//------------------------------// // Interlude // Story: Three Equestrians and an Engineer // by Greasebrony //------------------------------// A/N: Alright guys, last chapter before Basic Training. Hope you enjoy it. :) “Okay, remember its not about flapping your wings and hope it gets you somewhere. It takes technique.” Instructed Rainbow Dash. “Think of it as if it was your driving, you use the car as an extension of yourself through your arms and legs. With flying, it’s the same principle but you use your whole body.” Alison and Eduardo listened intently as she spoke. During the time that they’ve been ponies Alison felt like blending in, ‘When in Rome.’ she said. Ever since she lost the garments and started walking around with her head high, and not a single mare, stallion, filly or colt batted an eye. He didn’t show it, but for one reason or another that annoyed him. In the back of his mind he wanted to do it too, but he felt naked, like something was missing. Was it perhaps the lack of a cutie mark? Coming to this realization he thought that in spite of all the talents he has, the fact that none of them was his true life’s calling it bothered him greatly. Alison got hers within a few hours of her being a pony. But him, he had been one for a whole week and he remained a blank flank. Those words, ‘Blank Flank’. It was considered an omen for those his age who hadn’t found what made them special. He always thought he was different, growing up he was always different. Since birth his was different, he felt it. But what was it that made him different? He thought it was the skills that he learned along his path through life but meeting Twilight and Fluttershy and being here, he learned that it wasn’t the case at all. He had heard stories about the CMC when they were young and all the crazy stunts they pulled off trying to find their special talent. It wasn’t until they stopped trying to find it and just let it happen did they realize they knew all along. But he knew so much already. Skills ranging from carpentry, electricity, and engineering to practical skills such as cooking, driving, business and his linguistic skills not to mention his talent in music. In two of those subjects he has doctors’ degrees and makes his living off of both with the help of his linguistic skills and cultural understanding. Not to brag either but his skills in the sac weren’t exactly amateur either. And even his darker skills that involve the very pistols that earned him his dreaded street name wasn’t his calling. So what was it? What made him special? Already agitated, he pushed those thoughts from his head and watched Rainbow Dash give Alison a final one on one on her technique. Already she was performing stunts that would amaze any human, perhaps her natural understanding of her current anatomy and martial arts skills play a large role in it. It’s been only three days and Dash barely needed to give her instruction. However because of her pregnancy she had to keep it at a steady level. This was still a vacation for them and the last thing anyone wanted now was to end up in a hospital because of a mishap. “Alright big guy, you’re up.” Called Rainbow Dash “Huh? Oh right.” He got up and got ready to take flight. “Eduardo, are you alright?” He looked over his shoulder and saw Alison with a worried look on her face. “Nah, I’m fine.” “Eddy I can read you like a book. Something is on your mind talk to me.” He let out a sigh and placed a hoof on her cheek. “We’ll talk about it later okay?” “Okay, if anything I’ll be at the library.” “Bun in the oven’s getting heavy huh?” She smiled and rubbed her lower stomach. “Yes, I can feel him growing every day. Strong and passionate, just like his father.” He smiled and looked up at her. “Maybe beautiful and graceful, just like his mother. Wait, him?” “I don’t know. I just feel that we are going to have a son.” *sniff* The couple looked towards Rainbow Dash with a smile on her face and wiping a tear from her eye. “Never struck me as the emotional type, Dashie.” Eduardo teased. “Oh shut up. Just because I don’t act like a mare doesn’t mean I don’t think like one. I wouldn’t mind having a kid of my own too you know. Finding a nice guy then big happy family.” She paused and appreciated that thought before pointing a hoof at them with a stern look in her eyes. “I’ll kick both of your butts if you tell anyone I said that.” “That a promise?” Asked Alison. “We’ll see.” She chuckled. “Okay Eddy, get over here.” “Yes MOM.” He kissed Alison and watched her walk away while she made her way to the library. He turned around and saw Rainbow waiting for