//------------------------------//
// Emotional Rollercoaster 
// Story: The God Squad: Equestria's Most Wanted 
// by defender2222 
//------------------------------//

"Alright, is everyone settled?" Twilight asked, looking around the Four Seasons' conference room. It had taken some doing but the newly minted alicorn had been able to get Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash (who kept muttering about someone named 'Al'), Fluttershy and Big Macintosh (who were cuddling in a corner), Applejack, Applebloom, Granny Smith, Spike (who had received a magical spank on the bottom for abandoning her), Hairy Grabber, and Princess Misty and Wall Breaker (who were only there because they'd overheard everything).  The staff of the hotel had set up some coffee and pastries for them and everyone except for Pinkie was enjoying them (Pinkie had taken one look at the pastries and declared them an ‘affront against nature’ since they were store bought).

That, of course, didn’t keep her down for too long.

"Wow, Twilight, this is some theme party!" Pinkie said with glee. "I've never been to a 'Serious Meeting' Party!" Pinkie's hair instantly deflated and she tugged on her chest, ripping her coat away to reveal a fine black suit underneath. She shuffled some papers and gravely said, "Blah blah blah with the budget."

“AAAAAAA!!!” Rarity screamed, batting away the scraps of Pinkie’s coat that had landed on her head.

"This isn't... never mind." Twilight leaned forward, her gaze sweeping over each and every one of them. "I just found out that some pretty big lies have been told to me and I want some answers."

"FOREVER!" Pinkie shouted, only to blush seconds later. "Oh, sorry, I thought she was going to set me up for that."

"I want to truth... now!" Twilight snapped.

"I admit it!" Rarity exclaimed, pressing a foreleg to her forehead. "I'm the one that convinced Joining Lemon to leave the Beatles! I thought he could better use his talents to help the world through abstract music and sleep ins but-"

"Not that," Twilight said, cutting of the overly-dramatic confession. "I am talking about how Fluttershy and Big Macintosh are married and NONE of you mentioned a word of it to me!" She slammed her hoof down on the table. “Three years! Three years we’ve known each other and you never said a word!”

“Like you never mentioned your brother?” Fluttershy asked.

“Just like… shut up.”

Misty leaned over to Wall Breaker. “I can’t wait to kill them all.”

“I can’t wait for Dan Harmon to fix Community,” Wall Breaker stated.

Twilight glared at her friends. “You lied to me… all of you! You lied right to my face!”

“I didn’t!” Spike said. “I just abandoned you!”

Twilight turned to Pinkie. “You can say ‘FOREVER’ now.”

“Meh, I’m not really feeling it,” Pinkie said.

"Well," Applejack said weakly, flashing a reluctant smile, "it’s not like we didn't want to, sugarcube. It’s just them fancy brain doctors said that we had to be careful when dealin' with Fluttershy, lest her amnesia cause brain damage or somethin'. It was mighty hard lyin' too ya, but we all care about Fluttershy and didn't want to set her back."

Applebloom nodded. "And it wasn't like we enjoyed this, Miss Twilight! I missed talkin' to my Aunt Fluttershy and hated pretendin' she was a strange pony we'd only just met!" Fluttershy reached over and gave the filly a hug.

"And then there is the fact that she and Mac are your parents," Granny Smith said to Applebloom.

"No we aren't," Big Mac said in confusion, the others nodding in agreement.

"Granny, ya need to stop listenin' to the Cakes," Applejack said with a snort.

"And let’s face it, Twilight, if we had told ya Fluttershy had been all Forgetshy, you'd have strapped her to one of those crazy machines in your basement and tried to solve the mystery yourself!" Pinkie nodded her head rapidly. "No offense, but when you go on a tear it can get scary!"

Twilight sighed, wings fluttering slightly. There was no use in arguing that point, as they all knew it was true. "Ok, you might have a point. Still, I wish you would have shown a bit of trust in me."

"Ain't nothin' about trust, Miss Twilight!" Applebloom said. "We just had to listen to them fancy doctors."

