//------------------------------// // No Family is Perfect // Story: My Son, My Soldier, My Hero // by That_Random_Pony //------------------------------// Ember stroked her daughter's spines as she sat with Moon and his lover, along with her friends. "What do you think they're talking about?" Moon questioned, unable to hear through the soundproofed walls. "There's a battle coming, so it has to be about their plans," Twilight guessed, rubbing her temple softly. "...that thing Draco fought... it shrugged off the princesses like they were nothing. And there's an army of them." "And then Jerosh... his power was great before he had the Iikro... and now he'll have Draco's power going for him," Moon sighed. He laid on the ground while Fluttershy brushed his fur back. "You guys sound like you're giving up," Rainbow scoffed. "C'mon, with all of those Lokian guys we can do this! And Draco's training to get stronger, so there's nothing to worry about!" Ember exhaled slowly, looking down to Dawn as she teethed on her mother's claw. "When I was training with the marksmen... they told us what it meant to be a regular Loki'irian warrior." Moon turned to her, curious as to what she was going to say. "We were supports to the Signa, but we had to be strong when they weren't there. Groups of ten had to fight off hundreds at a time... and their armies fended off millions of them... not one of those warriors I trained with hadn't lost someone in their war." The ponies' dread returned, blotting out what little hope Rainbow had inspired. "And you think this world cannot do the same?" The group turned as a female Loki'irian moved toward them, her armor masking her and her body. "We aren't Loki'irian, miss," Applejack told her, gesturing to them all. "We're just ponies. Nothing fancy like ya'll." She shook her head and sat down with them, her armor pulling away from her head. To their surprise, she wasn't young or mature like most warriors they'd seen. The warrioress before them was elderly, to an extent. Her face was wrinkled, her hair dying and greying. A scar ran across the bridge of her nose, a small nick marring her ear. "Being Loki'irian has nothing to do with defending your home," she pointed out to them, jabbing her finger accusingly. "What good will pity and wallowing do?" "It does wonders for a mare, actually," Rarity chimed in glumly. The elderly woman flicked her snout with a small whip of magic, earning a surprised yelp from the fashionista. "Excuse me!" "This isn't the first world to be under siege, and by Minira it won't be the last. But that doesn't matter. All that matters is you fight with all your might, that you help those who are going into the fire, and that you never, no matter the cost, ever give in." She showed a small picture attached to her right forearm, which was hidden under a layer of armor. "These are my siblings. They gave their lives defending worlds and cleansing these monsters from others. Those worlds flourish today, and it's all that matters. We will defend this world just as tenaciously. But we need you all to have faith. Have faith that there is a tomorrow. There will be another sunrise. A celebration for the end of this madness." Her breathing went erratic for just a minute, but she took a deep breath and rested her hands on her lap. "When fear takes over... the horde will win... but when you stand up and deny them that, you will know what it means to be Loki'irian. But you must be able to stand in their face and sneer as they growl." She closed the armor over her forearm, looking to each of them. "Fight for those you hold close... for those you do not care for... because they are all you will have when Nedafan (Hell) comes to the surface." With a small nod, she stood back up and repositioned her armor. Ember looked down to Dawn, who pointed at the woman and cooed. "What's your name?" Moon called. She stopped instantly, removing her helm and giving them a small smile. "Eishla Lorenshi. You'd do well to remember that when I stand on a mountain of soldiers." Moon felt her energy pulsing in sheer amounts. It felt almost as powerful as the League members. "Good luck!" Ember shouted after her. Eishla nodded to them and turned at the next intersection. Moon and Ember felt it. The rising eagerness to fight. They'd felt it when Draco rallied them for war with the griffons. When his kind came and they went off to train. The fire that drove them to new heights. And now they shared this feeling with the ponies. Each looked renewed with vigor and determination, an unstoppable force that would do anything it tried. To