This is what we do: Final Chapter
By Foxgear
“Hey, come back here!” A puffy red-haired girl yelled as she chased after the boy in front of her.
“Not a chance slowpoke!” The boy, whose orange hair touched his shoulders, giving him a wild child appearance, yelled back at the girl.
“I’m gonna tell mom!”
“Quit being such a whiner!”
“Andante!” Arizona Apple (Age 15) screamed with her cheek puffed up like a pucker fish as her brother ran ahead of her. With a growl and stomp, she shouted into the trees, pony ears and fin-like wings bursting from her back as she suddenly gained speed chasing her brother into the woods that surrounded their home.
“Hey you’re using magic, that’s cheating!” Andante yelled as his sister overtook him, Arizona blew a raspberry as she flew ahead. “RAGH! I’ll show you!”
Andante kicked off the ground and transformed, his arms and legs becoming that of a dragon as large red leathery wings sprouted from his back. With a mighty swoosh and a roar, he rocketed ahead, catching up to his sister.
“Look who’s cheating now!”
“Says the one that couldn’t hack it without magic!”
The two siblings snarled at each other; black smoke poured out of Andante’s nostrils as water formed into Arizona’s hands. The two of them came barreling out of the trees into clearing with a pond in the center, water and fire clashing midair. As they squared off, a third party joined the fray with a power much more terrifying than the magic they were blatantly showing off.
“Hey! Mommy says to cut it out and come clean up!” A little freckled blonde girl with pink and blue streaks in her hair screamed while clutching a stuffed timber wolf plushie. She was Hymn Apple (Age 9).
“You’re bluffing Hymn!” Andante snarled, his youngest sister hid behind her doll, peaking out with big emerald eyes that threatened to unleash her most powerful attack.
“Don’t yell at her, Dante! If she…”
“WAAHAGGGHAH!!” It was too late, Hymn began wailing, crying like only a small child could, except her voice was magically charged, and projected a sonic wail to a more significant threat.
Their mother’s voice roared through the air, even though they were miles away from the house. “ANDANTE! ARIZONA!”
With a gulp and a hastily made truce, the eldest apple siblings scooped up their crying sister and flew her back to the house, ever second a strike against them. When they landed in front of the porch, their mother, Adagio Dazzling Apple, stood with her arms crossed and her toe-tapping impatiently.
“Fifty-three seconds… I guess you two don’t feel like having wi-fi for the next month.”
“Mom!”
“Don’t mom, me! Did you two finish chores?” The two of them puffed their cheeks, whistling, and looking away from their mother. Adagio ran her hand through her silky smooth hair, looking exhausted at her two oldest children. “You have opening ceremony today, I have a concert to prepare for, your father is busy setting up said concert. You two have thirty minutes to get chores done, get showered and cleaned up, and be standing back here in your school uniforms! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!”
“Yes, mom!”
“What was that?”
“Yes, mother!”
“Good, now get going!” Adagio pointed at the barn, and the two zoomed over to so fast it could have been teleportation. Feeling a tug on her jeans Adagio scooped up her youngest daughter in her arms.
“I tried mommy, but Dante and Ari didn’t listen to me!”
“It’s ok, Hymn, you did your best.” She consoled her still sniffling daughter. “Come on, let's go get you in your dress. You’ll be mommy’s little helper today.”
“Yay!”
After a few minutes of mixing and matching, Adagio had Hymn dressed in a little purple sundress with white polka dots, the youngest Apple squealed with delight as she ran barefoot around the living room. Adagio dressed in a long purple Tee shirt and dark blue jeans and styled her hair, her embolized vest and skirt hanging in her room as she worked the curls out of her hair. It was a lot of work to subdue her natural wild puffy fluffy hair, but she liked that silky shine she got when it was brushed straight.
“Mom, we're ready!” Arizona proclaimed hopping down the stairs in her school uniform. The eldest apple daughter picked at the helm of the skirt, which was two inches above her knees. Not really the standard for most schools, it could almost be called a miniskirt. “Who designed these things?”
“Rari, did,” Answered Adagio, proud she managed to say Rarity’s alias without having to correct it. It helped to think of ‘Rari’ as a nickname. “The school wanted to support local business, so of course they went to the best designer in town.”
“Isn’t Rari partnered with that clothing sex shop?”
“Enticing garments (Formerly Explicit Content) is not a clothing sex shop.” Refuted Adagio. “It’s just a store for mature women is all.”
“Does that include the purple bunny suit you keep in your closet?”
Adagio’s cheeked burned red with anger and embarrassment. Her daughter has been snooping in her room again! “Yes… well, what I wear is none of your business young lady and if I catch you rummaging through my closet again, expect hard punishment.”
“Oh, yeah? What are you going to do?”
(My daughter as the same pride and arrogance that I had at her age. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.)
