Author's note: There! Fixed! So, this is more dialect than anything. Figured I should give a new style of writing a try. Let's see where this goes shall we? Also, this is perhaps the most comidic chapter. My attempt at a bit of humor.
The next morning, Moon awakes to the sight of Shade and Haze lying between her and Shadow. They were cute as they slept. Far less worried about the future, and simply enjoying the here and now. Still, Bloodfang was going to have to be dealt with today, else Vexnis should tear them apart once more.
Shadow rolled over towards the end of the bed. Sadly, and for the first time since... Well, ever, He fell out of the bed. The stallion quickly jumped up and turned his head in all directions with lightning speed.
"What happened!?"
"You died," she smirks. "Remember? You plummeted from the mighty heights of our bed."
"I'm just not used to sleeping on the very edge I guess..." Shadow half laughs, the last part of that joke funny. "I guess I'll go start breakfast."
"Wait!" Haze runs to catch up with him.
"Hmmm? What is it Haze?"
"I'm coming with you." he chirps.
"Well alright then. know anything about making pancakes?"
He shakes his head and replies, "I don't know how to cook anything."
"Yet." Shadow finishes. "Come along."
With a newfound joy, Haze bounces away into the kitchen.
Shadow was waiting for him with all the ingredients already prepared. Pancakes were his favourite breakfast food, so he already had all of this down pat.
"Are you ready to cook?"
"So," Moon starts. "You feeling better?"
"More and more every minute." she beams. "And while we are waiting on food, can you tell me how you and daddy met? You never told me or Haze before."
"I knocked him over while running from a Canterlot guard," the older laughs. "He agreed to help me find Nightrain, and we fell in love."
"Why did you fall in love? Did he call you pretty or give you flowers?"
"No, it was more of an internal feeling. Something unexplainable and scary, but the best thing you'll ever feel."
"Better than daddy's pancakes!?" the filly gasps.
"Yes" the mare laughs hard. "Speaking of which, let's go see what he's cooking!"
Haze flips the pancake onto the ceiling.
"Oops."
"Ummm... that's the fourth one Haze..." Shadow remarks, looking up at the roof covered in said pancakes. "Reckon you could lay off on the force you exert next time? I know the first time you almost threw it up so hard it almost broke through."
"I can't help it," he pouts. "Stupid forelegs."
Shade and Moon came into the kitchen, the filly happy as could be.
"Where's the food daddy? I smell it, but I don't see it."
"Let's just say that it's of HIGHER quality than usual." Shadow answers, gesturing towards the ceiling.
Moon stares at the ceiling, then raises an eyebrow at the stallion, not noticing the colt shrinking back in embarrassment.
"Hey, I've never tasted the roof before. Who knows? It could be tasty." Shadow replies sarcastically. "Besides, we are out of batter for anymore..."
"You really should consider hunting us down more food," she chuckles. "Shade, would you mind? If I fly up there it would look worse than if a tornado had swept through the house."
After Shade had scrapped all four of the pancakes off and set them on a plate, the family began eating the breakfast. Sadly, the roof wasn't as tasty as Shadow had hopped.
Moon gulfs hers down in one bite.
"Perhaps you and the kids could run find some food in the woods before we go, hmm?"
"Oh yes, going off and plucking apples from my favourite farm. Reckon they're old enough to see how to catch and cook fish?"
"Sure," she replies with a smile. "Don't forget to get pancake mix from a pancake tree."
Her statement about the pancake tree left Shadow stunned, to say the least. "You... need to get out more hun." he states rather seriously.
"O-oh," she stutters. "Does it grow on a bush?"
"Ya know what, Imma just say yes." Shadow says, heading for the door. "Come on kids. Imma teach ya how to catch a rabbit!"
Both the foals spring for the door in anticipation.
"Be sure to get bread from the breadvine!" she calls after the three.
The stallion sighs at hearing this. "What would you do without me..." Shade poked at his leg.
"She's kidding right? She does know there aren't such things, right?"
"You focus on learning your survival skills while I worry about your mother's common knowledge." Shadow responds.
"There aren't?" Haze asks with his head tilted.
"What has your mother been teaching you?"
"Cookies fall from clouds, pegasi cough butterflies, butter comes from flowers..." He starts listing things that are highly inaccurate.
"Do you really think I cough butterflies Haze?" Shadow inquires, Shade as shocked as him at the colt's logic.