"Isn't the important thing that I finally remember my wonderful Mac?" FLuttershy said softly, nuzzling her husband. "Now we can get on with our lives!"

"I... suppose so." Her brow twitched slightly. "You... you two aren't Scootaloo's parents, are you?" At the blank stares she got Twilight shrugged. "It isn't the Cakes this time. Derpy had this theory..."

"That wasn't true, Twilight," Spike reminded her. "If it was, then the ninjas that were trying to prevent Scootaloo from getting her parents together would-"

The door of the conference room burst open and a figure dressed all in black rushed in, a pair of sai on her hips and a set of nunchucks on her back. 

"Ninja!" Pinkie screamed, flailing her arms. "She's after me lucky charms!"

The ninja blinked and removed her hood, causing Twilight to gasp. "Zecora?!"

"I am sorry if I caused a fright, but I have a costume party later tonight."

"Oh, is that Fleur's party?" Rarity asked excitedly. "I'm going to that too!" She leaned in to Rainbow Dash. "I am going as a peacock."

"Of that we can later speak, but for now it is Misty I seek."

The princess of the capricorns stood up. "Hello, cousin."

"Cousin?" Twilight exclaimed. "Since when is Zecora your cousin?"

"Since always," Misty stated. She turned to the zebra. "You never told them you were the Princess of Zebrica?"

"It seems wrong at a glance, but I simply never had a chance."

Twilight spun around, jabbing her hoof at the others. "Ok, who else is related to each other? Seriously, I want to know NOW!"

"Well, Applejack and I are third cousins," Rarity said. "Pinkie is 5th, if I am correct."

“And Rainbow and I are stepsisters,” Fluttershy said. She shook her head. “That was a strange Los Pegasus trip…”

Pinkie nodded her head happily. "Also, I'm the duchess of Dragixo, but I don't have the paperwork to back that up."

"To interrupt is something I hate, but I must talk to Misty before it’s too late."

"What's the problem?" Misty asked.

"This message my mother asked me to gives... your father isn't dead... he lives!"

Misty blinked in shock. "My... my father is alive?"

"He himself asked... you know what, I'm tried of talking like this." Zecora sat down and helped herself to a cup of coffee, ignoring the stares from the ponies that weren’t away that her rhyming was a choice and not something she always did. "Your father, along with Princess Celestia, Luna, and Cadence, as well as Shining Armor and Queen Chrysalis-"

"Who’s Chrysalis?” Twilight asked (and if she had known the changeling queen’s name she would have begun panicing).

"-are all alive. Your father has decreed that the Doomsday Scenerio is to be put on hold."

"As Princess of the Mareatine it is within my power to act in my father's sted. The Doomsday Scenerio is halted."

All the ponies let out a sigh of relief.

"Except for the Canterlot Elite," Zecora said with a slight smirk, taking a sip of coffee. "He stated they are to be eliminated anyway… the sooner the better."

"What?" Twilight screeched. "Why?"

"For shits and giggles," Zecora said with a shrug.

Misty smirked, her tail thrashing back and forth. "Oh, daddy remembered my birthday was coming up!"

"Huh," Wall Breaker said, "I thought we were wrapping up this plotpoint but I guess there is still a bit more to go."

"I'd like to point out that I am just a simple clothing marker, yo" Rarity said nervously, not liking the way Misty was staring at her. She quickly reverted to her Neigh Jersey accent. "I ain't no elite, dawg. Just makin' some bling bling, ya dig?"


The God Squad: Equestria's Most Wanted
Episode 20: Voyage of the Wavechaser


"There," Zeena said to Shining, the telegraph-zebra in front of them finishing up with the final bit of the message, "the message has been sent to Zecora."

"Good," Shining said with a firm nod, double-checking to make sure not a single word had been missent. "Now we can get down to brass tacks."

"I am disappointed that you view me with so little trust. I am a goddess... I gave you my word that I would send the message of Tydal's survival to my Zecora. Why did you insist I do it now and force us to delay action that would aid my herd?"

