//------------------------------// // Arc XXVI Episode V: Chasing Daylight // Story: Family Begins With You // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// After a moment of long silence in the room, and an awkward cough from Princess Twilight, Starswirl would finally speak. “...So you’ve finally managed to crawl yourself back to this world, haven’t you?” “Oh yes I have,” Aidon replied with an ironic grin on his face, “Good to see you haven’t keeled over and died yet, old bastard. I still want the opportunity to throttle you myself.” “Assuming you get the chance,” Starswirl huffed, “I may have slowed down due to my age, but my skill still remains unparalleled. I wouldn’t bet on an easy victory.” “Well then, by all means,” Aidon chuckled, “Let me show you what I’ve picked up in the human world you’ve so callously thrown me and many others into.” Twilight tried to interject, “AHE--” But Sunset put her hoof over her mouth. “...Don’t. This isn’t our place. Let them come to a middle ground, Twilight.” “...Seriously?” Twilight raised a brow. Sunset’s words would eventually be put to the test…and proven correct. The stallions stared at each other and both were able to silently decipher that there was something else going on. A much larger reason for Aidon’s return than simple petty revenge. So Starswirl decided to wax poetic. “...but unfortunately, I’m currently not able to duel with you. I can tell there’s something amiss with Ms. Shimmer over there.” “...correct,” Aidon replied with a subtle, matter-of-fact tone to change the subject, “She came here to explain something to you.” He then stood aside. Sunset glanced at Twilight with a smirk. “See? Told ya--guys can sort their beef out pretty easily.” “...Interesting,” Twilight muttered. Sunset then turned to Starswirl and approached him. “...Sir. I’m so sorry to bother you, but there’s an emergency in the human world that you need to come help us solve.” “...Is there now?” the old unicorn asked with a confused tone, “I didn’t even think that realm had suitable, habitable conditions--much less actual life. That’s why I sent so many threats to Equestria there.” “...Sir,” Sunset bit her lip with a pained expression on her face, “...you’re not going to like what you see when you get over there.” “She’s right,” Aidon added, “We have to be swift.” Back in the human world… “Transporting him now,” Ren said over his phone as he drove a getaway car away from the city and towards the mountains--having ditched the fake officer’s uniform for a more rugged look. “We won’t have any witnesses for what we’re about to do.” But little did he know… “Onward, Siegfried!” Fluttershy was hot on his tail, riding her horse companion whose hooves galloped and thundered against the country road that led into the mountains that Ren was driving into. Their appearances had also changed. Fluttershy was wearing a set of medieval, pink and turquoise-colored armor befitting that of a knight. Siegfried the horse was also clad in this same armor around his head, sides, and flanks. This was all conjured up by Fluttershy who had taken the extra measures to make sure they’d be safe during this battle. With a quiver filled with magical, golden arrows on her back, Fluttershy would summon an equally brilliant, golden bow to fire them from as Siegfried continued his stampede towards the car, keeping up with it at an alarming rate for a horse! “Steady now,” she called out as she raised the bow and pulled back on the string until she had the arrow of light fully drawn. “I just need to…” Fwip! Boom! With a perfect shot, Fluttershy fired the arrow perfectly into the car’s left rear tire! “What the devil--?” Ren looked in his rearview mirror and noticed the girl on the horse that had been chasing him. “...So she proves herself to be much more capable than I initially gave her credit for. As usual, the quiet ones are the biggest thorn in my side. No matter. She’s just another insect to squash…” A loud screech of the tires was heard against the road as Ren swiftly turned the car around and stopped it before exiting. “So you’ve come to fight me, have you? You know I’m not above striking a woman.” “It wouldn’t be fair if you weren’t,” Fluttershy remarked as she dismounted from her horse. “What you’re doing is dangerous and I’m here to put a stop to your actions. Now we can do this the easy way, or the hard way, mister.” “Tohru, get in here!” Ren called out. In a split second, Fluttershy and her horse jumped out of the way of a punch so deadly that it lit the air around their fist ablaze. A young woman with brass knuckles on her fists appeared. She wore a simple pair of jeans and leather biker jacket. But what was most interesting about her was that her face was half-tattooed with a dragon that went up from her neck with its mouth open across the left side of her face. “...” Fluttershy quickly cast a spell from her hands to teleport her steed back to the sanctuary. “I don’t want you getting hurt, Siegfried. Stay there, okay? If they’re not going to surrender without a fight, I’m afraid I’ll have to subdue them.” “Looks like you’re a bit outnumbered,” Ren spoke up from her other side. “Do the smart thing and set down your weapon while you’re still in one piece. I’d hate to have to squash that nice face of yours under my boot. You must be scared to death right about now,” he added with a chuckle in an attempt to intimidate her. Fluttershy’s knees visibly shivered as she weighed the situation in front of her. She knew there was no way she could do this alone, but even so, she forced herself to ignore her fear as she drew her fingers back on the bowstring to draw an arrow. Her knees suddenly stopped shaking, she took a deep breath, and spoke plainly: “I’m going to break everything but your necks.”