended at the ocean, sudden and abruptly. The glow of the slowly rising sun shown of the ocean, which was calm and relaxed. Looking around, they saw old, stone buildings rising and dropping with the mountains. Cloud houses floated in the sky, some had lights glowing in their windows. The city was built on a perfect grid, which was completely unnatural for the Gens. The only street that was curved, sat in the middle of the city. A tiny strip of curves hiding in a giant square.

Dual, still carrying Yellow, opened his wings, causing a blast of wind that sounded as loud as a gunshot against the quiet storefronts. He lifted of the ground, flying towards the only this that felt natural for him: something out of the ordinary. He heard the others jump off the ground behind him, following him towards the curves. Looking out over the bay, he saw a small island sitting in the middle of the water. Concrete buildings rose out of the rocks. It looked completely deserted. Dual filled it away for later use, if he needed it.

He dropped down, his hooves touching the curve of the street for the first time. The others landed next to him, taking in the sight. He walked over and read the name on the street sign. Lomponi Street.

Yellow jumped off his back, turning back towards the others. Dual started to walk down the turns, slowly breathing in the felling of being somewhere new, somewhere strange. The others followed, not wanting to disturb him. He was not mentally disturbed like Green, but he could still snap into bouts of anger. By the time reached the bottom, the sun had finally shown itself. He decided to sit and watch the sunrise, just like he used to. Blue came and sat down next to him, putting her fore-leg around his shoulder.

The sun finally broke free of the horizon. It stained the clouds, and the houses, in the sky shades of pink, yellow, and orange. He watched, felling his anger slowly ebb away, and the star that he so revered, showed itself once again. When the light reached them, he bathed in it’s warmth. He felt the hate and anger from yesterday slowly fall away, evaporated by the morning sun. He breathed in deeply, closing his eyes. The only thing he felt was the heat of the sun, and Blue’s leg around his shoulder. When he opened his eyes, he was staring into Blue’s.

“Feel better?” she asked nervously. He stood up on his hind legs, bringing her into a huge hug. She stood there, ramrod straight, then she slowly relaxed. She slid her arms around his waist, hugging him back. After a few moments, he let her go, a smile on his lips and in his eyes.

“Yes. Yes I do.” and he walked away. Blue just stood there. Dual had never hugged any one of them before. She had thought that he didn’t like ponies touching him. But now, what had changed? She thought she knew him. Maybe she didn’t.

Dual had turned his attention back to the sun. Something passed in front of it. Something that only their raptor vision could have picked up. Something black.

He gasped, turning back to the group. He grabbed Yellow and jumped up into the air, wings opening again. His look of panic and hate made the others immediately rise into the air with him. They flew into the air, stopping at about the same height as the cloud houses. Rushing, they hid behind one, letting their white coats blend in with the white clouds.

“What us is!?” Green asked, her eyes wide and scared.

“It’s one of those black Pegasi!” Dual responded. He poked his head around the house, but the Pegasus was gone. He scanned the city, looking for a place suitable for them to hide. His eyes landed on the island, the one in the middle of the bay. He nodded at the island, and the others agreed. He took of towards the island, the others flying in a V behind him.

His eyes scanning the sky around him, he saw no sign of the black Pegasus. But it had not just disappeared. But what scared him the most was; if he could see the black Pegasus, it could see them. They had to get out of sight as soon as possible.

The island slowly grew beneath them, eventually stretching to about a third of a mile. Low, concrete buildings covered the island, turning the bright yellow rocks, a dull grey. No lights shown in any of the windows, and no boats were docked in the harbor. He had been right, it was deserted. They slowly descended, spiraling down towards the top of the largest building.

When they landed, Yellow jumped off Dual’s back, her small hooves landing with a muffled crunch. Dual’s breathing was heavy and labored. Yellow may be small, but carrying her through the night and part of the day had taken it’s toll. Dual looked towards the docks. A large sign said, “Welcome to Ponitraz Island, Equestria’s Most Infamous Prison!” He smiled at the thought. Hiding out in a prison, while trying not to be taken back to one.

They dropped silently onto the ground, walking towards the door in the building. Expecting it to be locked, Dual bucked the wooded door, but it flew open and slammed shut again, causing Yellow to jump slightly. This time, he just pushed it open with his hoof. It creaked slightly, allowing them access to dark room beyond.

Blue gasped. A long hallway streched out before the. Each side was line with cells, heavy metal bars covering them. They walked down the hallway, memories flooding back to them. Some of the cells stood open, while others were still locked. Broken tiles and chipped walls adorned the cells, along with a small wooden cot.

Dual took a deep breath. “Well, it looks like this is where we will be staying, at least for a while.” his eyelids were drooping and his voice was quiet. He looked like he could pass out at any moment. Blue walked over to him, pushing him into one of the open cells. She pointed at the cot.

“You need to rest. I will deal with the rest of them, get food and stuff.” she said, pushing him onto the cot. “But you need sleep” she smiled and walked out of the cell. He closed his eyes. and was asleep before she was out of sight.

*****

He opened his eyes to the traditional sights and sounds. Sounds of yelling and kicking. Another day had dawned at the Lab. One of the scientists walked over and kicked his cage, even though he was already getting up.

“Oh, we have something big planned for you!” he taunted, a disgusting smile on his lips. Dual just stared back at him, his black irises dead. The scientist un-latched his cage, along with the others. They took the normal walk down the hall, nodding at Orange’s door, and standing in front of their own. The buzzer sounded, and they walked in.

But something was new in his room. The scientists were already there, holding a couple leather straps. They told him to turn around, and he did. They slipped the straps around his waist, and pulled them over his four wings. They were tightened until he could no longer move, and breathing was hard. Next, they started to inject needles into his waist and back. Needle aster needle went in, and he slowly started to lose feeling in his chest and back. Finally, he could feel nothing between his neck and hips.

They told him to lay down, and he did. He tilted his head up, not wanting to see what was going to happen. They started to talk, excited nonsense that Dual did not understand. Finally, they stopped talking, and he heard metal scrape against metal. Then, he felt pressure from the bottom of his throat, down his chest, and ending at his navel. He wondered what was going on, since they didn’t normally dull the pain. He felt more pressure, this time all the way up and down his chest. Finally, his curiosity got the better of him, and he looked down at his body.

His breath caught in his throat, which was followed shortly by a scream. he was looking down at his exposed chest cavity. He saw his heart, pumping blood, oxygen, and adrenaline into his system. He saw his lungs, expanding and contracting as he hyperventilated. He saw blood, lots of blood, as his cut skin bled into the open cavity. Looking down he could see straight to his stomach, which was distended from the lack of food. More organs than he knew the name of, sitting exposed to the air. He wanted to look away, wished he had never looked in the first place. He kept staring, and screaming, until he passed out.

*****

His eyes flashed open, instantly bolting into a standing position. He looked down at his chest, seeing the small, hairline scar that was left from that operation. He looked around, but no pony was there. He sighed, then walked back outside the cell. It was night, and all the Gens were asleep. Except one.

Blue was standing in front of a window. The moon reflecting off her luminescent eyes. She heard him walk up to her, but she didn’t turn around. Instead, she continued to stare out the window. The city of San Foalsisco was light up and alive. Ponies walked the streets, flew in the sky, and, occasionally, teleporting into existence. A small tear fell down her muzzle.

“Did you watch the sunset?” Dual asked. He was watching the city with her, envying the ponies that had nothing to worry about.

“I did, but it didn’t help.” she sighed, turning to face him. “What are we supposed to do now? Just keep moving every time we get attacked? We can’t keep doing that. I can’t keep doing that.” She shook her head, turning back to the window. “What are we going to do?”

Dual walked up to her and put his leg around her shoulder. “I don’t know what we are going to do. We just need to hide for a while, maybe they will forget about us.”

“They DID forget about us.” she whisper-yelled. “They did, and they came back. What makes you think, even if they do go away, they wont come back?”

Dual didn’t have an answer for her. He just stood there, his arm around her shoulder, for a long time. The moon slowly rose, casting a long, white reflection on the ocean. Orange had loved the night. He would watch the moon through the tiny window they had in their old prison. It was his therapy. His way back to sanity.

It had been quiet for so long, that Dual’s ears had stopped ringing. His legs had started to go numb, so he let go of Blue, and sat down. Blue stuck her head out of the window, then looked down. She froze, then slowly pulled her head back inside the building. She turned around, her eyes wide.

“They’re here.” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. Dual rushed over and looked out. He couldn’t believe what he saw.

Down by the docks, covering the rocks and some of the buildings. Dozens of them, their eyes glowing against the black of the of the sky. Two ponies stood next to each other, apparently having a huge argument. One was orange, the other was unknown. He focused his hearing, and he could just barley pick it up.

“I don’t care if you don’t want them dead, if they try to escape, they will be killed!” they other pony yelled. Dual could tell it was a mare. “Now would you get out of my way and let me do my job?”

Orange looked like he was going to hit her, or worse. He spoke for the first time since he ‘died’. “No I wont! Did you forget where I came from? I don’t want them dead. Capture. Them. Alive.” he said, sparks practically shooting from his eyes. The Mare shook her head, backing up slightly.

“I will try my best. But I can’t guarantee anything.” she said, her head bowed. Orange looked happy.

“You WILL try your best, Supervisor Sparkle, or I will report you.” he turned away from her, walking back towards the docks. The Supervisor sighed, then turned towards the assembled Pegasi.

“You heard him. Capture them ALIVE. I don’t want them harmed, understand?” A collective shriek rose up from the Pegasi, shaking the building they were hiding in. The Supervisor looked happy. “Alright then. Go get them.”

Chapter 4

As one, the flock of black Pegasi rose into the air. Their shrieks blasted the building they were hiding in. Turning, they started to advance towards the prison, wicked smiled pasted on their faces. Dual turned to Blue, both of them panicking.

“Get the--” Dual started.

“Others out.” Blue finished, nodding. She raced over and woke up the others. Before she could tell them what was going on, they hit.

The pegasi burst through the windows. Climbing up the walls and ceilings like spiders. Dual could only watch as they invaded. A never ending stream of black pouring through the windows and doors. Blue stared at him, fear rising in her bright, blue eyes.

“What should we do?!” she yelled above the noise. The rest of the Gens stood behind her, their eyes fixed on him. They were looking for answers. They were looking for the ‘Leader’ to get them out of this, like he always did. But he just bowed his head, shaking it slightly.

“We just do nothing.” he said as they swarmed over them.

*****

She opened her bright, blue eyes, blinking a couple times to clear them of fog. She looked around, her eyes confirming what she already knew.

Cages. Cages all around. Fluorescent lights. Linoleum floors. The smell of alcohol. The Lab, they were back. Looking around, she saw the others in their own cages. They were still unconscious, except for one.

Dual sat in his cage, fore-legs wrapped around his rear ones. He rocked slightly, back and forth. A dead, unfocused look sat in his eyes. It hurt Blue to see him like this. It hurt her to see any of them like this.

“Dual?” she whispered. He didn’t respond. “Dual!” she called again. This time he looked. His eyes looked worse from this angle. They showed the defeated soul that rested within. How he had already given up?

“What are we going to do?” she asked again. Once again, he just shook his head and looked away. His mouth moved, but she could barely hear his words.

“There is nothing we can do. They won.” he said. He went back to rocking, his wings pulled over his head. Blue just stared at him. How could he have just changed? What happened to the brave Stallion that she knew? She turned her back on him, focusing her attention on the room around her.

There were no windows. Cages stood stacked in the corners, empty as usual. A door, the only one in the room, stood of to one side. Their cages were metal, but they were wrapped in some sort of cloth. Something that their hooves, or teeth, as Blue found out, would not cut through. She was just starting to examine the roof, when the door opened.

In walked a Mare. A unicorn, as Blue noticed. Her fur was purple, almost the same color as the sunsets Blue watched. Her mane was a bark purple with a pink stripe in it, as was her tail. Her horn was glowing, and a clipboard was hanging in the air in front of her. She paced in front of their cages a couple times, then looked down at them.

“So, this is project GENESIS.” She hutted slightly. “Not much to look at. They could have added some color in...” her voice trailed of as she looked at them, her eyes falling on Dual, who was still rocking. “What happened here?” she dropped down on her knees, looking into the cage. “He appears to have had a breakdown. Oh, well. He will be more compliant now.”

Blue couldn’t listen anymore. She was talking about them like they were objects. Like things on a shelf, something to be admired. “WHY CAN’T YOU JUST LEAVE US ALONE?!” she yelled at the top of her lungs, waking up Red, who immediately sat bolt upright, staring at the Mare.

The Mare took a step back, her eyes widening. “They put in emotion. I will have to congratulate them on a fine job as well.” she started to pace again, taking them all in. “Hmmm...identical, except for the eyes. They must have done that to account for the years in between births.”

Blue was fuming. “STOP TALKING LIKE THAT!!!” she yelled, silver stars appearing in her vision. “We aren’t objects!! We!! Are!! Ponies!!” The mare cocked her head slightly, staring at her.

“Self aware as well. They did a fine job. Compared to the last group...” she stopped talking, making a note on her clipboard. She walked over to Dual, looking in his dead eyes. “How old are you?” she asked, as casual as if talking about the weather. He did not answer, he just continued to rock. She shook her head. “Shame. Broken property is never good.” she turned back to Blue. “How old is he?” she asked again.

Blue could feel her temper rising. This Mare had just walked in here and demanded something from them. That, after they had taken EVERYTHING from them. She opened her mouth, her whole body trembling with rage. “He is eighteen. I am sixteen” she pointed at green, who was still unconscious. “She is Thirteen” she pointed at Red, them Yellow. “Eleven and ten.” she finished. She stared at the Mare with hate. What had Orange called her? Supervisor Sparkle?

Sparkle took a step back, her eyes widening more. “I see. And you know exactly when you were born.” She made another not on her board. She began to pace again. That was driving Blue crazy. “How did you survive for those two years after your escape?”

Blue gritted her teeth. What did she want from them? “We found some fields with flowers and barley in it. We ate that everyday. We did what we had to do to survive.” Sparkle nodded, making another note.

“Natural ingrained survival skills. Well, you five have exceeded our expectations.” she smiled, something that Blue did not want to see. Suddenly, shaking to a cage on her right made her turn. Green had woken up. She was turning back and forth inside the cage, looking for a way out. Her pupils were huge, and Blue knew that she as going to have a mental breakdown.

Sure enough, a moment or two later, she collapsed. Tears rolled down her checks, and soft whimpers rose from her cage. When they had a home, and she had a breakdown, they would take her outside, show her the mountains. She would normally come back after a while. But now, without anyway of helping her, this could last for a few hours. Sparkle just stared at her.

“Ah yes. GENESIS 4. The unstable one.” she shook her head. “Sad. She had so much potential. Now it is marred by her mental deficiency.”

Blue was beyond fury. “SHE IS NOT DEFICIENT!!” she yelled. “You ponies made her like that! It’s your fault!” more stars flew across her vision. She started to feel lightheaded. She sat down, never taking her sight of the Mare, who was smiling.

“I suppose we did.” she said, a small look of annoyance crossing her face. She trotted over towards Red, who shrunk back in his cage. “But we seemed to do fine on GENESIS 5 and 6. I would say that we learned our lesson.”

Blue couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Why did you bring us back?” she asked, tears finally falling. “We weren’t doing anything, why couldn’t you just leave us alone?” he voice was small and weak. Sparkle smiled.

“You thought that we let you go?” she smirked. “The truth is, you never escaped.”

Blue’s eyes widened. She didn’t understand. “What do you mean?! We left. We lived in Coltarado for two years!”

“Yes you did. And all of that, every part of it, was an experiment.” Blue was looking at her, clueless.

“Did you really think that we would just let our most prized experiments escape? We could have brought you down that night so easily. But we didn’t, because that was part of the test. We had to test the new GENESIS project, the black Pegasi that I am sure you are familiar with. We also wanted to test how your pre-programed survival skills had developed. This whole thing was a test.” she said, the smile still on her face. Blue just continued to stare at her, unable to understand.

Sparkle sighed. “Well, I think I have all I need now.” she made another mark on her board, then cantered towards the door. “I hope we will be seeing each other again.” The door opened when she approached, a small hiss escaping. Then she disappeared, leaving them alone in the dark again. Tears still fell down Blue’s muzzle.

Their whole life was a lie. Every part of who they had grown to be over the last two years was fake, fabricated. They thought that they had been free, away from the tests. But the truth was, there was no freedom. They had always been an experiment.

She laid down in her cage, her eyes still watching Dual. He was still rocking. Blue doubted that he had heard any of the conversation that had just gone on. Yellow was still unconscious, which was good. She didn’t need to know where they were. At least, not yet.

She felt her exhaustion taking over her. She fought it, but she was loosing. The last thing she saw before she closed her eyes, was Green on the bottom of the cage. Tears falling down her face as she shivered and cried. Blue knew the shivers was from the breakdown. But the tears came from the understanding of what Sparkle had just said.

*****

The next morning, she was awoken by the door opening again, and a female voice breaking the silence.