He nods with a grin before adding, "But I don't cause I'm a Voidling!"
"I... Ju... Bu..." Shadow was speechless. "One day I'll have to sit you down and teach you these things."
Confused, Haze follows his father and sister into the woods.
The three ventured for about thirty minutes before coming to a place all too familiar to Shadow. His camp.
"I don't think I ever brought you here. Allow me to just fetch a few materials." Shadow steps away for a moment, heading into the largest of the tents and bringing back a small bag in his mouth, filled with old traps and his hunting knife.
Haze notices something small and white out the corner of his eye. A bunny! Softly, he trots over and picks it up, stroking it's long ears and paying no mind to the radar collar around it's neck.
"Hey, Daddy! I caught one!"
"Any animal that could be caught that easily can't be healthy." Shadow responds, setting the bag down. "I'd just let that one go if I were you son."
"Aww," Haze whines in disappointment and stalks over to the bag. "So what's in there?"
"Traps and a knife." Shadow bluntly answers. "It's all we need to catch food."
"A knife?"
"Shade, do you know what I'm getting at?" The filly nods. "At least somepony knows how to live in the wilderness." He turns back over to Haze. "You have no idea what the knife is used for huh?"
"Peeling fruit?"
"You're half right son. It is used for peeling, but not fruit."
"Veggies?"
"Okay, just stop. Imma make it simple. You know what meat is right?"
"Special mud," he answers in a matter-of-fact tone.
"No." Shadow replies without a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Then what else is there?" he inquires in utter perplextion.
"Let's see if I can put this kindly." Shadow says, pondering a moment. "Remember that bunny? It's meat."
"No it's not."
"Yes, it is." Shade answers.
"She's right Haze. Rabbits, deer, fish, cats, dogs, you, me, we're all meat." Shadow follows up. "And we use this knife to kill them, then we cook and eat them."
His eyes widen with horror.
"You do... what?" he whimpers. "But isn't killing wrong?"
"Haze, you almost killed Shade here, so I don't want to hear it." Shadow chuckles. "Killing other ponies is wrong, but animals... It's debatable. What if there were no fruit or vegetables? Then what?"
"I'd die," he snorts indignantly. "Mama says we're animals."
"And your mother has eaten other animals as well, ponies included Haze." The poor colt had never heard of their history. Shadow figured it was about that time anyway.
"Is eating other ponies wrong?"
"A question best left for your mother to answer. I've never eaten another pony, and I'm not particularly for or against it son."
"Would it be wrong if I killed a Ponyville pony and ate him?"
"Now if you just did it and had an alternative, then yes. Now if there was no other choice and you were about to die of starvation, then I would suppose not." Shadow thinks a second. "And just because you kill somepony doesn't mean you have to eat them. I've killed plenty of ponies in my day, yet I haven't eaten one."
Shade was just sitting back and listening. She seemed mesmerised and so attuned to the conversation that it was almost like she wasn't even there.
"My alternative is simply to eat."
"Your alternative would be right, but what if there was no other form of food around?"
"So killing you would be... right?"
"Well first, you think you could kill me?"
"No," he mumbles. "Well.. what if I killed Shade for breakfast? Would that be wrong?"
Shade snaps out of her trance-like state at hearing this. "Wait, what?" she says with a bit of confusion.
"Haze, let's just put it this way. If you kill any family member, it's wrong. If you kill another pony without reason, it's wrong. If you kill a pony for food OR if they have done you a great wrong, then it's right."
"But Mama doesn't want Bloodfang dead, and he did wrong."
"That's different."
"How?"
"Because I said so, now stop asking me redundant questions son." Shadow gruffed. "Let's go catch something to eat."
Haze pokes his bottom lip out and doesn't speak.
Shadow has the two foals follow him deep into the woods into an area in which the forest was lush and the life was abundant.
"Here ya go Haze." Shadow says, hoofing over his knife. "You'll be the first."
"But-" Shade started to protest.
"No. HE must learn first. You already know how to do this."
"I can't." he states, stepping back.
"You will." Shadow commands. "Lest you want to go hungry."
"I'd rather go hungry!"
"Vexnis will feed me!" he smarts back "She says she will! She has milk!"
"Milk comes from cows Haze..." Shade smarts back. Shadow didn't say anything. It wasn't a lie, but Haze probably took it as it was intended.
"You kill cows for milk?"
"I assume." Shade answers. Shadow remains silent.
Haze begins to rock back and forth.