Shining didn't show the least bit of regret for his decision. "Because I've been on two of these road trips and I know how easily you deities get sidetracked. Some other danger or problem would have come up and instead of sending the message you would have run off to do something else. No... I wanted it sent now so I didn't have the worry about it." The rest of his group had been in firm agreement; even Tydal, who had reminded them all that Zeena had a bad habit of making poor decisions and guessing wrong (such as when she had decided to try an all-cheese diet). "Besides, unless your zebras are facing a horde of capricorns that are going to brutally slaughter them... your problem wasn’t as big as ours."

Zeena led the captain back to the main chambers, shaking her head. A great wooden table had been placed in the center of the room and piled on high were all manner of Zebrican dishes. Different long grass salads and breads lined one side while exotic fruits (to the Equestrians, at least) were on the other side.  Servants trotted around the room, offering different platters to the guests. 

It was a strange group that had gathered. There were some of Zeena's daughters and sons, each vying to be the certain of attention. A few representatives from the nearby herds (Zeena ruled them all but there were still heads… much like the mayors of cities) chatted with each other, discussing the peace treaties with the lion prides and the hyena packs. Chrysalis was holding court with some zebra shamens, demonstrating her transformation skills while Luna and Celestia greeted Zeena's director of foreign affairs. Cadence was lounging on golden couch, letting an antelope feed her grapes. Tydal was by himself in a corner, a roaring fire going as he cooked his crocodile. The others, though at first wanting to greet the brother of their Lady, now gave him a wide berth as he applied seasoning to the croc.

Shining heard a giggle and watched as the zebra filly that had attached herself to the war god darted out from behind him, gibbering as all young fillies do. Tydal, much to the surprise of many, merely smiled and watched her dance about, stomping his hoof in approval at all the right moments and praising her when she did something she felt was amazing. The party had clearly decided to let him have his own space, giving him a wide berth.

"I fear I've worn out my welcome," Tydal told his older sister as she and Shining approached them. "Your servants and guests have begun to avoid me. It feels like old times."

Zeena smiled weakly. "Brother, they do not avoid you. They know well the misery I felt after your fall and how I longed to see you again, if only for a moment so that I could apologize for all the bad blood between us."

"Some of which was my fault," Tydal stated. "I, at times, was no better than Discord."

"Bite your tongue," Zeena said sternly. "You are nothing like him; your mistakes were merely childish follies, nothing more. I, as the older sibling, should have seen that instead of pushing you away." 

Shining shifted awkwardly, feeling like he was intruding on some private moment. Tydal and Zeena continued to talk the way two siblings who had been separated by both time and grudges due. The white stallion leaned down and focused his attention on the zebra filly, making a funny face and earning a peel of laughter from her. He smiled, only to whip his head around when he heard a scoff. He narrowed his eyes, glaring at the servant who walked past, glaring daggers at the filly.

"It isn't Tydal that they have a problem with, is it?" Shining said sternly.

Before Zeena could answer the filly darted forward, running up to the servant that had drifted close to them. She looked up at the zebra mare, flashing a huge smile and holding out her forelegs, wanting one of the treats the mare was carrying. The servant, with a half snarl, lashed out and shoved the filly away, sending the little one tumbling end over end. The filly finally came to a stop against Tydal’s leg.

The next moment the servant found herself slammed into the wall, struggling to breath. A magical glow surrounded her throat and she choked as she struggled to breath. All eyes turned to the one that attacked her, his face clouded over with rage.

"Shining?" Cadence said in shock, leaping from her couch.

The white stallion growled low in his throat, his hair beginning to sizzle as his godly energy was called forth. The ghostly outline of wings could be seen on his back and his eyes blazed with the fires of the rising sun as he glared at the servant. Tydal stood next to him, his focus on the filly who was hugging his leg, trembling in fear. Tydal was fighting every urge to murder all the zebras in the chamber... the only reason he didn't was the knowledge that such an act would frighten the filly. Instead, with an utter gentleness, Tydal leaned down and began to rub his snout against the filly's face, a deep rumble issuing from his chest and soothing the little one. It was only his eyes, darting around the room with a dark, calculating gleam, which alerted anyone that Tydal was still prepared for a sneak attack.