“What am I going to do? How about I send you to your godparents for a week?”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“Try me, I’m sure Sixes would love to run you through boot camp again.” Sixes and Princess Luna are Arizona’s godparents, while Principle Luna and Feri’s are Andante’s.”
Arizona crossed her arms, pouting, “Fine, it’s not like you have anything good in there anyway.”
“Says the girl rummaging through her mother’s closet, all threats aside, I suggest you stop before you find something you won’t like. Something that will haunt you for the rest of your life.”
“What dad’s porno mags?”
Adagio scoffed, “As if your father needs that filth when I’m around, but in all seriousness, stop for you own good.”
(It’s not my fault if you find our ‘special’ vacation pictures.) Adagio mused hoping she hid the mementos in a good enough spot to keep from traumatizing her daughter. (Maybe I should just burn them?)
Forgetting about the life scaring pictures, Adagio took a moment to appraise Rari’s uniform design. Like Crystal Prep’s uniform, it was a dress shirt, with a vest, jacket, or blazer option, and skirt. Leggings could be ankle, knee, or thigh height. Both boys and girls wore black dress shoes or black square toe cowboy boots. The jacket and skirt were midnight blue with gold accents and black dress shirts underneath. Boys wore gold ties, while the girls wore yellow ribbons.
“I’m ready,” Andante declared climbing down the stairs in his uniform.
Adagio nodded as she picked up, Hymn, “Good, where is Waltz?” Waltz was her and Mac’s youngest child, he was five. They should have named him Mac Jr. because he looked just like Mac, but with blonde hair.
“Waltz is with dad, remember?” Andante rebuked, looking at her like she was stupid. She cocked an eyebrow at his attitude. He quickly back-peddled his tone. “I’m mean Dad said yesterday he would watch Waltz, remember?”
“I do remember, it just a took a second,” Adagio said scratching her chin, she was a bit ashamed she misplaced her youngest, but after three kids she wasn’t as high strung about her kids not being in sight. Though if things got too quiet, she did worry what they were up to. “Right, well everyone to the pickup. I’ll drop you off for school orientation, your father will pick up afterward if he isn’t there by five just walk down to the park.”
“Ok,” Arizona and Andante replied.
After getting Hymn locked into her car seat Adagio started the pickup and drove to town. The twins pestering her with annoying questions all the way.
“Are Auntie Aria and Sonata going to come to the concert,” Arizona asked.
“They were invited, it’s up to them to show up.”
“Will Ignis be attending school with us?”
“I’m sure he will Andante, he’s like you two, he kind of has to go to Magic school.” That’s right, they had Magic Schools now. Five years after the battle with Envy, dubbed the Magical girl incident, Sunset Shimmer, rather Princess Sunset Shimmer, came back to earth to help humans understand magic by offering insights with Equestrian history records. To this end a school was founded, the Shimmer School of Magic, the first location was Canterlot, where Canterlot High once stood.
Canterlot High was demolished a few years after the battle, it just didn’t pay to repair the building anymore. At least the tourism from the Ever-burning forest helped found the new school. Several teachers were brought over from Equestria as a stop-gap, and Moon Dancer was made the headmaster. Human Twilight worked as a researcher and professor at the school.
Ignis was Feri and Principle Luna’s, son. He was a few months younger than the twins but still in the same age group.
“What about cousin Cherryjack?” Cherryjack, if not evident by the uninspired name, was Applejacks’ daughter's name.
Adagio tightened her grip on the wheel, “She’s like you to, a magic kid, there’s only one magic school within five hundred miles and she lives right next to us. So yes, CJ will most likely attend school with you, I can’t say for classes, but she will be in school with you.”
“What about Cousin Boomer?”
“Yes! When he’s older!” Adagio yelled. “Any more questions that have the same answer!”
Both her teens shook their heads, no. Boomer was Applebloom’s son. He was a little older than Hymn. Applebloom got pregnant relatively young, almost right after college. She married a carpenter and Applejack got her a job at the Magic School as a sub-teacher and counselor. Applejack was a cherry farmer now, and also a school alumnus. A lot of people in their close circle were. Feri was one too.
The rest of the drive was in silence, and they arrived that new Canterlot School of Magical Science. Those two things wouldn’t usually be in the same sentence, but there was a science to all this crazy magic, which made it way easier to teach to the second generation of magic users.
“Alright kids, have fun, don’t blow up the school or anything,” Adagio called from the driver seat as Andante and Arizona ran away embarrassed. Which she scoffed at. “Their mother is a singer who also has a statue at the magic school, I guess nothing can make parents cool to their kids.” She mumbled under breath as she drove for downtown. “But Aunt Ari and Sona are so cool because they bring home dragon teeth!”
