Arc 12: A Doggone Afternoon
Danged Spell’s Wolf Blues
It was a bright day in the central city of Canterlot. Ponies were going about their business as if there was not a care in the world. But at Danged Spell’s house, the colt stood there in disgust in the bathroom as his mother Shanoa brushed his mane.
“Mom,” Danged Spell said. “Is this really necessary? All I’m doing is just sharing a day with Moondancer and Ditzy Doo.”
“Now Spell,” Shanoa said. “You know you have to look your best on your date with Moondancer.”
“But it’s not a date,” Danged Spell said. “It’s just a hangout with friends.”
Shanoa laughed before she said “But it’s important for you to be handsome towards your friends. And besides, your mane has a lot of hair tangles.”
Immediately, Fortwright walked into the bathroom, holding baby Dream Seeker in his arms. He looked down at Danged Spell with a smile on his face.
“So,” Fortwright said. “I heard you’re going on a date with Moondancer.”
“It is not a date, dad,” Danged Spell snarled. “It’s just a hangout with Moondancer and Ditzy Doo.”
“Now son,” Fortwright teased. “Let’s not get testy. You don’t want your sister to be upset.”
Danged Spell let out a sigh as Shanoa lifted the brush away from his mane. He looked in the mirror and stuck his tongue out at his new mane do.
“What’s wrong, Spell?” Shanoa asked. “Don’t you like your new look?”
“Oh please,” Danged Spell said. “I liked it better when I was shaggy.”
Danged Spell immediately shook his body, restoring his mane to his more frizzled look. Shanoa just looked at Spell and laughed a bit.
“Well that’s our son,” Shanoa said. “Never did like to have his mane brushed.”
“Oh that reminds me,” Fortwright said. “Moondancer and her friend Ditzy Doo just arrived.”
“Well,” Danged Spell said. “It’s about time.”
Danged Spell ran under his father and out the door, sprinting towards the staircase. Fortwright turned around, all while Dream Seeker giggled in delight.
“I know,” Fortwright said. “But I think we should see him off.”
Downstairs, Danged Spell ran up to the front door and opened it. Outside was Moondancer and Ditzy Doo, waiting patiently.
“Well what took you so long?” Moondancer asked. “Did you take a bath?”
“Real funny, Moonie,” Danged Spell replied. “Mom was trying to brush my mane.”
“And you shook it off?” Ditzy asked. “I would have enjoyed your new mane do.”
Danged Spell just glared at Ditzy Doo, who grinned in embarrassment.
“Sorry,” Ditzy said. “My bad.”
Moondancer just looked at Danged Spell and said “Come on, Groucho. Let’s get this show on the road.”
Danged Spell’s frown turned into a smile as he began to walk out the door. But before he could step out, he heard someone shout “HOLD IT!” Danged Spell’s smile flipped back upside down as he turned around to see Fortwright standing there, holding Dream Seeker.
“What is it now, dad?” Danged Spell asked.
“Oh nothing more,” Fortwright said. “Except try not to rely too much on your Wolf’s Breath Curse. You’ll find out that you are more capable of doing so than you realize.”
Spell smiled as he said “I’ll keep that in mind. Anyway, aloha.”
With that, Danged Spell ran past Moondancer and Ditzy Doo out the door. Moondancer bowed before Fortwright before following Danged Spell out the door. Ditzy stood there, waving her hoof at Fortwright.
“Thank you for being Danged Spell’s father, Mr Fortwright,” Ditzy said before she ran out the door.
Fortwright stood there with a smile on his face, cradling Dream Seeker in his arms.
“E akahele ’oe, my son,” Fortwright said as Dream Seeker giggled in his arms.
Later that day at the outdoor cafe, Danged Spell was enjoying a oatburger with Moondancer and Ditzy Doo, sitting outside in the bright sun.
“You know,” Ditzy Doo said. “It’s a wonder why this place is all warm and toasty while outside the city, it’s snowing.”
“Never truly thought about that,” Moondancer said. “I mean, it’s not like Princess Celestia directed the sun down into this city.”
“That might be a possibility,” Danged Spell said. “Next time we see her, we should ask her.”
“You just want an excuse to play outside the city,” Moondancer said with a smirk on her face.
