It had been a few months since Flash and his friends had returned from the Lost City of Faust. In that time, Springer had spent almost eighty percent of his time in the room they had designated for the sole purpose of keeping the eggs that he had received. Every day he would sit and stare at them, both sitting on a table, laying on the cushions that kept them safe. The jakhowl's eyes had several bags beneath them, the defender having very little sleep in the last few weeks.
"Must...stay...awake," he moaned as he sat cross legged with his chin in his paw. "Can't afford...to miss them." Slowly, his eyes began to drift shut. He blinked once, twice, three times before his eyes fell down, slipping into a gentle slumber...only to be instantly awakened by the door opening.
"Springer?"
His head shot up. "What the-I'm awake! I'm..." he let out a yawn, "Awake." He turned to the door to see Flash, Twilight, Heart and Soul.
"Hey bud," Flash replied as he walked into the room. "We were just...wondering how things are going?"
"Oh..." Springer glanced back at the eggs, "Things are going great. The eggs haven't exactly shown any signs of hatching, though that's not exactly out of the norm by now." He sighed, "Why won't they just hatch already?!"
"They will," Twilight assured him before noticing the bags under his eyes. "By the way, when was the last time you had a proper night's sleep?" She then heard a grumbling sound, "Or a proper meal?"
"I had an energy bar yesterday," Springer replied while weakly waving a paw at her, "And I had a nap earlier. Twenty minutes, plenty of time."
Flash and Twilight shared a glance at this, the alicorn's horn now shining, "Springer, you need to give yourself a break before you kill yourself."
"I'm fine..." Springer moaned before a magic aura grabbed him, levitating him upward, "Hey, stop! I can't leave now! What if they hatch while I'm gone?!"
"I highly doubt that'll happen," Flash responded, "If they haven't hatched yet, what are the odds that they pick right this second to hatch?"
"But what if they do?!" Springer yelped as he tried to move, "I don't want them to be alone when they hatch like I was!"
Those words made Flash and Twilight shiver, knowing what he meant. And as these words hit the others ears, Soul spoke up, "Hey, what if Heart and I keep an eye on them?" They turned to her at this, "We don't have anything to do today. We could watch them, and if they do anything, we'll call you."
"Yeah! Leave it to us!" Heart added while nodding.
Springer gave them a long glare, his eyes shifting between them and the eggs. "I don't-"
"I promise we'll keep a close eye on them, and even talk to them if you want us to do that." Soul interrupted while showing a big grin, the sight making Springer turn to Flash and Twilight, both nodded back at him.
Looking down to see he still couldn't move due to Twilight's magic, he let out a long sigh, "Fine...but I wanna be told if they even so much as shake." The two gave him a wing salute before he was pulled out of the room by Flash and Twilight, the two planning to shove as much food as they could down him before sending him to bed.
And so, Heart and Soul got comfortable, both looking over the eggs. It started with Heart flying to their rooms to get some of his comics and Soul's art supplies, the two deciding to take turns watching the eggs while the other did whatever they wanted.
Three hours later, Soul was now staring at the eggs while Heart was reading a comic. She took a cloth and began to slowly wipe the shell as she spoke up, "You know, there's a whole wide world out here just waiting for you. It has so many amazing sights and sounds, and so many kind ponies just waiting to meet you."
Heart chuckled at this, putting his comic down as he moved over to the blue one. "She's right. It's...ace out here," he didn't know why, but he just felt like that was a good word to describe it. "There's lots of great food and fun games to play, and there's always something happening to keep you on your hooves...er, wait-Springer said you have toes. Anyways, it's gotta be way cooler than sitting in your egg all day." He couldn't help but say it again, "It's ace."
Soul laughed before putting the cloth down and gently placed her hoof on the egg. "And there's somepony out here who really wants to meet you. Springer's spent almost every day waiting for you to hatch, because to him, you represent something super special. He's been alone in the world for a long time until now, and now you can be somepony to share his life as a jakhowl with." She pulled the egg closer, "You're more than just an egg. You're a new hope for the jakhowl species. You're a...miracle." Like Heart, she felt that was the perfect word to describe everything.
Then, as she began to rub the egg more...both suddenly began to glow.
"What the-what's happening?" Heart asked as he stared at the blue egg.
"I don't know," Soul whispered, blinking at the sight. "You don't think-"
"Yeah, it might be!" Heart yelped before running up to the room's door and yelling, "EVERYPONY! THE EGGS ARE GLOWING!" He knew he should go get them, but like Soul, he didn't want to look away from the eggs. "GET OVER HERE!" He ran back to the egg, staring at the blue one as the glowing continued on and off for several moments, the time between each glow getting shorter. And as they heard loud hoof-steps coming up the hallway, the glowing stopped pulsing and became one long glow.
The door flew open before Springer jumped inside, now wide-eyed as Flash, Twilight, Spike, Scootaloo and Starlight entered behind him. They all began to gather around the table as the glow got brighter, only for the sound of cracking suddenly filling the room as the egg shells slowly began to break apart. And as the light exploded off the eggs next, blinding them all for a second until their eyes adjusted, the group all gasped at the new sight on the table.
A pair of young jakhowl sat curled up in the egg cloths, both back to back with their faces tucked into their knees and their arms wrapped around their legs. The sight made them all gasp, seeing a mixture of black and blue like Springer on one while the other jakhowl was gold and black with a blue collar around its neck.
They didn't have time to question this new sight, as both began to unfurl themselves from their balled up shape and opened their eyes. Doing so revealed the golden one had blue eyes while the blue one's were green, both in contrast to Springer's normally orange eyes.
For the newly hatched jakhowls, their vision was blurry at first, focus barely solidifying as they began to stare at what was right in front of them. And that was a young pony's face smiling at them, Soul speaking up first as she stared at the golden jakhowl, "Hello there."