top it all off, they were the Elements of Harmony. "She's right," Twilight declared, stomping her hoof down. "We can't give up now... not when so many ponies... when the world is at stake. We've been through a lot, but we can handle this," she assured them. "The pegasi can learn from the dragons and the other bestials," Moon told Rainbow. "Ponies, dragons, minotaurs, diamond dogs... we're getting the word out to those guys when they come," Rainbow remarked, punching her hoof into the other. "We're not pushovers to ponies that want to hurt our friends." "I could help with feeding them!" Pinkie announced. "They lost a lot of ships, so we could get food in their tummies and make sure they're ready to go!" "And that armor. They must be chafed," Rarity squealed. "Oh they're so robust and elegant... keeping them from hurting themselves is a start." "And they're gonna need muscle to get things around," Applejack chuckled. "Ah could have the family helping out wherever they could. Beats having them wear themselves out." Moon turned to Fluttershy. "They could use an experienced medical pony for their injured," he told her softly. "I'm sure it wouldn't take long to learn about their bodies." She nodded and nuzzled him. "Okay... but you can't end up there," she softly replied. He nodded and licked her snout. "Deal." He looked up at Ember. "Your kind is already working well with them. What else could you offer?" Ember smirked as she recalled an old dragon secret. "At the bottom of each volcano are vast amounts of metals put there by feral, carrier dragons," she whispered, giggling as her daughter licked her palm. "They don't compare to those Loki'irian armors, but they could find uses for that many resources." "Alright. I'm going back to Ponyville to get as many earth and unicorn ponies to help the Loki'irians," Twilight said. "You girls stay here and find out what the princesses and the other rulers are planning. Moon, try and get your mother to fill us in. Your dad, too, Ember." They nodded to her. "We'll do our best," Moon assured her. "Moon!" The wolf-pony looked down the hall as Orgos came, Niraka behind him. "Inagro is looking for us. The Bestials are assembling." He'd never heard of the packs all together, especially since they had rivalries amongst one another. "Where are we going?" he asked, worried glancing to Fluttershy. "They wish to meet in the Orosaka. It's the home of Ut Drenka (The Omega)" Niraka cringed as she heard her brother through their mental connection. "We must hurry. Bestials aren't very patient in these times." The two transformed in front of them and started bounding back the way they came. Moon stood up with Fluttershy and hugged her close. "I'll be back soon. Don't worry, they just need to figure out what they want to do." She nodded forcefully, then hugged him tightly. "Be careful," she whispered. He nuzzled her one last time before separating and bounding after his pack. Rarity came over and wrapped her hoof around her closest friend's shoulder. "He can take care of himself, dear," she reminded her. "Let's get you started as a nurse. I'm sure Urishana can teach you." She went off with the unicorn while Moon chased his pack's scent to the courtyard, where they waited inside a primed dropship. He leapt on, then steadied himself as the small ship took off. Hutono and Orgos were still changed, but Niraka was only halfway through. Inagro was showing signs like his sister, but his power was slipping into levels that would change him. "Are you supposed to be in your second forms?" Moon asked Niraka. She nodded. "In the Bestial customs, meeting with Ut Drenka is a time of peace between the packs. The males take their forms and the females only go halfway through," she explained. "We're given a chance to find our mates among the other Bestials, should there be any." "Moon, when we meet them, do not speak when the Alphas do," Inagro warned. "Orgos, take them to Ut Drenka'et (The Omega's) tree. The others will be there." Orgos grunted in acknowledgement. Moon looked out the window as the vessel took up his vision, a whirring noise passing over them as they entered the dock. Their ship slowed as it descended, then shook when it touched down. The door opened, and Inagro leapt out, fully changed, and started sprinting into the ship. Orgos barked for them to follow him as he took off through the halls. As they went, Moon noticed that the structure wasn't like the ship they'd been on. It twisted and turned, tunnels ran through the walls and into the ground. There was plenty of space above them, and the walls were lined