“Guilty as charged,” Danged Spell replied.
“But why would you want that?” Ditzy Doo asked. “Especially when it’s so cold beyond the gates?”
“Well you know Spell,” Moondancer said. “He’s the kind of smart aleck who would want to have a snowball fight with the rest of us.”
Danged Spell swallowed the bit of oatburger that he was eating before directing his gaze towards Moondancer and said “You got that right, sister. It’s one way to have a cool party.”
As Ditzy Doo giggled from Danged Spell’s comment, Moondancer shook her head with a smile on her face and said “That’s Danged Spell. Always willing to let loose a pun when we least expect it.”
“Yeah,” Ditzy said. “But at least he knows how to give us a good laugh.”
While Ditzy laughed with Danged Spell taking another bite of his oatburger, Moondancer’s smile turned into a frown as she looked up at the sky.
“By the way,” Moondancer said. “Do you all remember those three changelings that ruined our pool party?”
“Three changelings?” Ditzy asked.
Danged Spell swallowed his bit of oatburger and said “They call themselves the Predacons Brothers, Queen Chrysalis’ elite fighters sent out to do her dirty work. They were with her when she invaded Canterlot, and I got a good glimpse of them when they attacked us.”
“Glimpse?” Moondancer said. “You bit into one of them when they took on the form of those Beast Wars toys.”
“Heh,” Danged Spell said with a laugh. “So I did. Guess I underestimated my own strength.”
“Well word has it that they’re back in town,” Moondancer said. “And they have their focus on capturing a certain youngling for Queen Chrysalis.”
“Oh no,” Ditzy said. “Does that mean they’re after Sunset Shimmer? Or maybe Wanda Young?”
“Actually,” Danged Spell said. “From what I heard, they’re after Twilight Sparkle.”
“Why Twilight Sparkle of all ponies?” Ditzy asked.
Danged Spell cleared his throat and said “Because she was the one who defeated Queen Chrysalis at the climax of the invasion of the Grand Gallopin Gala. No one knows why she had all that power. But she put it to good use and sent her to Cucamanega.”
“So that’s why Queen Chrysalis wants her revenge against Twilight Sparkle,” Ditzy said as she looked like she was going to cry. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to her.”
Spell’s smug attitude flipped down as he placed his hoof on Ditzy’s and said “Woah, Ditzy. I didn’t mean to make you cry. I wanted to assure you that things will be alright.”
“Easy for you to say,” Ditzy said as tears flowed down her eyes.
“Spell’s right,” Moondancer said. “We stood up to Queen Chrysalis before, and we can do it again.”
“Are you sure?” Ditzy asked.
“I am sure,” Moondancer replied. “After what they did to all of us, I’m not going to show her, or those Predacons, mercy.”
“That’s the spirit,” Danged Spell said. “We’re not going to let those morons bug us out.”
Upon hearing Danged Spell’s words, Ditzy Doo broke out in laughter, chortling over that comment.
“Bug us out,” Ditzy laughed. “That’s a good one.”
Moondancer turned to Danged Spell and said “Thanks for using one of your puns to cheer her up.”
“No problemo,” Danged Spell said. “It was the least I could do.”
As Ditzy Doo continued to laugh, Danged Spell and Moondancer continued to enjoy their oatburgers in the bright noon sun of Canterlot.
Later that day, Danged Spell, Moondancer and Ditzy Doo were walking down the streets of Canterlot, bypassing various ponies who were going about their lives. All three younglings seem very content.
“So,” Ditzy said. “Do you think we can find Twilight Sparkle and warn her about the Predacons?”
“Of course we will,” Danged Spell said. “After all, she needs to know about this and be prepared for the worse.”
“But doesn’t she have a spell to detect any changelings in the vicinity?” Moondancer asked.
“It was the first thing we all learned the school day after the invasion,” Danged Spell replied. “Though I wonder why some chose to stick by their queen.”
“I think I can explain that,” Moondancer replied. “I heard that in order to feel powerful, they look up to Queen Chrysalis for power, as if she were the most powerful being of them all.”
“Like how we look up to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?” Danged Spell asked.