“I love you, mommy,” Hymn said from her car seat. Adagio looked at her through the rear-view mirror with a cocked eyebrow. The little girl wiggled in her chair, pretending to whistle before cracking. “I also would like some chocolate.”
Adagio sighed, “You know what? I can get behind that.”
As she drove away from the school, a brown-haired girl came rushing past, most likely late, but what should have been nothing had Adagio braking as she leaned out the car window as the girl disappeared into the schoolyard. She looked… familiar.
“No way…” She mumbled before shaking her head and driving away. “It can’t be her.”
Meanwhile in Canterlot City
Special Magic Response Taskforce Commander, Lieutenant Ferocious Firebird (Age 50), sat in his officer squinting over the latest report from his field officers, dubbed the Hunters, by the public. Through his thin-framed glasses, his yellow eyes scanned the pages of the documents. Monster attacks were on the decline. Finally, the magical beasts were learning that if they go to the city parks and suburb homes, they would be hunted with prejudice. The task wouldn’t be so hard if the monster had been standard timbers, but thanks to the root of many of his problems over the years, The Magical Girl Incident, in which hundreds of Envy’s experimental Timbers escaping into the wild. Cinder Ironwood Timbers were the norm now. It wasn’t like in the old days where a shotgun blast could put the wood beasts down. Now if you didn’t have at least a basic understanding of using magic, the monsters were impossible for an average civilian to take down.
Normal was a relieve term. Most people were magically inclined nowadays. Their power varied from simple elemental control, psychosis, or animal transformation. The more advanced users could use spells and abilities and could transform into a hybrid form. Since not everyone ‘pony up’ as there was a variety of species. A new category was made.
C: People that could use specific magic, but not transform.
B: People that could transform, and could use an Elemental Magic, Standard Pony-up basically.
A: People that could use Enhanced Transformation, Pony up with hair highlights and power boast. Very rare.
S: People that could transform and have an insane amount of magic. Sometimes it led to people going berserk and turning to monster versions of themselves.
X: People who display Demi-god or God-like power, like Daydream Shimmer or Olympian Mac and Adagio. Thankfully that hasn’t happened since the battle with Envy.
C tier users were literally in the millions, almost anyone with some will power and training could use magic these days. B tier users were about every thousand of a million. A Tiers appeared every hundred in a million, and S Tiers were ten in a million. X thankfully was one in a million.
Of course, in a growing world where magic was increasingly more common, it also made a new threat, magically endowed criminals. Also known as Dark users. That was what the report he was reading detailed. There was a new gang of dark users, and like many gangs before them, they figured out a way to power up their magic.
The latest tool was called ‘Pixie Dust’ it was basically cocaine mixed with ground monster parts. Because, of course, someone was going to kill a monster one day and decide, “Hey, what will happen if snort this?”
“At least I don’t have to worry about being called insane anymore. Kind of nice being an expert in a new field.” Feri chuckled dryly. His door was closed, so he took a moment to lay his head down on his desk and groan. “Fuck… why to I have to behind a desk? This is so boring!”
Sitting up again, Feri decided to take a break from his work to dig a cigar from his desk, using his thumb to light it. As he puffed out clouds of smoke, he amused himself with the pictures in his office. The first picture was of him and his wife, Luna, on their wedding day. He was carrying her, and she was blushing trying to keep her skirt from riding too high.
The next picture was of Stryker and Celestia flashing the peace sign at the Grand Canyon. His old partner had become his brother in law, as he and Celestia had decided to get married one day and start traveling the country. They came back home every so often, but they stayed on the road a lot. Their marriage came out of left field and honestly neither he or Luna was sure why they got married, other then they were both singles at the time and getting old. Either way, they seemed happy. Though they’d have to settle down somewhere soon, their kid, Summer Sun (Age 12), was getting old enough that she’d want to start hanging around other kids.
Pictures of Macs, Applejacks, and Applebloom’s families were next, filling up the center of his desk. Each one was from last New Year’s. Mac (Age 35) and Adagio posed with their four kids, Applejack (Age 33) and her husband had their two, and not so little Applebloom (Age 29) stood with her four-year-old and husband. He remembered AJ’s husband was a cherry farmer, but AB’s was a carpenter? Maybe? He was good enough.
Finally, on the right side of his desk were to portraits of his kids, his son Ignis (Age 14), he had his wild hair, but Ignis’s hair was black as midnight, and his daughter Hestia (Age 12) was the same, but her hair had what looked like little red stars in it.
Luna picked the names, Ignis was Latin for fire, and Hestia was the name of a Greek goddess that also involved flame. His wife told him she wanted their names to reflect them. Since Luna was also named after a goddess and he wielded fire magic. He didn’t really get it, but his kids had kickass names.
Wiping the lens of his glasses, which he hated, Feri pulled out his phone and squinted at the text his wife had sent him. “Kids school opening ceremony today, try to be there.”
