//------------------------------// // Chapter XXVII- Helping Those in Need // Story: Schoolhouse Shenanigans! // by Dragonborne Fox //------------------------------// The pony and humans stood before--you guessed it--Harry, who had a concerned look on his face. It wasn't just concern, but it was downright sadness. "I know the foals just got admitted today and they've been in critical since who knows how long," Blake sighed, "But they're able to make it, so why the long face?" "After they've recovered..." Harry started as a single tear slid down his cheek, "...they're going to one of the worst orphanages ever. Their parents....are long gone." Natalie's jaw dropped. Blake's eyes went wide. Pinkie's colors faded and her mane deflated. "Y-You can't mean..." Natalie's lips quivered. Harry only nodded solemnly. "Nobody will adopt them because their injuries cannot be healed without the proper equipment and thus a lot of money." "B-But why?! Can't they see those foals need more help than ever now?! W-Who's going to help them cope with this...this...disaster?!" Pinkie bellowed, ears flattening. Tears began falling from her eyes. "But what if their physical woes can be healed with magic?" Blake asked. "My boss forbids it. Let me say he discriminates against non-humans." Harry answered sadly. "Then he better not meet me in a dark alleyway under the full moons." Natalie said to herself. "Hmm?" Harry asked, confused. "Harry, could you let us see the foals?" Natalie asked, raising her voice for him to hear. "Sure." Replied the doctor as he motioned for the group to follow. They passed many rooms and two flights of stairs before they stopped before a set of double doors. Into the room they went and saw five fillies and four colts--all of whom were unicorns that were sadly dehorned--laying in hospital beds. All were crying in unbearable pain as they kept on shrieking about their tormentor. Natalie couldn't help but cry. These foals...they deserved better. And then there was the fact they were practically hornless now...there was no way they'd use magic to tap into their talents; no way to defend themselves; no way to be able to make friends outside of what was labeled 'the other side of the fence.' She could sit there and name so many things from the book that would affect these foals from here on out if nothing was done. Now add the fact that one of the worst orphanages ever would take them in and... One unicorn colt noticed her. He raised a hoof towards her and said 'help us.' A filly looked at the wizard, her milky eyes barely able to see. "You look like momma! I want my momma!" She cried. "Poor things all shared one mother..." Harry started, another tear hitting the ground. "I'm helping them." Natalie sighed, trying not to cry anymore. She handed Alexis to Blake before causing the Seraph Staff to appear in her hands. She walked to each foal, held their horns where they were broken off, and chanted a spell along the lines of Heal-More. The wounds went away, the horns re-attached effortlessly and charged with magical energy, the filly's eyesight recovered drastically... Once all the fillies and colts recovered in the blink of an eye, all nine of them surrounded the wizard with a group-hug. "Where's the adoption agency?" Natalie asked, her sadness now replaced by a smile. ~~~~~~~ "So, they're staying out of school as long as Alexis is?" Lazarus asked, cocking his head to the side. "Yeah. They're also living with us now." Natalie answered, still being dog-piled by the foals. "Harry apparently found himself surrounded by discriminatory loons." Blake sighed. "At least the adoption went through alright." Lancelot picked up a filly with a curly orange mane and gold pelt by the tail. "Are you trying to get her to play tag or something?" "I'm trying to hug her and my brothers and sisters keep getting in the way." Answered the filly as she tried to make Lancelot do funny faces with her hooves. Despite having a repaired horn complete with magic, Harry suggested that she lay off the magic for at least a week before trying. "Put the filly down before she yanks your tongue out!" Lazarus sneered with a cat's smile. Lancelot did as told, being sure to let go of the tail only when all four hooves were on the ground first. The filly began running in circles around the dragoon playfully. The other foals quickly followed this trend and they did this for everyone. Katie had the most difficult time because they each used their mouths to grab a tail and spin her like a tornado. Alexis really adored her new siblings and she kept hugging them like no tomorrow. Hooray for Heal-More. Anna went head over heels when she saw the foals. They were so adorable it was almost blinding to her. Nick wasn't envious. Oh no, he also went head over heels! Lance, while understanding that the foals were adorable, was nonetheless 'meh.' Matt and Coryza kept insisting that the foals take at least one nap. The foals had been taken into a loving family after being healed by one of said family members--what else in Tartarus would they expect? The twins and triplets were trying to coax the foals into hide-and-seek. For a while, it went well but then it went into catch-me-if-you-can. Fenrir looked at the time. It was well past everyone's bedtime. But with all the foals causing all sorts of chaos every five seconds, how was he going to convey the message across? He pulled out one of those magic 8-balls and shook it vigorously before looking at the triangle that appears within. The only thing the triangle told him to do was 'ask again later' and nothing short.