"I don't efefee-"
The colt collapses.
"So Shade," Shadow starts, paying the colt no mind. "I guess you'll be the first to get dinner then."
"Yay!" she beams with joy.
Haze darts in the way growling, "I'm not gonna let you hurt them!"
Shadow just gently pushed him over. "I'm not about to go back home and have your mother yell at me because I didn't bring back any food."
"We can't just find a pancake tree?" he protests.
Shadow heaves a sigh. "No son... No we can't..."
"Alright," he caves. "But kill it fast, so it won't be in pain."
"That's all according to how clean YOU make the cut son." he remarks.
"I'm not killing it!" the colt snarls.
"You'll find it hard to make it in this cruel world if you don't learn how to take care of yourself Haze. Kill it, for your sake."
"Can I do it without the knife?"
"Well, you can most certainly try. Good to see ya finally came around Haze." There was a small bustle in a nearby bush. "Well what do ya know, here's your chance."
Haze pounces into the bush with fangs bared. A rabbit squeels before blood spurts from the leaves. After several moments of silence, Haze steps from the bushes, drenched with the red liquid with complementing ruby eyes. He smiles with malicious intent before charging towards his sister Shade.
Shadow bolts in front of the colt. "Whoa there son, where's the rabbit?"
The younger does not waver in his advance, but rather speeds up his charged.
Shadow grabs his wings just as he passes. "Chill! What's wrong?"
No noises are heard from him, rather just incoherent and rabid jibbersih from his foaming mouth.
"Well that isn't natural." Shadow remarks. "Shade, go get Rain. He'll know what to do."
The filly rushes out toward her home. It took awhile to get there, considering the distance, but in due time, she finally came through. She bust through the front door. "Rain! Something's wrong with Haze again!" Only Moon was seen.
Moon looks at her filly in concern, "Rain's on the roof with Falling Star, but what's this about Haze?"
"Daddy was telling him where meat comes from and when he convinced Haze to kill a rabbit, he just went berserk."
"But meat comes from mud..."
Shade's jaw dropped. She could understand her brother, but her own mother didn't even know.
"J... I... Bu... Just come on, quickly!"
"Rain!" Moon calls as she follows her daughter off. "Situation! Bring Star if you must, just hurry!"
Shadow was still standing there with the colt in his hooves, held by the wings as he thrashed away furiously. The whole gang came crashing through the woodland threshold.
"About time. Jeez Shade, what took so long?" He states.
"It was a long way, and I have short legs." she replies.
"Fair enough. Now Rain, what's going on here?"
Rain cocks his head and stares at the colt, keeping just out of reach of the little flailing hooves.
"You let him kill something?" Rain questions with disapproval. "Pick him up by the scruff and wait a minute until he passes out."
"I was letting him kill dinner." Shadow remarks as he does as he had instructed. It took only a minute or two before the colt had done as predicted and passed out.
"Void ponies are not fully pony, but have canine genetics as well," Rain informs. "The taste of blood drives them insane for a time, and they will kill without thinking and oftentimes devour their kills. That's why Moon was such an effective mercenary."
"I was never told this!" she snarls viciously.
"In any case," he ignores the mare. "Instinct should've made him reluctant."
"He was reluctant. I made him kill it. In my defense however, I was just like Moon and had no knowledge of this."
"Yes, but I don't kill two things. Foals, and animals." she snorts before taking her son from Shadow.
"Why would you kill a rabbit?" Rain ponders aloud to himself. "Their just blood, skin, fur, water, and what they eat. Nasty if you ask me."
The pegasus looked over to his daughter, who slowly shook her head yes. "So I take it you two don't know what meat is either then huh?"
"It's mud," he answers back matter-of-factly.
Shadow glanced over to a small little mud puddle. He hadn't the slightest clue how it was there, but it was.
"So what you're saying is that the mud in that puddle over there taste exactly like meat?"
"No," Rain scoffs. "Special mud from the leprechaun farm."
"Have you ever heard of the term 'ignorance is bliss' Rain?"
"No," he states and then laughs. "But I'll bet you don't even know where root beer comes from!"
At that he trots after Moon, who is heading back home.
The father and daughter stand there, dumbstruck.
"You think I should tell them Shade?" Shadow asks.
"I wouldn't." she replies.
"Why not?"
"It'd be pointless daddy. They aren't gonna listen."
"Way to have faith in your family Shade."