“Right…” He sighed, checking the time. He’d better get wrapped up here soon, but that would depend on his subordinate getting here promptly! “HEY!” He yelled to his secretary outside.
“Yes, sir?”
“Tell Pie to get her ass in here already! She’s cleaned up that gang house, right?”
The door to his office slammed open, and Pinkamena Diane Pie wearing her Hunter’s Duster coat unbuckled with a pink tee and booty shorts underneath strode into the office. Her pink hair was half flat and half curly. The curly part tied up in a ponytail that reached down to her ass.
“Hiya, Bosman!”
Feri held his head in his palm as he looked over the most likely future leader of the department. “I see your rocking undercover whore again today. I know I didn’t set strong uniform guidelines, but people still have to believe you’re a cop at the end of the day.”
“I know,” Pinkamena said, plopping down in the chair across from him. “I button up when I’m official business.” She placed her wooden feet, which were shaped like cowgirl boots, on the edge of his desk, while her wooden arm morphed into vines and snuck around his office desk and raided his cigar drawer. With a snap, a small explosion lights the stolen tobacco product.
“Pinkamena.”
“Don’t tell me not to smoke when you smoke.”
“No, go buy your own fucking smokes!”
“But it’s so expensive!”
“Yeah, that’s my fucking point!”
“But Luna said you need to quit smoking! I’m just helping you out!”
“Don’t bring my wife into this, Pinkie! Now did you deal with those gangbangers on seven 7th street?”
Pinkamena took a long drag before answering. “Yep. Dropped off a pizza, walked away and the pizza blew up. I had the rookies pick off the survivors for training. Had to blow this one guy’s face-off, he was probably a B+, he had butterfly wings by the way.”
“Is he alive? Butterfly wings, I mean?”
She shrugged. “Maybe, the doctors working on him now. Hey, don’t you have to get going back to town? Isn’t it opening ceremony today?”
“Yes, it is, how do you know?”
Pinkie held up two fingers. “One, my sisters' kids go there, too, I’m subscribed to the school's app.”
“The school has an app?”
“We have an app! This why everyone thinks you’re out of touch!”
“I’m fifty! I didn’t grow up with this tech crap!”
“I know! I’ve seen you handle a touch screen; which I see you’ve failed to charge again! It’s 2029! Why does your office look like 1930’s noir detective’s!”
“Firstly, I was born in 1979,” Feri growled, “Second charging that piece of crap is your fucking job. It’s yours, not mine!”
“I gave it to you because you didn’t understand gem projection holograms! That thing is an antique nowadays! How long have you had that phone too, is that a P11? We’re on P22 now!”
Feri threw up his hands. “Fuck it! I have your report, I’ll write it later at home. I got a thing to go do for my kids. Fucking run this place however you like, it’ll be your mess someday, and when that happens, some feisty young bitch can barge in and call you old too.”
Grabbing his cane Feri limped towards the door. Pinkamena more somber followed him with her eyes filled with sadness and regret. “You should just retire now, go work that bar of yours with Luna.”
In the doorway Feri pawed the handle of his cane, “I got another fifteen years in me, don’t go throwing me out with the trash just yet. If you really want to take this place from me, then start acting like it.” Slamming the door behind him, Feri limped his way down to his car and drove home.
Pinkie sat in Feri’s desk, dismayed by the paperwork and her failed attempt to get Feri to retire early. “Seriously.” She sighed, “Invest in your own kids some more.”
The gem on her wrist beeped, and she pressed the black jewel to display an image of the current governess Chrysalis Blackthorn. “Why hello, Pinkamena, I see your in Feri’s chair today.”
“I’m just keeping it warm; he has other things to deal with.”
Chrysalis nodded, “Of course, that’s fine. I have a new assignment for you. I know you already dealt with that gang house today, but I just got a report from your counterpart in Whinny that they discovered an underground monster cockfight ring, and they need some new faces for an infiltration. I trust you don’t have any plans for the weekend?”
Pinkie shook her head, “If the state needs me, I’m happy to help.”
“Love the attuite, keep it up, and that chair really will be yours. I’ll send you your contact via the usual channels.”
“Understood,” Pinkie said at the transmission ended. She sighed as she peaked at her phone, a text from Limestone asking if she was going to make to Adagio’s charity concert. With a heavy heart, she typed, no, and went to work. She still had a lot to make up for, and even if meant skipping time with her family and friends, she wanted to make sure all of them could enjoy life together.
Even if it meant them enjoying life without her.
“Hello, everyone! I am Moon Dancer, the Dean of The Sunset Shimmer School of Magic, welcome to the next three years of your magical development. Four if you going into research and six if you want to become a Magic Doctor. And before anyone raises their hands, there is no magic college, because we are also the college. Miss Sparkle if you would take the floor and explain how things work around here.”