him. “Okay, Eddy?” “Hoygo.” “Look your skills in flying are pretty good. Heck just as good as Alison and you have a lot of potential. I’ve been flying my whole life so I would know. Plus points for effort and pushing the envelope too, but you have know your limits to what you can handle. I’ve ended up in the hospital quite a few times cause of some of the stupid stunts I’ve pulled. There were even times when I was in danger of losing my wings.” “Wow, the speedster of Equestria is asking me to slow down?” Eduardo asked jokingly. “Hey! This is serious. You have a kid on the way and it needs a father in its life. Not to mention the hell you’ve put Alison through.” She replied sternly placing a firm hoof on his chest. “Woah, relax Dash.” Eduardo said backing away slightly. She sighed. “Sorry, I’m just worried is all.” “Why? Whats the problem?” “You remind me of myself when I was younger, before I ever got into the Wonderbolts.” “How so?” “I was arrogant, a show off. Always trying to impress somepony and always living on the edge and a lot of times I didn’t know when to stop. Well I guess I still kind of do but, I guess I just see a lot of myself in you and I’m worried.” She replied looking down at the grass. He lifted her chin up with his hoof and her magenta eyes met his. “Rainbow Dash, talk to me. Whats wrong?” She rubbed her foreleg and looked into his eyes. “You.” “What do you mean?” “Remember that night when we were on our way to Alison’s place in her Skyline?” Thinking back he remembers the entire trip. He covered those 10 miles in well under 5 minutes. “Yeah what about it? You handled yourself a lot better than I expected, hell you were even having fun.” “And I did,” She said turning away from him. “But there was a slight moment that I looked at you and you had a look in your eye.” “What look?” “I don’t know how to explain it. It was like a fierce and raw determination. Like all at once I felt inspired and terrified. It was like you were in your own world and nothing else mattered to you.” He took his place next to her. “How long has this been on your mind?” “A while actually.” “Then tell me, what do you need me to do to put your mind at ease?” “Anything?” “Anything.” “In that case, no matter what happens, please for us, you’re friends, for your brothers, for Alison, for me, and for your kid. Please don’t push it to where you’re in danger of leaving us. Every day I’m up in the sky with the team, I know the risks I take regularly but its always well within my limits and I don’t push it when I don’t need to. I want you to do the same.” “Alright, you have yourself a deal.” “Shake on it.” She spat into her hoof and stuck it forward. Eduardo happily complied. “Done.” Satisfied Rainbow Dash turned facing town. “Alright then. No more lessons for today. Cool?” “Mind if I ask why?” “You have some of the strongest wings I’ve seen on a stallion. Not quite strong enough to pull a sonic rainboom but close enough.” “Hey! Whats that supposed to mean?” “It takes more than brute strength to achieve speed, as Rarity would put it, it also takes a degree of grace. You should know that better than anyone.” “Hey I’ve got grace!” “No, Fluttershy has grace, Rarity has grace, Alison has grace, us mares in general have grace. Heck even Applejack has grace to some degree, but you my friend are the exact opposite.” Rainbow laughed. “I love you man but I’m not gonna lie, you and Big Mac would probably be fighting over who’s the bigger brute award.” “Oh you want brute? I’ll show you brute!” “Na uh ah. No Pushing it. Remember?” “Shut up and get over here you little technicolored horse!” “You have to catch me first!” She took off into the air sticking her tongue at him. “YOU ARE SO ON!” Eduardo took off after her. It was useless, trying to catch the fastest flyer in all of Equestria was like trying to defuse a bomb with a paper clip and a ball point pen. Only a few can do it assuming they don’t kill themselves in the process. Tired and wheezing like a chain smoker in their 80s he slowly made his way back to the library. First though, he figured it would be a welcome sight for a decent meal in the form of cinnamon rolls or snicker doodles. Confound Pinkie Pie and the Cakes for their deliciously delectable sweets. All of it was like crack fresh out of the oven and like an addict that doesn’t go broke and does it a lot he went back for more anytime a craving hit him. If it wasn’t for the mayor giving him payment for helping out with updating the building codes around Ponyville he would probably be running up a tab that would probably leave poor Pinkie broke. Silently thanking whatever