//------------------------------//
// 24) Family Reunion 
// Story: The Experiments 
// by SapphireRose87 
//------------------------------//

{Henry}

When I came to, I wasn't in the In Between. It looked like the place where I had met The Higher. I looked around trying to figure out what was going on. 

“I don’t get it,” I said. “Did I flatline?”

“Looks like that hat finally fits ya, kid!” The voice spoke in a strange accent just like the one I’d heard in my memories. I turned around to see an orange pony with blonde hair. She was wearing a Stetson hat just like the one I wore.

“You're the voice with that strange accent that I hear in my memories!” I said.

“Strange accent!” The pony laughed.

“I don’t get it,” I said. “Did I just tell a joke or something?”

That really made the pony laugh.

“You are a hoot, Crimson!” the pony said. “Where are my manners? I guess I should introduce myself to my son!”

I raised an eyebrow. “Huh? At least you’re not Cora! She’s definitely not a mother, that's for sure!”

The pony cleared her throat. “My name's Applejack and the strange accent in your memories come from me being a farmhand when I was alive.”

“Yeah,” said a voice that was just plain weird to me, “and I used to be a Wonderbolt before I died!”

“Don’t scare us like that, Rainbow Dash!” Applejack said as she jumped back in surprise. 

I looked behind Applejack to see a light blue pony with strange-looking hair and I knew it was more than one color but I didn’t know what the colors were because of being color blind. The picture on her butt was a lightning bolt coming out of a cloud. I knew this lightning bolt was different from the ones that Milton and Martin had on their butts but I didn’t know why.

“I’m just curious,” I said, “what do the pictures on your butts mean?”

At that remark, Applejack was laughing so hard she was on her back laughing.

“Butts!” Rainbow Dash growled. “We don’t have butts!”

“He called our flanks butts!” Applejack said, still laughing. 

“Flanks?” I said. I tilted my head. “I’m not following you!”

“Who is this guy, Applejack?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“This guy,” said Applejack, “is our son, Crimson!”

“That’s Crimson?” Rainbow Dash said. “He sure doesn't look like Crimson!”

“Well, duh!” Applejack said. “Are you forgetting that he was stolen from his crib at three years old?  And to add to that, he was tested on! So, of course, he would look different! And I hear he was famous before he even became a god! I’m just wondering, why was that, Crimson?”

“I was the first kid Lab 14 ever took,” I said. “Apparently, I was their most valuable one! I still don’t know why that is!”

“What!” Applejack and Rainbow Dash gasped. 

I looked away. “It’s true, that witch Cora calls me Experiment Henry and she wants me to call her mommy! I don’t know why I didn’t kill her when I had the chance!”

Applejack growled when she heard that. “Lab 14! They’re the reason why we’re dead now! It happened right after your sister Star was taken!”

“She goes by Sarah now,” I said. “And Lab 14 calls her Experiment Sarah. None of us like the word experiment attached to our names. Sarah’s a brat around me! I’m just glad I’m away from her now because she was getting on my nerves.”

“I’m not surprised,” Rainbow Dash said. “She would always pick a fight with you when you were toddlers. You two would fight with your horns as if they were swords!”

“And we didn’t dare break it up either.” Applejack chuckled. 

“Why not?” I asked.

“It was way too much fun to watch!” Rainbow Dash said. 

“Anyway,” said Applejack, “those pictures on our ‘butts’ are called cutie marks. And you’re a pony, your backside isn’t called a ‘butt,’ it's called a ‘flank’."

“I wanna know what you look like as a pony,” Rainbow Dash said. “Can you show us?”

“Sure,” I said. “Unicorn!” 

When I changed into a unicorn, Rainbow Dash whistled at me.

“Yup,” said Rainbow Dash, “you’re Crimson alright! You look just as weird as you did when you were a toddler!”

“Hey!” I said.

“Why do you have to say ‘unicorn’ to change into your pony form?” Applejack asked.

I shrugged. “Don’t know, you’ll have to ask Lab 14 about that one!”