Human Twilight decked out in a lab coat that hid her teacher’s attire took to the glowing blackboard and began to write magic script with her finger. “Currently there are three paths a student can take in our school, your first year will be a general course to expose you all kinds different fields and your second and third year will narrow down what your Mastery will be.” Twilight paused as a student raised their hand. Searching the roaster, she was impressed by the student’s credentials. “Yes? Hmm Hestia.”
“What do you have to do to join the Magic Police Division?”
“Excellent question and a popular one at that might as well start there so I can burst some bubbles early,” Twilight said giddily as she began to scribe down a long list of credits. “To join the Magic Police Division and became a Hunter, one needs to be at least a B tier magic-user at the bare minimum. Next they need to be able to pass the police physically, pass CSI, and everything else to become a detective. It’s a lot harder than most people think and will require taking the five-year course and extra classes.”
“What if you’re Tier A?”
“The same course applies to all Tiers,” Twilight replied smirking. Hestia became disheartened. “But don’t worry, you’ve already skipped grades, so I’m sure you’ll have all the credits you need by the time you're old enough to join.” She assured Feri’s daughter while trying not play favorites, which was hard considering a third of her students were her friends’ kids.
Clapping her hands to get everyone to focus Twilight continued her lecture, “Magic Police is only one path of course. Next we have my personal favorite, Magical Research and Development, in this course you’ll study how to apply magic to scientific research such as agriculture, medical, engineering, anything really just tack magic onto the name, and there’s a research division for it. A lot of companies are trying to capitalize on the fact magic now exists in our world. Some closed-minded ones have tried to stem our progress, but well… there’s a reason certain companies no longer exist.”
“What’s the final route?” A student yelled.
“Right, right, Magic Archive and Enhancement. Given what we know now about Equestria banishing unwanted evil threats to our world since before the time of the dinosaurs, Magic archives seek to discover what myths were true and which are still just myths. We know dragons once existed in our world, and that the Holy sword used by King Arthur was real too. Hence no more dragons because of said sword. Archivers also try to find abandoned artifacts and dead monsters and study them to rediscover lost magic and make new magic, getting to the enhancement part of the name. Enhancement is basically spell crafting. Does anyone here know any spells?”
“I do! My Aunt taught it to me!” Cried Arizona waving her hand wildly in the air.
“Arizona…” Twilight said warily. “You may cast the spell for the class, your target…” She looked around for a suitable dummy before sighing and snapping her fingers, making another her appear. “Target my doppelganger. Please be careful.”
“I will!” Arizona bounded to the front of the class dancing excitedly on her toes as she held her hands in front her, “Black dog howling uselessly at your forsaken lover, turn your fangs upon yourself and rip out your own throat! Bastard Hound’s Curse!” Black colored magic formed a dog’s head on Arizona’s right hand and bit her neck, Copy Twilight copied the motion and choked herself digging her fingers into neck. Before things could get bloody Twilight snapped her clone out of existence.
“Right, that’s enough, should have known better,” Twilight mumbled. “Good job, Arizona, now I’ll demonstrate how craft a new spell, using yours as a base. Ready?”
Arizona nodded nervously as Twilight chanted, “White dog, smitten by your lover in the night sky, howl moanfully for her love, and she will hear you, Maiden’s Blessing!” She finished her chant, and everyone looked on expectedly, many having to blink before spotting the effect of the spell.
“Hey, why’s my brother down there now?” Hestia pointed where Ignis now stood.
Twilight merely smiled as Arizona became a blushing mess, “Why indeed I wonder? Care to take a guess Arizona?”
“No thank you, ma’am.” She replied hastily returning to her balcony seat. A confused Ignis followed behind her.
“Alright, let’s return to the lecture.”
Moon Dancer smiled as she hung back and watched in the corner, she’d have to leave soon, but she always enjoyed watching new students be excited for school for once. Even though some didn’t show it outright, learning magic was fun and exciting. After observing for several more minutes Moon Dancer decided she should go when the door burst open and a girl in their uniform can bargaining in.
“I’m sorry I’m late! I got lost!” The girl had long light brown hair, almost like copper that reached to her knees and was tied up in pigtails, her skin the rare peach color, with just a tinge of a tan. Her eyes were deep blue, with freckles beneath and dimples on her cheeks. For Moon Dancer her face was something that made her heart stop. She’s seen that face before, long, long ago in her childhood. “I’m Mackie Vegabrook! Nice to meet you, yawl!” She introduced energetically while giving a thumbs up.
From the front of the room, Twilight looked at Moon Dancer, her face twisted in confusion as she looked from the new arrival to the Dean. Mouthing ‘what the hell?’
