//------------------------------// // Chapter 17 - Doubts and Answers // Story: Tails of Innocence // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// Tails of Innocence - Chapter 17 - Doubts and Answers 5 Years before Nightmare Moon’s Return “Books are NOT boring!” Twilight shouted, her horn ablaze as she kept pressing her levitation against a filly who only reached her muzzle. “Of course they are! A few pages a day is fine, but hours of reading walls of text are unbearable. They could put a cup of coffee to sleep! Comics are so much better!” Lily responded as her trembling and bent legs sank deeper into the cracked ground. Gritting her teeth, Lily took a step forward, then another, pushing through the crushing force as another drop of sweat fell down her cheek. “Comics have no educational value!” “Books have no value whatsoever!” “GAAAASP! You take that back!” Kyuubi observed combat practice alongside a few new recruits, allowing them to use her first and fifth outstretched tails as a sitting bench. For some reason, even fully grown mares and stallions kept coming up with excuses to make contact with her rich and comfortable fur. Not that she minded. Outside of looking less spacious and no longer as impressive, the training grounds hadn’t changed a bit. Unfortunately, the obstacle course had met its demise, not prepared for Lily and her colossal strength. Kyuubi knew better and reduced her massive size while Lily held nothing back. All that was left were some broken logs and planks scattered across the freshly cratered ground. She glanced at the excited and cheering recruits in pity. Similar to the obstacle course, Lily held nothing back when training the Royal Guard, and those poor souls would soon learn that for themselves. Kyuubi bit her bottom lip and blinked. The tiny earth pony summoned two layers of rocky armor as she took a fireball blast from the gifted unicorn, not moving an inch. The kitsune recognized it as ‘reinforce’, a teaching from an earth spirit that was coming in handy. Lily quickly utilized another earth-related trick, smashing both of her hooves into the ground. The quake was but one form of attack as rocks shot up from under Twilight, who barely shielded herself in time. Lily took this opportunity to attack the barrier with a relentless combo of punches and kicks. Jump-kicks seemed the most impactful, creating cracks on the ground under the unicorn. The bubble cracked, then shattered, but the unicorn inside vanished in a flash of light. Unable to keep up with a teleporting opponent despite summoning a wind element for a boost in speed, a trick Lily had learned from Windy, she decided to change her strategy. She kicked loose rocks with her rear hooves for ranged warfare. Twilight was breathing heavily as she hastily caught the projectiles in mid-air with her levitation and sent them back at the aggressor. Lily leaped left and right, evading or blocking beams of magic while smashing levitated stones. It seemed that while Lily had a much smaller arsenal and less raw power, she made up for it with combat experience.  If Lily had fought almost any other pony, victory would have been hers a long time ago. But not against Twilight whose sheer power and quick thinking usually compensated for her inexperience. Instead, Lily often ended up with burned muscles and sore hooves from relentless strikes against hardened barriers. She didn’t mind though as Kyuubi was always there to heal her, and her body became more durable with each rematch. “Wait, you can fly? How?” Twilight gasped, staring at the filly who was now running on air. “Fly? I wish, but running with the help of wind magic is second best,” Lily said as she ran above her opponent before diving down and swinging her arm. As if a falling bomb, Lily slammed her hoof into a hastily raised barrier, creating a shockwave that Kyuubi felt on her fur. “You would be surprised what you can learn from a Wind Spirit. I bet you want me to introduce you to them.” “I do, I do!” Twilight shouted repetitively in excitement, only for her opponent to show her a raspberry. “Well, too bad, so sad, I’m not going to! Nyah!” Lily said as she jumped up and spin-kicked, causing the bubble to crack. The smoke of anger escaped from Twilight’s ears. She wrapped her levitation around Lily’s rear leg, pulling her a few meters into the air. Then pulled her towards the ground with gravity boosted several times over. Kyuubi bit her lip, closing her eyes upon seeing the impact. Lily’s durability never ceases to amaze me. Still, she can’t just train and compete with Twilight forever. She needs to utilize her talents.  She raised her paw, then rubbed her chin, thinking deeply about her student’s future. She may be unmatched in direct combat, but similar to Shining Armor, she lacks leadership skills and maturity. What to do? Her thinking was interrupted by loud chanting from the recruits. The unicorns cheered eagerly for the gifted spellcaster. Pegasi and the singular earth pony gave their support for the physical powerhouse. Kyuubi narrowed her eyes and glanced at the recruits, feeling their hooves repeatedly stomp on her tail, occasionally even pulling her fur in excitement. With her patience finally running dry, she stood up and hissed. Would you kindly calm down? As her mental pleas were unanswered, she gave a short, aggrieved growl before she hastily pulled her tails away, leaving the confused guards in the dirt. As they turned their attention to the large glaring fox, she sternly chastised them. Next time, be gentle! I have feelings too, you know! And my tails are very sensitive! That said, she departed in a huff, ignoring their pouty expressions and sounds of disappointment. With her tails raised in annoyance, she walked towards the exit. On the way, she spotted the Captain of the Guards, who quickly ran over to calm the ongoing battle with panic clear on his face. Kyuubi glanced over her shoulder and sighed. What about my future? Will there be any need for me once we purify Nightmare Moon? In this new land, more and more ponies keep surpassing me. Am I even worthy of being her student, of being among the best? Her ears dropped, a sad whimper left her mouth. She left the perimeter and lowered her head as she took a walk through the city, ignoring glances and various reactions from the little ponies who quickly got out of her path. How old am I at this point? Fifty? Maybe Forty-Eight? Yet a fifteen-years-old gifted unicorn has already surpassed me in knowledge. I have five powerful tails, yet the magic they offer is more limited and weaker than that of Twilight or her brother. And it is not like I can even train as hard as they do without risking another disaster. She stopped and stomped as nearby ponies and carriages started to go around her, her massive presence blocking at least half of the street.  