Luna had already darted forward, her trust in her family outweighing the political ramifications. Her horn glowed as she moved to back Tydal up and let him focus on the zebra filly while she watched his flank.

"Captain Armor," Celestia said, old instincts driving her to move and join Luna in standing next to Tydal. Chrysalis and Cadence were next, the mares surrounding Tydal and forming a shield of godly bodies to protect the filly. In ancient times, it would not have been uncommon to see pony mares act in such a way to protect their foals from timberwolves. 

Several of the zebra shamans, seeing the aggressive stances of the ponies and fearing this was a sneak attack, took out their staffs and began to twirl them, the ends glowing as they began to summon their magic. Zeena moved to stop them, but still found herself facing a united front. "Tydal," Celestia said, her horn glowing as she prepared a short range teleportation spell, "how is it you couldn't last 5 minutes without causing a fight?"

"It wasn't him," Shining snapped, his magic still holding the struggling servant to the wall.

Zeena let out a long sigh. "Brother..." she turned to Tydal, silently pleading with him to listen.”You know our ways

Tydal raised an eyebrow, then looked down at the little one who had fallen asleep. He used his magic to lift her onto his back while Luna created a dome of magic to protect her. "You still practice it, don't you?"

"Practice what?" Cadence asked in confusion.

Tydal looked at his older sister like she was a piece of rotting meat as he addressed Cadence. "Before I was turned to stone, the biggest argument Zeena and I had was about their practice of passing the sins of the parent onto the child."

"We pass the good and the bad-"

"Shut it," Tydal snapped, any good will he felt for Zeena evaporating like water in the desert. "If one member of a family brings harm to the herd, then the entire family is shunned. The sins of one are passed onto the rest and they are viewed as no different than the one that committed the crime. They are cast out, left to fend for themselves until they find a way to redeem their bloodline. The tribe is encouraged to actively make these shunned ones pay for their imagined crimes. Considering many are quite young..."

Cadence looked at Zeena in disgust, her horn flaring as her own magic joined Shining's. "That is sick."

"It is the way of our kind," Zeena argued, not liking how they were treating her. "When the herd is hurt punishment must be dealt. Unlike you ponies we zebras have led a hard life! Until 200 years ago not a day went by that a lion or a jackal didn't kill us! If the herd is to survive it must be strong... and must be united! We don’t have magic necklaces to protect us… we have only each other and our bond! When that bond is broken by betrayal drastic actions must be taken to ensure the herd survives. No one zebra is greater than the whole!”

"And you unite by making your subjects look over their shoulders in fear?" Celestia asked, her voice as icy cold as an overcast day in December.

“You seek to use fear to keep your herds together, rather than joy. Fear and anger and rage.” Luna shook her head in annoyance.

“Says Nightmare Moon!” a zebra called out.

Luna didn’t rise to the bait. “Yes… says Nightmare Moon… and the most blood thirst capricorn to live. We agree with the goddess of love… that should tell you something.”

"The tribe must be in harmony!" Zeena snapped.

"Harmony?" Shining scoffed. "Pettiness is what I call it."

Zeena glared at him, the ground trembling under his hooves. "Watch how you speak to me, mortal. I have allowed you to make demands of me because I am a good host, but if you take that tone with me again and dare to question my edicts I will seal you within the earth itself."

Cadence's eyes flashed black. "Try it. I will sterilize each and every one of you if you touch my Shiny. No more herd, no more zebras… I will wipe you all out without a care." The zebras shuddered as the most ancient of wisdoms whispered through their minds: beware the nice ones.