“Up and at’em GENESIS! We have a big day ahead!”

Blue opened her eyes, looking around. Sparkle stood in the doorway, a white coat on and a clipboard in the air. She looked well rested and cheery, the complete opposite of how Blue felt. She looked around the room again. The others were wake now. Even Dual and Green were focused, their hooves wrapped around the metal bars of the cage. He looked angry, but it was not the rage she had seen when their house was destroyed. It was the anger of somepony that knew they were beat, but just couldn’t accept it.

Sparkle walked over to the cages, resuming her pacing from the night before. “I assume that you know what we are doing, correct?” she asked looking around at them. Dual opened his mouth.

“You know what happens when you assume, right?” he asked, smirking. Sparkle shook her head, confused. “It makes an ass out of you and me.” he finished, smiling right in her face. She just stared at him for a moment, then laughed.

“They installed a sense of humor as well.” She made a note on her board, reading it out as she wrote it. “‘Humor needs work.’” she smiled back at them. “Well, shall we get to work?” She walked over and unlatched their cages, one by one. They stepped out, stretching. Their cages felt like that same size as they did when they were here before. Which was unfair. They had all grown about two hands in height over the last two years. Now they stood a good four hands above Sparkle. But she didn’t look intimidated. In fact, she looked happy.

“Strength and height. Exactly what you were programed for.” she looked them up and down, admiring them. Her eyes stopped at Dual. He was stretching his wings, all four of them. She smiled when she saw that. “Perfect. The rear wings working in conformity with the ones in front. That wasn’t planed, but it still works.” She looked up at his, wonder in her eyes. “You know, we still don’t know what caused that. You are truly one of a kind.” She walked away, leaving Dual to just stare at her.

She stood by the door, waving them in. “We have lots planed for today. We better get a jump on it.” They walked towards her, which was all they could do. They passed her, Blue giving her a death stare as they went by. For a second, the creepy smile slipped of her face, replaced by one of sadness. But then the smile was back.

The room they were ushered into was the same one from before. Seven doors, each marked with a color or a pair of wings. They passed the orange door first, and Dual put his leg out, stopping them. He stood on his hind legs, putting both of his front legs out in front of him. With his left leg, he reached behind and touched his wing. With his right, touched his heart. Then he pulled a feather out of his wing, and dropped in in front of the door.

Blue just stared at him while he did this. It was something that they created one night, while neither of them could sleep. It was something to do at a funeral, if one of them died. But Orange was not dead, so Dual was using this as something else. It finally dawned on her. He was saying, even though he was still alive, Orange was as good as dead to them. After he dropped the feather, he turned and continued down the hall. Blue was the next to pass the door, doing the same thing. One by one, they did the same gesture, until they all stood next to their correct door. Sparkle watched them, a curious look crossing her face.

Just like two years ago, the buzzer sounded, and the doors opened. They walked in their rooms, taking in the sights. The rooms had been changed, but not enough to stop the memories from flooding back. Pain, fear, hate, more pain. It all came flooding back to her. Blue felt slightly queasy as she looked around.

She laid down on the metal operating table, just as she had done everyday before their escape. She felt the cold metal seeping through her fur and feathers. She shivered slightly, but not from the cold. It was from the fear. What was going to happen to them? Were they going to survive this time around? She didn’t want to think about it, but that was all she could think about.

She heard the door behind her open, and hoof steps came closer. A scientists in a mask leaned over the table, looking her up and down. “My, you have grown.” He took some measurements, around her head, her neck, the length of her legs, and, completely against her will, the size of her pelvis. when he was finished, she heard him make a couple notes, then he leaned back over her. “We are going to do a little endurance test today. If you would follow me.” he gestured to the door he had walked through, which was completely unnecessary. She knew the way.

*****

Almost an hour later, she was panting and sweating. She was running out of steam, and it hadn’t even been that long. But she had to keep running. If she was going to be a slave, then she wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of letting them knew they were beating her.

The Gymnasium was a building far to the back of the Lab. It was at least two acres long by one wide. Inside it had a track, stretching over a mile long. sand pits and monkey bars were spread out, along with some more exercise equipment. Blue would have been happy to train on the equipment, with her own will. But in the hands of the scientists, the equipment became torture devices.

Her breathing was coming in short bursts, and a blinding pain was growing in her side, just under her wing. She had to have run over ten miles by now, and their was no end in sight. Every time she passed the scientist, he wrote down her time and told her to go faster. But she couldn’t go any faster. And she wasn’t sure how long she could keep going.

Finally, two miles later, she gave in. She collapsed on the ground, tears of relief falling as rest found her. She saw the scientist gallop over to her, felt him kick her in the side to get her moving. But she didn’t care. All she wanted was rest,and that is what she got.

*****

The next thing she felt, was her head hitting the bottom of her cage as she was dumped in. She pried open her eyes. Above her, the scientists lowered in tubes. She instantly knew what it was, and put her mouth on it. The sweet feeling of water filling her parched throat made her eyes water, but she held back tears. After the water, a plate with bread and an apple was lowered in. She immediately fell on the food, eating the whole apple and half of the bread before she tasted any of it. She started to eat slower, savoring the warm bread. After she was finished, more water was given to her, and then she was left alone.

Looking around, she saw that she was the first to come back. She decided that she was going to wait for the others, see how they got on. But her body had other ideas. Her eyes began to droop, and she was asleep before she knew it.

When she woke, she sat bolt upright, instantly aware. She turned around and saw that the others had returned. Most were passed out, except for Dual. He sat, his back turned to her, his front left wing pulled in front of him. The position was so odd, that she instantly knew something was wrong.

“Dual?” she called. With a jump, he turned around, and she gasped. Blood coated one side of his face, and she could see the open gash above his left eye. His wing hung at an odd angle. It was obvious that it was broken. His eyes were filled with pain and hate. But they softened when he looked at her.

“I’m glad to see that you are alright.” he said, almost smiling. “You had me worried when you didn’t wake up for six hours.”

“You were worried?! Have you seen yourself?” she pointed at his face and wing. “What did they do to you?!” she asked, disgusted. He smiled, but the smiled changed to a grimace when he bumped his wing against the bars of his cage.

“It’s nothing.” he said, lying. “I was just being dumb. Decided it was a good idea to not listen to them.” he shrugged, but grunted when his wing was moved. “Trust me, you should listen to them.” He shook his head, eyes showing his concern for her. “What did they make you do?” he asked. “You didn’t wake up for a long time.”

“They made me run, a lot. I think it was twelve miles in an hour.” she stretched out her legs, which had started to burn. She tried to reposition herself, but she couldn’t move very much. “What about you?”

“Where to start?” he said playfully. “First, they measured me, then they took me out to test my flying. That’s when I had the brilliant idea to not listen. I just flew in a circle. I guess the new policy is to beat you if you don’t comply.” he said, looking over his shoulder at his wing. “So yeah, I would listen to them from here on out.”

Blue smiled at him. “I would guess so.” She looked around at the others. They were all asleep, curled up in balls so they would fit in the cages. Yellow looked like she had been crying, and Red had a small cut under his wing. Green looked fine, but she shivered in her sleep. Blue sighed then turned back to Dual, who was staring at her.

“Are you alright?” he asked, eyes wide. Blue nodded.

“I didn’t get beat or anything.” Dual shook his head.

“I know, but are you alright?” Blue understood, and shook her head.

“Not even remotely. We are objects to these ponies.” she said, her head bowed. “They couldn’t care less about who we are. All they care about, is that we are GENESIS.” She spat the word. It had only ever caused them pain and fear. She sighed, looking around the windowless room. “But you know what this means.” she said, looking sideways and Dual, who nodded.

“Just like old times.” they said in unison.

Chapter 5

The next morning, Sparkle came into their room again, the creepy smile still plastered on her face. She un-latched their cages and led them into the other room again. Once again, Dual put his hoof on his heart and pulled a feather out. The others followed suit. Sparkle stared at them while they did this. The smile fading just as it did yesterday. They stood in front of their doors, and the buzzer sounded. They did as they always did, laid down on the table, and waited for the scientists.

Blue heard the door open behind her. She didn’t give any indication that she heard it. She just laid still, waiting for him to appear. When he did, he started talking, telling her what she was going to be doing today, but she didn’t listen. He then pulled out a needle and inserted in into her front leg. He pushed the plunger in, emptying the whole syringe. The skin around the needle started to burn. Then he pulled it out, leaving a tiny jewel of blood seeping through her fur. Then he left the room.

For a few moments, she just sat there. She wondered what it was that she had been injected with. It was probably a calming agent, she thought. But if it was, what were they going to do to her? She could feel her pulse picking up. She was scared now.

Then, she saw a butterfly. Her eyes widened as she watched it settle on the table next top her. Its purple and pink and orange colors were the same as a sunset. It stayed there for a moment, then moved towards her hand. She felt its wings brush against her hoof, making her shiver. She smiled at it climbed up onto her hoof. It tickled her as it climbed up her leg, past her elbow, and stopped on her shoulder. She could feel it tasting her fur. It stayed still for a while, then moved towards her neck.

She could still see it, but she had to twist her neck to see it properly. This weird position made her notice something. Every place it had crawled, left a small red mark on her skin. A trail of red went down her arm, and ended at her neck. She started to wonder what it was, but then it started burning. She could see blood and smoke rising from her skin The butterfly rose off her neck and flew away, out of her sight. Panic rising in her throat, along with a piercing scream, she swatted at her leg. Blood started to seep down her leg, pooling on the table. Blood started to coat her hoof as she tried to stop the flow.

She began to feel lightheaded, but the blood continued to flow. The trickle picked up, turning into a stream. Her eyes slowly started to close, and her legs went numb, limply laying on the table. She heard a door open, and a scientist walked in, smiling down at her. She couldn’t believe it. They killed her. They had finally killed her.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she closed her eyes.

*****

When she opened her eyes, she was very confused. She was alive? How was she alive? Didn’t the loss of blood kill her? She looked down at her leg, but it was perfectly fine. There was no red, no blood, and no pain. She Stared at it, confused, then she looked around the room. A scientist was standing off to the right, his back turned to her. She tried to get up, but her hoof slipped off the table. The scientist turned around and smiled.

“Good. You’re awake.” he said, the smile still there. “I think that is enough for today.” He walked over and opened the door to the hallway. She followed, wanting, for the first time, to be in her cage. At least she was safe there. The scientist un-latched her cage, and she climbed in. She heard the latch fall back into place behind her, but she didn’t turn around.

She crawled as far back into the cage as she could, then curled into a ball. She had never felt like this before. what had they done to her? She could still feel the butterfly crawling on her fur. But she could still feel her skin burning away as blood flowed down her leg. She just wanted to lay there, not moving. But she had to get up. she had to show that she wasn’t beat. Not yet, at least.

She pried herself off the floor of her cage. Struggling to lift her head, she looked around the cages. All the Gens were back. It looked like she was the last to return. By their expressions she could tell they had the same treatment.

Red and Yellow were curled up in their cages, legs pulled close to their chests. Tears fell down Yellow’s face. Green was sitting with her back against the bars. She was shivering and her Eyes were staring straight in front of her, not seeing anything. She had been like this almost everyday since their capture. It hurt Blue to see it, but she couldn’t do anything to stop it. Finally, she turned to Dual.

Out of all of them, he was the worst. A blank, broken look sat in his eyes, barely contained tears sat within them. Wings pulled tight against his sides. His lips trembled slightly. He looked over into her cage, then shut his eyes tight and looked away. He turned his whole body away from her.

“Dual?” she called. “Dual, what is it?” He just shook his head in response, scooting farther away from her. She could feel rage building within her. What had they done to him? What did he see that cause him to be like this? She continued to stare at him until she heard the door open. Sparkle walled in, the eternal smile still present.

She paced as always, looking into each cage as she passed. She made notes on her clipboard as she passed. She finally stopped at Dual’s cage. She knelled down, peering into the cage. She cocked her head slightly as Dual moved away from her.

“It seems like the drug affected this one more than the others.” she said, prodding him through the bars of the cage. He shied away from her touch, shrinking farther back into the cage. “We will have to study the drug to figure out why it affected him more.” she said to no pony in particular. Blue just stared at her. How could she not see that he was in shock? She watched at Sparkle dropped down onto the ground in front of her. “You seem to have had the least reaction to the drug.” She peered into the cage, still smiling. “Why do you think that is?”

Blue shook her head. “I don’t know! You’re the scientist, you should know!” Sparkle just smiled at her.

“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not” she said. She got up and left them alone. Blue watched her go, wondering what she meant. She looked over at Dual, who was still facing away from her. Then she let her head fall on the floor, her eyes closing.

*****

She heard someone calling her name. At first, she thought it was a dream. But then she heard it again, and again. Finally, she was roused off the floor. She turned to see Dual looking at her. It was the middle of the night, and all the others were asleep. She turned back to Dual.

Even in the dark, she could see the pain in his eyes. Why was he looking at her like that? He continued to stare at her, like this was the last time, or the first time, that he had ever seen her. And she stared back, trying to find the answer she needed. Finally, he opened his mouth.

“I am glad that you are alright. Especially after what happened today.” he said, lowering his eyes. Blue was still confused.

“What did you see?” she asked, afraid now. “What did you see with the drug?” Dual shook his head. “Tell me!” she said, near panic. What it really that bad?

“Do you really want to know?” he asked. She nodded, slowly. Dual sighed. “If you really want to know.” He took a deep breath. “Well first, they injected me with that stuff. The drug, or whatever it is. Then the scientist left the room. Nothing happened for about five minutes.” Blue nodded. So far, it sounded just like her experience.

“Then, I saw you.” Dual said, not looking at her. “You just appeared next to the door. You came and sat down on the table next to me.” Blue couldn’t take her eyes away. “I wasn’t sure if it was real or not. Your eyes were so bright, and you were smiling at me.” Blue could feel herself blushing, but she didn’t care.

“Then, we started talking. You talked about our life back in Coltorado. About our lives here at the lab. I was happy, just to have somepony to talk to. We talked for about ten minutes. Then, you started to inch closer...” his voice trialed off. Blue started to feel self-conscious. Was this going where she thought it was?

“But then, you pulled something from behind your back.” Dual continued, shivering slightly. “It was a scalpel. You sort of, ran it down the sides of my face, touched my wings. I could feel how cold it was, how sharp. You said something like, “I have a present for you.” Then you...you...” he stopped. Blue couldn’t not listen. She wanted to know.

“You stabbed me. In the chest.” he said, his hoof hovering over the spot where it must have happened. “I could feel, and see, the point go in. I could feel the pain, the blood. I felt the blade hit my heart. But you didn’t stop there. You pushed the whole thing, including the handle, into my chest. You stared at it for a minute, blood on you hooves and face. What scared me the most, you were smiling, like you were enjoying this. You leaned forward and kissed me, on the lips. Then you said, “I love you, and good-bye.” You walked away, out of my sight, then my eyes closed.” He dropped his head, not daring to look at her.

Blue could cot believe it. That drug had caused him to think that she was killing him. Her, the one person on the planet that her trusted. And now he was shattered because of it. She wanted to turn away, but she couldn’t. She pushed her hoof through the bars. Dual looked up and saw the hoof. He smiled a broken, depressed smile, and pushed his own hoof through the bars. Stretching as far as they could go, they felt their hooves touch. Blue looked into Dual’s eyes.

“You know I would never do that, right?” He nodded. “Well then, let it go. It was just a dream, or something. It wasn’t real.” Dual nodded.

“It’s just, you are the pony I trust the most. Seeing you do that, it did something to me.” he said, head bowed. His hoof fell away. “It broke something. When I came to, I couldn’t even move. I felt dead. I felt hopeless.” He stopped talking, turning back to Blue.

“I felt the same way when I saw Orange again. This can’t keep happening. You guys are my family, and one of these days, it is going to kill me.” he said. He turned away from her. “I think you should get some rest. I have a feeling it is only going to get worse from here on out.” Blue nodded, even though he could not see her. She laid her head on her hooves. Then she remembered what Dual said about his blood on her hooves. She pushed them away from her, feeling dirty. She put her head down on the bottom of the cage. Her stomach growled. It had been a couple days since they were fed, and probably be a couple more.

Finally, after the sounds of Dual’s breathing slowed, sleep found her. Her dreams were filled with blood and knives.

*****

She was awoken by the sound of her cage being un-latched. Her eyes flashed open. What was going on? They usually kicked her awake first. She sprang to her hooves, looking around. Sparkle stood in the door of her cage, the smile absent. Blue felt her anger rise, along with some fear. “What do you want?” she asked loudly. Sparkle pressed a hoof against Blue’s lips. Blue looked down at the purple hoof on her mouth. This was closer to Sparkle than she had ever wanted to be. She stepped out of the cage and motioned for Blue to follow. Out of pure curiosity, Blue followed.

Sparkled walked around and un-latched the rest of the cages. Their occupants looked around confused just as Blue had. When they were all out of the cages, Sparkle looked them over. Dual, at the head of the group, was watching Sparkle with intensity. Blue could tell he was debating on weather or not to try to escape now. Finally, she opened her mouth.