"What's up?" Heart added as he shined a smile at the blue one.
The two tilted their heads before speaking together. "Hello."
Heart, Soul and Springer smiled while the others raised an eyebrow, Starlight asking, "Um...did those things just bark? Why aren't they talking?"
Heart and Soul turned to her, blinking as Springer replied, "Oh...right. I forgot about that. When they're young, you can't understand them until their auras are stronger."
"What are you talking about?" Heart asked before pointing at the blue jakhowl, "It just said hello."
"That one did too," Soul added as she pointed at the gold one.
"You understand them?" Flash asked, Heart and Soul blinking at him.
"You don't?" Heart replied before seeing them all shake their heads, "Why?"
"They couldn't understand me when I first hatched either," Springer responded, "It was a while before I was able to communicate with anypony except Flash." His gaze then went to the two hatchlings, both of them looking around before glancing at each other. "If you two can understand them, your auras must be linked."
"Wow..." the twins whispered before turning back to the jakhowls. As they did this, the two jakhowls focused on Springer as he kneeled down and looked them in the eye.
"Can you two understand me?" The two stared at him for a moment before slowly nodding. "Good. My name is Springer. I'm the one who's been entrusted with your safety. Don't worry, I'll look after you and teach you everything you need to know about being a jakhowl."
The two just blinked at him, unsure looks on their faces. As they did this, Twilight spoke up, "Hang on there, there's still a few things we need to decide. First, I think Princess Luna will want to meet them." They all nodded at this, "Secondly, we're gonna need names for them."
Everypony turned to Springer, the jakhowl leaning back, "Uh...me?"
"Yeah. Didn't Princess Luna or Ruby tell you what usual traditional jakhowl names are?" Flash asked, only to get a shake of the head in response.
"No. I have no idea what to name them."
"Name?" The gold one asked, both hatchlings tilting their heads at this as Heart turned to the jakhowl in confusion.
"That's right," Soul responded, "A name is something you give to somepony to help you talk to them. My name is Soul, so if you wanted to get my attention, you would just say Soul, and I'd know you were talking to me."
"And I'm Heart," the colt told the blue one. "Pretty cool word, huh? I'm sure we'll think of something cool to call you two." The blue one tilted its head as a word seemed to echo in its head.
As that word spiraled around in his mind, Scootaloo spoke up. "Do we even know what they are?" The others turned to her as she continued, "I mean, are they both male or female or one of each? How do you tell?"
"That's...a good question." Twilight replied before glancing at Springer. "Is there a way to tell?"
"Hmmm...give me a sec." Springer added as he placed his paw on the blue one, making it shiver as his paw lit up with a calm blue aura flame, "This one's male," he commented before putting his paw on the gold one, "And she's female."
"How do you know that?" Heart asked, Springer smiling.
"I can tell through their auras." He replied before rubbing his chin, "Now about your names..."
"Ace," suddenly said a voice, everypony turning to the blue one.
"What did he say?" Soul asked, having only heard a bark.
"You didn't hear him?" Heart responded, Soul shaking her head. "He said the word ace." He turned back to the jakhowl, "Why did you say that?"
"It...is...familiar," the blue one slowly said. "I...do not...know why."
"Ace..." Flash whispered, "Anypony else feel like that's a good name for him?"
The others exchanged glances, low hums and nods coming next as Springer kneeled down at the blue jakhowl, "Is that what you want to be called?" The blue jakhowl blinked at him, slowly nodding back. "Then Ace it is. I just wish I knew why you picked it."
Heart's brain then clicked, "I think I know." They turned to him. "I was speaking to Ace's egg just before it hatched. And when I did, I used that word once or twice."
"So it heard you from within the egg?" Starlight asked with a raised eyebrow, "That's possible?"
"Must be." Twilight added, "It is said that some animals have been discovered to be able to hear from within their eggs. I guess jakhowls can do it too."
After hearing this, Springer turned to the golden one. "Now, what to call you?"
Soul wagged her tail as she leaned up to her, "Is there a word in your head you like? Anything at all?" The golden jakhowl turned to her before closing her eyes, shifting her head from left to right.
And in the next few seconds, she started to stutter something out. "Me...meer...Mira-"
"Mira?" Soul interrupted, "Is that what you want to be called?" The jakhowl gave her a frown, Soul seeing this before remembering a word she had told the egg. "Miracle?" The jakhowl's eyes went wide before nodding, "That's what you wanna be called?"
"Miracle?" Twilight whispered before smiling, "That's a beautiful name."
Springer looked into her eyes, "Is Miracle the name you want?"
Miracle slowly nodded, "Yes. But...Mira sound nice too."
Springer shined a big grin, "Alright then. Miracle will be your proper name, and Mira can be a...nickname. Sometimes my friends call me Spring."
"They do?" Spike asked, only for Twilight to hit his head with her wing, the look she gave him saying 'don't ruin the moment.'
"Okay," Springer stood up, "Then that's your names. Ace and Mira, welcome to Equestria."
The two blinked at him, both replying in unison, "What's...Equestria?"
What followed was a barrage of experiments and other things for the two. Like Springer when he first came to be, they didn't have any understanding of the world around them, curiosity taking over as they tried to find out any new thing they could get their paws on. They could also talk to Springer and the twins, their speech slowly improving. The others quickly realized Heart could understand Ace but not Mira while Soul could understand Mira and not Ace, while Springer could understand them both. But unlike Springer, they didn't seem to be overly cautious around anypony. They had expected the two to scan the group's aura like Springer had done in the past...but they didn't. They didn't appear to be scared of anything.
The ponies quickly taught them several key needs to survive, such as where to get food, drink and how to use the bathroom. However, the two's lack of caution soon proved to be an issue when met with their boundless curiosity. This mainly happened when they had been shown a window, allowing them to see the big open world. Of course, the two had wanted to run outside and explore, but the older ponies decided that wasn't such a good idea. This lead to the two crying, almost throwing a tantrum until they managed to calm them down with a promise of going out once they were ready.
