//------------------------------// // Arc XVII Episode I: Valentine's Day // Story: Family Begins With You // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// Once the weekend was over… Lucide approached Canterlot High School early in the morning before anyone arrived. It was about 6AM. The tan-skinned woman then used magic to activate a communication portal to speak with her haggard boss. “Alright, I’m here. Now one more time. What’s the plan?” The wheelchair-bound figure had to cough her words out once again. “Spread that toxin throughout the school the first chance you get. Then, conceal yourself as fast as possible to avoid any suspicion. Got it?” Lucide held up the bottle of red liquid in her hands--a vial that was marked with a simple skull-and-crossbones layered over a heart. “Hm…I got this, Cuz. Don’t think I’ve forgotten how to make potions just yet.” “You better not. This world is a waste of space filled with garbage walking around on two legs, masquerading as the apex species. But once I have their power, I’ll be able to--” “Ugh. Seriously?” Lucide interrupted her master’s words with a groan and a sarcastic eye roll. “You know multiple people have tried to do that. Hell, Sunset Shimmer herself tried that.” The crabby woman responded with an ornery shout. “Listen’ta me you malignant ruffian! Ahem…and of course. I know that already, thank you very much. Trying to take over this world is a fool’s game. However, that’s not what I wanna do. I wanna destroy it!” “Oh right. Totally. That makes complete sense.” “You’re mocking me, aren’t you?” “Oh no, no, no!” The hooded woman sighed and shook her head. “I’m not merely gonna destroy it for the sake of it. I intend to rebuild it from the ground up. Almost nothing here is magic-based and the humans are all that much weaker for it. But so long as Sunset and the Elements of Harmony’s human counterparts remain active…” Lucide started to casually chew on a candy stick while listening to her boss speak. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you want me to use the potion in the vents of the school so everyone will breathe it in. And then what?” “The girls will all begin to helplessly flounder about,” said the boss, “Don’t fret about the boys. They’re useless--they’ll certainly fall victim to the girls’ desires within the first hour.” “Heh…” Lucide approached the school…and took the form of Principal Celestia. “Sounds fun to me. Let’s see how this shit works in action.” Two hours later…8AM… Everyone was back to school as always. All of the students and teachers approached the building. Inside, there were red and pink hearts adorning all of the hallways and classrooms. Seemed that Valentine’s Day was in full swing. Everyone was opening up their lockers and finding cards, exchanging them in the halls, and confessing their feelings to others. Well, all except for a small group of individuals. Sandbar, Button Mash, and Rumble were idly chatting in the halls, trying to keep a low profile with Keiji in the midst of their group. “Remind me again why you two asked me to join you here?” the vamp-boy muttered with an annoyed tone. “Duh, so no one tries to give us any valentines,” Rumble muttered while putting something in his locker. Sandbar would comment next with a lazy grin on his face as usual. “Yeah, the last time someone tried’ta gimme a card, Yona scared ‘em all away. Really dunno why people even bother; if I’m already with someone else, why even run the risk, yo?” “Guess they don’t care,” Mash commented with a roll of his eyes as he glared at all of the decorations. “Some people just don’t know when it’s time to stop. So they figure they can do whatever they want. You wouldn’t believe how many people think it’s okay to send cards to my mom. It’s actually kinda creepy and really makes me sick.” “Well no shit,” Keiji hissed while sticking out his tongue, “The idea of someone daring to send either of my shitty parents a card is disgusting in and of itself. But whatever. Not my concern. All I wanna do is get through the day without any awkward shenanigans.” In an effort to make him feel more comfortable, Sandbar put an arm around Keiji’s shoulder and consoled him. “Don’t worry, yo. I’m sure you’ll find someone soon enough.” Unfortunately, Keiji was not exactly willing to hear any of that. “Get offame ya damn hipster,” he grumbled while wrestling free of the upperclassman, “That may be all well and good for you, but I have zero interest in romance….but those chocolates, I will take.” Sandbar shot playful fingerguns at his friend. “Ahhh--knew ya couldn’t resist somethin’ about it, yo. I’m not really into candy, so you can have some of the stuff I’ve gotten. I tend to give my sister half of my Halloween candy too.” “Sister, huh?” Keiji folded his arms as he thought about what Sandbar’s family life could be like. “And how old is she? Do you take care of her?” Sandbar chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Pfft. Well, first off, she’s 14, yo. Second--I almost take care of her too much. Apparently she’s studying computer science-y stuff so she can become a hacker or something. But I always go through her history and make sure she talks to people of her age.” The young man sighed with his usual lazy grin. “...And she usually gets on my ass about it. But! It’s all for her safety.” Keiji had shut his eyes for a moment to mull over Sandbar’s explanation. Once he was satisfied, he opened his eyes and looked at Sandbar with a mildly interested smile on his face. “...Good. Glad to hear it. I have no issues with you.” Sandbar raised a brow, and wondered aloud. “Hm…what brought that on?” Then, from the corner of their eyes, everyone could see Flash Sentry walking through the halls with his hands in his pockets and looking at the floor with a sorrowful frown on his face. Rumble was the first to comment. “...Wonder what’s up with him?” “...Ain’t nothin’ good about a face like that, yo,” Sandbar added. Button Mash spoke up as Flash continued towards the end of the hall towards the back door of the school. “Should we say something? Gah…Pound Cake would probably know more about this. Too bad he’s home sick right now…” “...Nah,” Keiji said after a few moments of silence, “It looks serious. Don’t wanna make things worse. Trust me. I know what that’s like…let’s approach him later on at lunch.” With their minds made up, the boys made their ways to class…although, Sandbar remained suspicious, stopping in his tracks for a moment. "What's up with you, yo?"