“Exactly,” Moondancer replied. “But Queen Chrysalis is far more egotistical. She uses her charisma to draw her own hive into supporting her cause against the ponies of Equestria. But while she may be narcissistic, she has the power to back up her claims, making her a dangerous threat to Equestria.”
“So that means,” Ditzy said. “We may be at war with the changelings?”
“Not quite,” Moondancer said. “I heard that some changelings saw her as too dangerous for the species and chose to defect.”
“That’s right,” Danged Spell said. “That changeling baby Ocellus and her parents were among the defectors. Last I heard, Queen Novo has given them sanctuary at Mount Aris and Seaquestria.”
“I hope they’re okay,” Ditzy said. “Considering that those changelings consider her and her family traitors, I just hope they don’t do anything bad.”
“Nah,” Danged Spell said. “I heard Queen Novo and her Hippogriffs are tough warriors. If those changelings tried to nab Ocellus and her family, they’ll make them regret it.”
“That may be true,” Moondancer said. “But don’t forget about what the Storm King tried to do to them.”
“Oh yeah,” Danged Spell said. “That creep’s a sick monster.”
Suddenly, Moondancer came to a stop and said “Speaking of which, look in front of you.”
Danged Spell and Ditzy Doo came to a stop and saw the Alicorn Bulldog standing in front of them. It growled at the three younglings, baring its teeth, looking as if it were about to charge the group and take a chomp out of them.
“Not that beast again,” Ditzy Doo said as she hid behind Danged Spell.
Moondancer looked to her left and right, but there was no other pony in sight. The street was pretty bare with only the trio and the dog in front of them.
“Guys,” Moondancer said. “We’ve got bigger problems. There’s no other pony around us. We need to run for it.”
“No,” Spell said as his eyes began to glow. “I’ll handle this.”
“Spell, wait,” Moondancer yelled.
Danged Spell glared down at the Alicorn Bulldog as his eyes glowed a bright yellow. Like with the canine, he growled loudly and his teeth sharpened like that of a wolf.
“Oh no,” Ditzy Doo said. “Don’t tell me he’s using his Wolf’s Breath Curse.”
“I’m afraid he is,” Moondancer said. “And for some reason, he’s been forcing himself into his curse recently, which makes it more difficult for him to let go.”
Danged Spell and the Alicorn Bulldog stared at each other, growling loudly and baring their teeth, all while Ditzy stood behind Danged Spell completely scared, and Moondancer stood to the side. Both the cursed colt and the canine looked as if they were about to charge each other and tear each other apart.
“Spell,” Ditzy said. “Don’t do something that foolish. I don’t want you to die.”
But Danged Spell stood his ground, keeping his focus on the Alicorn Bulldog, who also kept its focus on the colt with the Wolf’s Breath curse.
“Ditzy,” Moondancer said. “As soon as either that dog or Spell makes their move, I’m going to pull you aside so you don’t get hurt.”
“Wait,” Ditzy said. “I don’t want you to pull me into that beast’s mouth by accident.”
But just as Ditzy finished speaking, the Alicorn Bulldog charged right at Danged Spell with its mouth wide open. Moondancer saw the chance and surrounded Ditzy in a magical aura, pulling her away from Danged Spell and close to her.
“Stay close,” Moondancer said. “I think Spell knows what he’s going to do.”
“I hope you’re right,” Ditzy said as she buried her face in Moondancer’s chest.
Danged Spell stood there with his teeth bare as the dog charged right at him, mouth wide open. With a great leap, the bulldog lunged at Spell.
“Spell,” Moondancer said, closing her eyes. “Please be safe.”
Danged Spell’s bare teeth turned into a grin as he rolled under the Alicorn Bulldog and proceeded to grab the beast’s tail with his teeth, causing the dog to yelp in pain. Moondancer opened her eyes to see Danged Spell lift the dog into the air and slam it onto the ground.
“Ditzy,” Moondancer said. “Look.”
Ditzy Doo directed her face towards Danged Spell, who grabbed the Bulldog by the collar with his teeth and began to swing the beast around. The bulldog yelped helpless as Danged Spell swung it around and around as fast as possible.
“Oh my gosh,” Ditzy Doo said. “Is he doing…that?”
