War Criminals

by Dirty Bit

Chapter 4

Rainbow Dash gawked at the newest additions of humans while their eyes were directed towards Jabra. They were entirely different from the larger ones she had seen earlier, even if one of them had the capability to transform into a giant wolf. She stole a glance at the one with the bandages seen on his face and shivered under his intense gaze 'Wow...This guy's giving off a bad vibe. Makes me wonder if he's even worse than that wolf guy...'

The bandaged human walked up to Jabra and stopped in front of him with his arms crossed "Jabra, according to our recently gathered intel, we've been informed about the presence of a creature known as a diamond dog. You didn't happen to have stumbled upon it, have you?" He asked with curiousity laced in his cold tone.

Jabra flinched before he growled "No, and what if I don't want to talk to you about it, huh? Ever think about that, Lucci?" He snapped defensively.

The other three humans were next to approach Jabra; the long-nosed human stood next to Jabra and Lucci with his hands on his hips "Jabra, the least you can do is cooperate." He chided before raising an eyebrow "Unless we're to believe you're the supposed diamond dog we're looking for?"

Jabra flinched again and turned his head away as he bared his teeth "There was a misunderstanding, alright? Nothing more than that. There wasn't any damn diamond dog around this town."

The pigeon seen on Lucci's shoulder planted his wing into his face as he gave off a muffled coo in exasperation. Meanwhile, Lucci himself narrowed his eyes to slits "So it was you, wasn't it? Under what circumstance did you feel the need to activate your Devil Fruit power so rashly, you buffoon?"

Jabra instantly pointed a trembling finger at Pinkie Pie with an aggravated look on his face "It was her fault, okay!? She made me do it!" The acknowledged party pony waved frantically at the newcomers with a wide grin on her face.

Discord hovered over the former agents with curiosity and amusement in his eyes "Okay, you've already surprised me with one trick before, but what's all this talk about Devil Fruit? Won't you tell me?"

The group of humans, save for Fukuro and Kumadori, leered at Jabra briefly before they all looked up at Discord. Lucci was first to enlighten the draconequus "There is a mystical fruit in our world known as Devil Fruit, which gives the user a certain power depending on the fruit that has been eaten. Jabra, Kaku, Blueno, Kalifa, and myself have our own powers."

Blueno closed his eyes "While the power is rewarding, it comes at a price; whoever dares to eat the fruit will lose their ability to swim and become a hammer when they come in contact with seawater." He added monotonously.

Discord clapped his paw and claw as an entertained smile was on his face "All this knowledge you've kept from me today and you're about to make me as curious as Twilight!" He noticed two ponies galloping towards the group, one of which carrying a small dragon "Oh, speak of the devil." He chirped as he watched them close the distance and catch their breath.

Lucci noticed that the trio made up of Twilight, Rarity, and Spike and turned to face them "Princess Twilight, your concern has been nothing more than a mistake. As it turns out, Jabra happened to act incompitently and cause an uproar around Sugarcube Corner..."

After she had caught her breath, she looked over at Jabra "Wait, Jabra did this? But he isn't...What?"

Discord grinned at Twilight's befuddlement "Don't worry, princess, you're gonna be in for a treasure trove of riches when they spill the beans!"

"Alright, Ah think Ah've been ignored fer too long."

Applejack trotted away from her stand towards the humans, an annoyed look in her eyes "Now iffin' Ah have yer attention on this, can somepony please fill me in on th' details so Ah don't feel outta the loop? Ah'm already lost on this whole dang thing."

Rainbow Dash landed next to Applejack with a raised eyebrow "I'm with AJ on this. What's with these humans showing up here anyways?"

Discord hummed at Rainbow Dash's question "Alright, I suppose you ponies deserve an explanation..." He said in a serious tone until his expression quickly shifted to a bright grin "Right after we visit Fluttershy!" The draconequus added instantly.

Rarity groaned "Of course you would stall for time on a very important explanation, Discord..." She complained before her eyes trailed towards Kumadori and Fukuro; she was easily threatened by their height, but as she looked upon the former's clothing, Rarity developed a wince.

Discord shrugged innocently "We'll have to involve all of your friends into this little thing, wouldn't we? Besides, there may be something I have to say that only you lot should know about." He looked over at Applejack with a smirk "What say you, Applejack? Would you be willing to ditch work for information beyond your wildest dreams?" He offered persuasively.

Applejack stared at Discord before she huffed and straightened her stetson hat "Looks like Ah have no choice since this could be somethin' big." She looked over at her stall "But Ah'll have t' do somethin' about-" A snapping sound was heard as a flash of light was seen on the stall. The light faded to show that there was a giant iron safe in place of the stall with a sign on the padlock that read "On break". She stared at it with widened eyes.

"There we are. We'll make this conversation short and to the point so you won't be dragged away for too long." He smiled down at Applejack. A miffed Fukuro hopped in front of Discord and flailed his arms as he made more muffled noises. The draconequus took the hint and held up his claw and paw in a placating motion "Don't worry, Fukuro, I'll give you what you want AFTER we're in private, but until then, consider this a lesson in keeping silent." He said before turning to the others "Why don't we get a move on, everyone? We're burning daylight I'm so excited!"

Twilight arched an eyebrow at Discord "I'd expect that kind of thing from Rainbow Dash." She said playfully.

The aforementioned pegasus darted her head towards Twilight "Hey, I resent that!" She frowned briefly until her lips curled into a smile "But I'll admit that I'm kinda excited myself."

Discord laughed "Then let's go see Fluttershy, shall we? Forward march!" He said as he glided away, the others following after.
_____

After their brief introductions to each other along the way, the group were led to a lush area with a cottage seen across a small wooden bridge. Animals of different kinds were seen frolicking, but some chose to find hiding places when the humans drew closer to the cottage. Discord tittered to himself "Oh, I wonder how Fluttershy would react to our new guests."