Moon Dancer held up her hands and took center stage, “Ah, Miss Vegabrook, that was quite the grand entrance, but I can’t have you disturbing class. Besides I need to talk to you about your transfer before you can join classes.” She straight-up lied pulling ‘Mackie’ out into the hall and towards her office. When the door slammed closed Twilight clapped her hands and resumed her lecture.
“Alright, who wants to try making a new spell?”
In her office Moon Dancer slammed the door closed and pushed Mackie into a chair, pacing back and forth. “I’m going crazy, this can’t be happening?”
Mackie cocked her head, “What’s wrong? Moonie?”
“I…” Moon Dancer stopped cold and looked sharply at Mackie. “What did you just call me?”
“Moonie,” Mackie replied in a voice that did NOT belong to a fifteen-year-old teenager. “That was your nickname, right?”
Moon Dancer gently grabbed Mackie by shoulders, looking deep into her eyes. “Your Maddie, aren’t you? You are! Otherwise I’m crazy, but you look just like her! Yeah, the hair and freckles are new, but your face! A clone wouldn’t be this accurate! Is that what you did? Did you make a clone Maddie?”
“You're scaring me, Dean Moon Dancer.” Mackie cried, Moon Dancer didn’t give in and held her ground, and Mackie’s eyes turned from blue to green. “Oh fine! It’s me!” ‘Mackie’ said sounding like Maddie. “At least for now. This will probably be the last time I can speak like this.”
“What happened? How did you survive?”
Mackie chuckled awkwardly, “Yeah… you see… I didn’t… Look, it’s very complicated. I didn’t even get to walk up the stairs before they pushed me back down to earth. Long story short, I was reincarnated, and I’ve been living my life with my new parents, and have been very happy, I mean look at these cute dimples! I’m a fucking cutie! Hope my boobs are as big as last time. I mean genetically it shouldn’t be a problem, my reincarnated mom’s tits are enormous! That aside I’m going to live my life differently this time, I have a plan to make sure I don’t end up in purgatory again, and hopefully, avoid going to hell.”
“Plan? Are you going to continue your research and help progress the Scientific Magic field?”
Mackie made a fart noise with her lips. “Fuck that! Ok, I might, but my main objective… marry Mac’s son!”
“Your fucking with me.”
“Nope.”
“You’re not serious.”
“I am.”
“Please stop joking.”
“I’m not.”
Moon Dancer rubbed the bridge of her nose in frustration. “WHY!”
“Well, I can’t marry Mac like this?”
She could only sputter, “What the hell is wrong with you, Maddie?”
“Nothing! I know what I want in a mate. I mean if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t. I got somethings going against me like fucking dad naming me, ‘MAC-kie’ talk about being fucking original. But I like the challenge. I guess I might try and cure some disease or something, but I want to focus on living this time around, not spending eighty percent of my time in a lab.” Mackie’s eyes flicked from green to blue and back to green, she wobbled and fell forward, wrapping her lanky arms around Moon Dancer’s waist. “It was nice seeing you again, Moon Dancer, look out for Mackie for me? Make sure she’s better then I was.”
Moon Dancer choked up and hugged Mackie, no Maddie back, “I will. Your dating Mac’s son thing is still weird, but I won’t interfere, and I’ll make sure you don’t go dark side this time. That’s a teacher’s job, right?”
“Right,” Mackie replied and stepped away, smiling. “Goodbye.”
Mackie’s eyes turned from Green to blue, and the teenager looked confusingly around the room. “Huh? Dean Moon Dancer is my interview over?”
Moon Dancer nodded, turning away as she wiped her tears, “Yes, we’re done, you can go to class. Tell Professor Twilight everything is in order.”
“Ok, thank you, bye!”
The door opened and closed, and Moon Dancer fell to her knees, burying her head in her arms against her desk and cried.
Outside the school parents wandered through the grounds, some inspecting the dorms and the general environment their kids would be living in. For students not from the local area a boarding house was available. Victor and Grace Vegabrook just finished their tour of the grounds with Former Princess Celestia, now teacher Celestia.
“As you can see, we spared no expense. Dorms are separated by gender, and the cafeteria is top-notch.” Celestia praised as she led the couple back outside, smiling knowingly at the too. “Rest assured, your daughter will be taken care off, Mr. Vegabrook.”
“You’ve convinced me, I’m very much assured.” ‘Victor’ laughed, shaking her hand.
She smiled, “Anything to repay a favor.”
“No idea what you’re talking about, but thank you, Celestia.”
The couple left, and Celestia leaned against the brick wall as Sunset Shimmer exited the building. “That should be it for the tours…” She paused following her Grandmother’s gaze to the leaving couple who looked back and flashed a pair of smiles before continuing off. “Do we know them?”
“In a way,” Celestia said cryptically. “Come on, let get things squared away here, you have an important meeting back home tomorrow. You can’t just come running here every time you get overwhelmed.”