Applejack then pointed to my flank. “Look, Rainbow Dash! His cutie mark fits his name! Our little Crimson is all grown up!”

“What is the point of a cutie mark?” I asked. “Is it something you’re born with?”

“Oh, no,” Rainbow Dash said. “It’s something ponies get when they realize what their special talent is!” 

“And what might my special talent be?” I asked. 

“Hmm,” said Applejack thoughtfully. “Maybe it has something to do with the angry moon that we had back in Equestria!”

“Angry moon?” I repeated.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack laughed again as if I just told a funny joke.

“We called it the angry moon because it happened every time Princess Luna got mad!” Rainbow Dash said. “I wonder what happens when Twilight gets mad?”

“Twilight?” I asked. 

“She’s the current ruler of Equestria,” said Applejack. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stepped down. Everyone adored those two and they were very kind to their subjects. No one knows why they stepped down or where they are for that matter!”

“Oh, I know where they are, alright!” I said through gritted teeth.

“And where would they be?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“They’re in a place called In Between and they’re one the ones stealing children from their cribs!” I said. 

“What!” Applejack and Rainbow Dash said. 

“Yup!” I said. “I’m sorry, but I don’t like being a unicorn for very long. Human!”

It felt much better when I changed back into a human. “I go by Henry now. I don’t go by Experiment Henry. I hate that name! One more question, if you’re dead then am I dead? I thought gods in the In Between can’t die after they’ve reached the tenth death!”

Applejack shook her head and smiled. “Nope, you’re not dead! We just asked The Higher if we could put you in a deep sleep so we could meet you! Sorry about you yanking you out of the air! We won’t do that anymore! Honest, we won’t! I am the element of honesty after all. That was when I was alive, at least. I don’t know who is the bearer of it now.”

“Same thing goes for me,” Rainbow Dash said. “Before I died, I was the element of loyalty. We’ve heard of In Between before. We went there to try and save you and we died doing so. I  had made a vow to protect you and Star at all costs. We failed on that one!” 

“No, you didn’t fail!” I said. “You never broke your vow. You went down protecting me to the very end. That’s practically what I did to save my friend Aria.”

“Now you know where you get it from,” Applejack said. She smiled. “You get it from me!”

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash said. “He gets it from me too!”

“Oh, really?” Applejack teased. “Because if I recall correctly Crimson would always go to me and say mama first before he said mama to you.” 

“That’s funny,” I said, “because every time I gave Sarah a chance to lead the group we were in, her answer to that always was ‘no way!’ So did Star go to you and say mama before she went to Applejack and say mama too?” 

“Now, how did you know that?” Applejack said.

I shrugged. “I just assumed that’s all.”

“I’m surprised by my little ‘Wonderbolt apprentice’, what happened to her?” Rainbow Dash asked with a surprised look on her face. 

“I have no idea on that one,” I said. “She felt better when I became a god and not her.”

Applejack couldn’t help herself because she went into uncontrollable laughter.

“That’s so not funny, Applejack!” Rainbow Dash snapped.

“Is Sarah narcissistic like Rainbow Dash?” Applejack said, using her hoof trying to stifle a laugh.

“That would be a no,” I said. “Although there weren’t any mirrors around when we were running from Lab 14. It’s hard to tell on that one!” 

This time Applejack snorted as she laughed and Rainbow Dash did not look happy about it. I joined in on Applejack's laughter.

“Well, sometimes when kids grow up they don’t always match their parents’ personalities,” I said. “Or so I don’t think so.” 

“Anyway,” Applejack said, “we yanked you out of the air so we could finally meet you, Henry. It's been 22 years! And you’ve grown up to be a fine young Stallion, or Man if that’s what humans are called! No, you don’t have a dad for a parent, just think of me as Mother Number One!”

“Hey,” Rainbow Dash said, “that’s supposed to be my spot, Applejack! Since you already took that, I guess I’m Mother Number Two! The other reason we yanked you out of the air was to congratulate you on becoming a ruler yourself!”