Rainbow Dash turned her head to Jabra with a threatening glare "If you even make her cry, then so help me-"

Jabra held up a hand with a disinterested expression "Save your threats, you don't scare me; and whoever said I would just scare your little friend anyways?"

Rainbow Dash quickly flew in front of Jabra and poked a hoof at his chest, stopping him in his tracks "Listen, you. All I'm saying is that you better watch yourself around her while I'm here. You're lucky we didn't get a chance to scrap earlier!" She snapped angrily.

Jabra scoffed and swatted away Rainbow Dash's hoof, matching her glare with one of his own "I'm shaking! Why don't you put a sock in it, you little-"

"Come on, Jabra, this isn't the time to bicker. Let's just head to the door." Kaku chided passively as he moved past Jabra and Rainbow Dash with Applejack at his side.

"Same thing with you, Rainbow. Ya can talk smack t' him later." Applejack added maturely. Jabra and Rainbow Dash stared at the two before they went back to leering and growling at each other.

Kumadori examined his surroundings and grinned "Yoyoi~! A forest sanctuary for creatures both great and small~! Such a place can only be found in the heavens~!"

Blueno looked around the area himself "I have to admit, even I'm impressed by the scenery. You don't see this much peace between certain animals before..."
Kalifa pushed her glasses in front of her eyes as she walked alongside Rarity "A pity they choose to hide from us instead of embracing our arrival." She looked over at a sad and mouthless Fukuro being comforted by Pinkie Pie "Then again, whether or not Fukuro could speak, we would be met with the same treatment nonetheless."

Twilight rubbed her head as she tried to mull over the possibility of Jabra actually being able to transform into a diamond dog or if he was even capable of doing so through illusory magic. Then again, are all humans capable of using magic? She looked over at Rob Lucci walking next to her on the left "Say, Rob, could you tell me about the concept of Jabra's folly? It's really nagging at me, and I'm kind of lost." She asked politely.

"Chief Discord stated that he'll explain everything once we reach your friend's cottage and rendezvous with her. You'll have to wait until then." Lucci replied stonily, not facing Twilight as he continued to walk. Her and Spike traded glances after Lucci's cold response.

When they reached the front door, Discord turned to the group with a grin "Alright, everyone, prepare to meet the last Element of Harmony that will make the set complete. Be warned that she is quite timid around new faces." He said with a smirk. Turning back to the door, Discord balled his lion paw into a fist before he gave the door a couple of firm knocks.

After a small moment of waiting, the door opened to reveal a yellow pegasus with a flowing pink mane and tail, her cutie mark making up of three butterflies. After noticing who knocked on her door first, she looked up at Discord with a small smile "Oh, good afternoon, Discord. What brings you here today?"

Discord grinned "Hello there, Fluttershy. Nothing really special today, but I just want to introduce you to some new friends I've made..." He directed an eagle claw to the group gathered behind him "I've managed to run into your friends along the way as well." He chirped.

Fluttershy stared at the humans with widened eyes; they were all so tall, especially the two giants that took up the rear of the group. Feeling rather intimidated by such an odd and scary sight, she was almost compelled to run inside, but she stopped when she noticed one small detail on one of the humans...

And he gave off the most adorable cooing sound she could ever imagine.

She gasped and smiled brightly as she unfurled her wings and hovered towards Hattori, looking at him with admiring eyes "I've never seen a cute pigeon wearing a tie before. What's your name, little one?" Hattori perked up and looked away with a bashful smile on his beak as he gave off another coo.

Lucci looked at Fluttershy with a raised eyebrow, wondering why she would go so far as to speaking with his pet as if it were another pony. He went to correct her little fallacy...

"It's nice to meet you, too, Hattori."

This drew the rapt attention of the humans, Lucci especially. Kumadori struck a pose "Yoyoi~! Now I see what ma-makes her an Element of Harmony~! She is one with the many animals she unifies under her home~, to the point where she can, can, can communicate with them as if they were equals~!"

Twilight giggled at Kumadori's assumption "Not exactly, but you're close. Her element is kindness and she has the ability to talk to animals. But like Discord said, Fluttershy can live up to her name around new faces."

Kaku grasped his cap while staring at Fluttershy with eyes of bemusement "This really is surprising she's able to talk to animals so easily." He looked over at one of the trees to see a bear hiding behind it, peering its head to peak at the humans with wary eyes "I mean, a bear lives here. They're carnivorous AND savage in the wild."

Applejack chuckled "The bear's only savage if somepony makes 'im angry, sugarcube. He's actually well-mannered once ya get t' know 'im."

Kalifa went to examine the spectacle up close, but was pushed aside as Jabra quickly sped up next to Lucci, oblivious to the fact that he both startled and frightened Fluttershy "Wait a minute, how did you do that? You mean you could actually talk to animals? Is it because you're an animal, too-Gah!"

He was being pulled back by his ponytail by an angry Rainbow Dash, who spat out his hair and glared at him "What did I just say?"

Jabra pointed a finger at Rainbow Dash's face "All I did was ask some questions! Back off for once!" He leaned his head in "And if I catch you pulling my hair again, I'll run you through!"

Rainbow Dash saw fit to have herself nose-to-nose with Jabra "I'd like to see you try, you jerk!" Before they could throw down, they were both pulled away from each other; Kaku pulled Jabra away by his shoulder while Applejack pulled back Rainbow Dash by her tail with her teeth. Both of them had their own disapproving glances.

Fluttershy watched the two exchange nasty looks despite being held back and frowned "Oh dear..." Lucci stood in front of the timid pegasus, obscuring her vision of the two boisterous individuals going at it.

"So you're able to communicate with Hattori and other animals? Interesting, to say the least. Are other ponies capable of such a thing?" Lucci asked dispassionately. Hattori gave off an inquisitive coo.

Fluttershy slightly backed away from Lucci, unnerved by his cold demeanor "N-No, just me..." She stopped her pace as she got a better look at the silent assassin. After a small pause, she gasped "Oh my goodness! You poor thing..."

