Five Years Later…
Trixie woke in her house, and looked over lovingly at her hubby. Gearbox smiled at her. “Morning, gorgeous. How did you sleep last night?”
She cozied up to him, sighing. “Wonderfully, as always.” She stretched and got up to get ready for the day. She put on a purple blouse and a pair of blue jeans. It was still somewhat awkward fitting her wings through the slots in the back of the blouse, but it was all part of adjusting.
After she put on her black sneakers, she then heard a voice of a young boy. “Mom! Sly Shuffle’s not being nice to me!”
She heard another boy pipe up. “Stuff it, Misdirio! This is betwixt only you an’ me.”
Trixie sighed. “I’ll take care of those two. You take care with your tech biz, alright Geary?”
He chuckled. “Alright, dear. I’ll see you after work.”
Trixie left the room, and went upstairs to the family room. She looked down on her twin sons, arms crossed. “Alright you two. What exactly seems to be the issue here?”
Sly huffed, crossing his light gray furred arms. “Myst is just being a big baby! I barely touched ‘im!”
Misdirio shook his head, and flailed his dark blue arms. “Liar! You were noogying my head again, mocking that I didn’t have a horn like you or mommy!”
Trixie huffed deeply, and shook her head. “You two really don’t like getting along, do you? You could have woken up you little sister!” Trixie sighed. “Besides, your father wouldn’t take kindly to you doing that. He doesn’t have a horn either.”
Sly looked away, his silver hair covering one of his maroon eyes. “Sorry, mommy. I won’t do it again.” He turned to Misdirio. “Sorry, Myst. I… wasn’t thinking.”
Misdirio grinned, his light lavender hair shimmering and his ice blue eyes gleaming. “It’s alright! ‘Lil sis has something neither of us does! Wings, like mommy!” He turned to face Trixie, a question forming on his face. “Why is that? Why do you have both, mommy?”
Trixie was about to answer when her cellphone rang. She held up a finger as she got it out of her pants pocket. She answered. “Tyra! It’s been a while. So, how are things with Clyde?” She smiled. “That’s good to hear. Hm?” She paused, then gasped. “Oh, right! That’s today! I gotta get going, then. See you there!” She hung up, and put away her phone. She then spoke to her sons. “Now, mommy’s got to meet her friends today, so you two play nice. I’ll leave you with Dopplemommy, kay?” She cast a spell, and a dopplegänger of herself was created. She was glad that she had figured out how to cast that, with help from Maestro. She waved. “I’ll be off!” She then teleported away.
At Ashley’s farm…
Trixie phased in, and looked around. All of her friends were there, and so were Twilight and the others. There were a few people missing, but they would likely show up later.
A few moments later four figures flicker in. They were a young pegasus filly tan body fur with amber tail and mane, three marked mice. The pegasus kneeled so the largest could step down and help the smaller ones down. "Thank you Indy now go inside and tell Granny Smith 'hello' and watch over your brothers.". The young pegasus nodded as her brothers climbed up her legs to sit on her shoulders. Alex then turned to face Trixie and said, "How's being one of the first to birth the first generation of anthros?"
Trixie gave an exhausted sigh. “Lots of work. Sly and Misdirio get on each other’s nerves a lot. It’s a small blessing that Swift is too young to join her brothers’ feud.” She looked at everyone there, a small frown on her face. “I thought this was supposed to get everyone here… Where is everybody else?”
Tyra approached, and laid a hand upon Trixie’s shoulder. “They’ll be here. We can’t celebrate the anniversary without everyone, after all.”
It was then that Maestro teleported in. He brushed off his vest, and looked around. “Well. Guess I’m not the only one who’s late.” He raised a hand, and smiled softly. “Hey, Trix. Ty. Lex. Cheryl. Rae. Carm. Dia.” He sighed. “Sorry that Sarah can’t make it. She’s home, taking care of Symphonia and our boys.” A chuckle escaped his mouth. “I swear, those kids of ours…”
Ashley approached, a grin on her face. “Well, at least some of ya made it on time!” She looked around, and pointed to the entrance of her farm. “Looks like Twi’s come wit’ th’ others!”