“Ruler?” I said. “Oh, yeah! You’re talking about me becoming a god aren’t you?”

“As my brother would always say, Eeyup!” Applejack said. 

“So I have two mothers?” I asked. “Well, Discord did say he was my godfather! Why did you two name that creature for the job?”

“Ask Rainbow Dash on that one,” Applejack said, once again trying to control her laughter.

“Hey, it wasn’t just my decision!” Rainbow Dash said.

“Yeah,” said Applejack, “he wouldn’t stop pestering us so we gave him the job so he’d shut up! Actually, we gave someone else the job behind his back.” 

“And who might that be?” I questioned. 

“We gave it to Princess Twilight’s assistant, Spike!” Rainbow Dash said with excitement. “He’s a dragon. I hope you get to meet him when you go to Equestria and contact your Aunt Apple Bloom for us.”

“Why do I need to meet my Aunt?” I said. 

“Because she can explain a lot of things about who your family is and stuff like that!” Applejack said.

“Please do this for us!” Rainbow Dash begged.

“It’s our last request before we crossover and can only watch you from the sky,” said Applejack. “We won’t be able to talk to you after this. I wish we could, but this is the only thing we’re allowed to do.”

“Here’s what she looks like,” Rainbow Dash said. 

Applejack stepped to the side to reveal a picture of what my Aunt Apple Bloom looked like. Aunt Apple Bloom was a yellow pony with a strange-looking cutie mark. I couldn’t tell what color it was because of being color blind. She had odd hair, tied up with a ribbon into a bow. 

Applejack tilted her head. “What’s wrong, Henry?” 

“I’m sorry, Mom Number One,” I said, “but I’m color blind and I can’t tell what her colors are or what the colors are in Mom Number Two’s hair!” 

“What!” Rainbow Dash and Applejack said.

I looked away because I didn’t have the heart to look them in the eye. “Yeah, it’s true, and Discord said it won’t go away because, apparently, a god has one limitation and one limitation only. My boyfriend, Derek’s limitation is his glass eye.”

“So you’re not interested in females, huh?” Applejack said. 

“Nope,” I said. I shook my head. “Not at all! I guess if me and Derek adopted then that child wouldn’t have a mother.”

“Well you don’t need to have a dad to complete a family,” said Applejack, “and your child wouldn’t have a mother and he or she wouldn’t need one to complete a family!” 

“Oh, and apparently I can summon lightning bolts when I’m angry, and Discord’s afraid of me now!” I said. 

Applejack and Rainbow Dash's jaws were dropped with looks of disbelief on their faces.

“Discord! Afraid of someone!” Applejack laughed.

“And our son on top of that!” Rainbow Dash laughed along with Applejack. 

I smiled. “Yeah, Derek and I came up with a pet name for him!”

“Now I’d like to know what it is,” said Applejack. “That should be very entertaining!”

“It’s Pestcord!” I exclaimed. 

We all laughed at Discord’s pet name.

“Yeah, that suits him alright!” Applejack said.

“Oh,” said Rainbow Dash, “and we’ll be putting a black mark on the map you have that will lead you to Equestria's gate!”

“How did you know about the gates?” I said.

“The Higher told us about it!” Rainbow Dash answered. 

“Well,” said Applejack, “our time is up. Sorry about that, son, but in any case, we’ll be watching from the sky!”

“And because we’ll be watching you,” said Rainbow Dash, “we’ll always be there with you!”

Rainbow Dash and Applejack hugged me as they started to disappear. I tried to chase after them. When they disappeared completely I stopped running.


*	*	*


When I opened my eyes, I was in Derek’s arms, sitting by a tree. He held me as if he’d been protecting me while I was asleep. He looked at me and let out a sigh of relief when he saw that I had woken up. He then proceeded to kiss me and hug me tighter to the point where I could barely breathe.

“Okay, Derek!” I croaked. “You can let go now! I’m not in Fear Shock, let go!” 

