//------------------------------// // Chapter Four // Story: Revelation // by Sandstorm Inkwell //------------------------------// Baltimare. A sprawling metropolis created by hooves to show the technological advancements of ponykind. Many who went there left babbling about the sights they've seen and the ponies they've met. The city's newest visitors, however, didn't much care for the main tourist spots of the city. “Hey! Barkeep! One more round, eh? Giddy-up!” Drunken chuckles echoed around the bar as the numerous bipedals in blue digital uniforms laughed at the joke. The ponies that shared the space with the humans either rolled their eyes and went back to nursing their own drinks or glared at the seamen and women. “Oooooooh!” screamed one of the naval men as he stood with beer bottle in hand, “There were ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall! Ninety-nine bottles of-” CRASH!-thump. “Shut up, will ya!” shouted another before looking at his empty hand with a confused face, “I could'a sworn there was a bottle in this hand not a second ago.” The big man looked at the seaman next to him. His drunk mind noticed that his attention was diverted from the bottle on the table. In actuality, he and the woman next to him looked to be in a contest of who could eat whose face. However, that didn't matter to the man as he swiped away the neglected bottle and took a swig from it. “Better,” he declared with a burp. As he took another sip of the bottle, he became aware of a presence next to him that wasn't the two sailors trying to suck off skin. Turning, his eyes found a pony standing somewhat impatiently next to him. “You're gonna clean up that glass.” It was statement, not a question. This didn't necessarily faze the sailor, however, as he swayed gently in his seat. Finally, he chuckled and patted the pony on it's head. “You're fun-GAH!” The sailor cried out in pain as he held his forearm. The pony had forcefully swatted his arm away. Unlucky for him, an earth pony swat was strong enough to fracture bone. Lucky for him... it was just fractured. “I'll fucking kill you!” screamed the sailor as he dived at the pony. The bar soon dissolved into madness as bystanders joined in; sailors on one side and ponies on the other. Each side had their strengths. Earth pony strength for the ponies, resilience for the humans. Pegasi agility for the ponies, high reach for the humans. Unicorn magic for ponies, flying bottles for humans. Of course, most of those advantages were countered by the alcohol that both parties had consumed. As if it were some badly directed military film, the doors to the bar busted open, allowing several armed and armored sailors to enter the establishment. Whistles began blowing and batons were whipped about. Following the armored sailors were several members of Baltimare's Guard detachment. While the sailors focused on their drunken fellows, the Guard focused on the ponies. Soon enough, two lines were flowing from the bar. One was of humans and other of ponies, guarded by the armored sailors and the Guard respectively. Both processions were bruised, bloody, and cradling something broken. The bar itself looked as if a cyclone had torn through it. Tables were overturned, chairs destroyed, glass littered the floor, and one scared showmare sat frozen on the stage. Back on the Kinkaid, The Commander received word of the fight and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I don't know what's worse,” he muttered to no one but himself, “the fact that they're getting in bar fights or that I have to deal with stupid, talking ponies.” With his other hand, he brought a glass of whiskey to his lips and took a sip, hissing as the liquid burned down his throat. Setting the glass aside, he nodded to himself. “Probably the ponies,” he muttered as he looked up at the map of Equestria he had placed over a cork board. A red and black dart struck out of the map. More specifically, it stuck out of the bright red star that was situated right next to the mountain in the center of the country. “One step at a time Commander,” he muttered as he looked back at his desk and took another sip of his whiskey. After another hiss, he sighed, “Need to stop talking to myself. Starting to sound like some clichéd villain.” /--\ “I'M GONNA BE WHAT?!” “Ow,” I whispered, rubbing a knuckle against my assaulted ear in an effort to get rid of the ringing. “Was there a need to yell dear?” Twilight asked of the little orange pegasus that sat before us. When Twilight and me had woken up this morning, we had gone and woken up the two foals. Like true kids, they completely shrugged off their sleeping position and jumped from the bed. After breakfast, Pipsqueak had left for his own home. One “family meeting” in the atrium later and I was hearing bells in one ear. Wonderful. “Yes!” cried the filly, albeit quieter than earlier, “You tell me that I'm gonna to have a baby sister-” “Or brother,” I helpfully added. “-and you expect me to be calm?” she finished, only giving a short pause and nod to my statement. “Didn't expect you to go all Canterlot Voice on us either,” I stated as the ringing died away. This caused the filly to look down at the floor and shift her hooves in what I could tell was shame. With the adopted filly, I noticed she was quick to beat herself up over something. Kneeling next to her, I pulled her into a hug, “Hey, it's alright furball.” “Hey!” she exclaimed as she whacked a hoof against my chest before going into pout mode. Chuckling, I ruffled her mane. This brought a smile to her muzzle as she tried to get my hand out of her mane. Stopping, I opted to simply hold her in my hands as Twilight sat down next to us. “We know how surprising this is,” Twilight started, the old subject not yet solved, “it was surprising to us as well. We didn't expect anything like this to happen anytime soon. In fact, we thought it would be impossible due to the major-hmgmph! Hmph?” Scootaloo giggled as I held Twilight's muzzle closed with one hand. “Kid, Twi. K-i-d. No anatomy class, yeah?” I asked. After getting a nod in reply, I let go of her muzzle... to get a raspberry in reward. “Anyway,” continued Twilight, her serious tone bringing Scootaloo out of her giggle fit, “What I'm trying to say is that we need you to be a big filly while we travel down this new road in our life, okay?” The orange pegasus wiggled out of my grip until she could wrap her forelegs around Twilight, “Okay mom!” Twilight looked at her with a smile of pure joy as she rubbed a hoof through her mane. Smiling I looked at my bare wrist in cried out in exaggerated shock. “Le-gasp! It's been half a hour since you've been with Pipsqueak!” I cried out. I watched in amusement as once orange cheeks burned bright red. “Daaaaaaad!” Might have to have the talk sooner than I thought, I noted to myself as I laughed at my daughter's embarrassment. Plucking the little pegasus from Twilight, I placed her on my back as I planted a quick kiss on the lavender unicorn. “Come on little adventurer! Let's go find you're partner in crime and hope we don't get any arrows to the knee.” Giggling came from back before the end of an orange hoof shot past my head and pointed to the door, “Onward mount!” With no irony lost, I barked like a dog before charging out of the library, leaving a very bemused unicorn in my wake. With a giggling pegasus on my back and the warmth of the sun on my face, I felt happy. I felt like everything bad was behind me and I could finally get on with living a normal life.