Now the two young jakhowls in the throne room, sitting on the table while being introduced to the rest of their friends. Fluttershy became star-stuck at the sight of the two, Iron having to hold her back from tackling and hugging them. After this, she was asked to medically examine them, which was easy since she could understand them as well.
"Say ahh."
"Ahh," Ace opened his mouth as Fluttershy placed a stick on it while pointing a light into his mouth. She stared inside for a few seconds, only to nod.
"All done," She pulled the stick out. "I'm happy to say that these two are in perfect health."
"That's good," Twilight added before seeing Mira scratching herself behind the ear the way a dog would.
"Oh, aren't they precious." Rarity cooed.
"I guess they do class in what most ponies call cute," Rainbow grumbled, looking away as she tried to not admit how adorable they looked.
"But why is that one yellow?" Lightning asked, pointing at Mira. "I thought jakhowls were supposed to be blue."
"The ones in Springer's tribe are blue," Twilight chimed in, "These two aren't from that tribe. Remember the movie? The jakhowls were all different colors there."
"Oh yeah," Lightning nodded.
"I'm just glad they hatched," Iron grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Now Springer can get back to work."
"I doubt it'll be that quick," Grand responded, "These two still need to spend time bonding. It'll probably be another few days before he can leave them alone."
Iron let out a long sigh at this as the rest of the CMC moved up to them. "Hey there, it's nice to meet you." Sweetie said, only for Mira to let out a yip that only Soul and Springer recognized as a hello, making Sweetie frown, "She can't talk?"
"She'll learn. Remember, it took me a while before I could talk with you all." Springer replied, memories of his adventure up the mountain and the storm he and Flash had been in. He really hoped the two didn't have to go through something like that to learn how to talk.
"This is so exciting!" Pinkie cheered, "We have to have a party to celebrate!"
"Party?" Ace asked.
"Celebrate?" Mira tilted her head.
Heart spoke up at this, "A party is when a bunch of friends get together and have fun. They dance, play games, and eat a bunch of delicious food."
Soul nodded as she continued, "And celebrating is when something happens that's so great you can't help but be happy about it, so you do a party or something else."
Ace and Mira went wide-eyed at this, both clapping while repeating the word party and celebrate over and over.
"Looks like they're on board with the idea," Flash chuckled before turning to Springer, only to see the older jakhowl grimacing at this, "You okay bud?"
"Well...maybe a party's not the best idea," he whispered, trying to make sure the younglings didn't hear. "They're not even a day old yet. They need to learn a lot more before they can start interacting with so many ponies at once."
"You didn't have a problem," Flash responded, "I mean, I know you kept scanning everypony, but-"
"That's just the point. They're not doing what I did. They don't have their guards up like me. If something happens, they won't be able to look after themselves."
Flash waved his hoof at this, "I think you're getting a little paranoid. Sure, a lot of bizarre stuff happens in Ponyville, but not every day. And even if something might happen, you can't let that stop you or them from living your lives."
"But they don't know about anything. If a Speed Stinger suddenly showed up, what do you think they'd do? Run? No, they'd probably go up and try to pet it."
"Then show them what a Speed Stinger is and tell them why they shouldn't do that. If you keep them hidden away in here all the time, they'll never learn about the world."
"That's...." Springer let out a long sigh, "You're probably right." He then turned to Flash with a serious glare, "But if I'm going to show them the world, then I'm gonna make sure they're safe no matter what."
The next day...
As Ponyville prepared to get a good start on the day, the doors of the castle opened before a trio of jakhowls walked out, one wearing a smile while the other two were pouting.
"Why do we have to wear these?" Mira asked while pulling at the baby leash she and Ace were wearing. The two had finally gotten the hang of speaking without much issue, Heart and Soul having helped them learn a series of new phrases they had grown to enjoy.
"To keep you two from running off," Springer replied as he attached the leashes to the belt he was wearing. "This way I'm not exhausting myself by running after the two of you." The two continued the pout, making Springer cross his arms, "We can go back inside if you don't wanna be seen like this."
"Fine..." Ace moaned as he began to walk down the stairs of the castle, "But this is so lame." Springer sighed, wishing Heart hadn't taught him that word.
"Alright then, come on." he and Mira followed him down, the two younglings soon staring in awe as they made their way through the town. The leashes kept them from getting to close to whatever caught their eye, instead asking Springer about everything they could.
Springer explained as much as he could, mainly over what a market and shop was, what Rainbow was doing with the clouds up in the sky and why it wasn't such a good idea to just walk into other pony's houses. Half the time was also spent introducing them to the rest of the town's folk, which usually meant the mares would start hugging, petting and scratching the two behind the ear. If there was one thing Springer missed about being in that form, it was the behind the ear scratches. (For some reason, ponies didn't appear to find his new permanent form scratch worthy.)
But Springer didn't tell them about everything.
At one point, they spotted a mouse scurrying across the street and before Ace and Mira could do anything, a bird swooped down and picked it up. When the two asked Springer where the bird was taking the mouse, he suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to lie. Thankfully, he was able to change the subject when he heard Ace's stomach growl.
"Let's go get something to eat," he told them before spotting Sugarcube Corner not too far off. "Why don't I show you one of my favorite places in town?" He pulled the two to the bakery, only to find a few ponies inside the usually busy shop.
Ace and Mira's noses started twitching here as they sniffed the air, their mouths watering at the smell inside, "What is that?" Mira asked as Springer lead them over to the counter.
"That would be the greatest invention in the history of Equestria," Springer chuckled while sitting down. "Sugar." While losing him his scratching privileges, Springer's permanent body had one upside: He could handle sugar a lot easier now. No more sugar rush induced hallucinations of yellow rodents for him.