They all turned to see that Twilight had indeed arrived with Rarity, Pinkie, Micaela, Flora and Ayumi in tow. There still were a few missing from the reunion, however. Twilight went up and hugged Ashley. “It feels like ages since we all got together like this…”
Ayumi nodded. “I’ll say. Last time, we had to defeat a powerful evil... “ She shuddered. “Let’s hope that doesn’t happen again.”
Maestro gave a thumbs-up. “So far, no ill visions of the future yet. It’s all pretty rosy for now.” He then paused, and smiled. “Ah. Most of the clan is coming.”
True to his prediction, Chessmaster, Janice, Servo, and Moonmira- as Natalie had taken to calling herself now- arrived on the scene. Chessmaster looked at the crowd and whistled. “My oh my. This brings back memories.”
Janice looked around for a bit. She raised an eyebrow at the fact that anthro children were running about. “I thought that everyone would’ve left their kids home.”
It was then that Servo addressed the elephant in the room. “Speaking of… some of them look awfully familiar, don’t you think?”
Trixie nodded. “Yeah. My boys…”
Maestro sighed. “Symphonia.”
Chessmaster ruffled his wings. “My son and daughter.”
Moonmira shifted uncomfortably, her catfolk tail bristling slightly. “Same with my son and daughter. They… look like the ones that went back in time.”
A silence fell as it sank in. Rae looked uneasy. “Wait, does that mean that they’ll have to go back? Y’know, to keep our present stable or something?”
Maestro shook his head. “I’ve consulted with Excalibur, and it doesn’t look like it. Our reality is stable, possibly because the ones we saw are now from an alternate future…” He paused. “It still doesn’t explain everything, though.”
Alex chuckled then said, "At least those of you who have children don't have to worry about your kids becoming adventurers."
Servo raised an eyebrow at that, then gave a shrug. “It makes some sense as to why my daughter didn’t go back with them, though. After all, it’s not exactly like I met her dad by the point they came back in time. Heck, she might not have even existed in their future.” She did look to Alex’s kids with a perplexed look. “Though, it doesn’t fit as to why those three weren’t there…” She shook her head. “Not that it matters, anyway. It’s over and done with.”
"I know why. It's the fact my family tends to actively avoid time of we can. Indiana, Harison, & James would've either tried to talk them out of going or were on adventures of their own thanks to the family curse." Alex said.
Maestro huffed. “Part of me wants to go back in time and slap that boy…” He shook his head. “It’s one thing to go back in time. But to have a crush on his cousin? Geez.” He looked at Trixie, and gave a nod. “Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen.”
She gave a grim nod. “Agreed.”
Just then, a figure approached. It was Leon, and he went over to Servo and gave her a hug. “Ey ther sweetums. Sorry tha’ I’s been away. Rough work on th’ office trip yu know…”
She gave a small chuckle as she shook her head. “What am I going to do with you…? You almost missed the celebration.”
He took a look around, and saw the strange looks he was getting. “Ah. Right. I’s gessin’ tha’ chu guyz arnt t’ keen seenin’ me ‘ere. I’s wasn’t ‘round when chu were all savin’ th’ world.” He gave a hearty chuckle. “Then agin, what diffrence would a human have made? Not much, tha’s for sure.”
Chessmaster gave him a hearty slap on the back. “Nonsense! I might not understand what my sis sees in you, but you’re family now.” He gave him a small glare. “Don’t go breaking our trust now, alright?”
Leon gave a nod and saluted. “Yuz got my word. I’s wouldn’ be doin tha’ to chu guys anyway.” He looked around for a bit. “So Phantom ain’t here, huh? I’s wuz hopin’ to have a chat wit’ him.”
