//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Hidden Power // Story: Saiyan of Equestria // by Boyzilla //------------------------------// Pony Saga Chapter 9: Hidden Power Lyra Heartstrings had awoken to hear strange noises coming from her and Bon-Bon's yard. The unicorn glanced around to try and spot her human children, but did not find them in the room. She decided to head downstairs and look to see what's all the fuss in the yard. What Lyra saw before her shocked the unicorn to her very magical core, the two twin children were standing next to each other, side by side as the young boy seem to demonstrate some sort of odd hand movements. Lyra watched as Kira nodded in understanding and the two began to practice the hand movements together. 'By the sun and moon!' Lyra exclaimed in her thoughts, back stepping when a bright blue beam spontaneously erupted forth from the her little girl's open palms. The blue beam of energy shot straight into the air, lighting up the sky for a brief moment before dissipating into nothingness. "What was... That," She thought aloud, looking down to see her human children look to her with fear. It gave Lyra some pause, why were they so fearful? Is it because she had discovered them use magic? Just because they use magic does not mean she's going to punish them for it. After all, unicorns use magic all the time, don't see anypony punishing them. Lyra watched as both Ken and Kira ran around in circles, panicking due to, what she assumes, discovery of their magical prowess. Infact, they're were panicking so much that the two bumped into each other and fell on their rumps. Both twins rubbing their heads in pain before Ken crawled to a fallen tree truck and hid. The mint-green unicorn had an expression of confusion on her face, questioning in her mind why exactly they were so fearful. The initial feeling should have passed, but the two seemed all too scared for it too be a simple fear of discovery. What exactly bothered, no, scarred them to such a degree for have such fear? 'I'll have to calm them down, I'm their caretaker, not their punisher.' Lyra thought to herself as she approached Ken and Kira slowly. "Shhh, calm down. Everything will be alright," the Heartstring unicorn spoke in a comforting voice. But her voice only served to scare Ken further, the seven year old child backing away against the tree trunk in fear, his twin sibling standing protectively in front of him. Kira looked to Lyra with a scared expression, her little legs shaking in testament to her emotions. Lyra's heart ached in sorrow. Walking a bit closer, and raising a forehoof toward the two twins she had adopted. She watched Ken curl up into a fetal position, Kira stepped back, becoming closer to Ken's position on the ground. Lyra decided to go all out to try and comfort them, and move past their fears. "Ken, Kira," She began, "I will not even dare to harm neither of you. If you don't want anypony else to know about your magic, then that's fine, I will keep it a secret as well." They looked up toward her, their eyes filled with tears. "I pinkie promise, cross my heart," Lyra put her hoof where her heart was. "Hope to fly," She made a gesture around her chest. "Stick a cupcake in my eye-Ow!" The unicorn faked herself getting hurt in her eye, causing them giggle and calm down. This prompted Ken and Kira to go past their fears, as love took over. The twins went up to Lyra, and hugged her, which she returned wholeheartedly. She hugged them, wrapping her hooves around both of their small fragile bodies, 'If they are fearful of such discovery, then I shall keep it to myself. It's the least I can do.' Lyra thought to herself. Breaking the hug, she looked to the both of them. "Now come, it's way to early to be up still." Lyra said, leading them back inside and up the staircase to her room. Once all three of them had entered Lyra's room, the two twins eagerly climbed onto the bed with Lyra. The unicorn decided against having them sleep on the sheets, and instead allowed them to sleep with her inside the covers. The two children's bodies becoming comfortable within, and falling asleep at a much faster rate, hugging each other as they drifted into the dream world. 'Cute,' Lyra commented in her thoughts before she too drifted off. Many hours later as the morning day arrived, the two twins had awoken to the smell of breakfast. Eager to fill their bellies, they both hurried down and awaited patiently for their fill. Lyra gave them some gratefully, but it was a bit annoying how being 'pets' means you get food. Not only that, but their hunger was getting more erratic. It had been three days since Ken's fateful arrival in Equestria. Another day would come before the royalty of Equestria, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, would arrive in Ponyville to inspect the two twins. In the meantime, Ken and Kira were told by Lyra to stay within the household as she went to work. Which unfortunately gave the twins a great deal of boredom. Since Bon-Bon had left soon after Lyra, Ken and Kira were left in their lonesome at home. But this also provided a good excuse to talk out loud, instead of using