"I give it as much as it needs daddy." With that, Shadow picks up the filly and starts off way behind the others.
Haze mumbles in his sleep as the light blinds his sleepy eyes.
"What... happened?"
"Hey son." Shadow says coming into the room. "How'd ya sleep?"
"Sleep?" he repeats. His body looks as though it grew somewhat.
"Yea. You hit your head pretty hard back there when ya jumped in the bushes. Missed the rabbit and landed right on a rock." Shadow didn't want to lie, but Moon had made him promise not to tell Haze he had taken a life of any sort.
"No," he grunts shaking his head. "I killed it! I know I did because there was blood and then... then the Void.."
"You just hit your head is all. Now lie back down son."
"Mama doesn't want me to know does she," he sighs. "I won't tell her, but I won't ever live this down."
"Quite a way to lay the guilt trip on me eh son? At least you know the truth about meat and such. Your mom and Rain however, just play along with them okay? I don't think they'll listen to reason."
"Still, I thought bunnies were made of cotton."
"If only they were son." Moon opens the door behind them, entering.
"Ah, you're awake!" she chirps. "How's your head?"
"I'm fine, Mama. Just a little sleepy."
"Good, now go on back to bed while I go talk to your father."
Shadow steps outside the room with Moon. "What?"
"I want more," she states.
"More what?"
"Babies."
Shadow closed his eyes and shook his head in his hooves. "What? Why? We already have two, your mentor, a cat, and ourselves living here. Our first two haven't even grown yet."
"And Luna," she reminds. "But I NEED more, and not just for myself."
"Who else would it benefit Moon!?"
"Everypony, especially Haze, who feels he's not one of us. We Voidlings enjoy having a pack, so that somepony is always around in case of another pony going 'berserk'," she responds. " besides, Blood does not harm ponies holding foals, nor would he ever actually do anything to upset a child. At one point, he nearly killed a stallion for kicking a pregnant mare. I'd be the ultimate weapon against him."
"How many..."
"Varies from one to ten." She shrugs. "It may be just two again."
"I don't think I can handle one more, but..." He pauses. "Are you sure there isn't another way we could counter Bloodfang?"
"Babies," she repeats.
"And if I refuse?"
"I have other ways," she smirks. "Plus, Rain can implant a special something from you into me via magic, and I'm perfectly willing t--"
"Stop!" Shadow sighs. "You're not going to give a choice are ya?"
"No, not really," she giggles.
Shadow sighs again. "Fine..."
Moon nudges him towards the stairs.
"C'mon, up ya go!"
"Chill ya crazy mare. It's not even night time yet."
"Who says it has to be at night? In fact, who says it has to be in the bedroom? Let's go to the library and crawl in a closet!" she beams.
"How about this. We wait until night." Shadow remarks. "You made the decision, I choose the time." He stops for a second. "But like you said, it doesn't have to be the bedroom."
"I look forward to it," she chuckles and heads outside.
"At least one of us are."
Haze pokes his head out, squinting in the light.
"Did I hear Mama say babies?"
Shadow suddenly panicks, but not before jumping nearly out of his coat. "Yes, er, no, uh." He stops. "Go ask your mother." With that, he quickly rushes off into the kitchen.
Rain sits at the table with a sly grin.
"Canine traits," he chuckles. "Improved hearing and desire for a pack and attention. Atleast you have a mare and won't have to explain mare business with your daughter. I had no mare."
"Shut up Rain! I'm not happy about this..." Shadow smarts back.
"Calm down. Voidlings aren't hard to manage in multitude," the older laughs. "Haze won't be as difficult with more ponies. You're lucky Moon settled for less than twenty."
"I'm wanting to just hide more and more with every word that leaves your mouth."
"Nopony's under the table."
"Would you tell on me if I hid there?" He couldn't have had a more serious tone.
"Eh, really depends on the situation."
"This one for instance?"
"I mean it depends on who's looking for you, why, and how they plan on getting the information out of me," he restates in a clearer way. "And I have a price, nothing hard like the apple request."
Shadow crawls under the table, the cloth covering him up for the most part. "I'll just go on hoping you're a nice pony."
"Scratch my right leg just above the hoof," he chuckles.
"Fine..." Shadow snarls, doing as he was told. "Now leave. I want to hide in peace."
Rain trots out with a smirk just passing Luna, who notices something amiss.
"You might want to pull your tail under," she giggles.