“If you want to escape, you will have to follow me.”

Chapter 6

They stared at Sparkle, none of them moving. She just stared back, her eyes wide. Silence fell over the room. It was only broke by Dual laughing.

“Follow you?! Oh that’s a good one.” Still laughing he started walking around the room. “Why the hell should we trust you? You have done nothing to help us, only hurt us.”

Sparkle’s eyes fell. “I understand, but you have to trust me.” she said, her voice forceful. “You want to escape, right?”

Blue stepped forward. “Of course we do. But we are NOT going to trust you. You are the one who brought us in here.”

Twilight nodded, biting her lip. “I know I did, and I am sorry for that. But you need to trust me! I can get you out of here, but we need to go now!” Her eyes were pleading, almost as if it was hurting her to have them refuse.

Dual stepped towards her, eyes boring into hers. Black against purple. “Give us one reason why we should trust you.” he said, deathly quite. Sparkle shrunk back, her eyes trying to escape his. But they would not release their grip. It was silent for a whole minute, but then she spoke. She was so quite they almost couldn’t hear her.

“Because I created you.” she said, her eyes finally leaving Dual’s. Blue felt her legs go numb when she heard this. Was that possible? Was she telling the truth? She looked at the unicorn standing in front of them. They had always wondered who actually made them. But now, they just didn’t believe it.

Dual stepped forwards again, his eyes closing to slits. He looked like he was going to kill her. “You’re lying.” he said, voice filled with hate. Three of his wings were flared out behind him, their height almost tripling his own. The forth wing hung limply at his side, still broken. Sparkle looked at this, trying not to meet his glare. She closed her eyes, her horn starting to glow. A space about a yard off the ground started to glow with the same purple aura. Blue watched as the aura slowly too shape, forming something that was metal and plastic. With a small pop, it fully came into existence.

She slowly floated it towards Dual, who shied away from it. But the aura surrounded him as well. His wing was stretched out, causing him to gasp in pain. Slowly, his wing folded back into place, held against his side by Sparkle’s magic. The metal object floated over to him, wrapping around the side of his body. His wing was completely covered, wrapped inside the metal jacket. The aura faded, and Sparkle opened her eyes. Dual tried to move his wing, but the brace, as Blue now realized that it was, held it in place. Dual looked up, surprise obvious in his expression.

“Why did you do that?” he asked, suspicious. Sparkle cocked her head slightly, looking at his as if he was stupid.

“Because I hate to see my...children....hurt.” she answered, pausing before she said ‘children’. The more Blue thought about it, the more it seemed to be true. This unicorn, the one who had re-captured them, was their creator. Their mother. Blue just stared at her, then started to walk slowly towards her. Sparkle stood there, eyes wide and trusting. Blue looked directly into them, looking for any form of lie or deceit. But she found none.

“I think we can trust her.” she said quietly, turning back to the others. Dual stared at her, unbelieving.

“What!? She just walks in here, claims to be our ‘mother’.” he said the word as if it was acid. “And you want us to trust her?” Blue nodded.

“It’s all we can do.” Blue responded calmly. “It’s not like we have any other choice.” She turned back to the unicorn. “What do you want us to do Sparkle?”

Sparkle blinked when she heard the name. “Please don’t call me that. They only call me that in the lab.” She held her hoof out to Blue. “Call me Twilight.” Carefully, Blue took the hoof in her own. She smiled as she did. When she let go, Twilight returned to pacing.

“We are going to have to fly out.” She looked at Dual, who was still staring at her with distrust. “You are going to feel awkward with the one wing held in place. But since you have four, you should be fine.” She looked them over as one. “You were given extreme strength and stamina, so you should be able to fly where we need to go without to many stops. As for me...” her voice trailed off. Suddenly, Blue noticed a problem.

“How are you going to fly?” she asked looking at Twilight’s horn. “I mean, unless we are going to have to carry you...” Twilight laughed.

“No, no. I have a plan for this.” she grinned, and her horn started glowing. “I have only ever tried this once, so I hope I do better this time.” She closed her eyes, her expression changing to one of extreme concentration. Out of her horn burst a ribbon of blue. Slowly it grew, longer and longer, twisting as if it had a mind of it own. When it reached a certain length, it broke. Still twisting in the air, it started to descend towards Twilight. Wonder on her face, Blue looked at the other Gens. She could see the same look of amazement, and the ribbon reflected in their eyes.

It dropped down to Twilight’s level. Slowly, it started to encircle her, covering her in blue. She rose off the ground, the ribbon carrying her towards the ceiling. It crawled up her body, until just her face was visible. Then, that too disappeared. Bright, white light started to erupt from the cracks in the cocoon. Blue stared until her eyes started to water, then she looked away. She heard what sounded like an explosion. When she next looked, Twilight floated in the air, but she was changed dramatically.

Huge, purple wings had sprouted from her back. Slowly, they beat up and down, keeping her aloft. A huge smile had spread across her face. She looked over her shoulder at the wings. A laugh spilled from her lips. Blue had never heard a more delightful sound in all her life. Like bells ringing out. Full of life and hope. She looked down at them, her face covered in a smile.

“I have only done this once before, and it didn’t turn out to well.” the smile slipped slightly, but it came back almost immediately. It wasn’t the creepy smile she had always worn, but a softer, kinder smile. A smile that brought you in, not repelled you. Twilight looked over her shoulders, taking in the new wings. “Amazing, real bones and feathers.” She moved the wings up and down a little faster. “New muscles as well. I wonder how long the spell will last this time...” She shook her head. “Never mind. We need to focus on you.” She started pacing, in mid-air.

“I am going to have to sneak you past the security system. I don’t know how I am going to do that. Unless....” She looked up at the ceiling. Embedded in the concrete, was a small grate. Blue could fell a slight breeze blowing out of the slats. Twilight flew up to it, still unfamiliar with her new limbs. She pulled the grate away from the ceiling, revealing a hole large enough for a pony to fit through. Twilight smiled and looked down at them. “Do you know what I am thinking?”

Dual launched himself into the air, stopping next to Twilight. He flew slightly lop-sided because of the immobile wing. But he soon righted himself, flapping the front right wing faster to keep balanced. He looked Twilight dead in the face. “You want us to go through there?” Twilight nodded. Dual looked at the hole, then slipped inside, his white fur disappearing into the ceiling. Blue could hear metal groan as he started to crawl.

“How is it going in there?” Blue called. She heard a laugh.

“It’s a regular vacation spot.” he said sarcastically. “Now get up here!” Blue signaled for the others to follow him. One by one, they flew into the hole. Metal groaned and popped as they crawled. She looked down at Twilight.

“Are you coming with us?” she asked, worried about her. Twilight shook her head.

“I will go back to the lab. Get a coat to cover these beauties.” she flapped her wings, smiling again. “Then I will meet you outside.” she said, turning back to Blue. “All these vents lead to the outside. Just follow your nose, and you should be out in no time.” She reached out and hugged Blue. Surprised, Blue just hung in the air, her wings keeping them both aloft. When Twilight let her go, her eyes were fogged over. “Good luck.” she said, then dropped down onto the floor. She walked back over to the door, the was gone. Blue stared after her for a few seconds, then flew up into the vent.

Metal. Tubes of metal met her vision. She crawled along, hearing the metal groan as her weight pushed it down. She could see the dark blue tail of one of the Gens, probably Red. It was pitch black, unless they passed by another grate, which gave them light and a view of the rooms bellow. Twists and turns. She had no idea where they were going, but she trusted Dual. She knew he would get them out.

Eventually, after what seemed like a half hour, she heard a triumphant yell. Then she heard the sound of metal hitting concrete. She could see the others jumping into air. Fresh air, she realized. A smile spread across her face, and she picked up the pace. She dove the last three feet, opening her wings when she hit the air. Fresh air, filled with the scent of plants and life, filled her nose. She turned around, looking at where they were. Trees grew tall and green. the sun was high in the sky, their shadows directly bellow them. Twilight was standing there as well, beaming up at them. She launched herself into the sky, stopping when she reached their altitude. Dual was smiling, but his eyes showed distrust.

“What now?” he asked, turning around. He was trying to figure out where they were, but he had no clue. Wind was ripping at Twilight’s mane, and she had to yell to be heard.

“We need to go that way!” she pointed towards the northeast. “My home is about two days away. We should be able to make it without being spotted. We just have Canterlot to deal with...” she stopped talking, shaking her head. “We will deal with that later.” She started to fly in the direction she pointed. “Come on!” she called.

Blue looked at Dual, who nodded. He started to fly after her, the others on his tail. Blue watched them go, then turned back to the lab. She looked down at it. She tried to remember the path they took to get outside, trying to find their room. But she couldn’t remember the path. Her eyes instead turned to the observatory. The place where they first escaped from. She could see new glass in place of the glass they broke. But something caught her eye. She focused on a small, dark spot in the center of the observatory. The spot became a shape, and she shape became a Pegasus. Orange stood in the observatory, waving up at her. Against her will, she raised her hoof and waved back. She looked down at him for a moment, then turned and flew off. She didn’t know if she would see him again, or if she would want to.

*****

After the first couple hours of flight, it was obvious that Twilight was not used to this type of physical exertion. Every half hour or so, she would drop altitude, breathing hard. They would have to stop and wait for her to catch up, which put a damper on their escape.

By the time the sun was setting, they decided to stop for the night. They made camp in a small clearing in the woods. Dual had no idea where they were, but they were away from the lab. That was all that mattered. When the camp was made, Blue flew off towards the treetops. Dual knew it was so she could watch the sunset. twilight watched her go, then turned back to the others.

“We have about a day and a half before we reach my home. I will have to find a way to sneak you past Canterlot, but it shouldn’t be that hard.” She pulled something out of her lab coat. A small, plastic rectangle. She flicked the end and a small flame burst out of the top. She touched it to a pile of leaves and sticks that she had them find. The flame burned until they had a roaring fire. Twilight sat down in front of it, the flames reflecting off her irises. The sun had set and Blue dropped back down onto the ground, a small smile on her lips. Twilight sighed.

“If there is anything you want answered, ask me now.” she said, avoiding their eyes. Dual looked around at the others, then turned back to Twilight.

“I should probably ask a more important question first but, what was that drug that we were injected with supposed to do?” Twilight looked up when he asked that.

She took a deep breath. “It was supposed to create a happy scene. Something you like, or want. Then it was supposed to take that scene and create something terrible out of it. Something that would hurt you on an emotional level.” she paused looking around at the circle of ponies. “I was completely against using it, but we were forced to.” She bowed her head. “I hope you don’t think that I wanted it to be used.”

No pony spoke. Blue was lost in her own thoughts. It was meant to create something that the user would like or want? That would explain the butterfly with the colors of the sunset. But what about Dual? He had seen her in the hallucination. Did that mean.... She could feel herself blush. She turned away from the group. When if faded, she turned back.

“Ok, I have another.” Dual said. “Why were we created?” Twilight nodded.

“I am surprised that you didn’t ask that first.” she said, looking around at the Pegasi. “when it was proposed, we thought it was crazy. Creating a new breed of ponies. Ones stronger and faster than those in existence.” she paused, realizing that she was drifting from the question. “You were created to be the next generation of ponies. Ponies that would be able to survive if something happened to our race. Heightened senses, increased endurance. You were supposed to have a good life. You were supposed to be able to live free. But instead, the Director decided that you needed to be hidden.” Her gaze dropped, the fire casting a shadow over half of her face. “You were supposed to have a life....”

Blue watched as Dual stood up. Twilight shied away from him, but he just launched himself into the air. Blue watched him as he went, still wondering about his hallucination. Twilight walked away from the group, the darkness absorbing her dark violet coat. Slowly, the others fell away, sitting by the fire or under the trees. Blue walked into the forest, then launched herself into the trees. She perched herself on top of one of the tree. She curled up on a branch, settling in for the night. But she would not sleep. She would be waiting for Dual.

The moon slowly rose, it’s light casting a blue glow over the tree tops. She wondered if Orange was watching it rise. He probably was, this was his favorite time of the day. The wind was pulling at her mane and tail, burning her eyes.

Was Twilight telling the truth? Was she really taking them away, hiding them somewhere? She hoped do, she had had too many disappointments in her life, she didn’t want to add this to the list. But what if she wasn’t telling the truth? Where were they going? But if she was telling the truth, would they be accepted? A million questions ran through her head. But the one that popped up the most was; What was up with Dual?

For that, just like with all the others, she had no answer. But she would when he got back. And she was going to stay awake until he returned. Looking down, she could see the Gens crowding around the fire. Further off, if she focused, she could see Twilight flying through the forest. She still looked unnatural, slightly tilted to the side. But her expression was one of concentration. She was thinking about something, but Blue didn’t know what.

The moon had already risen past the mountains, the whole forest bathed in blue. She could feel her eyelids growing heavy. Just to wake herself up, she jumped off the branch and flew around the tree a couple times. Her muscles had started to ache from the amount of flying They had done in the past week. But she ignored the pain and continued flying, her blood warming up her wings and legs. A smile spread across her face. When she landed back on the branch, she was warm and happy. But the wind was fast sucking away the heat. She hoped Dual would get back soon, or else she would have to go down to the fire, and she would loose her chance to talk to him.

Far off in the distance, she could see a small white speck. It slowly grew until it was the size of a pony. Dual ungracefully flew towards the camp, a look of annoyance on his face. Blue waved him down, and he turned and flew towards her. He landed next to her, a small creak escaping from the branch. He wasn’t facing her, but instead looking back the way he came. He turned and saw her looking at him.

“What is it?” he asked, curious. Blue Opened her mouth, but then decided something.

“It’s nothing.” She turned back to the moon. Dual put an arm around her shoulder, puller her closer. They watched as the moon rose over the land, together.

Chapter 7

The next morning, Blue woke up sitting next to the remains of the fire. She pried herself of the ground and looked around. The others were asleep on the forest floor near her. Twilight lay a little farther from the group. Blue got up quietly and walked over to her sleeping form.

It was like looking at a completely different pony. Her normally stressed, guarded face was relaxed. A slight twitch in her front hoof and lips showed that she was dreaming. Her mane, filled with dirt and twigs from a night on the forest floor, fell over one of her eyes. Her ears were pressed against her head, and one would twitch occasionally. Blue could feel a small smile cross her lips as she looked down at the Mare who was her mother.

Looking around, she noticed that one pony was missing. Looking at the horizon, she saw that the sun was rising. She knew exactly who was gone, and where he would be. She spread her wings, but stopped. He would probably want to be by himself, she thought. Folding her wings, she started the job of waking the others up. Several pretended to be beyond the reach of a hoof on the shoulder, which would require a stronger hoof on the flank.

When they were all awake, She walked over to Twilight, who was still asleep. “Twilight...mom, it’s time to go.” She pressed a hoof against her shoulder, which was still covered in the lab coat. A small snort brought her back to reality. She stood up fast, eyes wide. She looked up at the sky, then at Blue.

“Oh, Celestia. I guess I over slept.” She stared to run around the camp site. "I told myself not to do that."

“It’s OK.” Blue said, not knowing that she had actually overslept. She could tell that Twilight was EXTREMELY stressful. This was going to be interesting.

A flash in the trees caught her eye. Looking up, she could see Dual flying down. He landed next to Twilight silently. “What are we doing today?” he asked, when she had noticed him.

“Well, we are getting home today.” she said, a smile on her lips. “But it is going to be tricky. We will have to dodge not only Celestia, but my friends as well.” she said, chewing her bottom lip. “I don’t want them to know about you guys yet.”

“Why not?” Blue asked. Would her friends not like them? Would they consider them freaks?

“Well, they don’t know what I have been doing for the past nineteen years at the lab.” she said, starting to pace again. “They think it was for Unicorn studies. If they knew...” her voice trailed off. She shook her head.

“I don’t want to deal with that until I have to.” She unfurled her wings, gently jumping off the forest floor. “What I need to worry about, is getting you home.” She started flying away from them. Blue looked at Dual.

“Still think we should trust her?” he asked, black eyes hiding any emotion. Blue nodded.

“She has gotten us this far.” she responded. “I see no reason not to trust her.” Dual nodded, then jumped into the air. Blue followed, along with the rest. She could feel conflicting emotions from the rest. Fear, joy, suspicion. Each of the Gens felt different, but they all knew one thing, this was going to end one of two ways. Terrible, or fantastic.

Blue watched the forest shrink below her. Their shadows disappearing as they rose higher. Her thoughts were still on Dual, but she tried to push that to the back of her mind. This was more important, she told herself. But a little voice in the back of her mind spoke up. Was this more important, it asked. When they finally settled down, she would have to get the answer. One day.

She shook her head, stopping the thought. She tried to focus on other things. The pull of the wind at her mane. Her wing muscles moving under her skin. The fact that they were going home. Finally, the thought was broken.