"Hey there!" Pinkie cheered while bouncing out of the kitchen, "Welcome to Sugarcube Corner!" She leaned over the counter to scratch the two behind the ear, "What can I get'cha?"
"Something sweet but...not too sugary." Pinkie saluted before zipping back into the kitchen, and soon returning with a tray of cupcakes.
"Here you go," she placed them on the counter. "Try our new honey-filled cupcakes." Ace and Mira took one each, biting in before going wide-eyed at the sweet taste of the slimy liquid hidden within. The two quickly began to scarf down the rest of the desserts while Springer enjoyed his more slowly.
He talked to Pinkie as they two finished theirs, sighing at the taste before hearing a noise that made them look down and see the Cake Twins crawling along the ground. "Oh, hello," Mira got down and picked Pumpkin up, "Who are you?" The baby let out a load of gargles in response, making Springer laugh as the jakhowl replied, "Huh?"
"Now you know how the others feel when you try to talk." Springer responded as the two young jakhowls now understood what they must sound like to the other ponies, though the mental gargles were replaced by barks and yips in their mind.
It was here that Pumpkin's face scrunched up, tears appearing next as Mira raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?" Springer turned to her and saw the look on Pumpkin's face before hearing a grumbling sound coming from the foal.
"Uh oh." he yelped before trying to grab the baby, but it was too late. Pumpkin opened her mouth, a projectile of vomit hitting the jakhowl. She let out a yell of disgust here, now accidentally letting go of the foal. Luckily, Springer was there to catch her.
"Ugh..." Pinkie gulped while Mira continued to let out girly cries of disgust. "Sorry." the party pony apologized before taking Pumpkin. "Why don't you come upstairs and I'll help her get cleaned up." Springer nodded and the three followed her up to her room, Pinkie placing Mira into the tub before fetching some paper towels.
They removed Mira's baby leash and plopped that in a bucket to wash the sick off while Springer began wiping Mira's front to do the same. As Mira was getting sprayed by the close up shower, Ace moved over to the window, opening to view the town. From this height, he could see a lot of Ponyville, now seeing the town hall and the road leading toward the schoolhouse. He could also see the top of the Apple homestead and its surrounding orchards...but what really caught his eye was the large forest off the the side of the town. No matter how far he looked, he couldn't see the other side of it.
"Hey Springer." The older jakhowl turned to him, "What's that?"
"What's what?"
"That large group of trees. Is that the park thing you told us about?"
Springer's eyes went wide as he realized what he was talking about. "That's the Everfree Forest. It's not part of Ponyville."
"Forest?" Mira replied, blinking at the word, "Can we go see what's in there?"
"No," Springer told her before spraying her again with the showerhead.
"Why not?" Ace asked next.
"Because I said so. You two are only allowed in Ponyville, and you're not allowed the leave the town." He knew he should tell them the forest was dangerous, but his gut started to turn at the thought of telling them about the timberwolves, cragadiles, pukwudgies and other mysterious creatures that would want to gobble them up for breakfast. "You two are going to stay away from those woods and that's final." With that, he pulled Mira out of the bath and reattached her still wet baby leash before they could say or do anything. "Now come on, we've spent enough time exploring the town. Time to go home."
The two moaned before being pulled along, now leaving Sugarcube Corner while giving Pinkie a thank you and goodbye before heading back to the castle.
That night...
Flash, Springer and Twilight were walking through the hallways as Springer explained what had happened during the day. "I see," Twilight commented with a long frown, "Springer....I'm glad you told them not to go into the forest, but why didn't you tell them why?"
"Yeah!" Flash added, nodding, "I think they'd understand and not be so annoyed. I mean, they were pouting a lot when they came home."
Springer let out a sigh, "I know I should tell them, but whenever I think about telling them about...anything dangerous, I get this weird feeling in my gut."
"Sounds like you're worried," Twilight instantly responded, "And you're really taking it far."
"Worried?"
"My parents were the same way when Shining left to join the royal guard, and I'm betting they also felt that way when Flash, Spike and I moved to Ponyville. You want to keep them happy and oblivious to the dark and dangerous world outside this castle."
Springer turned to the alicorn, now seeing a glare on her face. He wanted to growl, only to look away, "You...might be right."
"I thought you wanted them to be on guard." Flash asked as they arrived at a pair of doors. "Why the sudden change of heart?"
"I don't know," Springer sighed again. "What if...what if I show them how dangerous the world really is and it changes them completely? What if it makes them so scared of the outside world that they never want to even try and live their lives?"
Flash raised an eyebrow at this, "So you're going to keep them from becoming scared of the outside world...by keeping them away from the outside world?"
"I'm not going to keep them away," Springer barked back, "I just need to keep them from seeing anything too bad until they've grown to love the great things about the world so much, that nothing would make them want to stay away. Then I can tell them about the world's dangers and how to deal with them."
Flash and Twilight shared a glance before Flash admitted, "I'm still confused."
"Eh, what else is new." Twilight giggled before they turned back to the doors. "Well, here it is. I hope they like them."
They opened the doors and looked inside, seeing a pair of bedrooms that Ace and Mira could have all to themselves. The group had quickly realized the smaller room they had kept the eggs in wasn't going to cut it, so they quickly worked to get these rooms ready. There wasn't much yet, but this way Ace and Mira could decorate it how they wanted. Each room had a basket they could sleep in, gifts from Fluttershy, and some empty bookshelves and toy chests. They weren't the lap of luxury, but they were better then the basket Springer and Spike had at the beginning.
"I'm sure they'll love it," Springer added before letting out yet another sigh. "Hopefully, it'll stop them from being upset with me."
"Don't feel bad Springer," Twilight chimed in as she patted him on the back. "You're just starting out. It'll take time for you to learn what you need to do in order to help Ace and Mira understand the world around them. Just wait, they'll be calling you dad in no time."