"Shining Armor is no mortal," Tydal said darkly, his own eyes flashing. Outside the Nile began to churn. "He is the god of the dawn, captain of the Equestrian army, prince of the Crystal Empire... and my friend." Tydal moved to stand with Shining, ignoring the stallions gob-smacked look at that proclamation. “My family. His enemies are mine. If any of you show him disrespect I will plunge your country into the sea.” 

"Darling, might I just say something?" Chrysalis purred, lazily reaching up and flicking her mane over her shoulder. "I am a bug-pony who mind raped a stallion and imprisoned his fiancée in a cave just so I could set up a changeling theme park. I am happily on the chaotic evil side of the flow chart... and even I think this is sick and disgusting." The changeling queen shrugged and used her magic to snare a plate of wheatgrass crackers (she might feed on love but that didn’t mean she couldn’t indulge) . "Food for thought. Continue with your bickering."

"I always wondered if it was wrong of us to not seek you out after Tydal fell," Luna said coldly, her coat darkening as she fought to repress her Nightmare Moon persona. "Thank you... you took a great weight off my shoulders by proving today I was right to ignore you as he did."

"Where is the filly's family?" Tydal said.

"She has none," Zeena said sternly, deciding that, despite her desire to have her brother back she needed to act now as a ruler. It would do no good to give in now; she had to show a strong will if she had any hope of regaining control of the situation. She knew how Tydal felt and should have guessed his family would feel the same way, but in her mind she just knew if they would stop and listen they would see that the zebra-way was the best. "Her father killed her mother."

"So she is made an orphan and your response is to shun her," Celestia said, raising an eyebrow.

"His filthy blood runs through her veins. He murdered a member of the herd… he is banished and the fruit of his loins must work to regain their family’s honor."


"Her only crime is that she was born. It is by no choice of her own who her family is... just as my blood is the same as yours... by no choice of mine." Tydal's horns glowed and he ripped one of the flags that had been so happily waved on his arrival from a pole, wrapping it around the zebra filly like a blanket. "As she has no tribe you will not mind if I take her into mine." He shifted the bundle slightly, the filly letting out a snort as she slept, giggling as the blanket tickled her. “Come on, Giggles.”

"We're leaving," Luna said sternly. "Good luck with whatever you wanted us to deal with, Zeena."

BOOM!
All the guests stumbled back, shielding their faces as the great wooden doors of Zeena's main chamber were reduced to kindling. Through the flaming wreckage strode a bearded zebra dressed in a long blue coat with many buttons and shining bits sewn onto it. His face was lined with scars and for every three hooffalls there was the THWUNK of his wooden peg leg striking the stone floor. Two swords were strapped to his sides and on his back sat a tiny gun turret with a parrot sitting inside, aiming the weapon at the surprised guest. A Motley crew of zebras stormed in, swords in their mouths as they rushed about on dirty hooves. The last two pulled in a strange mechanical device and every zebra, pony, changeling and capricorn in the chamber felt as if their magic had deserted them.

"Ar!" the bearded zebra shouted in an overly exaggerated tone, the dark and dramatic mood that had filled the chamber shoved aside and replaced by the rip-roaring spirit of adventure. Tydal and his family shared a look, wondering how their anger could so easily be wiped away. "I be Mood Whiplash, Cap'ain of The Tropespouter! All ya scurvey dogs are hostages of me and me crew!" He sneered, showing off several gold teeth. He marched towards Zeena, the Lady of Zebrica crinkling her nose as Whiplash's scent (a mixture of rum, body order, and old blood) hit her nose. "And Lady Zeena, don't even think of tryin' any magic on us... our Spell Blocker,” he gestured towards the strange mechanical device that looked like a cross between a lamp and a steam engine, “is strong enough to even neutralize your magic!"

"Meet the problem I wanted you to fix," Zeena said dryly to Tydal as Whiplash leaned back, a cocky smile on his face.

"This can't get any bloody worse," Tydal muttered.

The zebra filly blinked her eyes and looked over at Captain Whiplash. "Dada!" 

"...son of a-"