//------------------------------// // Silent Encroachment // Story: Young Gods // by Eathlome //------------------------------// Young Gods Ch. 11: Silent Encroachment Author's notes: It's not dead! Well, I'm back. Actually I've been back for a while, but I sort of lost where I was going to have this story go... I figure that I should actually sit down and write something out, then fix it if I don't like it, instead of trying to remember the ideas I had over a month ago. Key: Elder: Younger: Domain: Mat Lucky Roll Luck John Golden Sands Time Diane Midnight Specter Death Aurora Blooming Orchid Life All All "S-s-s-so y-y-y-you, Ah-Ah-AH-CHOO! Sniff You habe doe idea where dey cabe frob?" I had taken several minutes for Twilight to thaw out Rainbow Dash, and she was slightly worse for ware. Twilight had explained everything she knew about the foals to Rainbow Dash, while thawing her. "That's what I said. I'm not even sure what to make of them. As you have... experienced first-hoof, they have some strange kind of magic. I've never seen anything like it!" "Well, why dob you just geb rid ob dem- Achoo!" Twilight shook her head. "We've already been over this. It's been proven that they are - somehow - my children. The Princesses also want me to continue looking after them." "Albite, bud keep dem away frob be. Gob it?" Twilight rolled her eyes. "OK then, Dash." Just then Pinkie hopped through the door, shortly followed by Applejack and Fluttershy. “Hi Twi!” Pinkie giggled, “I just made a rhyme! Here we are! Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie! Hey, I just made another rhyme! If I keep this up, I’ll give Zecora a run for her money!” “Landsakes! What happened to ya, Dash?” Applejack said, lookeing at the shivering pegasus. “Oh my, oh my... Are you ok?” Fluttershy was quickly beside her friend. “Oh, we’ll need some blankets, and warm water. We don’t want you to catch a cold, or hypothermia. You just wait right here, and don’t move.” As Fluttershy went off to find some blankets for Dash, the four foals were having a deep discussion. After a moments deliberation Blooming Orchid started to slowly sneak towards Rainbow Dash, whose eyes went wide after she noticed the silent encroachment. As she scrambled to her hooves the four let out an adorable war-cry and leaped towards the fleeing Rainbow Dash. “Dwibite! Dwibite! Helb! Geb dem – Achoo! – off!” Twilight turned to face Rainbow Dash, and tried, unsuccessfully, to hold in a snicker. Applejack and Pinkie Pie were far less subtle, and were soon guffawing at the sight they beheld. On the floor was Rainbow Dash, with Lucky Roll and Golden Sands laying across her back, pinning down her wings. On her back, right behind her head, at Midnight Specter, and Blooming Orchid stood in front of her, looking very proud. Dash was struggling, but having no success in escaping. “Geb off! Geb off!” Blooming Orchid placed a hoof on Dashes forehead, and closed her eyes. She started glowing, and with a sudden surge, Dash shot up, knocking the foals away. “I warned you...,” she snarled, then trailed off. She took a small breath in through her nose, then a deeper one. “Hey! I’m not stuffed up anymore! I feel like I took a power nap.” Twilight stared, slack jawed. “That’s impossible! There’s no magic that can simply make a stuffy nose vanish! I should know, I spent hours searching through the Canterlot library, when I got a cold. How could you have possibly done that?” Blooming Orchid chose to ignore Twilight’s confusion for the moment, and regrouped with her siblings, who then shared a four-pony high-hoof, which reminded all the mares there of the CMC. “Maybe you aren’t so bad,” Dash reluctantly admitted, “But don’t even think about freezing me again!” she added, seeing the mischievous glint on Lucky’s eyes. Lucky nodded solemnly, and Twilight let out a groan. “How am I possibly supposed to take care of them, when they can easily obliterate physics, basic universal laws, and common knowledge?” “Er, Twi...” Applejack nervously scratched the back of her head, “Ah, need t’ tal t’ ya ‘bout that.” “About what?” Twilight asked, slightly confused. “Well,” Applejack explained, “it’s like this...” Flashback Time! Big Macintosh was trying very hard not to laugh at his sister’s predicament. If not for the fact that he was a naturally quiet pony, he probably would’ve been rolling on the ground by now. He didn’t really understand how two mares could have a foal, and had in fact demanded to know what stallion his sister was with when she told him, but after a confusing explanation Big Macintosh sort of got the gist of it. He understood far better that Granny Smith, at least. The old Apple matriarch was set in her ways, and completely ignored all of Applejack’s story, except for the ‘Ah have a foal’ part. Granny Smith’s reaction was immediate. She launched into a rant about foals, dignity, and proper marriage. After browbeating Applejack with her enraged lecture, Granny Smith abruptly switched gears. “So, where is the colt?” Applejack was caught off guard by the change in pace. “Uh, he’s over at Twilight’s.” “Well why isn’t he here! Even if ya can’t find his father, that don’t mean that he ain’t an Apple. And Apples stay with Apples, darn it!” Back to the Present Twilight stared at Applejack, her jaw slack. “B-but the Princesses...” Applejack gave her a flat look. “Twi, Ah’m not sure that even th’ Princesses could get Granny Smith ta change her mind. Anyways,” Applejack chuckled, “Applebloom wants to meet her new nephew.” Twilight mulled this over for a moment. “Well, I suppose,” she mumbled, “this might be easier if I’m not looking after them all the time... and it would make sense for them to stay with their other parent... not just having me look after them...” Twilight started walking away, still mumbling. She quickly grabbed some parchment and a quill, and began working on a schedule for each of the foals, calculating the amount of time they would each spend with their parents. Applejack just stood there awkwardly, Twilight having left with out really giving her an answer. Fluttershy reentered the room, with several blankets draped over her back, and carying a bowl of soup. She looked at Dash, who was playing with the