with notches and grooves. Hutono yelped a warning, just as a pack sprinted out from the tunnels. Orgos met their beta, mentally conversing before they backed off and kept their distance. Moon could feel their eyes sizing him up, but he paid it no mind. The hall widened, and another pack sprinted up by them. They were running in the same direction, and more packs appeared from seemingly nowhere. A wet and damp smell hit Moon, and up ahead was the entrance to a forest. The packs split up in the area, all headed to the same destination. Soon, Orgos began to slow down and kept at a calm lope, and Moon could sense why. They pushed through a large bush, then met the eyes of dozens of other packs. Moon was astonished at just how different they all were, from quadruped to bipedal, winged and non, feather and fur. Their energies were all higher than his own magic level, but his pack made up for him. Orgos met several other Bestials near the base of the tree they surrounded, which Moon believed was Ut Drenka's home. He laid on the ground with Hutono, and Niraka sat on the younger Bestial as they waited. They heard growls and snarls, packs circling one another as they barked, hissed, and yapped. Suddenly, a beta attacked another, sending the two packs into a fight. Orgos and the others rushed to pull them apart, but it only stirred other groups to join. It was a mess claws, talons and teeth, slashing and stabbing as their large bodies tumbled around. Orgos slammed his back into a tree, dazing the one who jumped on his back. Hutono and Moon went to help, but Orgos snapped at them to stay out of it. "NUGARAAAAAA!" Moon felt fear rise in him, just as the other Bestials did. The fighting packs pulled away to their own groups, Orgos limping with a gnarled leg. They looked up into the tree, the Alphas flanking either side of a woman. She looked young, but there was an air of animosity about her. An eerie sense of wisdom and knowledge expressed itself through her hardened and disciplined stance, her eyes boring down on them like a mother to her children. She leapt from the top and landed at the base, the Alphas following. "Jra bech ot reja ök i vazg urit?! (You want to fight at a time like this?!)" she roared, growling at the betas of the fighting groups. "Uret gav ev bira erit urt madak! (There will be time for that later!)" Her ears were sharp like a predator, flicking every which way while her nose flared in anger and awareness. As she scanned the crowd, her cat-like eyes darted to him, her body turning as she walked closer. Hutono and Niraka moved aside as she stood in front of him, glaring down with a mixture of curiosity and annoyance. "Inagro!" she barked, "Hraak dot urit? (What is this?)" Elsh dot duunz it urit stera'et makaztet. Elsh dröz dot Midnight Moon. Elsh zekket zanduga Neric (He is one of this world's creations. His name is Midnight Moon. He cannot understand Neric) The Omega growled before huffing with a shake of her head. "This language is devoid of meaning above culture. When did you join this pack, cub?" she questioned. "Nearly ten months ago," Moon replied, his voice threatening to crack. She looked to Inagro with agitation. "You told me you were increasing your pack's size," the Omega snarled. "You'd do well to tell me exactly what it is you're adding." Inagro bowed in apology, but she paid no mind as she leapt onto the trunk and stood on a low branch. "I have been asked by The League of Thirteen to send our kind to train this world's inhabitants with the Nera'ak," she announced, low growls moving through the crowd. "I am here to ask each of your Alphas what they believe is right for us." She closed her eyes and listened to each leader's vote, keeping her face neutral when she found the majority opinion. "We will not be aiding them in this fight." There were growls of challenge and others that threatened them, but Moon pushed past his pack and stood beneath her. "They need our help! Your training could save lives!" Moon shouted. The Alphas and betas looked to him with surprise. The Omega's face turned vicious at his outburst. "The family rules-" "That we forsake them!" Moon roared, much to the surprise of every Bestial present. "Instead of helping them prepare we're going to hide and wait for the battle to start! That is your plan!" She leapt from her branch and landed on him, pinning him to the ground as her face began to change. Her teeth sharpened and clacked as she bared them, but he didn't relent his stare. "If we are caught out there we won't have a chance," she snarled, crushing his legs. "The Signa and Nera'ak