Moondancer laughed and said “I guess Spell’s technique has definitely gone to the dogs.”
As Ditzy Doo laughed at Moondancer’s comment, Danged Spell released his hold on the bulldog’s collar, causing it to go flying forward until it crashed right into the street. As the bulldog got up, it saw Danged Spell approach it, teeth bare and growling loudly.
“Wow,” Ditzy said. “That was awesome.”
Danged Spell barked loudly, causing the Alicorn Bulldog to yelp before turning tail and making a run for it down the street. Ditzy Doo and Moondancer walked up to Danged Spell, surprised and rattled, but unharmed.
“Sometimes,” Moondancer said. “I underestimate how he puts that curse to good use.”
Danged Spell turned towards Moondancer and gave her a wink before thrusting his head into the air and howling up into the sky.
“What an amazing colt,” Ditzy Doo said. “Sometimes, I wish I had his curse.”
“I don’t think the Wolf’s Breath curse affects pegasi,” Moondancer said.
Ditzy’s ears flopped down as she said “Aww. But I want to be a brave wolf like Danged Spell.”
“Did someone say wolf?” Moondancer, Danged Spell and Ditzy Doo turned to their left to see Princess Cadance and Shining Armor walk up to them.
“Princess Cadance,” Moondancer said. “What are you and Shining Armor doing here? I thought you were looking after Sunset Shimmer.”
“Sunset should be fine,” Princess Cadance said. “She’s got Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to at least look after her.”
“And if not them,” Shining Armor said. “Then Bright Mac and Buttercup are looking after her.”
Suddenly, Princess Cadance felt something brush up against her right arm. She looked down to see Danged Spell rubbing it with his hoof, whimpering as if it were sad.
“Oh no,” Princess Cadance said. “You got yourself stuck in your Wolf’s Breath curse again. Don’t worry. I got this.”
Princess Cadance closed her eyes as the tip of her horn lit up with magic. She lowered her head down and touched Danged Spell’s forehead with the magical tip. A small light flashed for a second before disappearing. In almost an instant, Danged Spell shook his head and let out a groan.
“Sorry,” Danged Spell said. “I think my pops was right. I do rely too much on my curse.”
“Well with or without your curse,” Shining Armor said. “I think you’re the coolest cat in Canterlot.”
Danged Spell stared up at Shining Armor and said “Seriously? My curse is canine-based, not feline.”
“Easy there, fido,” Moondancer said. “He was just giving you a complement.”
Princess Cadance walked towards Moondancer and asked “So, what brings you down here on this bright afternoon?”
“Just hanging out,” Moondancer said. “Enjoying an oatburger, watching Danged Spell send that scary bulldog running.”
“So that’s why you forced yourself into your Wolf’s Breath curse,” Shining Armor said. “You didn’t want it to harm your friends.”
“I had to,” Danged Spell said. “That dog’s been giving us a hard time, and I didn’t want it to eat Ditzy or Moondancer.”
“Spell,” Shining Armor said. “I know you rely a lot on your Wolf’s Breath to protect your friends, and I appreciate that. But there may come a time where you may not have access to it.”
“I know,” Danged Spell said. “But at the same time, I feel like I rely on this alot because that is where I feel my strength is.”
“That’s not the only form of strength,” Shining Armor said, pointing to Danged Spell’s horn. “Like your friend Moondancer, along with Princess Cadance and myself, you possess magical powers as a unicorn.”
Shining Armor looked at a nearby crate and lit his horn up. An aura surrounded the crate as it levitated into the air and moved towards Shining.
“I mean,” Danged Spell said. “It is cool and all, but doesn’t that make us overpowered compared to Pegasi and Earth Ponies?”
“Not really,” Shining Armor said. “While we Unicorns possess the power of arcane, Pegasi can control the weather with their wings, while Earth Ponies can create nature with their hooves.”
“Alicorns are the ones who are more overpowered,” Princess Cadance said. “We possess all three powers of an Earth Pony, Unicorn and Pegasi all rolled up into one. Though to be honest, I started out as a Pegasi.”
“And there’s no way you’ll make me an alicorn,” Danged Spell joked. “After all, Alicorn are supposed to be royalty.”