“I know,” Sunset sighed following her Grandmother into the school. “But I really want to see Adagio’s concert.”
“And you will if you get your work done.” Celestia sang.
5:00 pm, Canterlot Veteran’s Park, a real hustle was a going on in the usually quiet scene. Lights, speakers, and other equipment was being set up. On stage the star of the show picked at her guitar while he lifted another speaker twice his size and put it in place.
“Right there is fine, Mac.” Former Principal Luna said.
“Alright,” He set the speaker down, wiping the sweat from his brow as he looked around the concert venue. His godmother patted him on the back and pointed to the bar across the street.
“Come on, I’ll get you a drink, you’ve been working hard all day.”
“Sounds good, Waltz!” He shouted, his five-year-old son come running from somewhere and climbed up his pant leg and sat in the crook of his arm. “You little monkey!” He teased the small boy tickling his tummy, filling the air with excited giggles. Waving to Adagio and pointed to the bar, she nodded resuming tuning her guitar.
Inside the Moon Hall, Formerly the VFW, Luna strode behind the bar and filled a tall glass of his family’s Cider and passed it to him, and checked her phone.
“I hope Feri got to the school on time.” She said with doubt in her tone.
“I’m sure he did,” Mac said in defense of his Godfather. “He’s not completely hopeless.”
“I know that,” Luna sighed, “It’s just… he’s getting so worn out with work, he acts he’s thirty-five. I admit I’m not young anymore, but I didn’t spend my late twenties and thirties fighting monsters! He still limps, his eyes sight is going bad, he’s a mess!”
“You want him to retire.”
Luna scrunched up her lip. “From the force at the very least. He can come here and actually run the bar for once, did you know Stryker ran the bar when he was living upstairs?”
“I am aware,” Mac nodded sipping his beer when Waltz pulled at his sleeve.
“Daddy, daddy, An’ and Ari’!” His youngest fumbled out. Mac checked his watch and was surprised to see it was five-thirty, well past when he was supposed to go pick up Andante and Arizona.
He smiled and put Waltz on his lap, “They can walk, their big kids now.”
The front door of the bar opened and in walked the two kids in question. “Dad!” Arizona screamed. “You were supposed to pick us up!”
“Or you were supposed to walk if I didn’t. I’ve been busy, darling.” Mac drawled, his daughter puffed her cheeks trying to look imitating, but only ended up looking cute. “How as school?”
“We got lectured, even though we weren’t supposed to have any today,” Andante informed sitting at the bar.
“Twilight?”
“Twilight.” His son replied. “There was this girl that showed up late today too.”
“Glad, she’s still the same.” Mac rechecked his watch and smiled. “Well you two are just in time, they should be showing up anytime now.”
“They?” The twins asked expectedly.
Upstairs two thumps could be heard accompanied by two arguing voices. There was a portal upstairs to Equestria in Luna’s office, there were several portals hidden between everyone’s houses and businesses.
“Dammit Sonata! How did this happen?”
“I don’t know, don’t blame me!”
“How can’t I? It’s one thing if you get drunk and wake up hitched, it’s another when you drag me into it!”
“I didn’t do anything! You just woke up in bed with us!”
“Then explain why we’re part of a herd and I’m labeled as second wife!”
“Well… um… DISTRACTION!” There was a thump followed by short hurried steps. The upstairs office door flew open, and Sonata dressed in a white Kimono with a black tank top exposed came running down the stairs. “DAGI SAVE ME!” She cried scuttling across the bar floor only for Aria, also dressed in a wedding Kimono came flying from the top of the stairs and pinned her to the ground!
“I’m gonna ring your neck this time! I swear to the gods! You know how hard it is to back out of this? You married us to one of Kira’s grandkids! I bet she’s getting ready to host a shotgun wedding right now!”
“Technically it would be a Katana wedding.” Sonata squeaked out. “Hi Mac, kids…gaghagh! Aria! You’re choking me!”
“Clearly, a lack of oxygen isn’t what’s wrong with your brain!”
The kids waved awkwardly as one aunt tried to kill the other aunt in front of them, “Hi Aunt Aria, Aunt Sonata. How was your last adventure?”
“Complicated!” Aria growled applying more pressure to Sonata’s throat. “Had to leave your presents back in Equestria, don’t worry, I’ll go get them once I’m done with my STUPID sister here.”
“Look… on… bright…side…” Sonata wheezed as her face went from blue to purple. “You… don’t… boyfriend…” She passed out, and Mac lifted Aria off Sonata, the blue siren taking a deep breath of air greedily.
“Alright, that’s enough.” He scolded Aria. “We’ll get this figured out later. Please tell me you have something else to wear other than this thing.”
“Sonata has her tank top, and I got panties, we kind of rushed out there as fast as we could.”