Lucci furrowed his brow at Fluttershy's sudden words "What is it?"

Fluttershy flew around Lucci, glancing at his features, namely his face and chest "The bandages around your forehead and chest regions are worn, and yet you're walking around."

Spike perked up and looked over at Lucci "Wait, so those aren't for show? Was he hurt before coming here?"

Lucci caught on to Fluttershy's concern and held up a hand in reassurance "I've received medical treatment recently, and I'm in good condition to walk; You need no reason to worry for me."

Fluttershy frowned "Well, even if that were true, you still need your bandages replaced. Please, won't you let me patch up your wounds again?" She asked as she gently held his hand.

Lucci, for his part, was not keen on an early bandage replacement even if he were responsible for wearing out his current set while fending off Very Good and his crew of marines. Although, when it came to common medical practice, she did have a point. With a curt nod to Fluttershy, she smiled and bowed politely to Lucci after she released his hand "Thank you. Just please wait outside while I go grab my first aid kit." She said as she glided back into her home.

Discord shook his head with a warm smile "There she goes again, our resident element of Kindness."

Kalifa nodded in agreement "Indeed. I'm surprised she does the same for all of these animals if they were in Lucci's shoes."

Rarity held up a hoof as she looked up at Kalifa "Well, it is taxing for somepony like her, but she enjoys doing what she does best."

Fukuro muffled a sentence, but moaned in disappointment when he remembered his current predicament. Kumadori stood next to him and held up his free hand towards his chest "Yoyoi~! Patience, Fukuro~! You shall be capable of singing wondrous songs soon enough~! Chief Discord only acts in our best interest, after all~!"

Once again, a certain white hand struck a drum.

Pinkie grinned at Kumadori striking a pose after the sudden moment had passed. She was beginning to like having these humans around a whole lot more.

Twilight frowned as she examined Lucci "I kind of feel guilty not noticing your wounds sooner. Did something bad happen?" She asked, her curiosity outweighed by her concern for the assassin.

Lucci stared at Twilight before looking away "It was merely an accident, nothing more..." He replied nonchalantly. Hattori nodded in agreement as he gave a coo.

Discord hummed to himself as he stroked his goatee 'I know a liar when I see one...Methinks the lad had went through a great ordeal to accumulate all those battle scars on his body. But then again, he is an assassin, after all. Perhaps we can look into it eventually.' He looked over at the front door when he heard flapping and saw Fluttershy gliding outside with a first aid kit in her hooves.

Behind the timid pegasus was a white cat making her way out in a pompous fashion, her nose stuck in the air as her eyes were close "I'm back, and I decided to bring Opalescence with me, since Rarity's here."

Rarity grinned "Of course. Thank you so much for taking care of her, Fluttershy." She knelt down and smiled at the approaching cat "Here, Opal~. Come to Momma~!" Rarity called to her pet cheerfully.

Before Opal could acknowledge Rarity after opening her eyes, she noticed Lucci staring down at her. Hattori gave off an anxious coo before taking flight from his owner's shoulder. The two continued to stare before the cat smiled and approached Lucci instead of Rarity, rubbing her body against his legs as she walked around him and purred affectionately.

Both Fluttershy and Rarity were dumbfounded "Opal? Did you not listen to me just now?" The latter asked in bemusement.

Jabra and Rainbow Dash ceased their bickering to look over at Lucci. Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow "Wow, looks like Rob's got a way with cats, huh?" She heard snickering, and she looked over at Jabra with his hands clasped over his mouth and his eyes welling with tears as he stared at Lucci and Opal "What's with you all of the sudden?"

Rainbow Dash's response came in the form of Jabra finally doubling over and bursting into hysterics, earning the attention of the rest of the group. Pinkie, finding Jabra's laugh to be infectious, joined in as well, the two draping a hand and hoof over their shoulders. Kaku, Kalifa, and Blueno sighed in disappointment while Fukuro placed his hands where his mouth used to be, giving off some muffled laughter of his own. Kumadori stood blankly before he struck a pose, his right eye widening with realization "Yoyoi~! Now I get it~!"

Spike and the other ponies merely traded befuddled glances amongst themselves before turning to Discord, who basically shrugged. They all turned to Lucci, whose murderous eyes were locked on Jabra and Pinkie Pie as he stood still while Opal continued admiring him. Fluttershy was hesitant on speaking to Lucci "Umm...W-Would you like to come inside my cottage so we may begin, mister? I can tell by your bandages that your wounds might be severe..."

Lucci nodded and nudged Opalescence away with his foot before following Fluttershy into her cottage, making sure to kneel down and avoid the doorframe. Hattori managed to fly inside after them. When the door was shut, Discord stared at it before facing the others "Well, there you have it, folks; Element of Kindness." He glanced over at Jabra and Pinkie still having their laughing fit and scratched his head "Well those two are easily entertained. I'm almost jealous." Discord said with a chuckle.

"I don't even know why we're laughing!" Pinkie managed to say while she continued to laugh with Jabra.

Kaku rubbed his forehead before giving Jabra a stern glance "Lucci's inside, Jabra, you can stop now." He said firmly.

Jabra clutched his sides as he rolled around laughing "H-How can I!? Did you not see that just now!?" He said as tears flowed from his eyes.

Applejack craned her head back at Jabra's incessant laughter "Ah don't really see th' comedy behind Opal showin' affection t' that Lucci feller." She said bemusedly.

Fukuro tried to speak again, only to give off a muffled groan of frustration upon forgetting his current predicament. He really missed talking, even if he calls himself the silent owl.
_____

Fluttershy sifted through her first aid kit and made an inventory check on each item inside, smiling contently before turning to see Lucci sitting on the floor with his legs crossed and arms crossed. She trotted towards him with the kit carried under her right wing "Don't worry, mister. I'll make sure you're properly treated." Something landed on her head, and she looked up to see Hattori perching himself on her mane, smiling warmly at him.