This caused Springer's eyes to go wide. "Dad?!" he yelped, "I'm not their dad!"
"You pretty much are," Twilight replied, "You've been looking after their eggs, you helped them hatch and now you're raising them. How is that not a father?"
"But I...I can't be their father!"
"Why not?" Flash asked.
"Because if they see me as their father, they'll start seeing each other as siblings."
"So?"
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"No!" Springer yelled, "They're the last hope our kind has for survival! How are they supposed to rebuild our species if they start seeing each other as siblings?!" Flash and Twilight raised an eyebrow at this, only for their brains to connect to what Springer was going for. "Just do me a favor and don't refer to me as their father. I'm their caretaker, guardian and teacher. That's all I'll ever be. Now come on, let's show them their new room."
Springer walked away at this, Twilight and Flash exchanging glances as Flash commented, "This isn't gonna end well, is it?"
"Well...I mean, we can't really stop him Flash. This is something he'll need to learn for his new role in this."
"True..."
A few minutes later, they found Ace and Mira in the library, playing with Twilight's pet Owlicious. After this, they were shown their rooms, both awestruck at the simple places. "WHOA!" They cheered as they ran inside, Ace instantly going to lay in the basket while Mira looked inside the toy chest, only to find it empty.
"Don't worry," Twilight replied, "We'll get you some stuff the fill this place up with. This is your room, so you get to decide how it looks." The two shined big smiles as Twilight turned to Springer, "Maybe you can get them some stuff tomorrow."
Springer shook his head, "I was actually thinking of going on patrol tomorrow. It has been a while since I've done it, and I'm feeling a little rusty." This got a frown from the two, Springer seeing this and knowing his choice wasn't the best. Despite this, he knew he wanted to show them responsibility, which meant he had to lead by example.
"Maybe you can take them after your patrol," Flash suggested.
"We'll see," Springer responded, the two smiling before starting to move things around the room, trying to get it just right. They pushed the baskets to different spots, Mira wanting hers to get a perfect view of the sunset when she lay in it while Ace wanted his in a place there the morning sun wouldn't disturb him.
The rest helped move everything else around until the bedrooms were perfect, this being the time Heart, Soul and Scootaloo returned from school. As for the rest of the day, it was spent with the six younglings, Spike joining them as they played a series of games while the older ponies went away for their own free time. They found some games to be quite a challenge since Ace and Mira couldn't be understood by everypony, so question and answer board games proved difficult. And before they knew it, it was time for bed.
The next next morning...
With the kids off to school, Springer and Flash were preparing to head out on patrol. They made their way through the castle, now arriving at the library to find Twilight and Starlight working on a new spell. "Alright, we'll be heading out."
Twilight turned and nodded at him, "Okay." She glanced at Springer, "You sure about this? It's not too late to change your mind."
Springer waved his paw, "Eh, it's not like I'm going far. I'll still be in town, and I can come back to check on them at any time. Just keep an eye on 'em."
The two nodded, only for Twilight to reply, "Oh, before you go..." Her horn lit up to summon a scroll, "We got a letter from Celestia and Luna. They're happy about the eggs hatching and are looking forward to meeting them. They're trying to shift a few things around so they can come as soon as possible, especially Luna."
The two nodded back and properly headed out of the room, splitting up so Springer could go check on the two before he left. He then went and knocked on their doors, both voices telling him he could come in. Going inside, he found Ace playing with a toy train Heart had let him borrow while Mira was playing solitaire the way Starlight had shown her. "Alright, I'm heading out. You two stay in the castle and if you need anything, Twilight can help you."
"How?" Mira asked, "She doesn't understand us."
"Yeah," Ace added, "How are we supposed to communicate? Miming? Come hither stares?"
Springer glared at the jakhowl, seeing Heart's snark which he had learned from Flash already getting into Ace. "You'll figure something out," He deadpanned, "Just remember-"
"Don't leave the castle," they interrupted together in a bored tone. Springer rolled his eyes and spun around, the two waiting for him to be gone before moaning. "Why can't he just let us have fun outside?" Ace asked, rolling the train away and laying back on the floor.
"He thinks we're babies," Mira sighed.
"But we are babies. We're younger than those Cake Twins that spat up on you."
Mira grimaced at this. "But we're smarter than those babies. We just need to prove that to him. Then there'll be no more staying in the castle."
"No more leashes," Ace added.
"No more babysitters," Mira finished before standing up and looking out the window. "If we go out, do something and then come back, he'll realize we can look after ourselves."
"So where do we go?" Ace moved over to his own window, his gaze quickly landing on the Everfree Forest. A smile slowly appeared on his lips, "I have an idea."
Three hours later...
Twilight and Starlight walked out of the library, done with a spell before seeing Spike. The drake was carrying a try of cookies, which he turned to them, "Hey you two, wanna snack? I had a serious baking urge."
"What's in them?" Starlight asked, picking one up with her magic.
"Nothing special. Just normal chocolate chip cookies."
"Sure," Twilight took two. "Can't have too many though. I'm having lunch with Fluttershy and Rarity."
"I'll have a few," Starlight stuffed some down her throat and moaned happily. "Anyways, I gotta get going. A letter from Sunburst should be showing up today, and I'm gonna see if it's at the post office."
"You okay to look after the jakhowls?" Twilight asked Spike, the little dragon suddenly thinking back to his last time looking after a bunch of animals.
"Uh...I'll be fine," Spike replied, "I'm sure a few cookies should keep them occupied, no sweat."
"Great," Twilight and Starlight spun around, heading for the exit. "See you later."