"Would it really even help Luna?" Shadow sighs. "She'll find me anyway..."
"Moon!" the blue mare shouts. "Shadow wants you!"
Shadow didn't move. There was no escaping it.
Moon walks in to see Luna pointing under the table.
"Hmm? Why're you hiding?"
"A question I can't even answer dear." Shadow responds. "You know where to find me later tonight."
Moon shoos Luna away then pokes her head under the tablecloth and smiles gently.
"Upset?"
"I don't want more children Moon. I think two is enough..." Shadow sulks his head down.
"C'mon, it won't be that bad," she chuckles, crawling under beside him. "Or are you saying that if I did have four or five more, you wouldn't love them?"
"Of course I would love them, I just don't think I can handle that many more. Heck, we're barely able to handle things as they are." Shadow replies. "I just don't know. A total of seven or eight just sounds like a lot to me..."
"We can't handle Haze because there aren't enough of us. Ironically, more kids makes things easier, so long as you don't have them seeking blood."
"I guess I'll be the judge of that soon enough huh?"
"You'll see," she hums and crawls back out into the kitchen. "Oh, and Shade wants to ask you something about where her siblings are coming from. I just told her that she wouldn't have any more unless you agreed. She got pretty upset."
"Sounds like a problem you could easily fix yourself Moon. Why do you have to give me the hard tasks?"
"I'll take on that hurdle for you IF you promise not to complain about more kids," she smirks.
"Might as well, seeing as complaining would be pointless. Still, I'll be under this table... sulking..."
"Alright then," she replies before trotting out to find Shade.
She found her daughter sitting on the living room couch, laying down and staring at the ceiling in much a manner as Shadow would.
"Shade," Moon addresses her filly with a chuckle. "My, you DO look like your father."
"That's exactly what Mrs. Rain said." Shade replies.
"Mister," she corrects. "Regardless, your father has agreed that you can have more siblings."
She jumped off the couch with glee. "Yay!" Shade runs up to her and hugs her hoof. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Your welcome, but you should also thank your father."
"Hey mommy, where are they coming from?" the little filly innocently asks.
"Well, when a mommy and daddy decide to have a baby, they ask God for one, and soon He puts one or more in the mommy's belly."
"If I were to ask daddy, would he give me the same answer?"
"That depends on whether or not he believes in God. If not, then I'll pray for him, or somepony else will."
"Why wouldn't he?"
"Some ponies just don't believe. Anyway, you wanna tell everypony else the news?"
"Okay!" With that, Shade scurries off to let everypony know about the incoming siblings of her's.
Later that night, Moon lays on the grass outside, gazing up at the celestial bodies decorating the black blanket on which the rest. Not a cloud hovers before them to mask their magnificence. Far off in the distance is the glorious golden aura surrounding Canterlot. Regardless of their absence, everypony who is any pony dwells in that town of hustling and bustling.
Sighing, she rolls over to face the Everfree. A cool breeze dances among the leaves just as gently as it caresses the mare's body in the full, bluish glow of the moon. Shadows slide over the swaying grass beneath, each blade tickling at her nose. No day could ever be so perfect as the night.
Shadow came outside, walking over to Moon who laid over in the grass near the house. He steps up behind her, staring off to the city.
"Certainly a beautiful night isn't it?"
"Yeah," she sighs, only partially listening.
"Everypony else is asleep."
"Yeah," she repeats, still entranced.
Shadow kneels down beside her. "Is something the matter?"
"Huh? Oh, no I was just staring into space," she laughs with slight embarrassment.
"I noticed."
"Want to join me?"
"Might as well since I'm out here." Shadow smirks, lying down beside her. He, along with Moon, gazed up into the vast sky, losing himself in thought much like she had done.
Moon sighs, "Tell me the truth. Is at least one more so bad?"
"I gave it some thought under the table Moon." he chuckles. "I guess one more couldn't hurt, just as long as it's ONE."
"I can't exactly control that," she chuckles and nips his ear.
"Come on. Of everything I've seen this family do, I'm sure you could find a way." Shadow remarks, still gazing at the stars.
"Shadow, there are some things we can't do," she states, pushing him onto his back. "Reproducing with ourselves being one of those things."
His gaze was still fixated on the stars above. "Heh, and here I thought that this family could do anything."
"Hardly."
"Could have fooled me honey." Shadow remarks before reaching up and kissing her.