I grew from a little ball of fur to a three and a half meters tall fluffy fortress. I’m three times bigger than grown stallions and have learned how to strengthen my body from Zecora. She raised her long thin forepaws to examine them. And yet I’m still more fragile and vulnerable than those cute little ponies. She frowned in annoyance. And my sweet little Lily has turned into an almost unstoppable force of nature. It feels like comparing a crumbling wooden castle to a magically enhanced bunker. She closed her eyes, recalling the recent battle. Once the curse was gone, she was no different from an average filly her size with only my blessing to aid her. She started from scratch, struggling for years to become what she is. Each month she trained relentlessly. Each time I healed her, each time I saw her struggle, I felt the weakness of my muscles, wondering if I could even push myself to train even half as hard without giving up. Even if there was no risk of me turning into a ravenous monster, I doubt I would have even half of her resolve. Kyuubi stomped again, receiving a few worried glances from nearby ponies. Thanks to all her hard work, she now surpasses my current strength a few times over, and the gap will keep increasing. She took a few deep, calming breaths. Ponies are amazing creatures, aren’t they? She lowered her head and sighed. Lily thinks of me as her mentor and works hard to fight by my side, but I can tell that Twilight is already a better partner for her. They just haven’t realized it yet. Kyuubi opened her eyes, now staring at her reflection in the glass display of a nearby clothing shop. Is it my fault? Am I too lazy? Is that why those hardworking ponies keep surpassing me? She shook her head. But if I do, I will just put myself and those around me in great danger. I am trapped, a victim of my biology. She touched the glass with her paw, looking at herself in disappointment. The less of us are left, the stronger we become, and the bigger we grow. For the last kitsune, I sure am pathetic. Do I lack talent and determination, or maybe ponies are just a superior race? Whatever the reason, it left her with an odd feeling, as if she didn’t progress enough, falling behind others as if losing a race. She also felt guilt in her heart. Why did everyone else have to work hard when she could have an easy life? It was the fault of her biology, sure, but still felt unfair. “Excuse us!” Kyuubi looked down, only now noticing a crowd of familiar ponies, all smiling at her. A Veterinarian she met a long time ago when she was seeking the cause of her appetite. The doctor who had overseen her health and studied her biology. Another who judged the purifying potion made by her and her friends. And speaking of which... Rosey and Nightbright, her school friends who were now all grown up and held important positions in pony society were here as well. Teachers from the school, veterinarians and doctors she had assisted. Even some pets she healed. There were even some faces she failed to recognize at first glance. What caught her off guard, however, was a large cake levitated in a golden aura. She quickly counted up to fifty candles and forty strawberries in the shape of two circles. She licked her lips at the sight of creamy frosting. Her mentor herself emerged from behind the crowd. How did I miss them all? Was I that distracted? Or maybe it is because of my size. I need to watch my steps from now on. “Happy Arrival Day!” Princess Celestia announced grandly. Arrival Day? That’s a phrase she hadn’t heard before. Celestia stood on her rear hooves, gently stroking Kyuubi’s chest as she needed to stretch to reach it. “I planned to organize it in five years, which would make it half a century since you first arrived in Equestria, but you seemed sad lately, so I decided to hasten it. I hope it was a pleasant surprise.” Nightbright stepped forward and glanced at the alicorn. "I must say, we as a species sure love big numbers. I can't even count how many important events took place a thousand years ago." He murmured to himself, "No doubt being a few centuries off." He winked. "Let's give Kyuubi's celebration once a century of treatment. No one will care if it is a few years or decades inaccurate." A nearby teacher of history facehoofed with the help of a sizable book. Rosey leaped over the crowd, quickly restrained by Nightbright's levitation before she could jump on the kitsune. Kyuubi’s eyes looked over the small crowd in shock, frozen and speechless. A playful boop to her muzzle woke her up from her shock, seeing Princess Celestia hover in front of her before she returned to the ground. “We had hoped to see your spirits raised, my dearest Kyuubi. And though you’ve never craved much attention or recognition, never doubt that there are many whose lives you’ve touched so positively. We’ve gathered here now to show how much you’re wanted for who you are and to let you share in that joy by celebrating this occasion with us. What say you?” I...I… Celestia yelped as Kyuubi quickly bent down to practically tackle the now smaller alicorn and bombard her with affectionate nuzzles and licks. “I’ll take that as a yes,” Celestia said, laughing gleefully as a large but gentle tongue ran over her muzzle. Then there was the soft mass of the large fluffy head rubbing against her just as gently and with no small amount of love. Kyuubi unleashed puppy noises as if trying to convey her joy without the aid of telepathic magic while her tails were flailing in a happy frenzy. So caught up in her affection, she suppressed her predatory instincts thanks to the warmth inside her sizable heart. So what if the alicorn tasted divine and her mind invited her to the magical feast? She just wanted to show her affection and love. Celestia laughed as she rubbed Kyuubi’s big fluffy cheeks lovingly with a happy smile that the massive fox gladly returned. Their long time apart had not diminished the closeness shared between Kyuubi and her beloved mentor. Despite their unfortunately rocky reunion, they were together once again. The two could no longer hold back as Celestia strongly embraced Kyuubi’s head, while the kitsune just basked in her mentor’s affection, tears of joy leaking from their eyes. The moment was captured in the hearts of the present ponies as loud ‘D-awwws’ and joyous laughter filled the air.  The cake was unharmed as well, caught by Rosey before falling to the ground, much to Celestia’s relief. When Kyuubi thought she couldn’t feel happier, many others asked her to tell more about her faith as they headed towards the castle to celebrate. Equestria wanted her, wanted her magic, her fluff, her healing, and even her faith, and it was her duty to deliver.