Moonmira shook her head. “Phantom has been a bit busy, what with all the people asking him to help them talk with those beyond the grave. At first he wasn’t sure about it, but it also helps the spirits move on, so he’s been putting quite an effort into it now.”
Janice looked around, a bit glum. She let out a sigh. “Why is it that I’m the only one here that doesn’t have a serious relationship? Guess I just don’t have the right luck…”
Trixie raised an eyebrow. “Last time I checked, you were dating somebody. Did it not fall through with Lucky Dice, then?”
Janice looked away and shook her head. “I-it’s not like that. We’re… seeing other people. Taking a break.”
Carmen chuckled at that. “Ah, no harm in that little lady! I had to date quite a few guys before I found love. These things can take quite a bit of time, you know.”
Twilight nodded. “Yeah. I mean, for me and some of my friends it was a bit more awkward to date guys at first… some of us used to be them ourselves. But in time, we did find somebody that we were happy with.”
Maestro looked over to Diana. “So, how’s Eric? Has he been holding up alright?”
She gave a soft nod. “He’s fine, Maestro. I’ll let him know about your concerns.”
Just then, a light orange pegasus colt anthro bolted onto the scene, right up to Chessmaster. “Dad! Avira won’t stop chasing me!”
Not long after those maroon eyes tried pleading, a dark yellow griffon chick anthro bumped into the first, orange eyes furious. “Stratos! Give back my doll!”
A sigh came from Chess as he set one hand on Stratos’ white mane and one on Avira’s black-tipped fur. He closed his hands and grabbed, causing the two of them to squirm. He looked over to the others. “Gotta be off… discipline awaits.” With a flash of his magic, the three of them were gone.
Maestro let out an amused chuckle. “Ah, twins. Makes me glad that Symphonia doesn’t have a twin. She does have younger brothers, though. Plus a little sister on the way…”
At that, Moonmira gasped. “Sarah’s giving you two another child? How many does that make this now? Phantom and I have had our hands full with the ball of light purple furry energy that is our son and the ice blue stoic that is our daughter. We haven’t had time to… *mhm* Nevermind.”
Servo looked to Leon, and they shared a nod. She turned to the others. “It’s been great to be here and all, but we really must jet. Alyza must be bored out of her mind back home. We’ll be seeing you!” Leon grasped his wife’s hand, and she teleported the two of them away.
Maestro was about to comment when a dark indigo thestral filly barrelled into him. “Daddy! Come home. The boys are driving me nuts!”
Maestro sighed as he looked into her red-violet eyes, then he ruffled her off-white pink mane. “Alright Symphonia. Let’s get going.” He waved at the others. “See you ‘round.”
As he was about to leave, Ayumi called out. “Wait!” This caused Maestro to pause his teleport, and he motioned for her to continue. “When are you going to show us your real face? Don’t we deserve that…?”
A long pause came, and Maestro smirked and shook his head. “Old habits die hard, didn’t I say? I don’t think that I can tell you just yet. The time isn’t quite right.” He waved once more. “Eventually, huh? You’ll know… someday.” And without another word, he teleported away with his daughter.
Ashley scratched her head. “Now, why in tarnation does he have t’ be so darn cryptic? We’ve been friends fer years, yet he doesn’t tell us evrythin’.” She shook her head. “Maybe we ain’t meant to understand him…”
At this, Moonmira shook her head. “It’s not like you’ll never know. He just isn’t ready. A secret like ours… it’s hard, letting somebody in on that. I mean, he let Sarah in when he proposed to her, just as Chess let Briana in when he did the same. It even is like that for us girls, when Phantom proposed to me I let him in, and Servo did much the same when Leon proposed to her. It’s not easy letting somebody in, when you don’t intend to bring them into the family. It takes much longer for such trust to be built.”
