//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Cat's outta the bag // Story: Lions, Tigers and Bears and.... Ponies?! // by Titan Commander Sebaste //------------------------------// Mohegan Sun Casino, Norwich, CT The day had started out so simply. Carlos, 18, had driven his car to pick up his girlfriend Alexa,17, who he had been dating for five years now, along with Viktor,19, and his sister Katelyn,15, to go to the Comic-con at the Mohegan Sun in Norwich. The four were dressed up as the Night Pride, a group of four consisting of a Lion, two Tigers, one orange and one white, and a Black Panther named after both the Greek and Roman gods. Carlos had gone with Ares, the white Siberian tiger while Alexandra had gone with Venus, the orange Bengal tiger. Viktor had gone with Pallo, the lion and the leader of the group and Katelyn chose Minerva, the Black Panther (not to be confused with the marvel character.). The four had everything ready…. Except for their masks. “Damn it Carlos, you forgot our masks?!” Viktor yelled outside the door of the casino. “Hey, I'm sorry! I was kinda in a hurry to get you guys and it slipped my mind!” Carlos retorted, his arms crossed. “Guys, break it up! So Carlos forgot our masks, we can get new ones here!” Katelyn said, standing in between her brother and his friend before it dissolved into a full blown argument between the two. “Kate’s right. Who knows, maybe we'll see Jack Lawrence or Mike Bullock here.” Alexa said, referring to the creator and the artist of the Lions, Tigers and Bears comic from where the Night Pride came from. The two male teens playfully glared at each other before laughing and the four entered the casino. Instantly they were surrounded by many people in costumes, some were familiar, some were not so familiar. Carlos spotted two people dressed up like an Orbital Spartan from Halo and a Space Marine from Warhammer 40,000 looking around. Too bad I never really got into that game… the minis look sick! He thought. Alexandra chuckled as she leaned her head against her boyfriend's shoulder. “Let's go look for those masks.” She said. Carlos nodded and the four moved on. While looking at the stalls, Carlos noticed a single stall that looked… different. It was a single tent with a torch and manning it was a man dressed as the Merchant from the Resident Evil series. And the things he was selling… Carlos could not believe what he saw. There was an Omnitrix from Ben 10, a Halo Reach style Assault Rifle and much more. But what got his attention were the four sculpted masks of the Night Pride. “Guys, I think I just hit the jackpot…” he said to the others, pointing at the stall. Viktor looked at the stall with suspicion written on his face. “I don't know, that stall is giving me a bad vibe…” he said. “Vik, they have the masks we need!” Carlos said. Viktor sighed before saying, “Alright, let's go.” Both the girls and Carlos cheered before they headed over to the vendor. “Welcome, welcome! And how may I help you four?” The vendor asked in a gravely voice. Whoa, even sounds like the Merchant! Carlos thought. “We’d like to get the Night Pride masks.” He said “$30 each, so that comes to $120 altogether.” The vendor said. The four nodded and each handed him $30.  But as they put the masks on, a burning sensation swept through them, causing them to cry out in pain before they blacked out. The vendor chuckled as the four vanished. “Pleasure doing business with you four.” Equestria, 673 AD, (After Discord), 1671 BNM (Before Nightmare Moon) Castle of the Two Sisters Alexa was the first one to wake up and look at their surroundings in confusion. The four of them were in what appeared to be an open courtyard to a castle. Wha…. What happened? And where are we? Last thing I remember was putting that mask on…. Groaning, she started to stand up only to notice that her hands were now paws. “AAAAAAH!” She screamed. She tried to stand on her hind legs only to fall flat on her side. Her scream woke the others up and they looked around wildly before staring at her in shock. She then felt her ears flatten in embarrassment and when she looked behind her, she saw what was now her tail flick nervously. “Alex… when did you turn into an actual tiger?” Carlos asked in confusion. Alexandra looked at her boyfriend and asked, “Have you guys taken a look at yourselves?” as she shakily got back up on four paws. “What are you…..” Viktor began to asked before catching sight of himself in a puddle. “HOLY SHIT!” He yelped. The other two were also shocked at the change they had gone through. “So… we’re now the actual Night Pride?! How… how is that even possible!?” Carlos asked, his voice conveying his shock and disbelief. “I don't know… but right now we need to figure out where the heck we are…” Viktor said, looking around. Katelyn narrowed her green eyes. “You guys hear something?” She asked, flicking her ears behind her. What sounded like...hooves clopping on cobblestone could clearly be heard from behind them then the sound stopped and a startled exclamation was heard. The four spun around to see a unicorn in armor staring at them in shock. It was light brown