Hours passed, the forest had turned to dessert. They had passed a small town and were now following railroad tracks in the sand. Blue looked in amazement at the landscape. She had never seen anything like it. They had only lived in the mountains. This place was so alien to her, so strange. But then the sand ended, and another forest began. Twilight started to drop low over the trees. Her hooves were almost touching the treetops. Her head moved side to side, eyes scanning the ground. Finally, with a smile, she stopped. Dual and the others stopped next to her, their wings beating in unison.

“What is it?” dual asked, looking down at the ground. blue followed his gaze. Tucked within the trees, she could see a small hut. No bigger than her room at the old house. Smoke rose out of a chimney, and the sound of chanting broke the silence. Twilight turned back to them, still smiling.

“We are almost home.” She pointed at the mountain in the distance. They could see the silhouette of a castle hanging off the side of the mountain. it perch was so precarious that it looked as if it was held by magic. Which, Blue reminded herself, it probably was. She looked down at the base of the mountain. Small building rose up from the ground as if somepony had planted them there.

“Is that your home?” Blue asked, looking at the small town. Twilight nodded.

“Ponyville. I have lived there for, oh, 20 years now.” she said, looking at it. She started to drop towards the ground, pushing branches out of her way “Come on, we will have to go by hoof from here on.”

Twilight landed on the ground, hooves sinking slightly in the marshy soil. The Gens landed next to her, all looking in amazement at the new scenery.

“How far is it?” Yellow asked. he wings were staring to droop, as were her eyelids.

“Not to long, sweetie.” Twilight said. ‘About ten minutes. Then I will have to sneak you to my house, through Ponyville. that is not going to be easy.” She started walking in the direction opposite the small hut. Blue trotted to catch up with her.

“What is Ponyville like?” she asked, voice filled with curiosity. Twilight smiled at her.

“It is fantastic.” she said, eyes shinning. “It is small enough that you know almost everypony there. Birthdays, town parties, we all have them together.” She stared through the forest, as if she could see the town. “It will be amazing to go back after so long.”

Blue cocked her head. “I thought you lived here?” she asked, confused.

“I do.” Twilight responded. “But I haven’t been back for a few months now. I have been doing work at the lab.” her voice trailed off. “Well, I guess I don’t have to worry about going back there anymore.” she said, melancholy in her voice.

Blue didn’t know what to say, so she just slowed down slightly, letting Twilight move ahead slightly. She pulled up next to Dual, who was scanning the forest around him.

“What do you think?” she asked, looking at his pure black eyes. he continued looking around, not at her.

“About what?” he asked.

“You know, living in a city, with other ponies. What do you think it will be like?”

“I suppose it will be fine. All we have to do is stay there for more than two days, and we beat out last record.” he said, sly smile on one corner of his mouth. Blue chuckled when she heard this. But that was the last thing they spoke for the rest of the walk. it passed in silence until, finally, they broke through the trees.

Light seared their eyes, which were used to the darkness of the forest. Slowly, that glare faded, and they stepped out into their new home. Twilight watched them, grinning from ear to ear.

“My house is just over there.” She pointed to the middle of the city. “I think if you Stay on the roofs, you should be able to stay out of sight.” She started walking away. “Just follow me.” Dual nodded and jumped into the air, the others following. She watched them fly to the nearest building, then started walking.

Slowly, they followed her through the city. The houses provided cover as they flew, keeping Twilight in range. All the while, they stared in wonder at the town. Ponies walked here and there, buying, selling, or just talking. They had never been this close to other ponies in their lives. Blue had to resist the urge to fly down and introduce herself.

Five minutes late, Twilight stopped outside a giant tree. But on second look, Blue realized that it was a house. Windows rested between the branches, and a door st in the middle of the truck. To what seemed like nopony in particular, Twilight pointed to the top of the tree. Blue followed her hoof and saw a small balcony. Then, she walked inside. Blue turned and looked at Dual. His gaze was filled with suspicion, but also hope. he nodded, then flew over to the balcony. Blue followed, and so did the rest.

When they reached the balcony, Twilight opened the window. They stepped inside, marveling at the inside of the house. yellow started flying around, looking at everything she could see. Blue walked up to one of the walls, which were covered in large, rectangular objects. She pulled on off the shelf, almost causing several others to tumble down as well. She looked at the soft blue cover. Ornate, gold lines swirled across the cover, somehow finding themselves on the back as well. She let it flop on in her hoofs. Strange lines, loops, ans swirls covered the pages. Blue looked up at Twilight, who was biting her lip again.

“What are these?” she asked, turning around to look at the rest of the house. Almost every wall was covered in them. There had to be thousands. Twilight looked confused.

“They’re books.” she said. Blue still had no idea what she was talking about. “Do you know how to read?” Blue shook her head.

“What is reading?” Dual asked, walking towards the book in Blue’s hoofs. Twilight started pacing again.

“Reading. Ummmmm...” her voice trailed off. “It is like talking, except not talking. Every word I say, can be written down, and put into a book. When you learn how to read, it is like second nature. You wont even know your doing it.” Blue nodded, still not understanding. She doubted that she will ever learn how to read.

Twilight stopped pacing. She started walking towards a flight of stairs that led to a lower floor. “Anyway, let me show you where you will be staying.” she jumped off the stairs, her wings flaring out to catch herself. She landed with only a soft clop of her hooves. Dual was not one to be shown up. He jumped off, flipping in the middle of the air, and landed next to her, raising an eyebrow. Twilight just laughed, shaking her head. “I have a friend who I think will like you.” she said, a sly smile showing for a split second. Then she walked towards a door right under the stairs. Blue jumped down and landed next to Dual. She started to walk towards Twilight, but Dual stopped her.

“Wait, let’s see what shes got.” he said, not taking his eyes off the door. Twilight just shrugged, her horn glowing. The door opened by itself and she walked in. Dual followed her slowly, peeking his head into the room. A look of surprise crossed his face. Blue rushed over to look as well.

Inside, six beds rested, three against each wall. Their covers matched their eye colors. Black, blue, green, res, yellow, and....orange. Blue could feel her heart sink when she saw it. Looking around the room, she noticed how Duals bed rested against the east wall, and hers against the west. The ceiling was painted to look like open sky, with clouds and birds flying. She could feel a slight pain in her throat from holding back tears. She turned to Twilight, who was looking anxious.

“I didn’t know if you wanted beds, or, you know, clouds.” she said, avoiding eye contact. Blue rushed over, pulling her into a tight hug, tears spilling down her cheeks.

“Thanks, mom.” she sniffed. “This is amazing. Wonderful. How long have you had this here?”

“About five months.” she said. “I had a feeling you would be coming home with me, so I did this.”

Dual walked over, bowing his head. “I am sorry for not trusting you.” He stuck his hoof out. Twilight took it, smiling.

“Well, get yourselves settled. I will---” She was interrupted by a knock at the door. Her eyes widened in panic. “Stay here. Don't follow me.” she told them, then started to walk towards the front door. She rounded the corner and was gone from sight. They heard the door open, and a slight yell.

“Twilight! I heard you were back!” the voice said, excitement on every word.

“Hello Rainbow. It’s good to see you.” Twilight said. She sounded a little less thrilled.

“Where have you been all this time?” Rainbow asked. Blue could hear the sound of wings beating up and down. “It’s been months since you were back in town.”

“I was just doing some work.” Twilight said, trying to avoid the question. “Can you come back a little later, please?” she asked. “Now is not the best time.”

“Why?” asked Rainbow. “I don’t see any packing. What are you doing?” She gasped slightly. “Do you have someone over?”

Twilight cleared her throat slightly. Even Dual could hear the blush in her voice. “In a manner of speaking...” A small cheer rose from Rainbow.

“Well I have to meet him!” she said. The sound of wings grew stronger. Twilight protested, but Rainbow flew in anyway. She rounded the corner and saw them. For a second she just stared at them. She was so stunned that she forgot to flap her wings, and she fell to the ground.

Blue looked down at the cyan Pegasus on the floor. Rainbow just stared back. “Umm, Twilight?” she finally said, still looking at Blue. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

Chapter 8

A few minutes later, they were all sitting in Twilight’s kitchen. Rainbow Dash stared at Dual and the rest, Twilight watching her, standing in the doorway. She was biting her lip, extremely nervous. Rainbow stared for a few seconds more, then turned to Twilight.

“Are you going to explain this?” she asked, eyes flashing between Twilight and the Gens. Nodding, Twilight took a deep breath.

“From the beginning?” she asked, walking over to sit next to Blue. Rainbow nodded. “OK...well, you know that I got a job at the lab twenty years ago, right? Well, what I didn’t tell you, is that I do genetic research and engineering.” she said, not looking at Rainbow. “It started out as mapping the Equine Genome, simple as that. But once we finished that, well...they wanted more.” She got up and started to pace, giving Rainbow a solemn look.

“They felt that if they could....change.... the genetic sequence of our DNA, we could become....better...than we already are. These five are the result of that.” She smiled at Dual and the others, who were just staring, rapt. “I was in charge of this project, and, naturally, did most of the work. I was the pony who found out how to break apart DNA and replace parts of it. I am also the pony who brought you into existence.” she said, turning to look at them.

“When I found out how to change DNA, we tried, unsuccessfully, to grow new ponies with the DNA.” Her gaze dropped to the floor, bottom lips trembling. “None survived. It was impossible to have zygotes with the changed genetic structure. We needed a living cell. So, I did the natural thing, and took a tissue sample.”

“From whom?” Rainbow asked, looking at Twilight with a mixture of interest and pity.

“Myself.” she said, sitting down again. “I took a sample from my own hoof, removed the DNA, and inserted the new genes into it. After, we put the new cells into a compound that would stimulate growth into a natural, pony form. You grew with no problems, surpassing all of our standards.” She turned to the Gens, who were still staring at her. “Your very first cell, which has long since died, came from me. Your very genetic structure was designed by me, and built by me. We share no blood, no genes at all, but I still consider you my children.”

“But, why?” Rainbow asked, standing up. “Why were they created?”

“The scientists wanted to see how advanced we could make ourselves, how fast we could speed up evolution.” She turned and pointed at Dual, his four wings folded on his side, his muscles flexed even though he was sitting. Eyes showing intelligence, anger, and love all at the same time. “Obviously, we could speed it up plenty. But, something we don’t know, is what all this did to their lives. We have no idea how long they will live.” She turned to Dual and Blue, the oldest in the group. “We thought you wouldn’t live past fifteen, but you did.”

“Why did you bring them back here?” Rainbow asked.

“They escaped, two years ago. I thought they would never be found again, but they were. They were recaptured and brought back. They were experimented on even worse this time.” She dropped her gaze again, closing her eyes. “I could have prevented it, but I didn’t. Finally, I knew it was time to get them out of there, bring them back home.”

“How?” Rainbow asked, counting them up. “You can’t teleport that many ponies.” Twilight nodded. She looked down, noticing that she still had her lab coat on. She pulled it off, unfurling her wings slightly as she did. She flapped them a couple times, then they settled in on her sides. Rainbow just stared at her.

“How did...how long have....WHAT?” she sputtered, galloping over to inspect her wings. Now that Blue could see a normal pair of wings, they looked almost exactly alike, but Rainbow’s were a few inches shorter than Twilight’s. “How did this happen?”

“Remember that spell I used on Rarity all those years ago?” Twilight responded, flaring out her wings for Dash. “Well, I got it to work right. This is how I got them home.”

“You FLEW them home?! Twilight that is a new one, even for you!” she said, laughing. “How long will they last?”

“I would say a few days, maybe a week.” Twilight said, folding in her wings. “But that is not what I want to talk about.” she said, pointing at the chair. Rainbow sat back down, curious.

“You have seen them, and that is fine. I, however, don’t want you to tell anypony about this.” Twilight said, sitting down across from Rainbow. “This was an unauthorized, unsupervised genetic experiment. If Celestia were to find out, before I am ready to tell her, then I could go to jail, or worse. So please, please, don’t tell anypony.”

Rainbow took a deep breath. “I will keep the secret, you can trust me. But when are you going to to tell Celestia? And when are you going to tell Applejack and the rest? I think they have a right to know.” she said, crossing her front legs over her chest.

“I am going to tell them, I just want to wait for the right time.” Twilight said, not looking at her. “When this whole thing settles down, then I will tell the others.”

“Well, it better be soon. I don’t want to have to sit on this for more than a month.” Rainbow said, standing up. She stretched her wings, then jumped into the air. “I really have to go. It was great seeing you again! I will tell the others you are back in town.”

“Thanks Rainbow, and it was good to see you too.” Twilight said, opening a window for her. “I will see you tomorrow. Meet at Sugarcube Corner for lunch?”

“Definitely.” Rainbow replied. “Well, it was good to meet you guys.” she said to Dual and the rest. Then she turned tail and flew out the window. Twilight shut it behind her, then turned to look at them. The Gens were staring at her, not knowing what to say. Twilight sighed and sat down across from them, avoiding their gaze.

“You probably hate me.” she said, voice soft.

“Why would we hate you?” Blue asked, walking over to her. She put her hooves around her neck, hugging her. “You gave us life, you saved us. There is no reason for us to hate you.”

“You went to all that trouble, trying to make us better than we could be.” Dual said, eyes softening. “You made us who we are, and that is all that matters.”

Twilight sniffed, wiping at her eyes. “Thank you. I am sorry you had to go through what you had to. I didn’t want any of that to happen.”

“We know.” Green said, standing up and hugging Twilight as well. “It isn’t your fault.”

Twilight glanced up, seeing the moon rise in the sky. “You guys should probably get to bed. We are going to have a big week ahead of us.” Dual nodded, then walked out of the room, the others at his heels. But Blue stayed behind.

“I will be there in a couple of minutes.” she said when Dual looked back at her. He nodded, then left. Blue sat down next to Twilight, chewing her tongue. She was trying to think of a way to phrase the question that was yelling at her.

“I think that you were....lying to us.” she said, looking Twilight in the eyes. “I think you know how long we will last, and are just not telling us.” Twilight looked surprised, and slightly angry, but dropped the act soon after.

“I do know.” she said, holding Blue’s hoof in her own. “I just didn’t want to say it.”

“How long?” Blue asked, her heart racing. Twilight took a deep breath.

“At best, I would say you will live to thirty. By then your DNA will start to unravel, and you will die.” Blue felt her heart sink, it was worse than she thought.

“So I have...” her voice trailed off. Twilight looked up, her violet eyes tearing over.

“Less than fifteen years.” Twilight answered, embracing Blue. “And Dual has even less than that, maybe eleven or twelve.”

“Will you stay with us until then?” Blue asked, feeling helpless, like a child. Twilight nodded, expression dead serious.

“I will stay until the end.” she said, standing up. “I should really get to bed, I have a lot of excuses to make up tomorrow.” she said smiling. She nodded at Blue, then left the room. Heart still pounding, Blue followed Dual and went to their room. As she stepped inside, she saw Dual had tucked the younger ones in, and was just slipping under the covers of his own bed. Blue smiled at him, then walked over and got in her own. She could see the moon rising over the hills through the window above Dual’s bed. She watched it until her eyelids forced her to turn away. Finally, she slept, thinking of her new life.

*****

The next morning, Dual woke, warm and comfortable. The sun was rising just outside his window, and he watched it undisturbed. He felt calm, which was in stark contrast to their past week. When the sun had risen higher in the sky, he started to walk out of the bedroom. But he stopped in front of Blue’s bed. Looking down at her sleeping form, he smiled.

She was curled into a tight ball, her hind legs almost touching her chest. Slow, deep breathing raised and lowered the sheets. A blue mane, so like his own, hung down in front of her eyes, which were closed tight. Her lips opened slightly, then shut with each breath she took. One of her hoofs twitched slightly, and she rolled over, settling instantly. Dual smiled again, then walked out of the bedroom.

Twilight was already up. Judging from the tired way she said, “Good morning”, she had been up for a while. Her saddlebags rested on her back, and a couple paper bags floated in the air in front of her. Dual walked over and plucked the bags out of the air, carrying them over to the table in the middle of the room. Twilight smiled at him, and began to unpack the bags.

“When out first thing this morning. I didn’t know what you like to eat, so I just bought whatever they had.” she said, chuckling. Dual watched as she pulled out bags of oats, baskets of wildflowers, apples, carrots, and much more. He could feel himself starting to drool, but sucked it up.

“Any of that would be fine.” he said, grabbing an apple for himself. Living off stale bread and moldy apples for his whole life had taught him how to not be picky. He bit into the apple, closing his eyes as he savored the sweet, juicy taste. Twilight smiled, then walked over to the bedroom.

“Not awake yet?” she whispered, looking inside.

“Not yet.” Dual whispered back as Twilight shut the door. “I don’t think they will be up for a while. It was a big couple of days for them.”

“It was the same for you.” she said, raising an eyebrow at him. “Shouldn’t you be in there too.”

“I am the oldest. I have to look out for them.” he said, looking happily at the door. “If that means I have to lose sleep, oh well.” Twilight nodded.

“OK, I didn’t see any of my friends on the way there or back, which is good. I didn’t want to make up any excuses for all this food.” she said smiling. “But I will have to see them today. Do you think you will be alright for a couple hours by yourselves while I am gone?”