I could tell Derek was panicked because he kissed me again and when he looked into my eyes he looked like he was scared silly.

“What happened?” Derek asked. “You crashed so hard, you were knocked for a whole day!”

“What?!” I gasped. 

“You heard me,” said Derek. “The whole day! I know gods need to sleep but I didn’t know that a god needed to sleep that long!” 

I tried to stand up but Derek held tight. “I’m not letting you get up yet!”

“And why not?” I said.

“Because you were knocked out for an entire day,” Derek said. “You actually got injured! You had a…”

Derek didn’t finish his sentence because he looked at my head in surprise.

“I had a what?” I said.

“Never mind,” said Derek, “it’s healed!”

“Actually, I didn’t crash on my own,” I told him. “I was yanked out of the air! And it was my parents that did it. They wanted to talk to me before they crossed over into the sky. They also had one last request that I go and contact my Aunt Apple Bloom in Equestria!”

“In Equestria?” Derek said.

“Yeah,” I said, “apparently that’s where I’m from! That’s probably why I can change into a pony. A pony is my original form. I need to see the map.”

“Sure,” Derek said. He took out the map and handed it to me.

Just like before, the holographic map showed the different locations of the labs we needed to destroy. But this time there was a black dot with a number beside it.

“What’s that?” he asked. 

“I think that’s where the gate to Equestria is,” I said.

“If your parents are dead,” said Derek, “then you flatlined again?”

“No,” I said, “I was just put into a deep sleep. And I have two mothers and no dad. They said you don’t need a dad to complete a family, And I totally agree with them.”

“Why’s that?” Derek said. 

“Because it would be the same thing if we adopted a child,” I said. “He or she wouldn’t have a mother. He or she would have two dads. There would be no need to have a mother to complete the family.” 

Derek nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense. I agree with them, too.”

“Now, I think it’s time we head over to Equestria, don’t you think?” I said.

“We?” Derek said.

“Yes, we!” I said.

“But I was born here!” Derek panicked. “I can’t leave!”

I did a facepalm and groaned. “What part of the word ‘god’ do you not understand?”

“Do you really think that’s an exception?” Derek asked.

“I would say that would be a yes!” I said.

“You can say that again!” We heard Discord say.

“Pestcord!” Derek and I said.

“I’m not a pest!” Discord whined.

“Yeah, you are!” I said.

“But I’m your godfather!” Discord said. “I’m so proud of you. See, I knew you two would save the day.”

“Actually, you’re not my godfather, Pestcord!” I said. “I talked to Applejack and Rainbow Dash. They actually gave the job to Spike, Princess Twilight's assistant.” 

Derek went into a fit of laughter.

“I can’t believe those two would do that!” Discord sobbed. “I’m perfect for the job! And how did you even talk to Applejack and Rainbow Dash anyway? A god can't be flatlined, you know.” 

“I know,” I said. “They yanked me out of the sky and put me in a deep sleep.”

“It’s one surprise after another with you,” Discord said.

“What are you talking about?” I asked. 

“I’ve heard of spirits contacting the living before they crossover to the sky,” answered Discord. “I’ve never had it happen to me. I’ve heard of it happening to gods, too. Most of the time when that happens they are just put in a deep sleep.”

“Yeah, well it happened,” I said. “Hopefully it won’t happen again.”

“Oh,” said Discord, “I’m going to be throwing my daughter her gotcha day party soon. I can’t wait! I got some presents for her that I never got a chance to give her. My little Bubblegum has been rescued from Lab 14 finally!”

“Is Bubblegum anyone we know, by chance?” I said.

“She was traveling in the same group as you, God Henry. She has sandy blonde hair, one of her eyes is green and the other one is blue,” Discord said.

“That’s Jane!” Derek and I said.

“Are you guys ready to head out to Equestrias gate?” Discord asked.

“How did you know about that?” I replied.

“Oh, I overheard you two talking!” Discord said. 

“But I can’t leave!” Derek panicked again. “I was…”

Discord rolled his eyes. “What part of the word ‘god’ do you not understand?”

