//------------------------------// // Arc XXVI Episode IV: Squaring Up // Story: Family Begins With You // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// “This is Ren. I’ve managed to acquire a high-value target. Fluttershy--one of those girls from the school. We can hold her here for a ransom…” From Fluttershy’s perspective, the world had gone dark. When she tried to move her hands, she realized they were stuck together. When she tried to move her mouth, she realized it was taped over. “Mm! Mmm!” she panicked--kicking and screaming into nowhere as she writhed about. “Alright. I’ll take care of it,” Ren hung up his phone and removed the burlap sack from Fluttershy’s head, allowing her to see. “Terribly sorry I had to do that. It’s just standard procedure you see.” With her hair in a disheveled mess, Fluttershy had stopped crying, and took a look at the young man that was about her age. A young man with ghostly white skin wearing a police officer’s uniform that he had taken from the real desk agent who was tied up in the nearby closet. “Mmm-mmm?! MMM?!” Fluttershy angrily muttered behind the tape as she glared at the guy. “...I came here at a lucky time. The local Detective and his posse are still out investigating what little crumbs of information we intentionally left behind at the baseball stadium. Amazing what a swift infiltration can accomplish, hm?” he asked rhetorically while tapping his fingertips together. “MMMM!” “...I suppose I should at least grant you the right to speak your mind, seeing as you’re my pawn in this game,” he reached forward and yanked the tape off of her lips, causing Fluttershy to cry out. “Ow!” And immediately after, she called him out. “...What do you think you’re doing?! Who are you?!” “I’m here on a mission to recover Shinjiro,” Ren explained, “But as soon as your brother was brought here, I figured his presence would bait you into coming here.” Fluttershy grit her teeth. With that in mind, she wondered if it was even worth coming down here in the first place. “...Great…just great. So what are you gonna do to me in the meantime? Violate me?” Ren visibly recoiled at such a proposition. “...ew, no. I’ve got far more respect for myself than that. No, you’re going to remain there and serve as our trail once we make our escape.” “...Disgusting,” Fluttershy muttered under her breath. This surprised Ren further, causing him to raise an eyebrow. “...My. And here I thought you were the shy, softspoken one that was afraid of her own shadow. I suppose the rumors were incorrect.” “Oh please,” Fluttershy rolled her eyes, “I’ve been through numerous life-threatening situations before. There’s almost nothing you could or say that could scare me.” “...I have no time to waste with you,” he shook his head and turned around, “You’re lucky you’re a woman, or I’d have shot you down moments ago.” As he walked off, Fluttershy continued to rant. “Oh suuuuure! Everybody just assumes that innocent little Fluttershy can’t handle herself. You’ve got another thing coming, mister!” But he had already left, presumably with Shinji in tow… Fluttershy took a deep breath, and looked at one of the trees outside of the police station where a squirrel was gathering nuts. “Aha. Pssst…over here!” The squirrel noticed her, and hopped through the open window. Then, it jumped down, and chewed through the ropes that bound her hands. “Thanks, Mrs. Nutsworth. But I’ve got a problem. Can you call Siegfried for me?” She petted the squirrel on the head and rubbed her wrists to relieve the rope burn she had experienced. “...I need to mount up.” Meanwhile, in Equestria… “This way, professor. I think I hear Twilight’s voice down this hall.” Aidon continued to stumble after her--the billowing smoke off of his body traveling with him. “Oof…I am absolutely not used to the pristine floors of palaces like these. Wait up, Ms. Shimmer.” Soon enough, Sunset would come to the end of a hallway where Princess Twilight Sparkle had been speaking to Starswirl The Bearded. “...and that’s my plan for Equestria going forward,” Twilight finished her explanation, “If there are any changes you think I should make, let me know.” “Hmm…” the elderly unicorn looked over the itemized list. “Everything seems to be in order. You’ve got no issues from me.” “Yes!” Twilight squealed, then quickly cleared her throat to calm herself. “...Er--I mean, thank you. It’s nice to know that I have your approval, sir.” “No problem,” Starswirl turned to leave…but stopped dead in his tracks when he laid eyes on Aidon. “...” Aidon did nothing but stare right back at him, glaring with his solid white eyes. “...” The two stallions simply approached each other, staring each other down as if sizing each other up in preparation to fight… Twilight teleported over to where Sunset was standing, and spoke in a hushed tone. “...Sunset. It’s great to see you but…any idea what’s going on?” “...I don’t think we should interrupt them,” Sunset whispered back, “Whether in the human world or pony world--when guys get like this, it’s never a good idea to get between them. No matter how strong you are.”