“We spent two years alone in the mountains. I think we can handle a house with food.” he said playfully, grabbing a handful of flowers from one of the baskets. Twilight rolled her eyes, then nodded. She pulled a small purse off one of the shelves. Dual could hear it jingle slightly as it floated through the air.

“Can I ask you something?” Dual asked as she put the purse into her saddlebag.

“I think you just did.” she relied playfully, trotting over to the door. But, yes you can.”

“Why did you make us all Pegasi?” he asked, looking at her horn. “Why no unicorns or earth ponies?”

Twilight sighed. “It was because of your genetics. Pegasi have a more stable genetic structure than any other ponies. We feel that, maybe, all ponies were Pegasi in the past, and the unicorn and earth pony genes were just a mutation, a hiccup in the meiotic cycle of your gametes.” Most of that had flown over Dual’s head, but he kept listening. “We decided to use Pegasi because we felt that we had a higher chance of success, and we were right.” She looked out the window, then back at Dual. “Anything else?”

“No, that was it.” he said, not really sure what to think. Twilight nodded.

“I will be back in a few hours. If you want to fly, please do it over the forest, and try to stay out of sight while you are. Don’t fly too near the castle, that would just lead to problems.” Twilight looked nervous while she said that, but shook it off. “Have fun.” she smiled, then was gone. Dual watched her go through the small window on the door, then turned back to the food. He wanted to eat more, but the younger ones would need most of it. He sighed, grabbing one more handful of flowers, then sitting down on one of the stairs. He waited for the others to wake up.

It was about noon when they started to wake. The first up was Blue, who cantered out of the bedroom and over to the pile of food. She nodded at Dual, then started to walk the mass amount of books.

“What are you looking for?” Dual asked as she seemed to get more and more frustrated.

“Something that I can actually read!” she said, exasperated. She pulled a heavy volume off the shelf and carried it over to Dual. She pulled it open and shoved it in his face. “I mean, look at this!” Inside there were lines and lines of characters and symbols, none of which Dual could get the slightest bit of sense out of. Blue let out a frustrated sigh, then carried the book back. She continued to search, mumbling to herself as she did.

Next out was Green, who shuffled over to the food. She let out a small grunt of greeting to Dual and Blue, which was better then most times. She was definitely not a morning, or in this case, afternoon, pony. She watched Blue as her search turned up nothing, smiling slightly at her anger.

The others filed out shortly after. They all ate, the sat down, looking for something to do. Normally they would fly, but Dual did not want to risk it. he looked around at the multitude of books, which none could be read. He sighed. It was going to be a long day.

*****

The next couple days passed in the same fashion. Twilight making up excuses for why she had been gone all this time, why she had wings, and why she had to stay at the house for long periods of time. Nopony seemed to think anything of it, completely believing her lies.

But, three days later, Twilight knew she had to say something. She called all her friends over, telling them that she had something extraordinary to show them. They all came, not wanting to miss whatever it was. But they could not have what was waiting for them inside.

For their credit, they took it in stride. They accepted them as friends, and even had Pinkie throw them a “Welcome to Ponyville” party. They were slightly angry at Rainbow for not telling them that she knew, but quickly forgot as the party continued. By about midnight, they had all left, leaving Twilight’s library trashed. Smiling, she teleported all the streamers and confetti away, leaving the library spotless.

“Well,” she said, turning and smiling at them, “I think that went well!”

“They accepted us.” Blue said, confused. “I can’t believe they accepted us.”

“Why wouldn’t they?” Twilight asked, turning to clean up some spilled punch. “It doesn’t matter where you came from. All that matters is--” She stopped mid-sentence, a confused look on her face. She looked at Blue, panic in her eyes. Then she fell to the side, screaming and writhing in pain. Dual rushed to her side, followed by Blue. The others hung back, not sure what to do.

Bands of magic ran up and down her body, electricity crackling in the air. “Twilight!” Blue yelled, afraid. She opened her eyes, tears of pain falling down her face.

“Get back!” she warned, pushing her weakly away. “I don’t want you to get hurt!” Dual pulled Blue away from her. A glow started to surround Twilight, bright and white. The crackling increased, the hairs on their backs standing straight out. The bands flowing down her body, the same color as her magic, flowed faster. The glow grew brighter, until it was hard to look at. The whole time, Twilight was screaming at the top of her lungs.

Finally, the glow grew until they couldn’t even look. Closing their eyes, all they could hear was the sound of electricity and her screaming. Then, with a shock wave the pushed them onto their backs, and the sound of a thunderclap, it was over. The electricity faded, and the screaming stopped. But it was replaced with labored breathing. Blue slowly opened her eyes, looking at the pony on the ground.

Her wings were gone. A scorched black circle surrounded her tence, curled up form. Tears coated her face, eyes shut tight against the pain that was no longer there. Her sides rose and fell with the deep, pained breaths she needed, and wanted, to take. She shivered with every breath she took, slight whimpers escaping her lips. Slowly, Dual took a step forward. He knelt down next to her, gently pressing his hoof against her own.

“Twilight?” he said, quietly. She responded slightly, opening one eye. It’s violet iris looked up at him with a mixture of fear and gratitude. “Are you alright?” He didn’t want to ask the stupid question, but there was nothing else to say. She nodded slowly, opening the other eye. Dual helped her to her hooves, steadying her when she couldn’t stand alone.

“Thank you.” she said quietly. Dual helped her into their room, sitting her down on a bed. “That was...unexpected.” she replied, shaking her head. “I didn’t think that the effects would be that....extreme.”

“Hadn’t you used this before?” Blue asked, sitting down next to her. Twilight nodded.

“I did. But like I said before, I perfected it since then. The old wings were made of dew, and evaporated.” She took a deep breath, moving her shoulders as if she still had wings. “These were better, so the effects were much more profound.”

“Do we need to call a doctor or something?” Yellow asked, poking her head around Dual’s legs. Twilight smiled at her.

“No, no. I am fine.” she assured her. With a grunt of pain, Twilight stood up. She wobbled slightly, then started walking out of bedroom.

“See, I am fine. Nothing to worry about.” As soon as she said that, there was knock on the door. “Probably just somepony who heard the noise.” she said, limping to the door. She reached it and opened it with her magic. None of them had noticed it, but a storm had moved in. Rain was pounding the windows, and thunder rang out every once in awhile.

The door opened, and Twilight gasped. She skittered back a few steps, falling over herself. Dual rushed forward, instantly flaring out his wings. He looked out into the rainy night. What he saw made him lose his rage, wings folding back into place. Blue followed his gaze, heart dropping.

Out of the rain and darkness, standing out garishly against the black, was pair of luminescent, orange eyes. Blue just stared, unable to take her eyes away. She stared until the eyes closed, then Orange himself fell, unconscious, to the floor.

Chapter 9

His body hit the floor with a muffled smack. Dual pulled Twilight out of the way, the fur on his back standing straight out, along with his wings. A low growl escaped his lips as he looked down at the unconscious body of Orange.

Orange looked terrible. As the water from his fur and feathers spread, so did blood. His right ear was turn at the top, and he had a gash under his right wing. Blood trickled from his nose, and one leg was bent at a strange angle. Patches of fur and several feathers were missing from each wing. His breathing was shallow and laborious, barely heard over the rain.

Twilight tried to run over to him, but she was held back by Dual. “What are you doing?!” he snarled at her, pure hatred in his eyes.

“I am trying to help him!” she replied, struggling to get out of his grasp. “Look at him! He could die!”

“And we would all be better off!” Dual yelled back. “He ruined our lives, Twilight. Maybe it was time somepony ruined his.”

Twilight looked at him in disgust. She raised her hoof and twisted his wing, so that the back of the wing was touching his spine. He let out a sharp yell of pain, releasing her at the same time. She ducked under his arm and galloped over to Orange. She knelt down next to his body and flipped him over onto his back. Twilight sucked in a deep breath, as he looked even worse from that angle.

Gashes and cuts ran across his chest. Patches of fur had been ripped out, leaving the follicles to produce tiny rubies of blood. His coat shined, but Dual could not tell which liquid caused it to shine more.

Twilight began to inspect his body, hooves slowly turning a deep red. As she did, she grew more panicked, eyes growing wider. She looked at them, fear rising.

“This is bad. Really bad. We have to help him.” she said, her breathing fast and erratic.

“And why should we do that?” Dual asked again. “He deserves what he is getting.” he turned away from them, looking out the window. Twilight got up and stalked over to him. She grabbed him by the shoulder, spinning him around to face her. Then she punched him straight in the face. He fell to the floor, holding his muzzle and looking up at her, surprised. A spot of blood on his white fur showed where she hit him

“This is my child!!” she yelled, standing over him. “And you have no bucking right to tell me what I can and can’t do with him!!” Blue had never seen Dual so afraid of somepony. He just stared up at her, unable to respond. Twilight’s breathing slowed, and she walked back over to Orange.

“He has so many injuries, and I am not that kind of doctor.” she said, lightly running her hoof over his body again. “I won't be able to help him at all.” She started to pace around his body, a small red spot appeared every fourth step. “We can’t take him to a real doctor, that would blow our cover.” She closed her eyes, face screwed up in concentration. It was a few moments before anypony spoke.

Finally, Twilight’s eyes flashed open. “Fluttershy!” she exclaimed, rushing over to Orange’s body. “Fluttershy can help us!” She looked up at the others. “I need you to fly over to her house. It is on the edge of the Everfree forest. Small cottage, you can’t miss it.”

“And what are you going to do?” Blue asked, emotions set on high.

“I am going to have to teleport him there. Shouldn’t take a minute.” Twilight responded, looking down at his body. She didn’t feel comfortable teleporting somepony who was this hurt, but she didn’t have a choice. She pointed at the door, which was still open. “Go! I will be there in a second!” They all looked at Dual, whom nodded. One by one, they flew out into the rain. Dual was the last to leave, looking down at Twilight.

“If anything happens to them, I am holding you responsible.” he said, eyes narrowed. Twilight looked back at him, expression blank.

“Is that a threat?” she asked, a small, steel edge in her voice.

“It might be.” Dual said, then he spread his wings and flew into the rain. She stared after him, completely disgusted by this new pony. She shook her head, then looked down at Orange. Some of the bleeding had stopped, but it was still flowing at a steady pace. She had to act now, or risk losing him.

She closed her eyes, focusing on Fluttershy’s house. She pictured it perfectly in her mind. Eyes still closed, she reached out and touched Orange’s hoof. She felt the familiar tingling sensation at the base of her neck. Then, nothing.

Then, with a loud bag, she felt the floor reappear under her, followed by a shriek. She opened her eyes, seeing the inside of Fluttershy’s house. She looked around, but could not find the source of the noise. Then she heard a small voice.

“Twilight?” a frightened mare’s voice asked. Looking around, Twilight finally found the source of the voice. Fluttershy was hiding under her coffee table, her eyes wide and her breathing deep. Part of her mane was covering her face, and she was looking out at Twilight through the gap.

”Oh, thank Celestia you are here!” Twilight exclaimed, rushing over to her. She helped pulled Fluttershy, Who was blushing, out from under the table. “I really need your help.”

“What do you need?” Her eyes wandered over to the body on the ground, and she screamed again, shrinking back against the wall. “Who is that?!” she asked, panicked.

“That is the problem.” Twilight responded. “He is hurt, really bad. And we can’t take him to a hospital.” She said the last part while looking directly at Twilight.

“...Me?” Fluttershy realized. “Oh...my...ummm.... Twilight I....” she stammered. “Oh...so much blood.” She started to look a little pale. Twilight walked up and took her front hooves in her own. She peeled Fluttershy off the wall, placing her back down on all fours.

“Please, Fluttershy. He is one of mine, and I couldn’t bear if he died.” Her eyes had started to shimmer, and she turned away. “Please.” Fluttershy turned back and forth between the body and Twilight.

“OK.” she said in the smallest voice. Twilight turned back and almost tackled her.

“You will?! Oh, thank you, thank you!” She let go of Fluttershy and took a step back. Is there anything you will need?”

“Ummm...no, I have everything here.” she said, turning to a cabinet on the wall. “I just need--” she was interrupted by a knock on the door. Twilight walked over, opening it to the rain stained face of Dual. He stared down at her, then brushed past her into the house. he saw Oranges body on the floor, then walked to the furthest point in the house. Blue just watched him, then walked over to Fluttershy.

“If there is anything we can do to help, just ask.” she said, smiling. Fluttershy nodded.

“Umm....thank you.” She looked over at Twilight. Can you help me get him up on the
table?” twilight nodded, walking over and placing her hooves under Oranges armpits. Fluttershy grabbed his legs. Together, they lifted him up onto the table. Now that the body was gone, Blue could see a puddle of maroon on the floor.

“Lets go to the kitchen.” she said, pulling Red and Yellow along with her. “Maybe we can get some food.” Twilight nodded at her, thanking her for her gesture. When they were out of the room, Twilight looked back at Fluttershy.

“How bad is it?” she asked.

“Very. He has lost major amounts of blood, and this bone is broken.” she said, pointing at the one bent at a strange angle. “I can set it, but I can’t be sure if it will be right.”

“You can’t doubt yourself. You are our best chance.” Twilight said, eyes wide and trusting. Fluttershy nodded, looking down at Orange.

“OK...I am going to need gauze, a needle, stitches, and a lot of bandages.” she said, going into nurse mode. Twilight and the others obliged, getting everything she needed. But Dual stood off to the side, watching the whole scene out of his black eyes.

Slowly, the blood puddle on the table grew, spilling over the side at one point. But then it let up as the stitches and bandages fell of his skin. Slowly, the blood puddle stopped spreading, only laying on the table. Oranges breathing had become even more shallow, but it had bottomed out, staying at a steady pace.

Finally, Fluttershy backed away from his body. His blood coated her hooves and chest, and it had even gotten in her mane. She took a couple deep breaths, then looked up at Twilight.

“Ok...I have done everything I can.”

“Do you think he will make it?” Twilight asked. Her anxiety was escaping her.

“He should. They heal strangely fast. So he should be awake by, maybe, tomorrow afternoon.” she replied. Twilight smiled, tensions being lifted.

“I can’t thank you enough.” she said, hugging her. “I will always remember this.”

“It was no problem. Now...ummm.. I kinda want to get washed up.” she said, looking down at her fur. Twilight nodded, then Fluttershy left the room. A second later, she felt a rough hoof grab her shoulder. She looked up to see Dual standing next to her.

“We need to talk. Outside.” he said.

“In the rain?” twilight said, feigning innocence. Dual just looked at her. “Fine.” she said, annoyed. She walked through the door, out into the pouring rain.

“OK, what?!” she said, turning to face Dual. The rain had caused his mane to fall next to his head, giving him the look of a child lost.

“You said we were all made the same, so why is he different?”

Twilight sighed. “It would take too long to explain.”

“Then give me the short story.” Dual snarled, stalking up to her. Twilight just stared into his face.

“They wanted something that could beat you, something, if you ever escaped, that could hunt you down. They picked Orange for that. They changed his DNA, which turned him into that. They made it seem like he died, like his DNA unraveled, but it didn’t. After, they trained him, to fight, to hunt, to find you.” Not once did she stop looking into his eyes.

“And you created him?” Dual asked, voice low. Twilight nodded.

“I was forced to. Anymore, I was property of the lab. I was unable to talk, unable to leave.”

“How long will he live?”

“What?!” she asked, caught off-guard.

“You said we all have life limits. Because of our DNA, we won't live as long. How long will he live.” He asked again, slowly.

“I don’t know. Not as long as you. I would guess maybe five more years, if that. Only time will tell.” Dual nodded

“Good.” he said. Twilight felt her anger flare at that word.

“He is your brother!” she yelled, pushing him back. “He is your sibling! One of the only six of your species! You should be sorry for him, apologizing to him for all the times you fought. But what are you doing!? You are hoping he will die!”

They had reached the front of the house. Twilight could see the others looking through the door at them. Most looked afraid, but Blue looked strong. She looked Twilight dead in the eyes and nodded.

“I can’t believe that would would be this cruel.” she said, low and deadly. “I thought, after what you had seen and been through, you would be more compassionate. But no, you are just like the people at the lab.” And with that, she teleported away, leaving Dual to stare at the spot where she had been standing. he turned slowly, head bowed. He trudged up to the door, walking in passed his siblings. They just stared at him, having nothing to say. Because they knew, Twilight was right.

*****

They all stayed at Fluttershy’s that night. They didn’t think they would sleep, but they did. Sometime during the night, Twilight returned. Dual found her curled up in a ball on the couch, her front legs around Yellow. He wanted to apologize, but he didn’t want to wake her. Instead, he went outside. The clouds had passed, leaving the sky bright and clear. The sun was slowly rising over the mountains, his shadow shrinking as it did. The soft sound of singing caught his attention. Turning, he saw Fluttershy floating from tree to tree. He watched her for a few moments, then turned back to the house. He knew he should thank her, but he couldn’t think of a way to express it.