Lucci stared at Fluttershy "You may refer to me as Rob Lucci." He responded as he looked up at Hattori sitting comfortably on the timid pegasus' mane "It seems Hattori's taking a liking to you. This is unexpected."

Fluttershy giggled "He's a very nice bird. You must be happy to have a pigeon like him at your side." She said as she looked at Lucci "Umm...if it isn't too much trouble, can you take off your clothes so I can see your injuries?"

Lucci wordlessly complied as he slid off his black jacket and unbuttoned his spotted shirt, revealing the worn bandages that covered the lower portion of his chest and his arms. Fluttershy covered her mouth with a forehoof "Oh my..." She whispered before she set down her kit and began to unwrap Lucci's old bandages starting with his chest.

The silent assassin raised his arms to allow Fluttershy to circle around and undo the tape without trouble. While doing so, she could not help but stare at the massive battle scar on his back as she went around; it was in the shape of a cross with five large sphere-shaped scars, four on each end and one in the middle. When she finished, she began to unwrap the bandages on his arms "Mr. Lucci...Not that it's any of my business, but-"

Fluttershy's front door opened to reveal Pinkie Pie trotting in a cheerful manner "Hi, Fluttershy. I just wanted to come in and apologize to Lucci; he looked pretty mad at me and Jabry back there." She noticed the scar on Lucci's back and gasped in surprise "Hey! I didn't know humans have cutie marks, too!" The party pony said ecstatically.

Lucci looked back at Pinkie "Don't be absurd. This is merely an old scar and nothing more. There hasn't been a single human alive to have these 'cutie marks' that you speak of..."

Fluttershy frowned "Oh goodness...How did you get that scar, if you don't mind me asking?"

Lucci looked back at Fluttershy "It's a long story that isn't recommended for the faint of heart. Regrettably, I don't intend on sharing it with you..."

Fluttershy looked down in defeat "Oh...O-Okay..." Remembering her task, she went back to unwrapping the rest of Lucci's bandages.

Pinkie stared for a moment before she hopped up next to Lucci, her cheerful gaze replaced with a calculating stare "So, Lucci...I've noticed a certain trait that you've been lacking ever since I met you..." She said in an unusually serious tone.

Lucci stared back at Pinkie, somewhat thrown off by Pinkie's change of behavior "And that is?" He asked inquisitively.

Pinkie stared before she tilted her head with a quizzical glance "Why aren't you smiling?"

"Because I don't feel like it." Lucci replied instantly.

Pinkie then tilted her head towards the other side "Do you ever smile?"

"Yes."

"Can you smile for me now?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I'm in no mood."

"Is it because you're still mad at me and Jabry?"

"Not exactly."

"Is it because you felt embarrassed when Rarity's cat liked you?"

Lucci twitched an eyebrow. He was beginning to dislike Pinkie just as much as Celestia and Twilight. The pink pony merely held out a foreleg with an apologetic smile "Well, if it is, I just came here to say that I'm sorry for laughing at you. Maybe I can get you to smile sometime."

The silent assassin stared at Pinkie and lightly grasped her hoof with his right hand, unwrapped by Fluttershy; a blue square with an X mark was seen on his upper arm "Don't bet on it. I doubt anything you can do would even tempt me into doing so..."

Fluttershy finished unwrapping Lucci's left arm and went to go work on his head before a hand stopped her. She noticed the silent assassin's hardened gaze "I can handle the wrappings on my head while you patch up the rest of me..."

The timid pegasus fidgeted her hooves "I-If you insist..." She then reached down for her kit pulled out some medical tape, some napkins, ointment, and a few cotton pads while Lucci unwrapped the bandages on his forehead and peeled off the one on his cheek. Fluttershy added some ointment onto one of the napkins and dabbed his chest wounds with it before carefully wrapping his chest with medical tape, making sure not to cause any unnecessary pain while doing so. When she finished, she waited for Lucci to drop his arms and worked on the rest of his body.

Pinkie swayed left to right as she sat down with Lucci before she continued to talk "I think I know why Jabry laughed at you back there." The silent assassin regarded Pinkie with his cold stare while she continued "Jabry was supposed to be a wolf, right? So seeing as how Opal liked you so much..." She leaned in Lucci's face with an inquisitive gaze "Does that make you a cat?"

While Lucci was gradually annoyed by Pinkie's behavior, he had to commend her for her deduction on his Devil Fruit power "...You're correct. I'm impressed you would come to that conclusion based on what you've seen." He replied in his usual tone.

Fluttershy halted in her work with eyes of confusion 'Mr. Lucci is a cat? But he doesn't look like one...' She thought to herself before she continued.

Pinkie grinned "So you are one? What kind? Are you a manx? A calico cat? A black cat? A grumpy cat? A tiger? A lion? A panther? A-" A hand had cupped over Pinkie's mouth, and she noticed that Lucci was starting to look agitated.

"I'll explain myself completely once we've gathered with Chief Discord. Until then, please keep quiet..." He said in a low tone.

Fluttershy tensed up at Lucci's action while Hattori rubbed his head with a wing as he looked stressed "Umm...Pinkie, why don't we listen to Mr. Lucci and wait?" She asked Pinkie with a nervous grin before she went back to work.

Pinkie nodded and gave off a muffled answer before Lucci drew his hand away from her mouth "So while we're waiting and stuff, wanna play a game?"

Lucci closed his eyes "I'll do nothing of the sort..." He said coldly.

Pinkie frowned briefly before she smiled again "Well, then why don't we get to know each other more?" She said as she placed a hoof on her chest "My name's Pinkie Pie, but you already know that. What you don't know is that I work at Sugarcube Corner and I can bake you some goodies if you ever feel hungry!"

