//------------------------------// // Arc Two (More Running) - Here We Go Again // Story: The Child In Me // by Zamairiac //------------------------------// Okay, so I've decided to have this story cut down into separate arcs. This will allow me to put a pretty noticeable gap between chapters and have a good reason. Thus why the end of this chappy takes place a little over four weeks after the last one. Stuff will be explained and you'll be up to date with Oliver's activities, so don't worry about that. There is one thing that's going to change though, and that's the fact that although I will NOT make Oliver an overpowered Gary-Stu, he will still gain some abilities. Not general magic, but something a little different. Remember, every Alicorn embodies a certain element. Sun, moon, love and friendship. So it stands to reason that Oliver will represent something too. It's just a bit of a shame that it'll…well, you'll see XD Begin! Here We Go Again Oliver It's been a little over four weeks… Four weeks since Luna went to town on Zythonous and buried her in the ground, permanently. No seriously, Change Mc Rapey is pretty much dead. A broken neck I think…and foreleg…and back…and, well. You get the picture. Nopony seemed too bothered by her brutality, me included mind you. But from I'd gathered, these ponies all seemed to more or less represent peace and harmony. So the mere idea of one being violent against another seems to be all but abhorrent. I guess lecherous Changelings are exempt to that rule… Unfortunately however, Luna saving me from Cheeselegs only seemed to make my eventual situation worse. Let me recap this in simple terms. Luna had lost all rights to both look after me and call me her son. Her actions before Cadance took me away were…a bit enthusiastic to say the least. However. Cadance officially became my new caretaker when Celestia chucked me over to her. Unfortunately for her, Cadance not only managed to lose me within the first twenty four hours, but in doing so also caused me to get ponynapped and nearly molested. Needless to say, Luna wasn't impressed. I'd say Sunny Butt wasn't impressed as well, but she really doesn't seem to give a straw about much…at all. Ahem, well anyway. When Luna took both Fleur and I back to the Empire, myself being held back in that maliciously comfy foal pouch, she pretty much tore Cadance a new one. Oh Cadance shouted right back, declaring that she was caring for her husband and hadn't even realized that I was gone until it was too late. Which Luna took to mean that she cared more about the Shiny Spunkstain than me. I really don't know why I dislike him…but by all that is holy I bucking do! Oh yeah, the no swearing barrier was back on. I figured Luna had something to do with it. Anyway, Luna and Cadance were about to rip each other's hair out, which I took as my cue to intervene. I don't really mind Cadance, she's just a little incompetent and doesn't seem to have her priorities straight. And yes I'm still pretty wary of Luna, but to my dismay it's an irrelevant feeling, seeing how a certain part of my psyche has yet to stop demanding that I let her mother me to death. But anyway. The two were, like I said, about to rip the others' metaphorical nuts off before I promptly decided to burst into tears and cry- "Stop fighting! You're scaring me!" -like a little beach. Can anyone see my man card? I believe I just dropped it. In any case it seemed to work like a charm. Cadance's murderous expression quickly became quite stunned, if not ashamed. Luna's on the other hand switched from homicidal to, ugh, motherly so quickly I had to blink thrice to make sure she was the same mare. "Oh, we are sorry Arcturus," she cooed, her wings quickly blocking out all but her face as she nuzzled me frantically. "Shhh, Mommy did not mean to scare thee, forgive us mine son." I didn't mean to squeal, honestly I didn't. But when that dreaded tongue snaked out and tickled under my muzzle…well, it was a battle that I lost instantly, whether I wanted too or not. The sudden clopping of nearby hooves and…growling I think, caused me to quickly snap out of my childish trance and onto the little snippets of pink I could just about glimpse between Luna's wings. "He is not your son Luna," Cadance snapped tartly. Cue more growling. "Oh really niece?!" Luna barked harshly. "Well he most certainly does not belong to thee!" Luna twirled her head around in a clockwise motion, forcing her mysterious mane around to the left side of her neck. This kinda forewarned me of an incoming straw storm, don't ask how I knew, I just did. "We may have been over exuberant in our brief role as his mother, but we at least cared for him! We laid his head atop our belly and slept alongside him! We found him held tightly within a sickly grasp, and yet we nursed him back to health with naught but love and nurture." Luna closed her eyes for a brief moment, shaking slightly. But just as quickly her eyes opened and she regarded Cadance with a startlingly venomous gaze. "Yes…we know he ran away, just as he did with thee. But he did so within our slumber! What is your excuse? He ran from thee and thou decided thine husband was more deserving of thy gaze than he who TORN from our hooves and placed INTO THY CARE!" Ouch…anyone got some ice for that burn? Luna looked down at me quickly and smiled a…surprisingly not so creepy smile. "Arcturus…Oliver, whatever thy name may be, we must ask thee this question," she said, shocking me somewhat with the use of my actual name, as opposed to her preferred one. "We failed to truly take care of thee before. We claimed thee without asking, knowledge of present law does not excuse our ignorance…our arrogance. We frightened thee into running away, into slipping within the hold of illness and bad omen." She sniffled as she mentioned my sick days, her normally intimidating stare now quite humbled and…ashamed. "But we must know if…if thou wishes to stay with us once more," she continued, her lips trembling ever so slightly. "We would n-not blame thee if thou wanted to decline our offer. We would not even stop thee from staying with our niece if that is what thou wishes…but…but we beg of thee, give us another chance to prove our worth as thy mother. Thou…thou art a once in a lifetime chance for us, and we do not want to give thee up to another but…but we will, if that is what thee wants." Well…buck, thanks for dropping that all on me Lummmm…buck. The entire world seemed to hold its breath as I pondered my options. L-mo-na was simply staring at me unblinkingly, her eyes shiny and wide. I still couldn't see Cadance, but giving that she wasn't arguing with You-Know-Who, I gathered that she was waiting for my answer as well. Fleur was a mystery, I couldn't see her expression but I could hear her breath. Nevertheless I had no idea what she was thinking, though from what I'd recently leaned I figured that she'd most likely go where I went. My future…lover, yeah we really need to talk about that later on. The question was tough, the answer tougher. And yet when I got right down to it…it was actually quite simple. I opened my muzzle to speak and said- … … … "I am not going into that Faust damned baby pouch!" I turned my head away from Mom's open hooves and began to crawl back under the covers, ignoring the surprising lack of sound coming from her general direction. It was silly, but given all that had happened in the last few weeks, I honestly thought that she'd accept my decision. But then came the blue menace, her incredibly dexterous wings pulling me out from under the covers and placing me atop in but a second. The smile came next, the wide, sly, gleeful smile as her muzzle pressed down against my stomach and- "Pfffffffffffffft!" -blew against it without mercy. The sound, the nigh unbearable ticklish sensation was too much for me to handle. And so, even with all the maturity and intelligence my mind truly had, it sadly lacked any resistance to such a malicious act. Thus I laughed my metaphorical tits off. "Nooo! Mommy s-stop, h-ha ha!" Mom's eyes narrowed mischievously, her ears splayed back in sheer joy as she denied my request and continued to lovingly torture me. "Dost thou wish to obey Mommy now?" she asked, her tone full of mirth. "Or dost thou wish for more? We would be more than happy to bow to thy wishes..." My eyes widened in slight nervousness as she wiggled her eyebrows playfully. "You wouldn't?" I breathed. She grinned. I should have stayed in Cadance's chambers, Faust damnit!