Before anyone could think to reply, a light purple catfolk tom jumped on her shoulder. His amber eyes gleamed. “Mom! C’mon, play with me!”
An ice blue pegasus filly soared up to him, blue eyes stone cold. “Ivory. Come back home. Leave mom to her friends.”
Ivory held up his paw-like hands, exposing the yellow patches of fur. “Aw, c’mon Winter Chill. You never play with me, so it has to be mom!”
Winter pushed aside a lock of periwinkle that fell in front of her face. “Don’t be difficult. Home. Now.”
A chuckle escaped from Moonmira. “Ehe. Guess they got away from babysitter again…” She grabbed Ivory by the collar of his shirt, and lifted him off of her shoulder. “Alright, you. Let’s get you home.” She looked to her daughter. “Come on Winter. Let’s go.”
A shrug came from Winter, and she held her mom’s hand. Moonmira lit her horn, and channeled her magic through her cat-like hand. She swung her hand nails extended through the air, ripping open a portal home. She then walked through, and it closed behind her.
Trixie looked at her watch, and gasped. “Oh no. It’s already that time?” She looked up apologetically at the others. “Sorry. Swift should be getting up now, and well… I don’t think my ‘gänger will fool her too well. Didn’t work last time…” She lifted herself off the ground with her wings, and gave them a good stretch. “We’ll just have to catch up some other time. Hold on Swit! Mommy’s coming home!”
She flew off quite quickly, almost forcefully shedding leaves off of the trees from the force of her speed. She got home, and went inside. Her double merged back with her as she went upstairs. Once there, she saw her boys playing a competitive game on the TV. She passed them by to check on her daughter. She went inside, and saw that Swift had just barely stretched her tiny light gray arms. Trixie leaned down as her daughter opened her pink eyes and giggled with glee. She smiled as she ruffled her daughter’s dark purple mane. “Heya, Swift. Did you miss me?”
The baby clapped her hands, shooting up into the air with her wings. Trixie caught her expertly. “Woah there, Swift. Don’t go shooting off like a rocket on me.”
An adorable tilt of the head later, Trixie shook her head. “No, Swift. You aren’t ready to fly all over just yet. I wouldn’t want to lose track of you, you know.”
Swift blinked at that, and began to wail. Trixie winced. “Oof. They never get quieter…” Trixie sighed, and lifted her daughter up. “Alright. Let’s get you some food.” She took her crying daughter downstairs and into the kitchen. She placed Swift into her high chair and made sure to buckle. Trixie went to the fridge and grabbed the bottle of baby food that seemed to be Swift’s favorite. She grabbed a spoon from the drawer, and went over to her daughter. When Swift saw the food, she calmed down as Trixie opened the jar. Trixie smiled as she fed her daughter. “You certainly are a handful, but you’re mine.”
Elsewhere…
A figure lies in the sand, slowly stirring. He looks around. No signs of civilization anywhere. He has no idea of how long he was out, but he’s starving. He tries to get up, but can’t. Pins and needles run across his body. He winces. What was he doing before he blacked out that caused him to feel this way? He couldn’t seem to remember. Actually, now that he considered it… he couldn’t recall beyond waking up here. No name, no favorite foods, nothing. He was… “A blank slate…”
His own voice surprised him. It didn’t sound like his. He checked his ears by screaming- and his voice was back to normal. Something about that voice felt powerful and frightening. He clutched his head as he tried to push the headache away. He was so very lost… If only, he could find… He spotted a mirror. “That’s perfect!” The water behind him was no good for it, too full of muck. Exerting all the energy that he could muster, he pulled himself over to it and took a good look. His eyes widened. “Impossible…”
However, he rubbed his eyes, and the face was gone. But as he saw his own face, he couldn’t get that other face out of his head. An anthro’s face. He paused. How’d he know that, and yet not who he was? He shook his head. It didn’t matter, not if he died. He would find a way out…
To Be Continued In: Days Of The Scions Of Harmony