"Good to know..." Lucci replied with disinterest while Fluttershy worked on his face and forehead. After he felt no more activity on his being, he looked ahead at Fluttershy "I take it you're finished?"

Fluttershy nodded "Mhm. Your wounds are all patched again." She frowned in concern "I just want you to be more careful as you walk around. I don't know how you wore out your bandages so quickly, but I can't risk you getting hurt again."

Lucci huffed before he put his shirt and coat back on and rose from his sitting position "I appreciate your concern as a doctor. You aren't the first one to say such a thing..." He said as he turned to go towards the front door "We should hurry and meet with the others so that Chief Discord can begin his explanation..." As Lucci opened the door, Hattori flew off of Fluttershy's head onto his right shoulder. Pinkie and Fluttershy followed him back outside.

There was a ruffling in Lucci's hair before a miniature Discord sprung out and stared at the assassin "There you are. I was wondering how long you were going to take." He said impatiently.

Lucci looked down at Fluttershy "She made sure the procedure was a success..." He glanced over at Pinkie with narrowed eyebrows "If anything, Pinkie Pie made it longer..."

Pinkie blinked "I did?" She looked at her forehooves in wonder "Do I have control over time? Wow~..." She said absentmindedly.

"Took ya long enough, Lucci." Jabra said with a grin as he pointed a thumb towards Opalescence "You've kept your girlfriend waiting, you know." He teased while chuckling.

Kaku, Kalifa, and Blueno cast a dull expression towards Jabra from behind "There's just no restraint with him sometimes..." Kaku said.

"I'd hate to be him when he's on the receiving end..." Kalifa added, pushing her glasses into her face.

"We'd be lucky if he doesn't get into trouble." Blueno finished.

Discord reappeared into his normal size in a flash of light as he hovered over the group "Well, now that we're all here, I'll get on with my story and hear from our new guests afterwards." He cleared his throat before he waved an eagle claw towards the humans "These humans hail from another world unlike our own; I just so happened to have inadvertently brought them here through a magical field of sorts. They're gonna be visiting for a couple of days before they decide to go back to their home." He grinned "That's the basic gist of it."

Rarity frowned "That was just a variant of what Blueno told us; it doesn't really explain much." She said matter-of-factly.

Twilight blinked "A magical field you created?" She looked at Discord suspiciously "Is there something you're not telling us, Discord?"

Discord crossed his arms as he frowned "Oh relax, I've not nothing up my sleeve." He said defensively before pointing a talon at the humans "Besides, it's the only way for these folks to get out of Equestria, so I don't plan on getting rid of it just yet."

Applejack frowned "Okay, so where does that leave this whole 'Devil Fruit' topic with 'em?"

Discord perked up "Yes, of course!" He looked down "Lucci, would you and your friends kindly show us these powers you speak of?"

Lucci nodded and held out a hand "I request that you ponies step back..." He looked over at Kaku and Jabra "Shall we?"

Kaku smiled "Might as well give them what they want. I hope we won't cause anymore disturbances..."

Jabra crossed his arms and gave off a sneer "They better not blame us if they pi-" He noticed Twilight and Spike as he paused, then scowled bitterly "...wet themselves..." He finished unenthusiastically.

Lucci, Kaku, and Jabra took their positions and began to grow in size as they transformed; Lucci gained more muscle and claws similar to Jabra, but had yellow fur and black spots similar to his shirt as he grew a long tail and a set of cat ears; Kaku's nose and neck grew longer and wider as horns sprouted from his cap; He had yellow fur and brown spots, but instead of claws, he grew a set of four hooves in place of his hands and feet. His body grew slightly wider with muscle, and he had a bushy tail.

When their transformation finished, Spike and the ponies gaped "Here you see our respective Devil Fruit powers of the Zoan variety...Mine is the Cat-Cat Fruit: Model Leopard."

Kaku smiled "My fruit is the Ox-Ox Fruit: Model Giraffe while Jabra's is the Mutt-Mutt Fruit: Model Wolf. What you see before you is our hybrid forms; we're able to take on the full characteristics of our respective animals at will."

Jabra grinned "The best part is that with these powers, our physical strength increases, and allows us to attack much better than our human forms."

Twilight's jaw nearly hit the ground as stared at the three animal hybrids; there were many thoughts swimming in her head from how their clothes haven't ripped from their bodies during their transformations to what other Devil Fruits exist after Lucci's mention of a variety. It was hard for her to maintain her calm when her scientific mind wished to delve into the subject further.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy looked upon the three hybrids, but her eyes stopped on Jabra. She reluctantly inched towards him and looked up at him "Umm...Can I see your full wolf form, please?"

Jabra stared down at Fluttershy and hesitated when he looked her in the eye; he didn't expect such a timid creature to ask such a question to a beast like him, especially when she looked adorable "Eh...Fine, I guess. It's been a while since I've done it." He complied to Fluttershy's request and he shrank down to size while he transformed into his full wolf form; His cartoonish snout had receded along with his tail "Happy?"

His eyes widened when his neck was instantly wrapped by a cheerful Fluttershy, who nuzzled at his coat "Oh my goodness, you look so cute for a wolf!"

"C-Cute!?" Jabra parroted incredulously.

Rainbow Dash snickered at Jabra's predicament "Wow, he went from scary to cute at the blink of an eye." She jibed in amusement.

Kalifa smirked "Honestly, I didn't see this one coming..."

Spike watched Jabra with a sympathetic look "I kinda feel bad for him being treated like that."

Jabra growled as he moved his head in an effort to shake off Fluttershy "Hey. Cut it out, I'm not supposed to be cute!"

Fluttershy frowned penitently as she let go "Oh, I'm sorry..." She then smiled "Here, let me make it up to you." She said as she reached a hoof behind one of Jabra's ears, scratching at it.