with a dark orange mane and tail and on its flank was a picture of a mace and shield. “Um… please tell me I’m dreaming…” Carlos said. “Then I’d have to lie.” Katelyn retorted. “How did you four beasts get in here?!” The Unicorn said, its voice female. “Did… did the unicorn just talk?!” Alexa asked in shock. “Whatever you are, you’re trespassing on royal grounds!” The unicorn snapped, her horn charging up. She was then joined by two regular ponies, one was dark blue with a tan mane and tail and had picture of a hammer breaking a rock, the other a forest green with a white mane and tail and had a picture of a flower surrounded by moss and three Pegasi, one was dark grey with a black mane and tail and had a picture of the moon with a sword over it while the other two were light red, one with a blue mane and tail the other with a blonde mane and tail, with a star streaking down and a pair of blades crossed respectively. First Unicorns, now Pegasi… this is getting crazy! Katelyn thought, her eyes widening at the sight. “Wait, this isn't what you think it is!” Viktor said, “We just woke up here!” The unicorn mare snorted, “A likely story. For one thing, we don't have your type around here in the Everfree and second, you’re not supposed to even be able to talk!” “Our type? Lady, that's a rude thing to say!” Carlos said in an offended tone. “As for what you're talking about, Everfree? The heck is that? A tree of some kind?!” “Since when were Lions, Tigers or Panthers even able to even talk? Someone must have cast a spell on you and is talking through you!” The unicorn retorted. “And the Everfree is that big forest outside!” “Spell? What, like a magic spell? Please, that's ridiculous!” Katelyn said, sniggering. The mare’s eyes narrowed before a bolt of explosive energy shot from her horn straight towards the four. “Scatter!” Viktor shouted. The four great cats leapt out of the path of the projectile before it hit the ground with the force of a grenade going off. “Night Slicer, Swooping Star, bring the orange tiger down, Blade Jumper, you help Rock Crasher with the white tiger. I’ll deal with the Panther, Moss Flower, you take care of the lion.” The unicorn ordered, “we’ll bring them to the Princesses for questioning.” The guards nodded before moving to pursue their targets. The two Pegasi mares, Night Slicer and Swooping Star sped after Alexandra, their wing blades ready. The tiger turned to engage, but upon seeing the blades mounted on their wings, ducked down with a yelp. The two flew over her, missing her by inches, and crashing into a wall with a clatter. She then felt a chill breeze on her back, and when she looked, she saw that some of her fur had been shorn off by the blades. “Did..you two give me a buzz cut?!” She asked in disbelief and anger. She then heard Carlos stifling a chuckle. “Really Carlos? At a time like this?” She growled before getting jumped on by the two Pegasi. “Surrender or die.” Swooping Star said, her voice hard, one wing blade aimed at Alexandra's throat. “Alex!” Carlos yelled before getting blindsided by Blade Jumper, the stallion’s blow sending the tiger rolling. “Oof!” he grunted, before getting pinned down by two incredibly strong hooves. Stunned, Carlos could only watch as the rest of his friends were captured. Katelyn was stunned by a single blast from the unicorn’s horn while a single buck from the earth pony floored Viktor. The three were then hauled over to where Carlos was being held. “Chain them up and let's take them to the throne room.” The unicorn ordered. “Yes Captain Shield Breaker.” Moss Flower, the Earth Pony mare said. Within seconds, the four were in chains and were soon being taken over to the throne room under heavy guard. “Hey, keep that spear to yourself! I don't do that on the first date!” Carlos snapped after getting prodded by a spear. “Silence!” The guard holding it snapped back. Carlos rolled his eyes before looking straight ahead. Geez, how big is this castle? It feels like we’ve been walking for hours… Shield Breaker halted in front of a pair of ornate doors and turned to the four cats. “Whatever you do, don't speak unless you're spoken to.” She warned before opening the doors and entering the room. The four then followed, pushed forward by the other guards. As they entered, Carlos, Viktor, Alexandra and Katelyn saw two of what appeared to be a cross between a Pegasus and a unicorn arguing with each other. One was white and had a pink mane and a picture of the sun on its flank while the other was dark blue with a lighter blue mane and a picture of the moon on its flank and was smaller than the white one. Both were wearing crowns and had regalia on. Both also were a few inches taller than the four, who were the same size as the ponies surrounding them.. As soon as the door had opened, the two had stopped their argument and looked in shock at the four cats in chains in front of them. “Why didst thou bring these four creatures to us? Canst thou see we're busy?” The white pony asked in a medieval dialect. This proved to be too much for Carlos, who busted out laughing. “Carlos!” Viktor whispered sharply. “I'm sorry, it’s