Haze stares up at his ceiling in deep thought. Vexnis had not spoken in his mind in awhile. Maybe she'd given up on him? No! He shakes his head furiously at the consideration of such an idea. The queen of the Void, his queen. But... his father was his king, his ruler, not her. The confusion made the colt shove his head under a pillow.
Shade took notice of her brother's dismay as she walks by the room. "Hey Haze! What's up?"
"Vexnis," he mutters in a muffled tone.
"You're still on about that? C'mon Haze... Just take daddy as your 'king' or whatever. It can't be that hard can it?"
"She hasn't been talking recently."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"No," he moans. "It's so quiet up there!"
"I'd like the peace and quiet personally." Shade retorts. "Maybe you should just spend more time with daddy."
"But he can't talk in my head," the colt sighs. "I've always heard a very faint voice since as long as I can remember. The silence is scary."
"Why must you conform? You could at least TRY to be different from other voidlings. Just a suggestion..."
"I am different," he groans. "I'm trying to change rulers."
"Whatever. Anyway, did I tell you mommy and daddy are gonna have more kids? We're gonna have more siblings!"
"What?" he asks in alarm.
"I'm not repeating myself." she beams as she skips merrily along.
Haze just lies there on the bed staring into space.
"More... siblings?"
Morning came as usual, and it started out most like any other. Shadow was downstairs cooking as usual before anypony else was awake.
Haze trudges in, a look of utter discontempt marking his countenance.
"Dad? I know it's not my place to ask, but why? Why do we need more siblings?"
"Son, trust me. I said the same thing."
"Does Mama think Shade and I aren't worthy to rule one day?"
"That's not the case at all son. When you find a mare one day, you'll understand."
"What mare would want somepony as useless as me? I'm a pegasus who can't fly, and my only skill is killing, but I can't even do that right!"
"I knew that kind of thinking would be passed down to one of you two." Shadow chuckles. "You sound just like me and your mom."
The colt cocks his head in puzzlement. He looked like neither of them and had a condition so unlike them, so how could he sound like them?
"But my voice isn't anything like either of yours'."
"Just go sit down and wait for breakfast."
"Alright," he sighs and heads over to the table.
Moon stumbles in looking a bit woozy.
"S-Shadow?"
"Yes Moon?"
"I'm not feeling so-" she's cut off by a violent gagging.
"And I believe that would be the start of the pregnancy progress hun. I'm quite surprised it didn't hit you with Haze and Shade actually." Still, even though he knew that was the case, he went over to help her, leaving the pancakes he was making to be unflipped and burned.
"Haze, could you take over cooking for a minute?"
"Eh, okaaaaaaay..." he agrees with much uncertainty.
"Flip 'em, but remember that for you, use little to absolutely no power behind it." Shadow instructs.
"Ok," he repeats as Moon rushes off to the bathroom to puke.
"She'll be fine." Shadow remarks. "And you were in the middle of flipping YOUR pancake correct?"
The nervous foal accidently flings the pancake into the air with some amount of force, sending it through the ceiling.
"Two things Haze. First of all, that was your pancake. Second, you're fixing that hole in the roof." Shadow states, staring out the hole in the ceiling and out to the blue sky.
"I'll go get it." he huffs and trots outside.
"Bring it back son!" the pegasus calls. "We can't let it go to waste, so you're gonna have to eat it!"
"Yeah, yeah! I know!"
Luna comes in to observe the scene.
"I take it the young colt does not yet know his own strength," she giggles as her broken horn glows, repairing the roof.
Shadow was over fixing the table. "It's gonna suck when he figures it out."
"I don't think it will," she states. "He seems to fear his Voidling half, and Rain tells me that Haze is just going through his 'change of rulers' process. Something about the fear of not hearing the voice of Vexnis, and his mind adjusting to the silence within."
"Yea, yea. Things that I probably should know that he never tells me. Gotcha."
"Look at it from his perspective. He's heard her voice since birth, choses her, changes his mind and choses you, then that voice he'd come to love and listened to for comfort is replaced by silence," the former alicorn points out. "But he also looks up to you to help aid him in his decisions. He thinks you fear nothing, and he will try to be that way. Perhaps it would help if you told him that he can tell YOU anything without having to worry about what YOU think."
Finishing up, she starts trotting out, ending with the statement, "YOU are his king now."
"Father and king," Rain chuckes upon overhearing. "King is just a term for who controls him. By being both, you can tell him to stop breathing and he would do so until you chose to relieve him."