“That’s what I just said!” I said. 

“I just wish we had killed Cora when we had a chance to!” Derek said. 

“Oh, you’ll get a chance to kill her, alright!” We heard a voice say. We turned around to see Eleanor standing right behind Discord.

“You’re Cora’s assistant,” I said. “What are you doing here?”

“I just wanted to give you a little parting gift before I headed to the Resistance HQ,” Eleanor said.

“Oh, yeah,” Discord said. “That’s right! I thought Leader Felix would contact you before you two went on an action-packed adventure.”

“Why?" I said. Eleanor tossed me a small black box that didn’t look anything like the boxes that the Resistance used. 

“Cora has a tracking device that was put inside her when she started working for Lab 14,” Eleanor said. “It’s not underneath the skin or in the ear.”

“Then where is it?” Derek asked. 

“It’s inside the brain!” Eleanor replied. 

Derek and I winced when we heard that. 

Eleanor nodded. “Yeah, I know that’s where I had mine!”

“Had yours?” Derek said. He tilted his head.

“Yeah,” said Discord. “I flatlined her and took it out. Thankfully, I was able to revive her! I’ve never seen someone so determined to escape from Lab 14 before. Of course, I knew God Henry was going to escape and become a god sooner or later!” 

“Yeah, I doubt Cora would want to do what I did,” Eleanor said. “Right now, she only wants to get a hold of God Henry!”

“Why weren’t you there to stop that stupid wedding?” I asked.

“Because I was getting my tracking device out, and once that happened, I made sure that everything that Lab 14 had for its data gathering and stuff like that was destroyed,” answered Eleanor. “Since I was Cora’s assistant, that was easy. I even used her tools to take everything that was in the vault. Cora can be really stupid sometimes. Like when she made you super strong and without any weaknesses. I can't wait until you kill her. That box isn’t just a tracker for her device but it also contains the tools that you can use to kill her. That is, if you need them, although I doubt you will. You’re gods now, and I couldn’t be happier that Cora’s most valuable child will be doing the job. Also, this tracker shows the thirty-five locations that Lab 14 has.”

“What!” Derek, Discord, and I said.

“Yup,” said Eleanor, “thirty-five! I know, that was a shocker to me, too. Anyway, I’m meeting an Agent right here to lead me to the Resistance HQ.”

“Well, hello there, darlings!” I heard a high-pitched voice say. We turned our heads to see a white unicorn with purple hair. 

“Agent Rarity!” Discord said in surprise. “You’re the agent that’s going to escort Eleanor to the Resistance HQ?” 

“Oh, yes,” Agent Rarity said. “I was working as a double agent. I only did it so I could save the children. And me and Agent Liza found it very funny when your pet snake, Fang, ate those experiments sent by Lab 14 to track down the two gods that will rule In Between. I bet Agent Liza never thought it would be her own son.”

“You have a pet snake, Discord?” I said. 

“Yes, I do!” he said proudly. “I love him so much! Bubblegum does, too!”

“Huh?” Eleanor said. She gave Discord a perplexed look. 

“Discord’s adoptive daughter,” I said. “I know, I feel sorry for Jane.” 

“I’m not that bad!” Discord scoffed. He smiled at us when he saw our map.

“What is it, Pestcord?” I asked. 

Agent Rarity and Eleanor went into hard laughter after hearing Discord's pet name.

“Oh, yeah!” Agent Rarity said, laughing in between her words. “That's the perfect pet name for you, Discord! It suits you.” 

“Like I said, I’m not a pest!” Discord said with a whine to his voice. “However, I can transport God Henry and God Derek to Equestria. It'll cut their travel time in half.”

“Fine, fine…” I said. “But after this, don’t hover over us. We’re gods, not babies!”

“Fine!” Discord mumbled. Eleanor and Agent Rarity said their goodbyes and Discord snapped his claw. The next thing we knew, Derek and I were standing in front of the gate that led to Equestria.