just that…” Carlos tried to stifle his laughter but failed miserably. The guards looked mortified while the two ponies at the thrones glared angrily at the human turned tiger. “Thou thinkest our speech funny?!” The blue pony shouted, the room literally shaking from the force of the yell. The four winced, flattening their ears. Then Viktor spoke up. “No, we don't.” He said, giving an annoyed look at Carlos. “I'm sorry about my friend laughing, he was out of line.” The two ponies relaxed and the white pony said, “Who art thou? We’ve never seen you four before…” “We’re called the Night Pride. I'm Pallo, the leader of the group, the white tiger is Ares my second in command, the tigress is Venus and the Panther is Minerva.” Viktor said. “If I may ask, what are you? We’ve never seen you before…” “We are Alicorns, a mix of Pegasi, Earth Pony and Unicorn.” She said. “I am Princess Celestia, and this is my younger sister, Luna.” Luna nodded her head in greeting, her eyes curious. “Why exactly art thou here? We’ve heard of your kind, but we’ve never heard of any of them talking.” Celestia asked. “That's the question we’re trying to figure out.” Alexandra sighed. “One minute, we’re back on Earth at a convention, and the next thing we know, we end up in your courtyard and get set upon by the guards!” She said with a glare at the guards behind them who glared back. “Earth? You mean you're not from Equestria?” Luna asked in shock. “Gee, if a lion, two Tigers and a panther show up suddenly in a courtyard, what do you think?” Katelyn asked, her tone sarcastic. Celestia's eye twitched. Carlos facepawed. “To answer your question, yes, we aren't exactly from here. And we weren't cats either. We were humans, which look like a hairless ape except for the top of our heads. Our actual names are, well were, Viktor, Carlos, Alexandra and Katelyn. Celestia's horn lit up for a few seconds before she said, “There is some strange magical residue surrounding the four of you, and unfortunately, I can not send you back to your world. Whatever this magic is, it prevents me from being able to. ” The group upon hearing this were stunned. We… we can't go back to Earth? Ever? Katelyn thought in shock. “You mean we're stuck here?” Carlos asked. Celestia nodded. Alexa bent her head down in shock. Seeing this, Carlos walked up to her and nuzzled her. “Hey, we’ll make it through this.” He said gently. Alexa blinked and returned the nuzzle. Both Luna and Celestia saw this and had confused looks on their faces. “Art thou mates?” Celestia asked. The two Tigers chuckled. “Not exactly, we’re still dating.” Alexandra said. She then asked “Can we get out of these chains? They're starting to chaff a bit…” The guards tensed while the Princesses stared at them in shock. “What makest thou think we’d let you out of those chains? For all we know you’ll attack us like you did the guards!” Celestia said. “Okay, for one, they attacked us, not the other way round!  And for two, we don't fight unless we're forced to!” Carlos snapped. “Then… you aren't a threat?” Luna asked. Viktor opened his mouth to answer only to hear a bestial snarl and a scream from a guard. The four turned to see a furred bipedal monster with five other creatures with different features and different sizes. A guard was held in the first monster’s grasp. “So the Night Pride has come out of hiding… Valthraax will be pleased if he hears we took you blasted cats out!” It snarled in a pleased tone. “What in Faust’s name is that?!” Celestia gasped. Viktor’s answer was grim. “A Beastie.” “A what?” Luna asked. “They're called Beasties, and they are very bad news. They kidnap children and feast on their nightmares, and… the kids don't survive the experience….” Carlos growled. Both Celestia and Luna looked sickened by what Carlos had told them. “That's…. horrible!” Celestia exclaimed. “And if we're not let out of these chains, the same thing will happen to the kids of your subjects!” Viktor growled. The Beasties laughed. “Leave them in those chains, it’ll make it easier to take them out!” The leader said. The Princesses glared at the creatures before Celestia’s horn flared and the chains fell off the four cats. Viktor rubbed his paws where the chains had chafed at his fur before growling, “Alright, let's show these guys why the Night Pride is feared by all Beasties!” The Beastie leader tossed the guard he was holding into another, knocking both of them unconscious. “Get ‘em!” He yelled. With a roar, both sides charged. While Viktor and the leader clashed, Alexandra, Carlos and Katelyn engaged the five others. “Hah, missed me!” Carlos said, ducking a clumsy swing from the Beastie he was fighting before landing a powerful blow that gutted the creature. The Beastie screamed before falling to the floor, its insides pouring out. “Ewww, that's definitely a gut-buster right there!” The white tiger said, before getting sent flying by a blow from another Beastie. “Ooof! Oh, so that's how you wanna play? Well two can play at that game!” Carlos growled before leaping at the Beastie with a roar. Meanwhile, Alexandra was landing blow after blow on the Beastie she was