He walked back into the house and saw that Twilight had woken up. Gently, she pushed Yellow away so that she could get up. She saw Dual, and their eyes met. In that second, a silent conversation passed between them, and Twilight nodded, understanding. They waited in silence for the others to wake. They stood on opposite sides of the room, still slightly uncomfortable with each other. But when the others woke up, they had to act normal.

Fluttershy returned with a breakfast of flowers and oats. She seemed happy, but Twilight knew she was haunted by what happened last night. Twilight was as well. She had almost lost one of her children, as she didn't think she could bear it if he had died. After the breakfast, the just stayed around the house. Dual and the others were still not allowed outside unless it was night, so just just played around in the house. Slowly, the mood changed from tense to happy.

But, by lunch, Orange had still not awoken. Twilight constantly stayed with him, watching to make sure he was still alive. His breathing had picked up over the night, and now it looked like he was simply asleep. Fluttershy brought in some treats from Sugarcube corner, which diverted her attention for a few moments.

“Did any of the others ask where I was today?” she asked Fluttershy, filling her mouth with cupcake.

“Yeah. I just told them that you had some business with the Princess.” Fluttershy replied. “I didn’t know if you wanted them to know just yet.”

“No, thank you. I didn’t want them to know. I will tell them.” After that, nopony spoke for a while. Twilight was about to leave to get something from her house, when she heard a groan from behind her. Her head snapped around so fast that she felt pain explode in her neck.

Orange was awake, trying to move, but the bandages kept him still. After a frozen second, Twilight and the others rushed over to him. His eyes were closed, and he seemed to think he was alone. Twilight looked around at the others, then touched his shoulder. His eyes flashed open, focusing on her face. He looked around, pupils dilated in panic. He opened his mouth a couple times trying to speak. Twilight removed her hoof, trying to calm him.

“It’s OK. You are safe.” she said, worried for his sanity. He just continued to stare at them. His mouth opened one last time.

“No, you aren’t. You have to leave now!” He said, trying to get off that table. “You have to get out!” Then his eyes rolled back into his head, and he passed out.

Chapter 10

They stared at his motionless body, unable to say anything. The only sound was Twilight’s heavy breathing as her shock wore off. Fluttershy pulled herself out from under the table where she has been hiding. She slowly walked back over to the table, putting her hoof on Orange’s neck. She let out a small breath and looked back up at Twilight.

“He is still alive, he just passed out again.” She looked back down at Orange, whose chest was slowly moving up and down. “What are we going to do with him? And what did he mean?”

“I don’t know!” Twilight said, starting to pace again. “I don’t know what that meant. But I really don’t think we should stay here much longer.” She turned back to Fluttershy, her eyes wide. “Is he safe for travel?”

“Oh, no! No, no, no! He won’t be safe for a week or more!” she said, backing up into the table. “He has to stay right here.”

“Alright, alright.” Twilight said, closing her eyes. She turned to look at the others. “What do you think we should do? Dual snorted, rolling his eyes.

“I can’t believe you are trusting him!” he said, exasperated. “He just walks in here, after hunting us down and hurting us, and you want us to trust him?! For all we know, he could have told us that to lead us into a trap!”

“So what do you want us to do with him?” Twilight asked, looking him straight in the face. Dual stared straight back.

“You know what I think we should do.” he said, voice cold. “But ask the others what they think.” he said, turning away from her. Twilight rolled, her eyes, but did as he asked.

“I think we should wait until he is awake, then see what he has to say.” Blue said, looking at the black pegasus on the table. “I think that is the only fair way.” The others nodded in agreement, while Dual just shook his head.

“Alright.” Twilight said, rubbing her temples. “Do you mind holding on to him for a couple days?” she asked Fluttershy. I don’t think we should take him back to my place.”

“Of course! I was going to keep him here anyway.” She looked orange up and down. She seemed to be worrying about his strength, as his muscles showed through his fur and feathers. “Umm...anything I should know...you know, if he wakes up?”

“Just be careful.” Twilight responded. “Don’t startle him. If he asks for anything, give it to him. He needs a lot more food than normal ponies, so you might want to stock up today.”

“OK....anything else?”

“As soon as he wakes up, come and get us. Even if it is in the middle of the night.” Fluttershy nodded. Twilight smiled and embraced her. “I can’t thank you enough. I swear I will repay you one day.” She turned back to the others, who were watching her intently. “Come on, let’s head home.” The nodded and spread their wings. They walked back out into the sun and took off. Twilight waved at Fluttershy, then teleported home.

When the library reappeared in front of her, she suddenly felt how tired she was. She collapsed on the floor. A few seconds later, the sound of wings greeted her. She looked up to see Dual and the others flying in through the window above her. They gently touched down, barely making a sound. Blue walked over and nudged Twilight.

“Are you OK?” she asked, worried. She had never seen Twilight like this. Twilight nodded.

"I’m fine. It’s just...” Her voice trailed off as she looked them over one by one. She avoided Dual’s eyes. “This whole thing is riding on you trusting him. And I know some of you are reserving your trust.” Her eyes flashed back to Dual. “But I need you to believe me. I created him. I built him from the ground up. He is not evil. I need you to believe that.”

“We do believe you!” Blue said. She looked at Dual, who just rolled his eyes. “Well, those who matter do.” Dual snorted and walked away, back into their room. Blue looked at the others helplessly.

“Try to help him.” Twilight said, standing up. “I really need some time alone.” She walked over the the stairs and climbed out of sight. Blue huffed and walked over to their room. She opened the door. Dual was standing next to the window, the sun casting a long shadow out behind him.

“Guys, why don’t you go out for a fly or something, OK?” she said. The nodded, flying out the same way they came in. Blue took a deep breath and walked forward. She stopped when she was next to Dual. He was looking out at the distant tree line. When the others flew over that way, he watched them go.

“I know what you are thinking.” he said, not breaking his gaze. “You think I am a heartless monster and I am no better than who we are fighting.”

“Yes. Yes I do.” Blue responded. “I just can’t see why you won’t trust him. he used to be one of us!”

Dual turned to look at her. His black eyes were filled with pain and pity. “I know he did. But you remember what happened, we all do. The real orange died. He died in his cage. Right next to you.”

Blue closed her eyes as the memories rushed back. It had started out as a shiver, something they all got from time to time. He said it was nothing, but his eyes gave away his true feeling. Fear and pain. The doctors acted strangely around him. Carefully handling him, not pushing or kicking him awake. They treated him almost as well as Yellow. It seemed to go on like that for a few weeks. But then it got worse.

His shivers turned to debilitating shakes. He couldn’t even take the walk down the hall to the lab rooms. He started to cough, his lips and tongue turning red every time. He would lie awake at night, trying to stifle his moans of pain, but it did no good. They all heard him. Blue was the closest to him, cage-neighbors they called it. But she was helpless as his very DNA unraveled. It seemed like days as he just lay there, coughing up blood that was falling apart inside of him. His feathers started to fall out, followed by his fur. And his eyes lost that glow of life they had held on to throughout those years. They knew it would be soon.

At last, it happened. One day, he just couldn’t get up. His breathing was ragged as he tried to breath through the blood that was filling his lungs. He reached out as far as he could, touching Blue’s hoof with his own. She watched, tears streaming down her face, as the last of that life left his eyes. He breathed his last words, only to her. Words that she had never spoken to any of her siblings. Words she had kept just for herself.

“Don’t forget me.”

She was pushed back to reality by Dual taking her hoof. She looked down and pulled it away. It was the same one that he had touched. She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and took a shuddering breath.

“I know he did. And don’t you think that means we should trust him?” she asked, eyes fogging over. “Somepony gave him back to us. Now I think we should take that gift, whether or not he is as messed up as he is. Every pony deserves a second chance.”

Dual stared at her for a long moment, and she stared right back. Her blue eyes bored into his black ones. She was the only one that could normally tell what he was feeling inside. And she could see it now. Anger, fear, longing. Everything that she was feeling. But there was something else. A need to protect. He was the leader, and he could make no mistakes. And he knew that.

He finally let out a sigh. “Fine.” he said quietly. “I will give him a chance. But only one chance.” Blue’s face lit up, and he was suddenly hit in the stomach. She had rushed forward and embraced him.

“Thank you!” she said. “He only needs one change.” Dual didn’t respond, he just put his fore-legs around her and pulled her closer. She laid her head on his shoulder. They stayed like that for a while, until Blue finally let go.

“I should...you know..” she said, blushing. She pointed out the window at the others, who were still flying around near the forest. Dual nodded, not looking her in the eyes.

“Yeah. They might be spotted or something.” Blue nodded and rushed out of the room, her mind racing. She launched herself out of the window, sighing as the wind cooled her skin and feathers. But she was shaking her head. What was wrong with her? Dual was her brother, not officially, but still! She couldn’t think of him like that. But something kept her thinking about him. She felt funny. Sort of happy and warm. It felt weird. She decided that she would have to talk with Twilight.

She finally reached the forest. She had stayed up near the clouds, trying to stay out of sight. She perched on a cloud, the water vapor supple under her hooves. The wind pulled her blue mane out behind her. Looking down, she would see the others playing a game of tag in the air. Green was trying to catch the others, but you could tell she was going easy on them. Blue just laid down on the cloud, watching them. She seldom got to see them this happy, so she took every opportunity she could.

A small smile spread across her lips as she watched them. Yellow was growing, as was Red. He was almost as big as green was, and Yellow was a close second. Green seemed to be more healthy. She was filling in, and you could no longer see her ribs through her fur. Yellow was reading through Twilight’s books faster than Blue was. It had only taken her a couple days to learn how to read. She wouldn’t let her know, but she was jealous.

Green looked up and saw Blue sitting on the cloud. She waved, then got the others together. They flew up and floated in the air next to her.

“Everything good back there?” Green asked. Blue nodded, stepping away from the cloud.

“I just had to talk some sense into him.” she said, floating over to them. “But we really should get back before we are spotted.” They nodded, flying off towards the nearest cloud. They flew from cloud to cloud, trying to stay out of sight. But they didn’t have to. The sun was starting to set, and most ponies were already inside. A few minutes later, they arrived back at the library, flying through the open window. Dual was sitting in front of the fireplace, waiting for them.

“Hello.” he said, avoiding Blue’s eyes. She could feel her cheeks heat up, and she looked away as well. “I have decided that we will give Orange a chance. But if he tries to do anything to you, I will make sure he won’t ever hurt you again.” He looked at Blue, his expression softening. “Is that OK with you?” Blue nodded. This was her idea. And she didn’t want to be wrong twice.

“Alright then. Twilight is still asleep, so try to be quiet for the next few hours, OK?” he asked, standing up. Yellow instantly ran over to a shelf and pulled down a book. Then she flopped down on the carpet in front of the fireplace and began to read. Blue walked up behind her and read over her shoulder.

“‘Recombinant DNA theory’? A little ironic, don’t you think?” she asked, smiling down at Yellow. Yellow smiled back, then continued to read. Blue just shrugged at Dual, and walked away.

“She’s too smart for her own good.” Dual said, standing next to Blue. “Sometimes I think she is planning something. Just the way she looks at us.” Blue laughed, laying down on the floor. Dual dropped to the ground next to her. Red and Green had gone off to another part of the house. Probably looking for something that would actually interest them. The sun was starting to set, but Blue didn’t feel the need to go watch it. She felt happy and content where she was.

“What do you think Orange meant when he said we should leave?” Blue asked. “Do you think we really are in danger?”

“I am not sure what to think.” Dual said. he was watching Yellow flip through the pages of the book, the smallest smile on his lips. “If he is telling the truth, then we are in danger. But if he is lying, he could lead us straight into a trap.” He closed his eyes and let out a sigh of exasperation. “This whole situation is giving me a headache.”

“Well, you aren’t the sharpest tool in the shed.” she said, smirking.

“Hey! I am smart enough. Maybe not Yellow smart, but smart enough.” He looked away from her. “I just don’t know what to do. Most of me wants to trust him, I really do. But that little part of me says that he could betray us at any moment. And that little part is screaming the loudest.”

“You just have to block that part out.” Blue said. “Trusting him in the best thing we can do.” Dual didn’t respond, so she just laid her head on her front hooves, and watched the sun slowly fall out of the sky. She didn’t know how much time had passed, but when she looked up again, Yellow was fast asleep. Her small head was sitting in the crease of the book. Green poked her head around the corner and saw her. Sme smiled and quietly walked over to her. She gently picked her up and carried her into their room. She held the door open until Red walked in behind her. Then she shut the door.

“This is why you don’t want to trust him, isn’t it?” Blue asked Dual. He nodded slowly, looking her straight in the eyes.

“We have an amazing life here. I don’t want it to be ruined.”

“I understand” Blue said, looking out the window again. She felt something nudge her side, and she looked back. Dula had extended his wings and gently placed them over her back. She could feel the warmth from his feathers seeping into her, and she let out a small sigh. She laid her head down again, closing her eyes. She felt safe and protected. She didn’t want to move.

*****

She opened her eyes, blinking several times to clear them. Light was falling through the windows, hitting the floor in front of her. She stretched, feeling something on her back. Looking, she saw that Dual was still next to her, fast asleep. Smiling, she gently climbed out from under his wing, which retracted back into place. She walked as quietly as possible to the door, pulling it open. She stretched her wings out, feeling her muscles pull at her spine. The sun was just rising out from behind the mountains. She took a deep breath, enjoying herself for the first time in a while.

She was about to walk back inside, when the sound of wings made her turn. Fluttershy dropped to the ground a couple feet away. She was looking extremely scared and nervous. Blue tried to think of a greeting, but she couldn’t. the only thing she could say was.

“Is he...?”

Fluttershy nodded. “You should see him right away.”

Chapter 11

Blue galloped back into the house, the strangest mixture of hope and fear flooding through her. He was awake, after all these years they could be reunited again. A family once more. That thought made her smile as she ran towards the sleeping Dual. But another through rear-ended that one, and it made her smile slip. What is he was lying? What if Dual was right, and this was just a trap? She shook her head, driving the thought away. She couldn’t start thinking that way, or else she would become as paranoid as Dual was.

She knelt down, shaking him awake. He rolled slightly, black eyes opening to look up at her. He smiled slightly when he saw her, a little care piercing his hard exterior. But that care vanished when he saw her expression, only to be replaced by worry.

“What is it?” he asked, reaching up to touch her cheek. She just looked down at him.

“He’s awake, isn’t he?” She nodded. With a quick flap of his wings he was on his hooves, already walking towards the bedroom. He threw the door open, bringing his hooves to his lips. A shrill whistle rang through the room, instantly waking up the other three. Green, of course, looked like this was the most horrid atrocity ever committed to ponykind. Yellow and Red, meanwhile, were awake and alert almost immediately.

“What’s going on?” Red asked, rubbing his eyes in an effort to wake himself up. Green just glared at Dual.

“Yeah, what’s so important you had to do that?” Her head was nodding up and down. She looked like she was about ready to fall back to sleep.

“Orange is awake.” Dual said simply. That was enough to get her attention. She jumped out of the bed, galloping over to him.

“Is he, is he really? What are we going to do?” Yellow and Red walked up behind her, their eyes asking the same thing. Dual turned to look at Blue, shrugging.

“We should wake up Twilight first.” she said, turning to leave, but Dual stopped her with a hoof on her shoulder.

“You get them awake, I will talk to Twilight.” Blue nodded as he walked passed her and up the stairs. Twilight’s room was dark, the curtains pulled closed, although a small sliver of light created a bright line on the floor as he walked towards her bed. A small smile came to his lips as he looked down at her.

Normally stressed and reserved during the day, her sleep was the complete opposite. Her legs were splayed out in all directions, and her mane was a tangled mess on the pillow. Every so often a small snore would escape her lips, followed by an almost imperceptible glow of her horn. As he looked down at her, Dual saw her less as the imposing figure that had breathed life into them, and more as a normal pony. A friend, possibly. The smile stayed put as he reached up and gently nudged her shoulder with his hoof.

“Hmmm?” A soft, questioning moan left her throat as she gently rolled over, a single eye opening. She took a moment to focus on Dual, but she finally did. “Uhh, good morning. What’s going on?”

Dual didn’t waste any time. “Orange is awake.” Twilight’s other eyes flashed open, and she sat bolt upright in bed.

“He is!? Is he alright?” Dual shrugged, placing a hoof on her shoulder.

“I don’t know. Blue is getting the others ready to see him. But I wanted to say something to you first.” Twilight gave him a curious looked, swinging her legs out from under her and standing up.

“What do you want to say?”

Dual took a deep breath. “I wanted to apologize for how I acted yesterday. It was wrong of me to completely shoot down your idea of helping Orange. For all I know, he could be telling the truth, and he deserves a chance.” Twilight nodded, smiling slightly.

“That’s very bold of you. And I understand why you don’t trust him.” She pulled him into a tight embrace, one he wasn’t completely comfortable with. “But you have to give him a chance to prove himself. You trusted me, and look where you are now.” She let him go with a small kiss on the cheek, like any mother would do, and turned to the stairs, leaving Dual feeling more confused than he had been a minute ago. He shook his head and followed her down the stairs, towards where the others were waiting.