are helping all they can, which means they will be fine." "And what if they're forced to fight like we are now?" He tumbled backwards and tossed her off of him. The Omega rolled gracefully to a stop and growled at him. "I've seen their techniques! They don't know how to use our forms like us! They're sloppy! We can change that! We can help them learn to fight those mutts!" "And what do we gain?!" she yelled, disappearing in a smog of black. Moon roared as his side was punctured by her claws, and she threw him into the bark of her home. "There is nothing they have that we could need. If our family doesn't gain, neither will they." "I thought you were Loki'irian," Moon grunted, standing up as his side trickled blood. The Omega huffed loudly. "I am a Bestial. Loki'irian tradition comes second to my family," she retorted, spreading her fingers as her claws grew out a bit. "We will be safe until the horde comes. And I need our kind in top shape." Moon lowered his head, hearing her approach. "I've never heard of such a greedy Loki'irian," he laughed weakly, earning an angered growl. "I always believed your kind was something to aspire to. That you were above this sort of behavior. That you knew right from wrong and everything in between." He looked her in the eye as she raised a hand. "You're just like us, after all." Before she could swipe at him, she was slammed to the side. Orgos stood above Moon, his claws planted around him. Inagro and Hutono flanked Orgos, and Niraka stood between them. "It's time we stopped this bartering!" Inagro roared, barking at the approaching Alphas. "Minira sees us wrong everything our kind stands for, and you don't think we should honor her?!" "We have always been called a disgrace, since the beginning of our existence!" Orgos bellowed, headbutting another beta. "You don't care to prove them wrong?!" The Omega changed. Her body towered over each Bestial there. Pure white fur covered her body as her limbs and body turned. A tail sprouted, just as her second set of legs formed. Her change wasn't gruesome and disgusting. It was one of the most beautiful things Moon had ever seen. Her body was sleek but stood with authority. She looked like a leader. She looked powerful. She looked unstoppable. And she was readying to fight them. "You'd ignore the fact that there are children depending on their fathers to win this war." The Omega stopped in her tracks. "You don't care that this world will suffer the same fate as Loki'ir." Her muzzle remained still as her growl died off. "As long as your family is safe, every other family can die... is that how you live?" The Alphas and betas remained still as Moon's words haunted their minds. "This isn't what we were meant to do," Inagro said, reverting to his bipedal form. "What happened to our kind? We are shunned and it's all it takes to turn us into beasts? We embrace our other side, but how much? Would we really let this be about territory and competition? Our race is struggling now more than ever... and this is how we react?" Inagro looked at the Omega's eyes. "You are our leader, and you want these pups to decide for you?" The leaders growled, but her loud snarl silenced them. Slowly, her body reverted back to its normal state, and she crossed her arms with a small sigh. "This could be the end of all life, should we fail," she admitted. "It's times like now I wish to be a Signa... but I'm not... and neither are any of you!" She resumed her place on the branch and pointed upwards. "Our enemy is coming! We've lost too much of our family to deny anyone help! I know we will not all return here, but by Minira's name I will not let others suffer because of this decision. We will fight beside this world's nations, and I want them to be able to handle at least one soldier each!" She landed on the ground and started for the exit. "Each pack will disperse to the equine nations and start training them immediately. Today, we will show our race what a Bestial can do! Stand tall, hold your pack close, and make sure these cubs don't die." Roars resounded throughout the ship as they sprinted to the loading areas. Moon kept behind with his pack as Niraka healed his wound. "You're absolutely insane, Moon," Orgos chuckled, patting his back. "I'm glad none of us said anything." "You knew what she would do?" Moon asked. "Yes. And we knew she would be lenient if you didn't know our customs," Inagro sheepishly admitted. "She usually breaks something if any of us speak out against the family's decision." Moon groaned as his side closed and because of his disbelief. "Some family meeting."