foals, and walked up to her. After gently putting down the soup she looked at Dash. “Oh, um... you really... should be resting... if that’s alright with you...” Dash let out a laugh. “No need Shy, I’m completely fine. This gal,” Dash motioned to Blooming Orchid, “fixed me right up, I’m as good as new!” Fluttershy gave a small grin. “Oh... that’s good.” Orchid trotted over to Fluttershy, and gave her a nuzzle. Flutershy blushed and hid behind her mane. Orchid copied her, until she was called back to playing by Lucky. Twilight ran up to her, and shoved a piece of paper in her face. “Fluttershy! Does this look like a good schedule?” “Um, oh my... a schedule for what, if you don’t mind me asking.” “Well, it’s for Blooming Orchid. I know that Princess Celestia said that I should be the one to raise them, but I don’t think that I could do it by myself, Pinkie pie and Applejack have already agreed to look after Lucky Roll and Golden Sands, respectively.” Twilight gestured over to where Pinkie was bouncing amoungst the foals, wearing a paper hat, and then to Applejack, who was looking confused at a sheet of paper, muttering something about “Big Mac explainin’ this with his fancy mathematics.” Fluttershy gave an adorable shrug, and mumbled “I guess...” before taking the paper. After a quick look, she gave a small gasp. “Oh my... Twilight, this says that Blooming Orchid will... um... be sleeping over at my place... tonight.” Twilight looked at Fluttershy. “I hope that’s alright I don’t exactly have enough room for all of them here, and Applejack and Pinkie have already said that they could take their’s. I hope it’s not a problem.” “Er... No... no problem.” Fluttershy mumbled. She had explained as best she could to Angel, but the bunny had still seemed quite dubious. Fluttershy had also cleared out one of her cottage’s spare rooms, and set up a quaint room. But she hadn’t actually expected to have Blooming Orchid actually stay with her for a while. “That’s great,” Twilight gave Fluttershy a grin, “Now I just have to give this to Princess Luna and...” Twilight trailed off, as she realized that her last schedule was missing, after a frantic search she found it. Midnight Specter had taken it and was looking it over, occasionally tapping her hoof against her chin in thought, ignoring the rambunctious play around her. Twilight gave a shrug. “Well, I guess that takes care of that. SPIKE.” Twilight called for her number one assistant, and little brother. After he had untangled himself from the four foals, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie, he ran over to Twilight, and began to take down notes. Twilight quickly dictated several lists, including a shopping list, a to-do list, and a check list (to make sure that everything on the first two lists got done). ‘There.’ Twilight thought, ‘Once I’ve finished these, I’ll be completely ready.’ “I seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee it. I see everything!” A high pitched giggle escaped from the shambling creatures maw. “I can see them. Right in front of us, but sooooooooooooooooooooooo, sooooooooooooooooo far. Hehehehehehe.” “That’s right. Right in front of us, I never would have seen them. You have such good eyes. Nice eyes. Pretty eyes. I could just pluck them out.” The creature suddenly shot up a deformed claw and wrenched out an eye, holding it so that it was looking towards itself. “Oh, don’t you just look silly. If I do this to them, they could see us too!” The misshapen form burst out laughing once again, and dropped the eye, which soon turned to ash. It licked ‘s lips, acidic spittle falling to the ground. “So hungry. Tasty food, wonderful food, singing food, screaming food, screaming songs, sing your screams. Scream in pain. Pain and loss. Lost the game. The game of death. The death of hope... hope... HOPE!” The creature growled, before letting out a feral roar and gouging at it’s chest, leaving scores of oozing lacerations covering it’s body. It stopped suddenly, and shot forward, into the shadows of the nearest buildings, it’s form shifting into a dark fluid shape, blending in with the shadows of the alleyways. “Hunger,” the creature mumbled, “Always hunger. The ever lasting hunger, consuming everything. Never stopping, never haltering, never fading.” The semi-liquid monstrosity took in a rasping breath. “Too far. Too far for food. Those. Those food. Delicious memories. Delicious thoughts. Delicious flesh. Dripping flesh. Dripping blood. Bloody bones. Cracked bones. Broken bones. Broken marrow. Tasty marrow.” The creature looked at his chosen prey, two of the ones who had thought. A large one and a small. If the creature had still been in control of its mind it might have recognized one as a pegasus, and the smaller one as a unicorn. The pegasus was grey and had several bubbled adorning her flank, the smaller one was light purple. Stalking his future food, the creature followed the pair, up to a small house. There were no others around, the creature shifted back to its previous form, and prepared to pounce upon the unsuspecting pair. Right before it lunged, the smaller one spoke up. “Mama, when’s Daddy coming home?” The creature flinched, as memories long gone flashed through it’s mind. He looked at the screen, showing his wife, and grinned. It had been months since the last time they spoke. “How are you doing?” His wife grinned back at him. “We’re doing fine. ☼♠•◘○♦◙ won the talent competition at school. She did the juggling trick that you showed her. She’s been working so hard on it.” He laughed, “I’m glad that she’s enjoying it.” A small, sleepy voice came from somewhere on his wife’s end. “Mama? Is that daddy?” “Yes ☼♠•◘○♦◙, it’s daddy.” “Mama, when’s Daddy coming home?” The creature shook its head, trying to force away the memories. But it still couldn’t stop itself from mouthing the words along with the pegasus, even having the same expression, of hidden pain, across its face. “He’ll be home soon.” The creature growled, and flung itself away from its prey. It had to escape the memories. The creature ran towards the forest, intent on finding a creature to give the pain it felt. To bury the resurfaced sentience and sanity. The creature let out an anguished howl.