Blue had the others gathered around the door and they all looked wide awake. Except for Green, whose head kept nodding forward like she was ready to fall asleep. Twilight was smiling down at them, but there was worry behind the smile. She walked over and gently pulled Blue aside. Dual walked over with them, although it was impossible to be out of earshot of the others.

“I think we should leave Green and the others here.” Twilight said, looking a little nervous. She knew they could hear her. “This could get dangerous for the younger ones, and I don’t want them hurt.” Blue and Dual exchanged a quick glance, then looked back at Twilight.

“After everything that has happened, you want use to keep them away from a half-dead Orange?” Dual scoffed. “I think he is the worst of our problems right now.”

“They should really be there to see him. Even if it does get ugly.” Blue agreed. Twilight just bit her lip, shaking her head.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. Please, just this once, leave them here.” Her tone was pleading, and it struck a chord in Dual. He had never heard her sound that way. Usually it was coming from them. He sighed loudly, dropping his head.

“Fine, but just this once.” Twilight perked up, smiling again. Dual turned and looked at the others, who were frowning. Green even looked mad. “You heard her. Sorry guys, but you have to stay.”

“Oh, please? I really want to go!” Yellow’s voice was almost as pleading as Twilight, but Dual just shook his head.

“I’m sorry. But if all goes well, hopefully you will be seeing him soon.” Dual walked over and opened the door. Bright sunlight flooded in, and all the Gens closed their eyes against it, waiting for the glare to pass. Twilight and blue walked outside with him, leaving Green and the others to stare out the windows at them. When they were a few yards away, Twilight turned back to face the house. Her eyes were closed and her horn was glowing brightly. Slowly, a magical shield fell over the tree house, casting a dark, purple shadow over the tree inside. She opened her eyes and grinned at her handiwork, turning back to face Dual and Blue.

“That should keep them safe until we get back.” she said, beginning to walk towards Fluttershy’s cottage, Blue and Dual following in her wake.

*****

When they reached her house, they were startled to find all the curtains closed. They couldn’t even see any lights on in any of the windows. Twilight galloped forwards, knocking loudly against the door. Dual and Blue just exchange a glance, each thinking the same thing. Had Orange done something?

Twilight continued knocking right up to the point when Fluttershy opened the door, rubbing her head with her hoof.

“Could you please stop that?” She flinched slightly, adding, “You know, if you want to...” Twilight smiled sheepishly, taking a few steps back.

“Sorry, I thought something was wrong. How is he doing?” Fluttershy took a step back, allowing them inside. Twilight walked in, followed by Dual and Blue. Inside it was dark, darker than Twilight’s bedroom had been. A single, tiny beam of light fell from where a curtain was ripped in the corner, but that was the only light in the room. So when they saw two bright orange eyes staring back at them from the darkness, they were startled.

Orange was covered in bandages still, his midsection wrapped tightly in gauze and tape. Cloth wound up and down his legs, some of it stained a soft red. But he still smiled when he saw them, his orange eyes lighting up. He was sitting in a plush chair near the fireplace, which was cold right then.

“Hello.” he said quietly, his voice rough, like he had been yelling. “It’s good to see you again.”

Blue felt Dual tense up next to her, and she placed a hoof on her shoulder, giving him a look that said, “Give him a chance”. With an exasperated sigh, Dual relaxed, but not completely. His wings were still held stiffly at his side. Twilight was the complete opposite. With a smile she trotted over, inspecting every inch of his that she could see through the bandages. If he cared that she was looking him over like a Saint Bernard at a pet show, he didn’t let it be known. A silence fell over them as they each started at one another, until finally, Dual spoke up.

“You look like Tartarus.” he said, face as straight as possible. His sentence hung in the air for a moment, before Orange burst out laughing. It was a rough, coarse laugh, and it soon dissolved into violent coughs, but at least he had laughed. he wiped a small amount of blood off his lips before taking a deep breath, smiling up at them.

“Heh, yeah. I guess I do look pretty bad.” As he said this he extended his wings, showing the bandages that covered most of the right wing, and about half of the left. A splint was showing through the bandages on the right wing, and thick cloth padding was taped under the bandages on the left. But through all of this, he was still smiling.

Blue felt herself being drawn towards him, towards that smile. The small, half-smile with the smallest amount of teeth showing. The smile she had seen for so many years, only to have it pulled from her life. Through the black fur and feathers she could see so much of him underneath. The way he cocked his head just slightly to the right, the way his wings were always partially unfolded. Even the eyes were the same. Eyes that were aged by the horrors they had seen. It was Orange, the pony who had died next to her in the cage. His gaze softened when he saw her staring.

“Hello, Blue. You look very pretty. Time has been well to you.” His voice held a caring she hadn’t heard for a long time. Dual stepped forward slightly, eyeing Orange with mistrust. Fluttershy was hanging back, near the door still, while Twilight was still circling Orange.

“H-he wanted me to keep the blinds shut.” Fluttershy said, voice quiet. “He said the light hurt his eyes.” Twilight nodded, taking a few steps back.

“His eyes are oversensitive, even more than yours.” She looked over at Blue while she said this. “I would like to say it has been a long time since I saw you last, but I’m afraid I can’t.”

“About a week? Two? Hasn’t been that long, mom.” When he said this both Dual and Blue perked up. He knew? Twilight saw them shift, the atmosphere in the room changing, and her ears pinned back against her head.

“He has known me longer than you.” she explained. “Known me more in depth, I mean. He knew who I was shortly after...” Her voice trailed off. Orange smiled at her, then looked back at Dual and Blue.

“After I died, she means. They....reconstructed me, I guess is the right term, and she explained who she was. Our mother.” He reached a hoof out towards Twilight, and she placed her own on it, smiling brightly. Blue and Dual just sat frozen, their tired minds trying to understand what was going on in front of them. Finally, Blue spoke.

“What...what happened to you?” her voice was shaking slightly. Orange laughed, the scratchy sound grating on her ears.

“Well, you saw what I did when you escaped. I waved. I did nothing to try to stop you. I was the leader, the hunter, the one trained to hunt you down and either bring you back, or end you.” The smile slipped off his lips as he spoke, replaced with a look of hate. “And I let you go. They considered that worse than mutiny, worse than treason. I was to be dispatched, immediately. So what did they do? Stick me out in the yard with dozens of those Preds. That’s what they call the black pegasi.”

“Of course I was outnumbered, they knew that. They didn’t even give me a fighting chance. I fought, it was the only thing I could do, but it wasn’t enough. I knew I would die if I stayed, so I did the only thing I could think of. I ran. I ran to the fence and through the razor wire. I got out. I don’t know why, probably because they thought I would die out there, but they didn’t follow me. They just stayed at the fence, watching me.”

“I wandered through the forest for a long time, until I found the city. I could smell you on the air, you five have a very distinctive smell.” The smile crossed his lips for a short second, but then it was gone again. “So, I followed the smell, and, well, here I am.” His eyes flashed back and forth for a second as he tried to think if he left anything out. Satisfied with his story, he smiled once more.

Dual and Blue looked at each other. Dual was actually looking sorry for him, while Blue was just trying not to cry. Dual took a deep breath before speaking.

“Normally I would ask how we can believe you, but I think the evidence is pretty clear. What I want to know, is if we can trust you.”

“Dual!” Twilight scolded, stalking towards him. “Look at him! He’s half-dead!”

“Yes, he is. I’m not denying that.” he said, staring down into her eyes. “What I’m saying is, they could have done that, and them used him as a homing device to find us. What makes you say he’s not a landmine they placed for us to step on?”

“He’s not a--!” Twilight’s voice was cut off my Orange raising his hoof. She stopped and took a step back, glaring at Dual. Orange smiled and shrugged at Dual.

“You don’t, that’s the thing. That could have been their plan. Let me escape, and follow the trail of blood straight to you. Or, they could think I’m dead out there, and went about their business. But what matters is this. You’re still alive, so you’re not safe.”

Dual stalked up towards him, Twilight sucking in a quick breath. He walked forward until he was inches away from Orange’s face. He recognized every line, every curve. The little scar on his upper lip from trying to bite through the cage. Even his eyes were the same. The only thing different was his color. And Dual wanted desperately to trust him, but years of experience made that just about impossible.

But everything Blue had said to him came flooding back, and he imagined himself in Orange’s place. Injured, broken. Dead, yet somehow alive. Experimented upon. Taken from everything he had ever known, and everyone he had ever loved. Made to hunt his only friends. And suddenly, it wasn’t hard to trust him. His face broke into a smile, as did Orange’s. He held his front hooves out and embraced his brother for the first time...he couldn’t ever remember hugging him. He felt Orange’s hooves slide around him, returning the embrace. He was about to break away when he felt another pair of hooves slide around his back. Blue pressed herself against them, silent tears falling down her face. They stood together for a long time, each trying to forget what had driven them apart years ago. Finally, with a sniff, Blue pulled away from the other two, stepping back a few feet.

“We’ve missed you, Orange. We really have.” He cracked that smile again, looking over at Fluttershy.

“Do you think I can go with them? Because I really want to see the others.”

“Oh! Umm, well, if you don’t do anything too serious, and don’t fly around, or....” The rest of her sentence faded into nothing as she looked over at Twilight. “Just take care of him. He should be fine.” Twilight nodded, walking over and helping Orange out of the chair. He limped on every step, and he looked like he was almost unable to walk, but somehow he managed. Dual and Blue rushed over, interlocking their wings with Orange to give him some support. Twilight looked up at Fluttershy.

“Is he safe enough to teleport?” Fluttershy looked unsure, but she nodded.

“He should be fine. Just keep him safe.” Twilight nodded, walking forward and embracing Fluttershy.

“I cannot thank you enough for this. If there is anything you need, ever, just ask.” Fluttershy blushed brightly, her mouth moving but only silence coming out. Twilight grinned broadly, walking over and standing next to Dual and the others, her horn glowing brightly. With a bright flash they were gone, leaving Fluttershy to stare at the spot they had been standing in.

The next second the four of them reappeared in the library. Orange swayed slightly, face screwed up in pain. But after a few seconds it faded, and he stood upright again. With wide eyes he looked around the inside of the library, taking in every detail. A tiny smile appeared on his lips, and he took a few steps forward.

A small shuffling came from the room to the right, and Green stuck her head out. Immediately her eyes went wide and she charged out from the room toward Orange. He threw his hooves up in front of himself while Blue and Dual yelled at her to stop. She tackled him full-force, and they both went down, Orange with a yell of pain.

Dual ran over, ready to pry the mare off him. But he stopped when he saw what she was doing. Green was tightly hugging Orange around the waist, tears falling from her eyes. orange just looked down at her, face screwed up in pain, but he was still smiling. She buried her face in the fun on his chest, voice muffled slightly.

“I missed you so much,” she sniffed. Orange, eyes slightly wet, gently stroked her mane, tilting her head up so he could look at her.

“I missed you too, kid.” His voice was soft and kind, but when he tried to move he grunted in pain. “You’ve gotten bigger.”

Green giggled loudly, stepping off him and offering her hoof. He took it and pulled himself to his hooves. One of his wounds opened, and a small drip of blood fell to the floor, but besides that he looked no worse for wear after Green’s surprise attack. Twilight smiled, walking up and gently embracing Orange before looking around the house.

“Where are the others?” she asked, looking over at Green.

“I told them to wait in the room. Can they see him now?” Twilight nodded and Green’s face lit up. She turned back to the room, but Red and Yellow were already galloping out, identical smiles breaking across their faces. Orange knelt down on the floor so he could be at their height, and probably so he wasn’t tackled again. They embraced his chest, and he wrapped his hooves and wings around them, his eyes closed and a huge smile on his face. It was a long moment before he let them go, smiling down at them.

“Look at you guys! Yellow, you’re so big now! And Red! You’re looking like a regular stallion now!” Blue had never seen him so happy, his orange eyes alive and bright. Blue felt Twilight walk up next to her, and she jumped slightly. She had completely forgotten she was there.

“What do you think?” Twilight asked, smiling slightly. Blue smiled back at her, walking forward and wrapping her hooves around her.

“I think it’s perfect,” Blue said quietly. “We’re back together again. We’re a family again.”

*****

“I never would have believed he changed this much,” he said quietly, stroking Blue’s mane.

“You need to learn to give ponies a change,” she replied, looking up at him from her place next to him. The two had found a large tree, not far from Twilight’s house, and had settled down onto it. From their point they could see the bedroom, and the other four ponies and they played and talked and laughed. It was almost like being back in Coltarado, except with a black pegasus playing at their side. Orange had Yellow in his hooves, throwing her into the air as high as he could, letting her open her wings and glide back down to him before he did it again. Even from their distance the two could see how happy she was.

“I know, and I see how wrong I was now,” he said, looking down at her. She was absentmindedly drawing circles in the fur on his chest, and every now and then he would giggle slightly as she tickled him. A small grin passed over her lips as her hoof lingered over one of these spots, only stopping when he reached up and took hold of her hoof. She glanced up at him, the smile slipping from her lips as she felt her mouth go dry. it was a long moment before she broke the gaze, blushing slightly.

“Do you think it’s true, what Twilight said. About us not being related in any way.”

“I see no reason why she would lie about that,” Dual answered. His hoof had stopped stroking her mane, and it was now resting at the base of her neck. She was suddenly very aware of it being there.

“Because I was just thinking about, you know, how we are a new species and all,” she said quickly, stumbling over the words. “Cause somepony, maybe Green and Orange, you know, will have to populate and have little foals, and--”

“Blue?”

“Yeah...”

“Just hush.” With a small smile he tilted his head down, bringing his lips to hers for the first time. She felt his other hoof work its way around her back, pulling her closer to him. And, in the back of her mind, she felt herself doing the same thing. With a small gasp she felt herself fall forward onto his chest.

She could feel his muscles under his skin and fur, yet he was so gentle with her. Every touch, every caress so soft, like it had been left by a butterfly. She could feel herself falling into the kiss, into him, the rest of the world fading away from view. It was just her laying on top of him, their lips locked. She felt a familiar warmth on her back as his wings wrapped around her, keeping her as close as possible to her.

After a long while, the two broke apart, Blue smiling down at Dual, who was breathing heavy. With a sigh, Blue laid her head down on his chest, once again tracing circles with her hoof. He kissed her forehead, stroking her mane once more.

“I believe what Twilight said,” Dual finally whispered, looking down at her. “You and I....who knows? We were probably made for each other.” Blue grinned, leaning forward and kissing him once again. This one was shorter than the other, but everything that had been unsaid in the first was finally out in the open. She leaned back with another sigh, flicking her tail back and forth across his legs.

“Yeah. We were made for each other.”

Chapter 12

“This won’t be easy for me to say, especially after what you have told me.”

“What is it, Doctor?”

“The tests indicate that even if you were to find a spouse and try, you wouldn’t be able to have children. I’m so sorry.”

“.......Isn’t there anything you can do?”

“Not without major surgery, and even then, the scar tissue would probably render the operation void. I am so very sorry, but there’s nothing we can do.”

“....”

“A surrogate is a choice, and adoption is always a possibility. There are other choices...”

“Yes, yes there are other choices. Thank you, Doctor...”

*****

Savor every minute, she told herself. Savor every minute with them, because it could all end without a moment’s notice. She watched from the balcony as the six of them hopped from cloud to cloud, playing some convoluted game of tag that Yellow had thought up. Even from the distance, she could see the smiles and hear their laughter as they played. A single black bolt stood out against the white, but among the other five, he was almost not noticeable.

Three weeks had passed quick as lightning. And in that short of time, many things had changed. Orange had been completely accepted, even by Dual, and it was like he had never left. Yellow and Red, who had been so afraid of him a month before, were now tackling and laughing with him as they flew together through the sky. She had to let out a laugh as Orange flew past a cloud, only to be brought to a crashing halt on another by a pleased looking Dual, who was tackled from behind by Blue. They smiled at each other for a minute before kissing briefly, getting up and jumping back into the fray. Twilight had walking in on them kissing two weeks previously, and she had been stunned when she saw it. They were startled, afraid that she would be mad, but she couldn’t have been happier. That meant their programming wasn’t interfering with any other parts of their lives.

As she looked up and watched them play, she felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time. For a while she couldn’t place the feeling, too absorbed in watching her children fly in the sky above her, free for once. But as her mind started to work its way through the dictionary, she finally found the word she was looking for.

She felt normal.

She retreated into the library, out of the heat of the day. It was mid-summer, and probably close to 90 out, but the six didn’t care. Sweat dripped off them as they played, their laughs echoing off the silent clouds. For once, they could just have fun, without having to feel in danger, not have to be constantly alert. Even Dual, who usually never let his guard down, was relaxed for once, grinning broadly as he struggled against Yellow and Red, who were trying to pull him down. He was about to shake them off and fly away when he saw Green jump from the cloud above him and land on his back. The four went down in a puff of white clouds.