their telepathic bond. "I'm bored! We need to do something." Ken said, pacing around in a circle as he thought of ways to satisfy his boredom. "Like what?" Kira replied with curiosity, sitting in the middle of that circle. "I don't know, play a game or something? What do people our age play?" Ken asked, stopping to look at Kira. "Umm, pat-a-cake?" Kira questionably answered, Ken paused for a brief moment, "Fine... Nothing better to do," He replied, sitting crisscross in front of his twin sister, his tail limp on the ground. "Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's hand, bake me a cake as fast as you can..." And for the next ten minutes they continuously repeated the movements and words, until they grew bored once again. "Bored again, pat-a-cake isn't fun anymore, we should go exploring!" Ken exclaimed in excitement, jumping up from his sitting position. "But didn't Lyra tell us to stay put?" Kira told him. "We're be back before she even notices we're gone! Trust me!" He said with confidence. Kira rolled her eyes but nodded, following her twin brother out of the building and across Ponyville. Whether by sheer dumb luck or just oblivious ponies, they've managed to make their way into a nearby forested area. Ignoring the intelligible signs since they themselves are illiterate, they failed to notice the warnings engraved on them. "Huh, I guess nobody was paying attention. We just slipped right through them all and into the forest!" Ken exclaimed in surprise, looking back toward the town in the distance. "Ken, are you sure about this? What if something bad happens?" Kira said in worry, standing right behind him as she clutched his shirt, her tail wiggling in a slow paced motion. "Look, I'm pretty sure nothing in this forest can handle fighting two saiyan like us," Ken grinned back at Kira. "Hybrids Ken, we're hybrids." Kira corrected him. The seven year old boy waved it off, "I know that, but this is a good chance for us to get lots of food!" At that moment, both of the twins' stomachs growled, "See? Even our stomachs agree!" "Alright... But if we get in trouble, it's all on you!" Kira retorted. Continuing their way down the dirt path within the forest, the two twins got off the path in hopes of finding a suitable dinner quicker. After a few minutes of trekking through foliage and hearing a varierty of animal life. Ken and Kira spotted a nicely sized clearing within the forest. The two instantly went for it, and right before they entered the clearing, a deer-like creature came into view. Ken beamed with happiness, "See, told you we'll be fine!" Ken exclaimed quietly to his sister, "Now we'll just beat up the deer, cook it, and eat it up! Then go back home soon after." Ken stated. "I don't know Ken, I got a bad feeling..." Kira replied. Ken aimed his hand toward the deer, summoning his Ki energy inside, he prepared to fire a Ki blast toward his target. Only to get interrupted by a loud and powerful noise. *ROAR!* The deer raised its head in alarm, before flocking off quickly, jumping right over the twins' heads as it fled a predator. Ken and Kira looked forward to see imposing, lion-scorpion-bat mythological creatures. "What are those?" Kira questioned, pointing at the lion-scorpions-bat things. 'Manticores.' Chris responded in Ken's head. 'How do you know that?' Ken thought back. 'I like to read.' "They're Manticores!," Ken answered his sister's question quite loudly. The predatory creatures encircled the two twin hybrids, moving slowly, ready to pounce on this new mysterious prey before them. Ken and Kira stood side by side, their saiyan blood growing in the anticipation for battle. The Manticores looked at their prey with confused expressions, but these seemingly emotional faces turned switched into one of instinctive drive. It was time to hunt. One of the Manticores charged toward, swiping its claw toward Ken's side. The hybrid child jumped, avoiding the dangerous claws that went underneath his previous position. Ken fell back to earth, landing on the Manticore's back before he fell forward, falling on the dirt. The seven year old child quickly stood back up, just in time to send his kick right up the Manticore's chin whom attempted to bite through Ken like a pretzel. Ken ran back to his sister's side, intent on protecting his newly gained sister from certain injury, or death. However, the uninjured Manticore charged toward their center, splitting the two twins from each other. It's large scorpion flicked around, slamming into Ken and sending him skidding along the ground a few meters away. Having recovered from Ken's counter attack earlier, the first Manticore teamed up with the second, and started to attack the little seven year old girl who frantically dodged their swipes and large stingers. Kira rolled forward, taking advantage of a small amount of space between the two predators. The Manticores slammed into each other, stepping back as they groaned in pain. Kira giggled, feeling a bit of confidence from her quick thinking. But it was short-lived, the second Manticore came swinging around, smashing a head-butt right into the child, sending her crashing into the ground, vulnerable. Ken