fighting. “Not so tough now are you?” She taunted. “You won't stop us, Valthraax will make sure that you fall!” The Beastie snarled before slapping her aside and charging towards the Princesses only to be hit with a searing beam that disintegrated him instantly. “Thou shalt not harm us!” Celestia yelled, her horn glowing. How… how did she do that? It's like she channeled the power of the sun! Alexandra thought in shock. Seeing two of their fellows brought down, the four remaining Beasties began to back down, seeing this, Viktor, Carlos, Alexandra and Katelyn pressed their advantage, Katelyn bringing down another Beastie. Now outnumbered, the three Beasties broke and ran, the four cats chasing them as far as the door. “Yeah, you better run! And next time, do some squats!” Carlos yelled, “You could use the exercise!” “We can't thank thee enough for this. Thou hast done us a great service this day.” Celestia said. She then looked outside and bent her head, her horn glowing. “Um… what's she doing?” Katelyn asked. “She's lowering the sun so that I may raise the moon.” Luna replied. The four gave both of the Princesses a disbelieving look. “You guys move the sun and moon?” Viktor asked in shock. Luna nodded before her horn began glowing. “That's not even possible!The planet revolves around the Sun while the moon revolves around the earth!” he said. “I think we threw Scientific theory out the window the moment we came here…”  Carlos snarked. “First Unicorns, then Pegasi, what's next, Dragons and Manticores?” “You know about them?!” Shield Breaker asked in shock. Carlos looked at her before facepawing. “Lady, from where we come from, you’re just a myth, same with Pegasi, Manticores and dragons.” Katelyn said. “So this is kinda of a surprise for us also.” Shield Breaker chuckled. “The name's Shield Breaker. Captain of the Castle Guard.” She said. The group of guards from earlier walked up behind her, the helmets of the Pegasi held in their wings. Upon closer inspection, Carlos saw that one of the Pegasi looked… different. She had bat like ears, slitted eyes, bat like wings and when she smiled, he saw a pair of fangs. “I'm Night Slicer, nice to meet you four.” She said, nodding her head in greeting. The two regular Pegasi were next. “I'm Swooping Star, and this is my brother, Blade Jumper.” The mare said, the stallion cooly giving the four a nod “Name’s Rock Crasher, nice to meet Y’all.” The Earth Pony stallion said with what sounded like a Texan accent. “And I'm Moss Flower.” The Earth Pony mare said. “Nice meeting you guys too, though, what exactly are you? I don't think I've seen a pony like you before…” Carlos asked Night Slicer. “I'm what's called a Thestral or “Bat Pony”.” She replied, her ears flattening in embarrassment while she looked away. “It's… not something I really like talking about.” Must make for quite the awkward conversation... Carlos thought before he said, “If you don't want to talk about it, I’ll respect that.” Night Slicer gave him a small smile before she asked, “So you’re actually from another world? What's it like?” “Well… Humanity is the dominant species, numbering over 6.5 billion. We use very advanced technology like computers, but… the problem with our kind is that we’re very war like, we have fought more wars than we can count. There are some good people, but… there are more people that do bad than good.” Viktor explained. “So in a way, us getting brought here was a lucky break, we don't have to deal with hearing about the pain and suffering that happens in our world. But we have family back on our world, and they're gonna be frantic as to what happened to us.” The guards had looks of shock and sympathy on their faces at what Viktor had told them. “I'm truly sorry…” Shield Breaker murmured. “It's fine. But what I’m worried about is that the Beasties are planning something, and it’ll involve…” Viktor trailed off as he realized something. Oh no….. “Vik, what's wrong?” Carlos asked. “I just realized something, the only thing stopping the Beasties from taking all the kids in the comics was the Militia, but they don't exist here!” Viktor said. Carlos's eyes widened before he swore, “Damn it! And we’re the only ones that can stop them!” “But how? Four cats just aren't enough to fight them, and they mentioned Valthraax, and that's never a good sign…” Alexandra said. “Who is this “Valthraax”?” Celestia asked. “The leader of the Beasties, a scheming spider headed monster that will stop at nothing to capture all of the children.” Katelyn growled. “Your highnesses, with your permission, the four of us would like to help by stopping the Beasties before they can kidnap any of the children here.” Viktor said, “But if you would rather us not to and leave your guards to deal with the problem, that's your decision. But we know the foe better than you or the guards, and if you don't do something, you’ll lose the hope for the future.” Celestia suddenly started at that, and her eyes became fearful. What the… wonder why she reacted like tha… Carlos wondered before realizing something, Oh boy… She's pregnant! No wonder she reacted like that, she doesn't want to lose her