Yellow, who was standing on Dual’s back, was holding his wings to make sure he didn’t fly away. He tried to shake her off, but he was being pinned down by Red and Green, and he gave up with a sigh. A shadow passed over him, and he looked up into the dark face of Orange.

“Well, well, what have we here?” he asked, a smirk on his face. “Brought down by children. You’re losing your edge.”

“You’re pretty cocky for a stallion who’s not watching his back.”

Orange just gave him a curious look, before looking over his shoulder. His eyes widened as he saw Blue flying full speed towards him, a broad smile on her face. He only had time to brace himself before she slammed into him, knocking him off the cloud. They fell for several feet before they hit another, causing a small shower to fall to the ground below.

Blue gently peeled herself off him, shaking to dry the rain water off and smirking down at Orange. He was just blinking up at her, disorientated. Blue knelt down and whispered in his ear.

“I think I win.”

Still smirking, she flapped up to where the others were, Dual untangling himself from the mass of other ponies. When he saw her standing there he rushed forward and embraced her, letting her go after a few seconds.

“That was amazing, Blue!” A slight groan announced the arrival of Orange. He landed on the cloud next to Blue, shooting her an annoyed glance.

“I’m still healing, can you go easier next time?” he asked, pointing at the bandage on his leg. “And, what the hay! I was on your team?!”

“You switched sides, I wanted to know how it felt,” she replied, hitting him in the head with her wing.

“Oh, low blow,” Orange replied. But he was smiling still. He turned back to Dual, who was smirking at him as well.

“You’re a pretty good flyer,” he remarked, like he wasn’t expecting it. Orange just shrugged.

“You learn a lot when they teach you how to kill.” he said it calmly, like it was no big deal. He smiled at Dal for a second, showing his oddly pointed teeth. For a second he stood ramrod straight, then with a flash of movement that Blue didn’t believe was possible, he rushed Dual. Within less than a second he had him by the head, hooves ready to snap his neck. The other four let out identical gasps, but Orange let him go before they had even finished that. Throughout all of this, he was still smirking. Dual rushed a few feet away, almost falling off the cloud. He rounded on Orange, anger in his eyes but a smile on his face.

“Oh, is that how you want to do this?” he asked, starting to walk in a circle around the edge of the cloud. Orange smiled slightly, eyes narrowing. He started pacing in the opposite direction of Dual, not letting him leave his sight. Blue gathered up the others and jumped up several clouds, giving the boys plenty of room to have it out.

“Don’t hurt yourselves, guys!” she called down, but she knew it was useless. If they were going to hurt each other, they would. The two circled, silently watching the other. On the surface, it looked like they were playing around, all smiles and narrowed eyes. But, inside, there was something else. A years old fight they felt they needed to end. Blue was holding her breath, watching to see how this ended.

Dual was the first to move. Taking the straightforward approach, he dove straight at Orange, who just smiled. With another surprising burst of speed, he dove out of the way, slamming a hoof down on Dual’s back when he went by. With a quiet yelp, he fell to the cloud, rolling before Orange’s other hoof could land another hit. He swept his hind leg out, catching Orange’s and throwing him to the ground. The black pegasus couldn’t right himself before Dual pounced on him. The two rolled briefly, Dual landing a few solid hits on Orange before the latter could throw him off. He backed a few feet away, wiping some blood away from his mouth and smiling at Dual again.

“I’m out of practice, I should have seen that coming,” he taunted, flapping his wings a few times. Dual responded in the same way, generating a small wind with all four of his. orange just cocked an eyebrow, putting on a bored expression. He looked up and his eyes locked on Blue, who was looking worried, a hoof over her mouth.

“Who knows? Maybe if I kick your flank hard enough, Blue will get the hots for me.” He smirked again, watching a dark look crossing Dual’s face. It was all play, and they both knew it, but that was over the line. With a growl he lunged forward again, catching Orange in the cheek with a hoof. The black pegasus flipped backwards, catching himself before he could fall to the ground. He flapped his wings rapidly, holding himself aloft as he shook his head, neck cracking a few times as he did. He was about to open his mouth and apologize when Dual launched himself at him again. Orange had just enough time to flap back to the cloud when Dual hit him full in the chest. The two collapsed into a pile, each landing several hits on the other. Neither of them were going full force, one of them would probably have been dead if they were, but the punches still hurt, enough to let the other know this wasn’t play anymore.

Orange managed to land a hit in the center of Dual’s chest, causing him to fall to the ground, coughing. Orange got to his hooves as fast as he could, placing a hoof on Dual’s back, right in the middle of his four wings. He pressed down with enough force to keep him there.

“How did you think this was going to work?” he asked, his voice cocky. “I’ve had more training than you, brother. Simple fact.” Dual stared straight down into the cloud, just listening to Orange’s words.

“It’s true you’ve had more training...” he said quietly. Orange just smiled, but since he couldn’t see Dual’s, he didn’t know he was as well. Before he knew what was happening, Dual wrapped his tail around the black pegasus’s hind leg, and pulled. It wasn’t enough to down him, but it was enough to throw him off balance, allowing Dual to roll out from under him. She shot to his hooves, landing a single uppercut against Orange’s chest, much stronger than any of this other hits. Dual heard his breath leave him, and the pegasus fell to the cloud, wheezing. Dual just stepped forward, placing a hoof against his throat.

“But I have had more chances to fight,” he said into Orange’s ear. Eyes watering, Orange just coughed in response. Dual smiled, removing his hoof from Orange’s throat and offering it to him. The black pegasus took it, somewhat hesitantly, and was pulled to his hooves. He swayed for a few second, holding a hoof to his chest, but he finally looked up and smiled at Dual, his pride barely even scratched.

“Remind me not to underestimate you next time,” he said, looking up at the other four on the cloud above them Red and Yellow were cheering, while Green was looking slightly worried, her eyes on Orange. Blue was just smiling brightly down at Dual, any worry gone from her expression.

“Do you expect there to be one?” Dual asked, a smile on his face, but there was a steel tone in his voice. Orange just shrugged, jumping into the air and hopping to the cloud above them.

“You never know. You might get me mad one day.” With a grin on his face, he took off flying, shortly followed by the others. But Blue just glided down, landing next to Dual.

“You didn’t hurt him too bad, did you?”

“Oh, he’ll be fine. If anything his ego took more of a beating,” a slight grin crossing his lips as he looked over at Blue. She just smiled at him, giving him a quick hug and a kiss on his cheek. He returned the kiss, on her lips this time, and watched as Oranges started up another game of... whatever it was they had been playing. But this time, it was the three youngest against him. He flew by them and winked, Red holding on tightly to his tail.

*****

“He seems to have blended perfectly with us,” she said quietly, snuggling up against his side. She heard him sigh softly, nodding after a few moments.

“I still can’t believe he did. It just doesn’t seem right,” Dual whispered, looking down at Blue. “Only a little more than a month ago, we were fighting him.” He moved slightly, wrapping his forelegs around her.

“Just goes to show how much ponies can change.”

“Why do I have a feeling you’re not just talking about Orange?”

“Because it took two ponies to let him into the group,” Blue said, smiling slightly. “You have to be happy you gave him a chance to prove himself.”

“I wouldn’t say happy is the right word for it, but I am glad,” Dual said, kissing the top of her head. For a while the two sat in silence, looking up at the stars from their position on Twilight’s balcony. She had pulled a blanket out and left it for them, and they had gladly taken it. Now they Yellow and Red knew about them, they took great enjoyment out of ruining any time the two could get. But at night, they could spend as much time together as they wanted.

Looking back through the windows, Blue could see Green and Orange talking, identical smiled on their faces. She had taken to him faster than any of the others had, and they had formed a bond that Blue just couldn't quite name. But she was happy about it; Orange could use some love and attention in his life.

We could have kept watching them for a while, but her view was blocked by a set of four purple legs. Twilight gently pushed the balcony doors open and stepped out into the cool night air. She had a worried expression on her face, not something that was new for her, but something about it instantly alerted Blue. She sat up, Dual sitting up as well, and turned to face her.

“What’s up?”

“We need to talk,” Twilight said, before turning and walking back into the house.

*****

“What is it?” Dual asked, sitting around the table. They had followed Twilight back into the kitchen, where she was busying herself making cocoa. Several quiet minutes passed, and Blue could feel Dual getting annoyed with the silence. Finally Twilight sat down at the table, sliding three steaming mugs of hot chocolate onto the table.

“Before I say anything, I want to tell you this is just an assumption. It doesn’t mean anything.” Blue and Dual just exchanged a confused look before turning back to Twilight, who took a deep breath. “It’s been close to four weeks without a single attack happening. No black pegasi in the sky, no suspicious ponies following me around town. Absolutely nothing. And this is setting me on edge.”

“Maybe they just forgot about us,” Blue offered, but Twilight shook her head.

“They wouldn’t do that. Never. My thought, and here is that assumption, is that they are planning something. Building up their forces to finally kill you or get you back. Either that, or, they are making some new type of creature that could hunt you down more effectively. And as much as I want to say that sounds like a load of manure, they could do it.”

“So... what are you saying?” Dual asked, eyes narrowed.

“I’m saying, I think we should move again,” Twilight replied. Blue was about to argue, when Twilight held her hoof up. “That’s not the only option.”

“What’s the other option?” they asked in unison. Twilight shook her head, eyes cast down.

“You could fight.”

Silence fell and her words hung in the air as the two took in what she said. Even the sound of Orange and Green talking seemed to have stopped. it was several seconds before anyone said anything.

“Fight them?” Dual asked quietly. Twilight nodded. “We spent over two years trying to get away from them, and now you want us to just go back!?” Twilight flinched like his words were daggers. She dropped her head again, mane falling into her face.

“I just want this all to end...” she said, voice quiet. “Don’t you think I want to see you living happy lives? For Blue and you to grow up and have a life together? For Yellow and Red to get passed ten?!”

“Well, yes...” Dual answered, not meeting her eyes.

“Well, unless we keep on the move and never stop, or, we stand and fight, that will never happen.” Her words were hard as steel, and they seemed to cut into Dual. He sank back into the chair, wings opening and closing rapidly.

“It’s just.... it doesn’t seem like it would end well!” he said, sitting forward again. “You were there in San Foalsisco, you know how many there are. We can’t fight them!”

“Maybe now, no. But with training--”

“Twilight! We will die.” He pronounced each word like its own sentence, and each one cut into Twilight like a knife. Her face fell into her hooves, and stayed that way for a long time. Dual just looked down at her, feeling a mixture of guilt, sadness, and anger.

“So, you get to just decide for the rest of us then, is that right?” Blue’s eyes flashed to the doorway, seeing Orange standing there, Green in the shadows behind him. He silently moved into the room, keeping his gaze locked on Dual. “Because last time I checked, there were six of us, not one.” He sat down in the seat next to Twilight, still giving Dual a hard look. “What gives you the right to decide for the rest of us?”

“This isn’t for you to get in to, Orange,” he said quietly, still not looking at him.

“Oh? And why not? Because I’m new? Because I’ve been with them for over five years? Because I know their strategies and plans? Tell me why, Dual.”

“Because it’s not your--”

“Look at me when you're talking to me!” Orange yelled, slamming his hoof into the table. Twilight pulled her head away from her hooves with a loud gasp, stepping back a few feet. Orange was on his hooves, wings flared out behind him, eyes alight with fire. Dual raised his eyes off the table, looking straight into Orange’s face. “Why do you get to choose for the rest of us?” His voice was just a whisper.

“Because, obviously, I have the group’s best interest at heart!” Dual yelled, standing up as well. “You want to just send them out to fight!? We don’t even know what we’re up against!”

“Maybe you don’t, but you forget. I was with them until a week ago! Unless something major has changed, I know everything they were planning.” His voice was like steel, eyes boring straight into Dual’s. Black never wavered from orange.

“Don’t you think it’s hopeless?” Dual asked, giving Orange a hard stare.

“No. No I do not. Sure they outnumber us. Sure they have more training than the six of us combines. Sure we would be fighting for our lives. But we will still come out on top.”

“You can’t know that!” Dual exclaimed, coming to his hooves as well. “How can you just say we will win?”

“Because we have each other.” Orange said with a smile. “There is no stronger force in the world than the six of us combined. You want to know how I know we will win?” He walked towards Dual, stopping only a foot away, and held out his hoof. He looked straight into Dual’s eyes with a smile.

“Because we fight together.” Dual stared at him for a few moments, Orange’s words sinking in. He tried to think of a way, any way, to argue, but he couldn’t think of one. Finally, he reached out and took Orange’s hoof in his own, giving it a small shake.

“This doesn’t mean we are going to do it, however,” he said, before Orange can say anything else. “I want to know what the others think.”

“I want to fight!” Green piped up, jumping out of the shadows. “I think it’s probably the best idea, and that we should do this so that we can actually live a happy life, and--” Orange shoved his hoof into her mouth to stop her rambling.

“Well, we know what she thinks,” he said with a grin.

“I still want to hear from Yellow and Red tomorrow. What they decide will be the determining factor for what we do.” Dual didn’t look happy about this, but he said it anyway. Orange nodded, starting to walk out of the room. Dual stared after him, biting his bottom lip like he wanted to say something, but he held back. Orange stopped at the doorway and looked over his shoulder.

“We will probably have to train. Do you want me to teach you guys what I know?”

“I think that will be for the best,” Blue said, stepping in for Dual. “We will need every advantage we can get.”

“Alright. We should start in a couple days, give everypony a chance to mull things over.” With that, he left, Green following him out. Silence fell once more as Twilight and Blue exchanged a glance, before looking at Dual. He just shook his head before leaving the room. They heard the door open, then slam shut as he flew out into the cold night.

*****

The Everfree forest was fairly calm and empty when he landed on the top of the tree. It was a new moon, and there was almost no light in the forest, save for the small glow coming from Zecora’s shack almost a mile away. But he could still see perfectly as he settled down onto the branch, feeling it bow under his weight. Despite the cold night air he felt warm, hot even. Sighing loudly he collapsed onto the branch, looking up into the clear, black sky.

He remembered a time when they were all back at the lab. He had been ten, Blue was eight, and Orange was six. One of the doctors had left the room, and left orange’s cage open. So, despite all their pleas, Orange had left and flew up into the rafters, out of sight. When the doctor came back, he was, of course, distraught. So for the next couple hours, the scientists searched the entire compound, not finding tail or wing of Orange. He had flown back down into his cage as soon as the doctors had left the room. So, many hours later, when they finally returned to the room, they found Orange asleep in his crate, like he had never moved

Dual felt himself starting to smile, anger subsiding. Orange was Orange. Unstable, cocky, egotistic. But he was a brother, and a friend. And he was the next oldest male, something Dual would have to get used to. He shook his head a few times, closing his eyes. it was late when he and Blue had gone out on the balcony, and it was even later now. he didn’t know when he fell asleep, but he did know when he woke up.

Blue was settling down onto the branch next to him, a small smile on her lips. She pressed herself against his side, feeling his wings wrap around her in feathery warmth. He smiled at her, hugging her close to his body. As he looked over the top of his head he realized that it was now almost sunrise. As she curled up against his side, he felt her speak.

“You need to not storm out like that,” she said quietly. “Twilight was upset.” Dual just laughed, giving Blue a squeeze.

“I’m fine. I was just a little upset is all.” he looked out into the sunrise, which was only just starting. “I’m just not used to opposition, especially from Orange.”

“It’s just something that we are all going to have to get used to.”

“What do you want to do?”

“What do you mean?”

“What do you want to do, about the fight or flight?” Dual asked, looking back at her.

“Oh... I want to fight. I really think we should take a stand,” she said, looking out at the sunrise. “It’s time we fought back instead of running away.” She looked over at Dual, who was just smiling slightly at her. “What?”

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, leaning down and pressing their lips together. Taken slightly off guard, Blue took a moment to respond, but she finally leaned into the kiss, wrapping her forelegs around his neck. She felt his hooves working slowly up and down her back, pulling her closer against him. His hooves, which she had seen punching Orange not more than a day ago, were now softly caressing her mane and wings, the gentlest of touches finding her fur. she couldn’t help but sigh quietly.

Dual rolled without warning, pulling her on top of him. The branch under them sagged even more, but it held them up. Blue smiled down at him, her eyes alight. Before either could say anything she pressed her lips against his again, reveling in the feeling of being together. Their breathing began to become louder as their kisses became more furious, Blue’s hooves rising to hold Dual’s cheeks.

She felt something inside her rise as she kissed him. Something she hadn’t felt before. An urge that she couldn’t place, a want that didn’t have a name. The feeling was so strange that she had to break the kiss, blushing furiously. Even after breaking away, she still felt it, nagging at her. She wasn’t sure if Dual had felt it, but if the curious look on his face was any hint, he might have. She felt her mouth go dry as she looked down at him. She gently rubbed her hoof down the contours of the muscles on his chest.

“I love you,” she whispered. She watched as the curious look feel off Dual’s face, replaced with a wide smile.

“I love you, too.”