With that, the two magical ponies left while Spike turned to head for Ace and Mira's rooms. He soon knocked at their doors, "Hey you two, I've got cookies." He was expecting to hear before come running and throw open the doors...only for nothing to happen. "Uh...you in there?" he asked before creaking the doors open. But as he did this, the cookies hit the floor as he whispered, "Oh no." Inside was nothing but a card tower, making him gasp, "Oh no, no no no..."
The young jakhowls laughed as they snuck over to the Everfree Forest. Thanks to most ponies never wanting to look at the place, they got there undetected. And now they were staring up at the large mass of trees, the forest looking a lot bigger now that they were closer to it. The pillars of lumber loomed over them, the forest's shadow consuming them as fear began to hit them.
"Freedom, here we come." Ace spoke up before turning to Mira, "Ready?" But as he asked this, he saw and felt a sense of dread coming off her. "Mira?"
"I...I don't know," she whispered. "Now that we're actually here...it doesn't feel so good not having anypony here with us."
"Come on, we'll be fine." Ace replied, "I mean, look at Ponyville. It's awesome. I bet the forest will be just as awesome." Ace turned back to it, "Springer probably just wanted to hog this place all to himself."
Mira took a deep breath and nodded, "Yeah. Or he's just scared of nothing. He seems to worry about everything."
"Hope we don't grow up to be that cowardly," Ace laughed before walking into the forest, Mira following behind him as the two were soon consumed by the darkness of the trees.
"ACE!" Spike yelled as he ran through the castle, "MIRA!" There was no answer, "This isn't funny anymore!"
He zigzagged through the hallways, checking every room he came across. He eventually came to a stop, huffing and puffing after running for almost a mile. "Oh...just my luck." he moaned as he tried to get his breath back, "Springer's going to kill me when he finds out."
"When I find out what?" Spike had a mini heart attack before spinning around, now seeing Springer walking down the hallway, sweat beginning to pour down his head. "Spike?" Springer crossed his arms, "What's going on?"
"Well..." Spike took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Ace and Mira are gone." Springer said nothing as Spike kept his eyes shut. "I went to check on them after Twilight and Starlight left, but their rooms were empty and I can't find them anywhere." He continued to wait for Springer's response, but there was none. Instead, he slowly cracked an eye open...only to see nothing. Springer was gone.
What could only be described as a blue blur, the jakhowl burst out of the castle, quickly landing in front of the building's front. He looked up before going into full Velocity Strike, his speed allowing him to zip up to the top of the castle. There, he clapped his paws, closing his eyes as he took the deepest breath of air.
"Where are they?" He sent a pulse of aura out in every direction, scanning the entire town. "They're not there...if that's the case-"
His body shivered as he sent his aura to the Everfree Forest. "No!" His eyes shot open, instantly jumping off the castle before his body glitched out, suddenly landing before running straight for the forest.
Meanwhile...
Ace and Mira were still making their way through the forest, Mira now speaking up as they climber over a log, "Maybe we've gone far enough." They jumped down next, landing in a muddy puddle that made her scowl before kicking it off her feet.
"This was your idea," Ace reminded her. "We'll just walk through this forest, then go back. Maybe we can bring something back to prove we were in here."
Mira hummed at this, "Okay...but where are we going anyway?"
"How should I know?" Ace asked as they continued to trod through the forest. "I've never been here before." His nose then caught something that made him stop, "Hey," He took a sniff, "Do you smell that?"
Mira sniffed and caught onto what he was smelling, "Honey," she licked her lips before the two followed their noses and moved deeper into the forest until they found the source of the smell. It was a hive hanging from a tree several feet up, the two smiling at the sight.
"I got this." Ace chuckled as he leapt at the tree, quickly wrapping his arms around the trunk and gripping it with his paws' nails. Now firm, he used his feet to push himself upward, managing to get about half a foot up before he suddenly felt his grip break. "No, no, no, no, no!" He yelped as he slid down the tree, carving a bunch of lines until he reached the bottom. "Okay, I don't got this."
Mira giggled before shining a smirk, quickly leaping up while using Ace's head as a springboard. "HEY!" He yelped as she jumped upward, doing several flips until she landed on the lowest branch. She then started jumping from one branch to another, easily climbing the pillar of lumber. "Wow..." Ace whispered as she reached the branch under the hive.
The jakhowl held onto the trunk while balancing on the branch, slowly making her way on the thin branches. Ace was impressed she didn't lose her balance, Mira now reaching the hive. She looked for a hole, only for time to pass a little too much. The branch she was on had been suffering under her weight, now snapping as Mira gasped at the sudden loss. She instinctively gripped the hive, only for that to be too much for the hive's branch as well.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" She screamed as she began to fall, Ace gasping as he ran up to slide under her.
"GYAH!" He yelped as he broke her fall, getting pinned under her as the hive hit the ground and shattered. "Ow..."
"Sorry," Mira pulled herself off him before helping him up. "You okay?"
"I'll live," he moaned before turning to the hive's remains, both licking their lips in anticipation. But before they could try anything, the two were bombarded by a powerfully dark aura. Not one, but hundreds of angry auras. And the source became apparent when from out of the hive came a swarm of bees, all priming their stingers.
The two glanced at one another before turning to run, the bees chasing after them as they screamed at the top of their lungs. They kept running as fast as they could, not even looking where they were going as the bees drew closer. But as they did this, the ground beneath them suddenly vanished, the two now finding themselves falling over a cliff. Their screams intensified as they clutched one another, looking down to see a muddy lake beneath them.
And with a mighty splash, they hit the surface, both sinking beneath the water for a moment. They then broke the surface of the water, gasping for air before feeling the aura of the bees again. Both tried to start moving, only to feel the muck pull them back. All they could do was hold one another tightly as the bees started to charge, bracing for the stinging of a lifetime...only for nothing to happen.
Instead, the buzzing grew weaker, making the two open their eyes to see the bees flying away. "Huh..." Ace raised an eyebrow, "That's weird."