Jabra went to say something until he felt a pleasing sensation upon Fluttershy's scratching. He sat down and panted as his left hindleg began to tap at the ground, his tail wagging 'How the hell is she doing this!? What gives her the right to humiliate me in front of everyone!? Why am I liking this so much!?' He enjoyed the scratching long enough before he willed himself to move away from Fluttershy, returning to his human form as he stood up and held his head while looking at her "Alright, you had your fun. Enough already." He perked up as he heard laughter and jerked his head towards Rainbow Dash, growling as she was on the ground writhing in her laughing fit.

Kaku smiled at Jabra's misery, feeling as if it were karma for his harsh treatment back when they were fellow agents. He then looked over at the intrigued ponies "I hope you don't mind my form. I happen to like giraffes, after all." He said politely as he shifted into his full giraffe form "Here's my form in case you wish to see it."

Twilight looked up at Kaku "I don't see the problem. Rather than your previous form, you don't seem anything out of the ordinary."

Kaku blinked in surprise "Really? How so?"

Twilight smiled "You see, Kaku, giraffes are native citizens in the land of Zebrica. We barely find any of them around here in Equestria, but you could fit right in here if you stayed in that form."

Kaku paused for a moment. Never did he expect to be considered something normal in an entirely different world. He returned to his human form and scratched the back of his head with a cheerful smile "Well, now I feel more welcome than ever." He quipped.

Lucci returned to his human form as well, not wishing to be pet by Fluttershy "So there you have it. Jabra, Kaku, and myself are basically animals."

Discord smirked "And just like that, your nicknames make more sense." He looked over at Kalifa and Blueno "We're missing you two at the moment. Can you change into animals as well?"

Blueno shook his head "We both have different Devil Fruits." He looked up at Discord "If I may, Chief, I wish to demonstrate mine when it's time to leave Ponyville."

Discord smirked "Saving the best for last, hm? Alright, I'll allow it."

Kalifa took a step forward "I'll gladly show you mine. Observe..." She said as she placed her right hand on her left shoulder, streaking it down her arm to reveal a cascade of bubbles popping up, catching the eyes of Pinkie and Rarity "I ate the Bubble-Bubble fruit, and with it, I'm capable of cleanliness. "

Pinkie watched the bubbles floating over in wonder "Oooooh~...Pretty~."

Rarity examined one of the bubbles near her face "You're saying that these bubbles can clean anything?" She clenched her eyes shut when it popped after coming into contact with her muzzle. Meanwhile, Opalescence jumped about and tried to catch the bubbles that floated over her head.

Kalifa flashed a vain smile "Of course. Although, I barely find a use for them on my own body, though." She placed her right hand on her hip and her left hand behind her head "I'm already a sight to behold, wouldn't you agree?"

Pinkie grinned at Kalifa "I'll say! Can you do any cool tricks with them?"

Kalifa nodded "Certainly. While my bubbles can clean surfaces, they can also be used for self-defense. Mind you, my power isn't exactly useless because of the form it takes." She said as she made her bubbles vanish.

Rainbow Dash, who finished her laughing earlier, looked up at Discord "While their powers are nice and all, I'm still kinda wondering why you took away Fukuro's mouth. What was that about?"

Applejack perked up and looked over at the mouthless mass that stood next to Kumadori "Hey, yeah. Ah'm kinda curious myself since y'all jus' shut 'im up outta th' blue. What was he gonna say before that?" She asked quizzically.

Jabra widened his eyes, then turned to Discord as he frantically waved his arms "Chief! Please! I'm begging you! Don't do it!" He pleaded.

Discord let off a sigh of defeat "Sorry, Jabra, my boy. This was bound to happen sooner or later..." He said as he snapped his talons.

A flash appeared around Fukuro's face, and he felt that his zipper mouth was back. He gasped before he cheered in his high-pitched voice "I can talk again! It's a miracle, chapapa!"

Pinkie beamed at Fukuro's happiness and joined him as the two talkative creatures danced and sang in their own keys and rhythms.

Jabra gawked at the sight before he slumped to the ground with his head hung down "Oh well, it was fun while it lasted..." He said morosely.

Discord held up a lion paw to catch the group's attention "You see, my little ponies, Fukuro can be quite talkative despite being called the gossip-loving silent owl. I merely took away his talking privileges because he cannot control himself when it comes to talking." He smirked "Sometimes he'll say the darndest things that end up being true."

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow "Like what?"

Discord shrugged before he brought an eagle claw next to his mouth "Fukuro!" He called "Would you come here, please?"

Fukuro instantly snapped at attention and stopped with Pinkie, walking towards him while Pinkie merely pronked at his side with a smile. Discord took a deep breath "Since you're curious about this..." He smiled at Fukuro "Why doesn't Jabra want to eat apples?"

"It's because he loves to eat meat, chapapa!" Fukuro replied. The ponies went pale after the sudden answer.

Spike shivered "Y-You mean these humans eat meat?" He pointed at Kaku "But he's a giraffe! Shouldn't he hate meat?"

Blueno saw fit to speak "Just because Kaku can turn into a giraffe doesn't mean he is one inherently; we're omnivorous in nature, but that doesn't mean that we aren't civilized. We can survive on a vegetarian diet if we choose to, so there's no need for concern." Everypony let off a sigh in relief.

Kumadori held out his free hand as he stood on one leg "Yoyoi~! Do not be alarmed, Elements of Harmony~! For we are not your, your, your enemy~! We value your lives as much as our own, and we can protect you if need be~!" He rotated his head "We act in the name of ju-ju-ju-justice, after all~!"

Rarity looked up at Kumadori and hummed before she gave a low gasp "Of course..." Her eyes glimmered as she smiled "It all makes sense. Your form; your speech; your facial appearance!" She pointed a hoof "You're supposed to be posing as a kabuki warrior, aren't you?"

Kumadori flinched and held his staff over his head with both hands "Yoyoyoi~! I do not pre-pretend to be a warrior~! I fight, therefore I am~!"

Rarity giggled "Whether you're pretending or not, I applaud you for your passion; It's positively sensational!"