“Not all alicorns are,” Princess Cadance said. “Besides the ones we got, there were some in the past that aren’t even a part of the royal family.”
“She’s right,” Moondancer said. “We’ve looked that up in class many times. I’m just surprised that you don’t want to be an alicorn if it happened to you.”
Danged Spell just sighed and said “I’ve got a lot of reasons to explain, and it would be a doozy.”
“Well anyway,” Shining Armor said. “We have to get going. Got a lot of stuff to take care of. Do me a favor and try not to overdo it with your Wolf’s Breath curse.”
With that, Shining Armor and Princess Cadance walked down the street and away from the group. Princess Cadance turned around and gave a wink to Danged Spell before walking away.
“I didn’t know you didn’t want to be an Alicorn,” Ditzy Doo said.
“Like I said,” Danged Spell said. “I’ve got a lot of reasons to explain. One of which is that I don’t like the stereotype that is associated with Alicorns and their ties to royalty. Even more so, let’s just say there is a part of me that is embarrassed about where I came from.”
“Now that you mentioned it” Moondancer said. “Where exactly did you come from? Vanhoover? Manehattan? La Maresa? Appleoosa? ”
Danged Spell slumped down a bit before he said “Ever heard of Lio Lani?”
“Lio Lani?” Moondancer said. “I’ve heard of it, but I never expected someone like you to be from Lio Lani.”
“You’d be surprised to learn more about where I came from,” Danged Spell said. “But that discussion is another time.”
With that, Danged Spell walked away from the group, leaving Moondancer and Ditzy to just look at the colt with a solemn face.
“Wow,” Ditzy said. “What’s eating him?”
“I’ve known Danged Spell to be a prankster and a class clown,” Moondancer replied. “And sometimes, he does get under my fur with his antics. But I never expected him to be from Lio Lani, nor to have some embarrassment about the place.”
“But what is Lio Lani?” Ditzy asked.
“An archipelago,” Moondancer said. “A group of islands due west of the Equestrian mainland. They are known for the welcoming atmosphere and the local ponies who live there. Though they’re supposed to consist of Earth Ponies, it is said that the ruler of the island is an alicorn, just like Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Princess Cadance.”
“Just like all three princesses,” Ditzy Doo said. “But what does that have to do with Danged Spell?”
“I have a theory about that,” Moondancer said. “But first, we need to talk with him about his time in Lio Lani.”
Moondancer and Ditzy Doo ran after Danged Spell in a hurry, kicking dust into the afternoon air where there was barely anyone nearby.
But up atop a nearby building, Inferno, Quickstrike and Waspinator looked down at the three younglings. Inferno’s eyes were focused on Danged Spell and his sinister smile glistened in the sun.
“Don’t tell me you have your eyes on those three,” Quickstrike said.
“I especially have my eyes on that colt down there,” Inferno said, pointing his hoof at Danged Spell.
“Oh yeah,” Quickstrike said. “That was the snake who bit my tail and slammed me like I was a sack of potatoes.”
“Waspinator not like doggy bug,” Waspinator said. “Waspinator thinks doggy bug needs to be defanged.”
Inferno just laughed before he said “But of course. Queen Chrysalis taught me the very spell that can disable the Wolf Breath’s curse.”
“The wha?” Waspinator asked.
“The Wolf’s Breath,” Inferno explained. “Unicorns are born with this curse, and it causes them to shift their minds into a primal instinct, like that of a wolf. WIth the very spell that the Royalty has taught me, I can disable his curse and leave him helpless. But just to be on the safe side, I will also cast a hex to disable his unicorn magic. And affect his unicorn friend for added measures.”
“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Quicksilver said. “It’s like blasting fish in a barrel.”
“Waspinator like that idea,” Waspinator said. “Waspinator ready to teach doggy bug a lesson.”
“Then follow me,” Inferno said. “We’ll ambush them when they least expect it, then disable the curse and their magic, and they will be easy practice for when we capture the one known as Twilight Sparkle. For the glory of the Royalty.”
With that, Inferno, Quickstrike and Waspinator ran across the roof of the buildings throughout Canterlot, pursuing after Danged Spell, Moondancer and Ditzy Doo, who were unaware of their presence.
To Be Continued in….
Defanged, but still Dangerous