"But I don't want that much control over him. I want him to be able to make his own choices." Shadow pauses for a second, thinking over. "Well, that's how I grew up anyway, and I think I turned out pretty good in the end, wouldn't ya say?"
"You CAN exercise that control just as well as I can over Moon," he responds. "He still has the free will to do as he pleases."
"Just as long as he doesn't completely depend on everything I say, then it shouldn't be so bad."
Haze trots back in eating what is left of a frisby.
"Hey, who fixed the roof?"
"Haze, why are you eating a frisby?" Shadow asks, this being a tad bit more stunning than yesterday and all its craziness.
"Ish goowed."
"I don't see the point in keeping a half eaten frisbee around, so just go ahead and finish it. Still, did ya get the pancake?"
"Nah, a deer was eating it," he replies with a shrug and then walks over to the two. "You guys weren't talkin' about me... were you?"
"Something that I always ask when this numbskull talks fancy." Shadow jokes, nudging Rain.
"Aren't all skulls numb?" the larger questions with a tilted head.
"Imma just go check on Moon. I can see where this conversation would head if I stayed and tried to explain." Shadow then gets up from the table and heads out towards the bathroom, but stops in the living room and lays out on the couch instead. "I'll see her when she gets out."
"How nice of you," Moon groans, laying behind the couch. "But wise nonetheless."
Her sudden input made Shadow roll off the couch, landing on the floor rather hard. "Jeez! Don't scare me like that!"
"Be more observant," she retorts flatly. "Buck, I feel like crap!"
"Heh, you did this to yourself Moon. I just did as I was told."
"I still feel like crap."
"Still not my fault."
"Never said it was," she sneers and pulls herself into a chair. "Bring Bloodfang here. I can't turn him into a kid myself. That should speed this up to a three day thing like it did with the other two."
"And how do suppose go about getting somepony I haven't seen since our last spat?"
"I was joking, but if you're serious, he's up in Canterlot," she answers. "Or so Mr. Know-it-all tells me."
"Your sarcasm precedes you dear." Shadow states with a grin. "I'll ask Rain here soon about the details and such, just don't you get TOO moody while I'm still here.. I hear this is when you really get to see a mare's evil side."
"Watch what you say," she growls. "My patience only runs so deep."
"I know, I know. Been together for years. Figured I'd have something like that down pat by now."
Rain has already made his way into the hard and is teaching Celestia to fight. In all honesty, she isn't so good now that she is but a pegasus filly. Her mane is by far, much shorter than wht it had been the day before, hinting that Rain had cut it so it would not pose a problem in their combat training. Regardless of her cute little determination, she is still quite clumsy and hesitant about charging her 'father'.
Shade exits the front door, having slept through breakfast.
"Mrs. Rain, why is Celestia's mane shorter?"
"Mister," he corrects. "And I cut it."
"Why?"
"I gets in the way," Celestia chirps. "So I asked Pop to cut it!"
"Why?" It was apparent that she had entered that phaze.
"I didn't like it," she says with uncertainty. "Why else?"
"Why don't you like it?"
"It was annoying."
"Why was it annoying?" She didn't show any signs of stopping.
Rain interrupts Celestia before she can even peep, "So, I see you woke up from your nap. pleasant?"
"Yes ma'am. Daddy won't cook me anything since I woke up late, so I was wondering if you might know where I could get something to eat."
"I wouldn't suppose you'd have the same eating habits as you mother and brother," he chuckles to himself. "C'mon, let's go to that orchard you father showed me."
"Okay!" Shade, along with the other filly, follows Rain into the forrest.
Moon rolls over on the couch.
"Shadow! C'mon! I'm tired of waiting."
"Almost done!" Shadow calls from the kitchen. "Just cleaning the table."
"You really are a sort of neat freak aren't you?" she chuckles. "Well, opposites attract I suppose."
Shadow came out of the kitchen. "You've said that already Moon. Regardless, imagine this home if I didn't keep it clean."
"Between me, Rain, and all the kids, we'd drown in trash," she laughs.
"Yes you would. Now where is Mister Know-It-All?"
"Never around when you want him, but always there when you don't."
"Always ready to tell you how to fix a problem rather than prevent it." Shadow adds. "How am I supposed to find Bloodfang now?"
"He's in the palace. Celestia's study more in likely," she ponders aloud. "Yeah. The study."
"Tell me again how you know this?"
"Rain said so."