"Why'd they leave?" Mira's question was instantly answered when they both felt another aura approaching, the two slowly turning to see the muddy water behind them rippling. "What is that?" She slowly asked before something began to rise out of the mud.
It towered above them, but most of it couldn't be seen due to the mud that covered it. But as the slimy goop began to slide off it, it revealed a beast that sent absolute terror through them. A cragadile.
"Whatever it is, it's not friendly." Ace gulped, the cragadile simply glaring down at them. And as it did this, the two felt more presences approaching, now turning to see several more cragadiles appearing out of the mud. "What do we do?"
"I...I don't know," Mira replied as the lead cragadile came to a decision. Time seemed to slow down as it opened its mouth and began to lean in, planning to swallow them both in one bite. The two wanted to escape, but the mud kept them in place, both closing their eyes as they held each other tight, waiting for the end.
"Velocity Strike!" The two's eyes shot open at that outcry, making them look up just in time to see Springer appear between them and the cragadile. And with one mighty kick to the beast's chin, it's head was knocked back at it fell underside up into the swamp. Springer landed on its stomach next, spinning around to glare at the other cragadiles.
He turned back to the younglings before forming a small Aura Blast in his paw, flicking it at them. It struck the spot right in front of them, exploding and sending them flying over to the shore. The two groaned at the impact, but were unharmed as they picked themselves up to see the beasts attack Springer.
The older jakhowl reacted as fast as possible, jumping straight up, which caused one cragadile to crash into the first before he landed on top of it. He did this three more times, forming a cragadile pile before he leaped over to the young jakhowls. "You alright?" The two quietly nodded, still in shock as he replied, "Good," a growl made him turn back to see the cragadiles approaching, "Stay behind me." He got into a fighting stance and stared the beasts down. "I'll protect you."
The first cragadile charged, Springer responding by creating a Bone Breaker and slamming it into the beast's mouth, smacking him away. This was followed by him hitting the others as well, knocking three more down before having to hop back as a fourth cragdile tried to swing his tail at him.
"Steel Paw!" He summoned his claws and slashed into the cragdile's back, cutting through the rock-like hide, making it roar in pain. The defender hopped back to the kids next, slapping his paws together before pulling them apart, creating a line of Aura Blasts that he then sent flying in all directions.
"Wow..." Ace whispered, "He's so cool."
"I wonder if we can do that?" Mira asked before a trio of cragadiles charged at them in a triangular pattern, the two younglings shaking until Springer glowed blue. That light shot off of him, passing through the jakhowls before solidifying into a dome of energy that the cragadiles just slammed into. Springer kept his focus on the shield up now, the cragadiles now increasing in number of attackers. Every one of them was now clawing and bashing their tails at Springer's shield, leaving them no room to escape.
"We're trapped!" Mira cried as Ace hugged himself and fell to his knees.
"We're doomed!"
"Hey," they turned to Springer as he stared down at them, "I told you I'd protect you, didn't I?" The two slowly nodded as they noticed Springer's body beginning to glow again. "And that's a promise I'm going to keep." He turned back to the largest cragadile, which appeared to be the leader, the two glaring at each other. "I won't let them, or anything, harm you two. EVER!"
With that, his entire body exploded with a rainbow of light. Ace and Mira gasped as they saw his body shift and change, lightly shooting off his body to reveal his mega form. Despite being only a few days old, the two knew they would likely never see a sight as amazing. Springer roared as his shield began to reshape, morphing into his own head before taking the form of his upper body and arms. The arms began to swing around, colliding with the cragadiles and knocking them away.
"WOW!" The two gasped with stars in their eyes. "I can't believe he has this much power," Mira whispered as Ace nodded in agreement. And as they watched, they stared at the jakhowl's back, both now able to see he was a thousand times stronger than they originally thought he was.
But before they could say anything, the cragadiles began to attack the avatar, showing incredible jumping abilities as they leapt up and bit into the arms. Springer flinched at this, surprised he could actually feel the pain though he wasn't receiving any actual damage. He began to swing his arms around, throwing them off before one of them bit into the avatar's neck.
"Augh!" He flinched while falling to his knees, the kids gasping.
"Springer!" Ace cried.
"You have to stop!" Mira added, both now feeling Springer's aura waver. She began to tear up as she felt pain in the aura.
"No way," Springer grunted while pushing himself back up. "I said I'd protect you, and that's what I'm gonna do." He was now back on both feet, his aura arms reaching around and grabbing the cragadile to throw it away. "We're all that's left. We owe it to those that came before us to survive. My parents, who fell protecting me and Equestria from the tricksters. Your parents, who chose to find a way to save you instead of themselves from the virus that killed them, and all the others that fell before us." The avatar began to glow brighter, "Our race is counting on us to survive. And no matter what, I'LL MAKE SURE THAT HAPPENS!"
With that, the avatar's light exploded to a blinding degree as it grew larger. The jakhowls also began to float, Ace and Mira feeling something beneath them that kept them in line with the avatar's head. Some kind of invisible floor, which kept them safely out of the cragadile's reach. Soon, everything but the legs of the mega jakhowl had formed while the backs of its paws grew the spikes Springer had. This seemed to re-energize Springer as he let out a mighty roar before swinging his arms and headband appendages around, knocking the cragadiles away with even more force.
Using his avatar's new spikes, he smashed through the cragadile's armor, exposing the softer under-skin. "This ends...NOW!" Springer brought both the avatar's hands together before slamming them, creating an aura shockwave that hit every single cragadile, knocking them all away.
And as they all went flying, the jakhowl grabbed the younglings and dispersed the avatar, jumping away from the water right as the flooring vanished. Landing on one of the branches, he leapt from one tree to another while holding the two under his arms. By the time the cragadiles recovered from the shockwave, there was no trace of the three in any direction.