Mac grumbled and let Aria drop to the floor and pulled out his wallet and handed a wad of cash to Arizona, “Go down to Rari’s and buy your Aunts some regular clothes, emphasize on the normal. Just shirts and jeans or skirts.”
“Ok, Dad, bye Aunt Aria.”
“Sweet kid,” Aria said, standing up and adjusting her disheveled Kimono, so it covered her properly. “Luna can I get a drink?” A cider was passed into her hand. “Thanks.”
Mac sat down beside her and ordered a refill, Andante took Waltz to look at the games in the back of the bar. “So, what were you two doing in Nippon?”
“We heard rumors Kira was thinking of going to sleep again, so we wanted to stop by and say goodbye, well Sixes and Princess… Queen Luna invited us, they were throwing this really wild party, and there were drinks, and next thing I know, I’m waking up with Sonata and one of Kira’s grandkids in bed. I admit… I overacted and used a long-range teleport to get the portal and come here.”
“And you think that’s enough to get away from Kira?”
Aria paused. “No, but it buys me time. Hate to do this, but once Dagi’s concert is over, I’m cutting and running.”
“Don’t run, Aria! Now we’re both married, so there’s nothing to worry about!”
“Shut up, Sonata!”
Sonata hopped to her feet and sat at the bar, on the other side of Mac away from her sister. Luna poured her a glass too. “I can’t wait to tell Dagi the news, she’s going to be so surprised!”
“You’re not telling her shit!”
“What do you want to tell me?” Adagio asked, appearing behind Mac with Hymn in her arms. “You’re going to have to with Daddy now, Hymn, Mommy’s about to go on stage.” She cooed handing the nine-year-old over. “Now what’s going on with you two?”
“Aria and joined a herd together!”
“No, I did not!”
Adagio scratched her chin, “I though herding was done away with in Equestria.”
“They were in Nippon,” Mac supplied.
“Ah… that makes sense. Well, congrats you two. Let me know when you have kids.”
Aria looked a gasped, “You’re ok with this?”
Adagio hugged both Aria and Sonata around the neck, “If my little sisters want to share a stallion, who am I to judge, try to make it work you two. I got to go do the final prep.”
“Wait, it’s not like that! Adagio! Adagio come back!” The door closed as Adagio waved over her shoulder. “Augh… I can’t tell if she was serious or not. Mac?”
He shrugged, “Don’t look at me, I’m still trying to figure that out after all this time.”
With little choice, the three siblings in-laws sipped their beers. Twenty minutes later Arizona returned with the clothes and Aria, and Sonata changed upstairs. Aria came back down in a pink shirt and jeans and Sonata a light blue shirt and skirt. They stole a pair of Luna’s shoes, so they weren’t walking around in wooden sandals. The portal was weird when it came to transferring clothes sometimes.
“Well it’s almost time,” Mac stated as he gathered up his kids and walked outside with everyone to find a spot to listen to Adagio sing. As he was looking Andante tugged at his arm. “What is it?”
“That’s the strange girl that was late today.”
“Girl?” It took a second for Mac to remember his son saying something about a girl. He followed Andante’s finger and spotted the girl in question. It looked like she was standing with her parents. She noticed them looking and smiled and waved back. She seemed friendly. Something seemed familiar about her though… her parents too, like they were recoloring of people he already met. Like how Moon Dancer and Twilight looked suspiciously alike. He was too far away to tell who they reminded him off.
“Good Evening Canterlot!” Adagio shouted from on stage. The crowd cheering. “Thank you, thank you, you all know me, I’m Adagio Apple, and today marks the fifteenth anniversary of that tragic day when our little town came headfirst into the world’s second-biggest magical disaster. The first being the tragedy that happened in Canterlot City a few days earlier, but it wasn’t until later did we know what actually happened.” She coughed. “Anyway. Today, I would like to honor those who we lost and those that never recovered from that disaster. I know in the grand scheme some songs don’t mean much, but music is its own kind of magic.
As Adagio began to sing, Mac thought of “Never Recovered’ line. It could apply to anyone involved on that day, but he knew who she was actually referring too. Fluttershy still looked like an old woman and was in a nursing home under an alias, her parents gone, leaving on her dipshit of a brother to carry on the family name. Rainbow Dash was also living in hiding, writing books for a living under the name, “R. D. Crash” Somehow, she’s one of the top fiction authors. Pinkie was arguably doing ok, he guessed. Rarity stayed faithful to her word and didn’t involve herself with the girls beside Sunset and Applejack.
Speaking of Applejack, she and her kids showed up, while Feri appeared with his and met up with Luna. He couldn’t see them, but he was sure everyone else part of their little group was here as well.
Adagio’s song came to an end and the crowd cheered, as she smiled and waved. “This next one is for a special friend of mine. She’s not here today, but I hope where ever she is, she hears my feelings for her. This one’s for you, Maddie.”