"And why would he tell you and not me? I mean, I kinda expected such but... come on..."
"You were asleep and I was running down to puke," she states bluntly. "He woke up."
"Still..."
She luaghs a bit, "It's best not to try and understand his reasoning."
"Obviously. Anyway, you ready to head out?"
"What do you think I was rushing you for?" she sighs before trotting out the door.
"Because you're you Moon." he responds before following her out.
"Hey Shade?" Rain calls over to the filly. "How quickly do you think you can find the darkest red apple here on the plantation?"
"Quick enough to watch you grow old before trying." Shade beams back. Obviously she had been listening to Shadow far too much.
Celestia flies out of a nearby tree and drops a dark crimson apple before him, grinning like a cheshire cat.
Shade glances at the apple with hungry eyes for only a moment before scooping it up and eating it herself.
"Thank you for that useful bit of information," Rain laughs. "Now can you find me one?"
Shade looks back with a death glare. "No, these are my apples. Go find your own."
"Is this how you plan on treating your subjects one day? You wouldn't want t tun out like our last rulers."
"My apples!"
"Technically, they're the farmers apples."
"No, they're mine!"
"Well then, I guess you wouldn't want any drackle berries."
"Drakel wha...?"
"Drackle berries," Rain restates. "They are a food like no other AND have a very special, temporary effect."
"Would you be so kind as to show me these berries Mrs. Rain?" the filly innoecently asks.
"Would you get me an apple first?" he smirks.
"Then how do I know you're going to show me these berries? How do I even know you have them?"
"I only give for payment," he responds. "Celestia gave me an apple, even though you ate it. Therefore, I can take her to the drackle berries."
"That still doesn't prove you have them."
"Correct, I must take you to them."
"Yay!” she squees with joy. "Take me to them!"
"Apple."
"Berries."
"Not until I have an apple," he hums and starts trotting around aimlessly.
"Not until I see the berries." she smartly remarks.
"Aaaaaaaapples," he says yet again. "Bring one and we'll trade off."
"Fine, what kind of apple did you want?"
"Darkest red you can find!"
"Why not the bright red? Or yellow?"
"I like dark reds best. Their sweet and juicy, and they don't taste as weird as the others."
"Fine."
Shade heads out among the orchard and begins to look. It takes only a short amount of time before she returns with a crimson apple.
"Good enough?"
"For a first timer," he sighs. "Consider yourself lucky a filly."
He turns and flicks his tail for them to follow, which they do eagerly. For quite some time they walk, heading deep into the Everfree. No animals run about in this sector of the forest, having been chased off long ago. Eventually, they come to a collapsed shack overrun with blue colored, yellow-spotted berries.
"There ya are," he beams. "Let's be sure to bring some back for everypony else."
"What affects did you say they had again?" Shade asks.
"I didn't, but they temporarily change your mane color to fit your personality."
"Oooooh!" Shade ecstatically ran over and ate one of the berries. Her mane suddenly changed to the color of pink.
Rain bursts out laughing, "What you wanna bet that's your father's true mane too?"
Celestia sniffs at the berries, and then licks at one, her mane turning a deep plum color.
"What about you huh? What's your mane color?" Shade snorts back.
He bites in and the blue of his mane turns purple, whilst the yellow tips remain.
"Two opposite colors," he states the obvious. "Signifies being bipolar onmany things. For instance, I love fluffy, black, red-eyed dwarf bunnies, but am creeped out by big, short-haired, red-eyed white bunnies."
"Cool! Oooh! What's my color mean?"
"Difficult, persistent, and stubborn," he snorts.
"And mine?" Celestia chimes in.
"Yours is me without the 'idiot' trait."
"Heh, so you're an idiot then?" Shade inquires.
"Yeah, kinda."
"He he, I kinda already knew. I mean, you thought meat came from mud."
"...It does..."
"No," Shade stated in a rather smart tone. "It comes from animals, just like daddy said. I watched him make some."
"No, blood and guts come from animals. Meat is a special mud cultured and grown by leprechauns."
"While blood and guts are true, the skin is what makes the meat. And the muscle too. Besides, leprechauns aren't real."
"No, meet is made by leprechauns. Your mother and brother know this," he snorts. "Just like pancake trees and waffle hills."
"And that's why your mane is the color it is." she states, pracing along back to the woods.
"Wait up! There are still wolves living in the area!" he calls an picks up Celestia to catch up quickly.