Kumadori hummed before he grinned "Well, thank you for your kind words~!"

Rarity smiled before she frowned at Kumadori's clothing "If anything, I should whip you up a nice set of clothes to replace the ones you have on. They don't exactly compliment your personality."

Kalifa pushed her glassed towards her eyes "Well, the thing about Kumadori's clothes is that those were some of the only items they have in his size. Moreso, it was his choice since he was shopping with me at the time."

Applejack snorted "Ah don't see th' problem with what he's wearin'. They look good enough on him t' me."

Discord chuckled "Well, as much as you ponies love to talk about your fashion sense, I say we get a move on before I get bored." He clapped his claw and paw together "What shall we do next?"

There was a gleam in Pinkie's eye before she reared onto her hindlegs and shot a foreleg into the air "I can think of something!"

"Help!"

Pinkie froze "...That wasn't what I was thinking." She said with a pout before she smirked "I could use some help with what I was thinking though."

Twilight looked over towards Ponyville in the distance "I think it came from inside town. We better hurry!" She said as she and her friends went to gallop, only to notice the humans vanishing instantaneously.

They stared at where they once stood before looking at Discord, who rolled his eyes "Don't worry, I'll check on them." He said as he snapped his talons and vanished in a flash of light.

Rainbow Dash frowned at her friends "Sometimes I wonder if it was worth it to reform Discord."

Applejack shuddered "Ah'm more worried about what else them humans 're capable of..."

Twilight shook her head "We'll debate on that later. C'mon, girls." She said as she and her friends went to gallop...

"Wait!"

Twilight scrunched her face in irritation before she turned to Rarity, who was seen petting her cat "Sorry, Opal, you'll have to stay here while Momma sees what's going on with her friends, okay?"

Fluttershy glided towards Opal and gently picked her up as she flew back towards her cottage door, setting her down and letting her run inside before shutting the door.

Twilight arched an eyebrow "Are we all set?" She received nods of confirmation from each of her friends "Okay. Let's go!" The group galloped into town in search of Discord and the humans along with the sudden disturbance.
_____

The townsfolk were cowering and backing away in fear when they noticed an unsettling sight that was marching into Ponyville.

There was small army of dark-skinned dogs that walked on their hindlegs clad in silver armor consisting of breastplates and helmets that hid their eyes; in their massive paws were sharpened spears. They were being led by three dogs of differing heights that wore dirtied vests and black collars that held diamonds, all of whom grinned deviously "We're heeere~!" The medium-sized gray dog wearing a red vest said in a raspy and singsong voice.

The large blue one wearing a brown vest looked around with intrigue "Look at all the ponies. They'll be great help in mines." He said in a deep tone.

The small beige dog wearing a matching gray vest giggled madly at the fear-stricken ponies "Yes, great help! We start now, Rover ?" He asked in a raspy and high-pitched tone.

"Of course..." Rover hissed darkly before balling a claw up towards his mouth and clearing his throat. He then placed his paws on his hips "Attention, ponies! We come to claim you as property! We'll start with unicorns, then earth ponies, then winged ponies! Come quietly or we take you all by force!"

When his speech was finished, Rover yipped when he noticed seven figures appear nearby one at a time. To him, they all looked silly. Very silly. He turned to his cohorts and pointed a finger at the new arrivals "Fido. Spot. Who they? We never saw them before."

The large dog, Fido, shrugged with a befuddled face "I dunno. They not ponies, that for sure."

"Why they even here?" Spot asked inquisitively "Are they friends of ponies?" He looked at the one with horns "Is that minotaur?"

Rover smacked the small dog's head "You idiot! That thing isn't a minotaur!" He snapped.

They saw that the long-nosed figure look just as confused as them "An invasion on a peaceful town? Talk about deja vu..." He said as he scratched his head.

"These dogs look kinda cute, chapapa!" The round one said loudly.

The three dogs huddled and stared at the figures in shock "They talk!?" They said in unison. While they stared, the ponies around the dogs traded their fear for uncertainty.

The not-minotaur stared at the dogs before rubbing his chin "Perhaps these creatures are known as diamond dogs. What a coincidence to even find them here."

A grimace was seen on the feminine figure "I can smell these monsters from here...Could there really be Devil Fruit in this world?"

The scary figure with a bird on his shoulder scoffed "Repugnant, dimwitted, and headstrong..." He looked over at the one with the moustache "Now I see why these ponies confused you as one of them, Jabra..."

The one called Jabra looked very angry "Hey! Don't lump me in with those dogs! I'm a step above them!"

The diamond dogs watched until Spot tilted his head in confusion "What they doing?"

Rover growled threateningly "I dunno, but they ruining our big entrance!"

Fido looked down at the others "Maybe they distraction?" He noticed a flash of light above them and saw a creature more funny looking than the seven before them "Look! Look, another funny thing up there!"

Rover and Spot gawked up at the new creature "Wow...that IS another funny thing! Very funny!" The latter said in mild amusement.

The long-nosed looked up as well "Oh, hello, Discord. We were just about to handle the situation. Our apologies for leaving without your order."

Discord smiled down at the group "No harm done, Kaku. You humans acted much faster than I had anticipated." He looked over at the diamond dogs "Looks like these dogs brought a welcoming committee into town." A frown graced his lips "Frankly, I'm disappointed by both the structure and appearance; it's too bland."

"Bland!?" The three diamond dogs chorused offensively.

Rover pointed a finger at Discord "Listen, you! We worked hard to put together army to invade Ponyville and kidnap ponies! We not bland!"

The scary figure with the bird narrowed his eyes "So you're not just dogs...You're lowly and lawless dogs that deserve to be put down." He said as he looked up at Discord "Do we have your permission to handle the situation, Chief Discord? I assure you we can dispose of these parasites efficiently."

Discord winced before he shrugged "I don't see the harm if you're gonna play the hero in this, but could you cut back on your little 'profession' while doing so? They might be stupid, but they don't really deserve to be...put down."