As Springer reached the edge of the forest and leapt out of the trees, he landed and slid to a stop before dropping the kids and falling to one knee. Ace and Mira turned to Springer, just in time to see him return to his true form, panting heavily as he slumped over.
They were about to ask him if he was okay, only to see a seriously angry glare on his face, making them freeze in place. "What were you two thinking?!" They both flinched, "Going into the forest alone?! Going anywhere alone when we told you not too?!"
"We just wanted to explore it," Ace whimpered out, "You never let us do anything alone."
"And look what happened when you tried to!" Springer yelled as he pointed at the forest. "Did it ever occur to you that we didn't want you going anywhere alone for a reason?!" The two looked away at this as he continued, "You're only a few days old. You don't know anything about the world. Ponyville is a peaceful place, but that doesn't mean the rest of the world is safe."
It was here he saw the two just shrink away, making him sigh before sitting down on a log. He gestured to them to sit down, both slowly coming over to him, "Listen...I'm sorry that you felt trapped, but you're not ready to be alone in the world. You don't know the first thing about it."
"But...we can learn," Mira replied, only to flinch as she expected him to yell again.
However, Springer just nodded back, "Yes, you can. In fact, that's what I want you to do." She turned to him with wide eyes, only for the defender to lean down, "But how do you expect to learn anything if you keep getting yourselves into trouble? It's better to have somepony with you that can show you what something is and tell you why you should be careful around something." He pointed to the forest. "I was gonna show you the forest in a few days, when you understood something very important."
"What's that?"
"That the world isn't as bright and beautiful as Ponyville makes it seem. Like I said, the rest of the world isn't as safe as this town. Heck, this town can be dangerous sometimes. Monsters that are both big and small, threats from a thousand years ago, heck even ponies can't be trusted all the time. The ones in this town are all good, but there are ones out there willing to do whatever they want to fulfil their goals, even hurting others."
Ace and Mira glanced away again, only for Mira to look back up at him. "If the world is so dangerous, why wait to tell us? Why not let us know right away?"
Springer let out a long sigh, "Cuz...you're young. I...I didn't want you to start your life the same way I did." The two raised an eyebrow at this, making him sigh again, "I didn't get the start you two did. I wasn't surrounded by ponies that cared about me when I hatched. Heck, I wasn't surrounded by anypony at all. I was alone in those woods," he pointed to the forest once more. "I didn't know what I was and where I came from. I just started wandering around, using my aura to keep me safe. It wasn't for long, but it affected me. Made me paranoid. And then, like you, I was attacked and had to be saved, which ironically was how I met Flash. Even when I met him, I still felt the need to check the aura of everything I met. It was a long time until I didn't feel the need to always do that...and that's not what I wanted for the two of you."
The three of them remained in silence for almost a full minute until Ace spoke up, "The world's really as dangerous as you said."
"It is." Springer said with a nod, "But there's just as many good things about the world. It's all about balance. For every good, there's a bad. You just have to be able to handle the bad stuff."
"And being with others helps deal with the bad?" Mira asked, getting another nod from Springer.
"We care about you. That's why we want to help you learn everything you need to know about staying safe in the world, so you can enjoy the good things."
"Is what you did one of the things we'll learn?" Ace asked, "You know, that cool aura fighting stuff you were doing?"
Springer chuckled at this, "Yes. Jakhowls were once protectors of Equestria before they disappeared. They had many incredible abilities like the ones you just saw, and I'll teach them to you both." They went wide-eyed at this as he continued, "I know it sounds great, but you need to remember something. What I'll be teaching you isn't something like your toys. Using aura is a responsibility, one you need to use the right way. Understand?" The two nodded back. "Good." With that, Springer stood up. "I hope you understand now why we were so strict with you. It's because we don't want anything bad to happen to you."
"We understand," Mira added, "And...we're sorry."
"We won't do anything without your permission again," Ace continued.
"Good. Now, I know you hate being restricted, but it won't be forever. We'll do our best to help you learn everything you need to know to stay safe without us around." He turned away, "Now, let's get back before anypony notices we're gone."
The two nodded and followed after him, now happy to stay close to him and not wander off. Today might not have been a perfect day, but now the two understood that the world wasn't perfect. This knowledge would just be the start, both understanding the difference between something that was dangerous and something that was safe. And until then, they had many close friends willing to help show them the way.
As Celestia lowered the sun and Luna raised the moon, the castle's residents were now in the library/living area. Heart, Soul, and Scootaloo were on the floor around a board game called Forbidden Island, which they were teaching Ace and Mira how to play. Flash and Springer were up on the couches, both reading comics.
"Alright," Heart moved his black pawn one space, "I shore up Howling Gardens and Lost Lagoon." Soul used her magic to pick up the tiles to the pawn's left and right before flipping them over, then put them back down. She took two cards from the top of one of two decks next and gave them to Heart, who smirked at them, "Yes, that's just what we needed to get the last treasure!" The others smiled, Mira clapping as Soul drew three cards from another deck of cards.
"Twilight Hollow, Dunes of Deception and Copper Gate." She used her magic to flip three of the tiles over before Ace started his turn.
Flash and Springer chuckled as they listened in, happy to see they were enjoying themselves. But as they did this, they heard the door open, Twilight then peeking her head inside. The princess gestured to the two, making them raise an eyebrow before slowly walking over while not getting the kids' attention.
Once outside the library, they found Twilight, Spike and Starlight all with frowns on their faces, "What's up?" Flash asked, only for Twilight to lift a scroll in her magic.
"We have a new problem. Celestia just sent this over," she replied before floating the parchment over to Springer. "You might wanna take a look. Its for you." Springer took the scroll and opened it up, his eyes shifting over the words. Flash watched as the jakhowl froze up, only to growl as suddenly ripped the paper in half.
His eyes slowly shifted up, a blue flaming aura consuming his paws as he hissed, "Shade..."