had to get that Manticore away from Kira, concentrating, he managed to launch a small yellow Ki blast from his palm into the fur of the second Manticore, causing it to stagger and land on the side of a tree stump. The child drew his attention toward the other Manticore near his twin sister, only to see something shocking. Kira, having been knocked to the ground previously, started to crawl away from the Manticore that was only feet away from her. The little girl attempted to stand back up, but the Manticore took the chance to swipe at her in which she quickly attempted to block with her arms. This caused Kira to fall back toward the ground, but she rolled to the side to avoid a nasty surprise from the Manticore's stinger. Quickly, the hybrid girl leapt up and landed a devastating blow to the predator's nose, causing it to flinch back and roar in pain. However, Kira soon felt pain on her left arm, looking down on it, her eyes widened as she saw deeply gored claw-marked wounds. She grasped it in pain as her body registered it, blood pouring from her arm as she tried to stop the bleeding. Ken began to move to aid his sibling, but the Manticore from before interrupted him by leaping in his way. The beast attempted to strike at Ken using its stringer, but Ken's small stature and instinctive reflexes helped him dodge just in time to avoid it. Ken brought his right foot up, kicking the Manticore across the face and using the momentum, spun around with a Ki blast in his hands. Ken shot it right into the Manticore's side, a spurt of blood coming out as it penetrated the predator's fur coat. "That's for trying to hurt my sister!!" Ken yelled. He thrust a punch at the skull of the beast, impacting it hard, but causing Ken to recoil, clutching his hand in slight pain. "Ow! Your head is hard!" Ken commented, before he used the beast's dazed state to his advantage, leaping back and cupping his hands to his front. "Ka... Me... Ha... Me... Ha!" Ken fired as quickly as he could muster his Ki energy, a small blue beam coming forth and flying straight toward the predator's center of mass. The blue beam of Ki impacted harshly, surging outward in many directions as it made contact with the Manticore's chest. As Ken's Kamehameha Wave dissipated due to lack of energy, the Manticore fell forward, slumped, defeated, and dead, it's fur singed and seared. Back with Kira, the little hybrid girl was having trouble. The Manticore didn't give her much, if any, time to gather her Ki energy. Alone, unable to summon her Ki, and with only one good arm left. The predator she faced had a advantage over her that it took full use of, swiping its deadly claws, and striking with a poisonous stinger, Kira barely dodged each and every one, her tail swinging in the wind as she did. Kira dodged another strike from the Manticore's stinger, acting with haste, she managed to grab the tail with her arm and forced herself above the beast. Standing now on top of it, Kira tried to gather Ki as quickly as she could. However the massive mythical creature started jumping, twisting and turning violently. Kira somehow managed to make a Ki blast, and shot it downward toward Manticore's back. It screamed in pain, and rushed blindly toward a tree. Kira looked up only to see a big trunk of wood impact face, causing her to fall off the creature's back. She managed to stand up, only to see face to face a Manticore no longer dazed or distracted by pain. Now finished with his own Manticore, Ken Altarmore looked toward his sister only to see he smashed into the tree and become vulnerable to the Manticore's attack. Which it drooled to the prospect of feeding on his twin's flesh. Ken felt rage build up, his human emotions flaring, and saiyan instincts screaming to eradicate the threat. Nobody harms his sister, not while he's around! He did not get a family just to see her die right in front of him! Kira looked into the jaws of death itself, only a day old and she was going to die. This is what she thought, until her twin brother, Ken, leapt unto the back of the Manticore, causing it to try to shake him off. A blue aura of flaring Ki surrounded Ken's figure, his face holding the expression of anger as he started firing multiple Ki blast at blinding speed straight into the Manticore's backside. 'How is Ken doing that! We're not strong enough to do that yet!' Kira thought. Ken grasped the Manticore's tail tightly and yanked it off, blood gushing everywhere. Whatever's left of Ken's childish behavior became replaced with sheer rage of a ruthless warrior. Kira couldn't help but look away as Ken started pounding at the Manticore's skull. The cries of pain and agony echoed through the forest clearing as the Manticore roared and whimpered for mercy, but none gave it that as the merciless child smashed his fist straight into the beast's cranium and effectively killing the Manticore. When Kira opened her eyes, she saw Ken in front of her, fear in his eyes, yet full of worry as he faced her. "K-Ken? Are, are you alright?" Kira said with worry. Ken looked at her, and stared for a full minute before suddenly falling backward unto the ground and losing consciousness.