The diamond dogs noticed how the scary figure paused before he gave a nod "Understood...We'll make sure they live."

Fido blinked "Make sure we live? Why he say that? They fight us?"

Spot looked baffled "Why they fight us!? We have army!"

Rover grinned "Maybe they don't know better than us diamond dogs..." He stared at the figures until they noticed more ponies galloping towards them, one of which looked very familiar "It them! The ponies that invaded our home!" He paused before grinning again "Perfect..." He hissed.

Fido followed Rover's gaze and perked up at the new arrivals "Hey...Is that-"

"It is! It Miss Rarity! Miss Rarity and her friends!" Spot cowered with his paws over his head.

Rover leered at Spot "Don't be scared, idiot. This is what we wanted." He noticed the ponies stop next to the humans.

Spike's eyes widened as he pointed a talon "It's the diamond dogs! A whole bunch of them!"

Jabra looked over at Spike with a deadpan gaze "We kinda know that already; you're just pointing out the obvious."

"Hello there...Miss Rarity..." Rover said with cruel emphasis.

Rarity narrowed her eyes "You again? Did you not learn your lesson back then? Or should I remind you personally?"

Rover sneered at Rarity "We sure did..." He then smirked "But we learn from mistakes and developed better plan. Behold!" The diamond dog said as he spread his arms. As he posed, his cohorts dug into their vest pockets with both paws and pulled out corks that they stuck inside of their ears "Now your whining has no effect! Whole army has their own, too!"

Rainbow Dash stared blankly at the dogs "Wow...Such brilliance..." She remarked sarcastically.

Applejack frowned "Why in Equestria are these varmints here anyways?"

Kaku stared down the army of diamond dogs "These diamond dogs planned on kidnapping citizens and forcing them into slave labor. We're just about to engage them in combat."

Fluttershy placed her forehooves on her cheeks "They're gonna do what?" She squeaked.

Discord smiled "You girls don't have to worry about a thing. Lucci and his friends will take care of these dogs while none of you have to lift a hoof."

Pinkie poked her chin with a hoof "Anypony else find it odd that we've seen these diamond dogs again after Jabry was thought to be one?"

The staff-wielding figure bared his teeth "Yoyoi~! So these dogs are responsible for Jabra's mistaken identity~?" He glared his open eye at the dogs as he stuck his free hand out "Your actions are unforgivable~! We'll see to it that you su-su-suffer greatly for your crimes~!"

Twilight looked up at the large figure "Kumadori, they're not actually responsible for Jabra's earlier mistake." She then turned to leer at the dogs "But you're right about one thing. We're not gonna let them walk away without teaching them a lesson first." The alicorn said firmly.

Lucci shifted his gaze towards Twilight "You realize we have the situation under control. Leave this battle to us..."

Rover sputtered "You still serious? Look at us! We got army!"

"And we got humans! Your argument's invalid." Pinkie said with a triumphant smile.

Rover grinned "Well, we have surprise..." He turned to his army "Bring them up!" The armored dogs just stared at Rover before glancing amongst themselves, some scratching their heads. Rover paused before he facepalmed "For goodness-" He made a gesture of his paw plucking away from his ear, to which his soldiers caught on and plucked off one of their plugs "Bring out prisoners!"

After replugging their ears, the dogs shifted until the group noticed three small fillies roped together and struggling under their binds, all of which had spears pointed at them. One of them had a yellow coat with a red mane that was tied with a pink bow; another was a white unicorn similar to Rarity, but with a two-toned purple mane; the last one was an orange pegasus filly with a purple mane.

The element bearers gasped, and Rarity spoke up "They have Sweetie Belle!?"

Rainbow Dash instantly recognized the orange filly upon first glance "Scootaloo!" She called out.

"They got Applebloom, too!" Applejack said as her shocked face turned into that of ire, steam flaring from her nostrils "Them low-down, no-good little-"

"If you didn't listen earlier, this situation is under control. Please stay out of this..." Lucci said dispassionately, as if ignoring Applejack's anger.

"Th' hay Ah will! That's my sister an' her friends they've got over there! This is personal!" Applejack snapped.

The round figure grunted and took a defensive stance "We'll beat 'em up good for you then! No one can just take some kids hostage and get away with it, chapapa!" He looked over at his friends "Right, Kumadori? Blueno?"

"Indeed, Fukuro~! The wicked shall be brought to justice~! Yoyoi~!" Kumadori replied as he gripped his staff with both hands.

Blueno merely nodded, not saying anything as his dull features remained unchanged. He looked over at his feminine associate, who appeared to be trembling in anger '...Strange...Kalifa's not herself at the moment. Could she be more concerned than the rest of us?'

Discord frowned "Yeah, Lucci, I've got another request now. You mind saving those three? As you can already tell, they're very important."

"Leave that to me."

Discord looked down at Kalifa, whose eyes were hidden behind the lens of her glasses "I'll personally rescue those ponies and make sure to assist the others after they're safe."

Rarity stepped forward next to Kalifa "I'll be at your side and make sure these brutes receive theirs for taking my sister!"

Jabra grinned and licked his lips "This is gonna be one crazy fight depending on how this goes down." He looked over at Applejack "If you're serious about joining in, then make sure to stay outta my way, alright?"

Applejack moved her stetson hat over her eyes a little "Th' feelin's mutual..." She said as she pawed at the ground.

Kaku looked over at Lucci as he stood in front of the group "You think you can take them on without any excessive actions, Lucci?" He said with a smirk.

Lucci stared ahead at the army of diamond dogs readying their spears while the three leaders growled and balled their claws into fists, getting into their stances "Yes...I'm aware of our orders..." He said as his bird flew into the sky. After that, his frown slowly gave way to a wide and sadistic smile "But who's to say we're not allowed to have any fun?" He quipped darkly as he took a stance.