kid when he or she gets born and grows up! “Tia, what's wrong?” Luna asked. “N... nothing. I'm fine, just worried for our subjects.” Celestia said, her eyes warning her sister not to speak of this. “I’ll explain later.” She said quietly to Luna, who narrowed her eyes and frowned. “In the meantime, you have our permission to stop these creatures any way you can. If what you say is true, there already may be fillies and colts missing.” She continued. “Thank you your highnesses.” Viktor said, the four of them bowing their heads in respect before Carlos yawned. “If it's okay with you, we’d like to get some rest. Today's been… a bit crazy for us.” “Of course. Captain, please show them to a spare room.” Celestia said. Shield Breaker nodded and beckoned to the four before they left the throne room. As the door closed, Luna turned to Celestia. “There's something you’re not telling me. Why did you react like that earlier?” She asked. Celestia sighed. “I'm… expecting a child.” Luna’s eyes widened. “You mean… I'm going to be an aunt?” She asked incredulously. Celestia nodded. “So that's why you reacted like that, you’re afraid that the Beasties will get your child when he or she is older… Who’s the father?” Celestia didn't answer as she looked out the window. “Honestly, I'm afraid for not just my child, but for every filly and colt in Equestria. These creatures… they're almost like the primal version of ourselves…. I just hope the Night Pride can stop them. As for who the father is, it… I honestly don't remember, it was a long time ago...” Luna nodded in understanding before she put a wing over her older sister's shoulder. “I have a feeling they will. From what I saw during the fight, they were making sure none of the guards got involved.” As she said this, a voice in her head whispered, Since when did Celestia really care about you? She won't give you what you deserve! Luna ignored this as the two sisters leaned against each other. Meanwhile… “...And this is where you’ll be staying.” Shield Breaker said, opening the door to the massive spare bedroom. “Dang, you could fit a theater in here!” Carlos said. Shield Breaker gave him a confused look before deciding not to bother with asking questions. “Thank you Captain. We’ll let you know if we need anything.” Viktor said. Shield Breaker nodded before she left the room. Katelyn had already fallen asleep on a velvet rug, her sides rising and falling as she laid curled up. Viktor chuckled as he watched his sister sleep. Carlos and Alexa had curled up together on the bed and were talking quietly with each other. Hard to believe we're now in a place that looks like it belongs in a kid’s cartoon… but now we have a bigger problem to deal with, the Beasties. Tomorrow we'll need to investigate and try and stop them from taking any of the kids here. The lion thought, his blue eyed gaze looking out the single window. But right now, we all need some rest. He then laid down under the window, and within seconds, fell asleep. Meanwhile… “My lord Valthraax, I bring distressing news!” A Beastie said, standing at the foot of a carved throne, his head bowed. “Speak….” A ancient voice spoke with a hint of menace. “The Night Pride, they have appeared in this world!” The messenger said, looking up. “They managed to stop six of us when we attacked the pony Princesses!” “WHAT?!” The voice shrieked. The owner of it, a spider headed creature in a top hat and wearing late 1800s human clothing and a cloak stood up and grabbed the unfortunate Beastie by the throat. “How are they here?” Not waiting for an answer, he tossed the messenger aside. This is impossible! Abner and that blasted King Bear can't have found out where I am! No matter, I’ll still get the brats here and Celestia's child too when it grows up a bit more after it’s been born! And then I can take the human world and those two brats! Valthraax began to cackle evilly, “You’ve stopped nothing Pallo! I’ll still get that brat Joey after I’m done with this world!” He said as his laughter grew, “The age of Beasts will reign!” He then burst into full screeching laughter, and far away, in the Castle of the Two Sisters, Luna woke up with a shudder. “I pray that the Night Pride is able to help us, if not, Faust have mercy on our souls…” She muttered, a sense of dread settling over her. In the spare room, the dreams of the four cats were broken by memories that were not theirs, memories of fighting countless waves of Beasties, of joking with other stuffed animals, and of a familiar boy and girl. In the shadows, a scarred face of a small bear watched them. I don't know how Pallo and the others got here, but from what I saw, the Beasties are up to something… I need to let King Bear know. He whipped out a scroll and muttered, “Ene Meene Myne Mo!” As he said these words, the figures on the scroll glowed before a portal opened up and he walked through to his universe. The portal closed with a soft pop, waking Katelyn up  and making her look towards where the sound came from for a second before she fell back asleep. For the rest of the night, no one gave any second thoughts to what was going on behind the shadows.