blessing he has for actually finding work during his time off from Earth, and appreciating the irony of that last thought, the Cake’s pastry shop came into view. Inside at one of the tables Pumpkin and Carrot were in a battle of wits in the ever so decisive game of chess. Cupcake was tending to other customers and Pinkie was behind the counter with Pound, clearly interested in learning the craft of the trade. “Checkmate daddy.” Surprised he looked at the game board from different angles only to find that he did in fact lose to his daughter. “Only 4 years old and beating me at chess. You must get that from your mother.” “Aw don’t be sad, you managed to keep it going by 17 moves this time.” “Top of the morning to you, Cake Clan.” “EDDY!” Immediately regretting announcing his arrival all he saw after that was a pink blur and felt a force of immeasurable power hitting him and tackling him to the waxed tiled floor. Sliding to a stop and getting the derp out of his eyes he looked towards the ceiling to find Pinkie standing over him with a toothy smile. “Its nice to see you too Pinkie. But can I ask you something?” “Sure.” “Do you have to tackle me every other time you see me?” “Not really, but look on your face is priceless every time.” “That’s nice, only this time, you landed on my nuts.” Pinkie took a step away giggling while Eduardo groaned and rolled to the side as he cradled his family jewels. “Oops sorry Eddy, do you want an ice pack?” “No thanks, I’ll just take a dozen cinnamon rolls and be on my way.” “Are you sure dearie? You look really hurt.” Cupcake said approaching the two. “No I’m fine, its just my pride. Now, how ‘bout them rolls?” A second later a small white box was placed gently next to his nose. “Done, that’ll be 6 bits.” “Thanks Pinkie.” He pulled out 6 golden coins from his bit pouch and paid Pinkie. “Thank you for your business.” “No Pinkie, thank you.” Eduardo groaned as he slowly got on his hooves and placed the box on his back, stabilizing it with his wings and proceeded to limp out of the shop. “Did you know that males can still reproduce with one testicle?” Pumpkin said. Carrot could only look at his daughter in disbelief unsure whether to be impressed with this new information or furious at her language. “Yes, you definitely get it from your mother.” “Did you know that if you mix equal parts of frozen orange juice concentrate and gasoline you can make napalm?” Said Pound. “How in Equestria do you two know these things? Yesterday you told me what makes nitro glycerin and Pumpkin explained the anatomy and functions of the brain.” Both foals pointed a hoof at Pinkie. Carrot looked over to Pinkie as she balanced a half dozen cupcakes in one hoof, a pitcher of milk in another and a beach ball on top of her head all while she used her tail as a spring bouncing from table to table serving customers. “I should have guessed.” “Aw, we have a doctor and a chemist in our family. I’ll go get the camera.” Cupcake said going up stairs with glee. Carrot sighed and looked at the chess board with a small smile. “Never a dull moment in this house.” With a hoof he tipped his king over. ___ ZZZZZZZUUUUT! “11 o-clock high, close though to the bulls eye though, try beating that.” “My pleasure.” ZZZZZZZUUUUT! “3 o-clock low. Hard to tell the difference though.” “Damn.” Laura and Jennifer were on a hill by White Tail Woods having a go at archery. “Hi girls.” Both women looked over to see Rarity and Sweetie Belle approaching the summit equipped with saddle bags and arrows. “Rarity, Sweetie, wasn’t expecting to see you two here. How are you?” Asked Laura. “It’s a nice day and the air feels so good to breathe so I felt it’s as good time as any to participate with my little sister in ‘threading the arrow’.” “Ooo, sounds interesting.” Said Jennifer. “You have no idea.” Sighed Sweetie Belle. “It’s basically an archery technique my sister pioneered.” “Question?” “Yes Laura?” “Where are your bows?” “Ah, that’s part of the beauty of threading the arrow. Bows are not necessary.” “Can we ask for a demonstration?” Asked Jennifer. “Why of course, Sweetie Belle?” “Oh, I don’t know sis…” Rarity placed a comforting hoof over her shoulder. “You’ll be fine. Just remember what I taught you.” “If you say so.” Sweetie Belle took her place in the summit and looked the targets down range. She summoned her magic and took out the binoculars that were in her saddle bags, she placed them over her eyes and took a closer look. ‘Okay, elevation is 27 meters high and the target is 400 meters down, target itself is a half meter wide, and the bull’s-eye is 10 centimeters.’ The others watched in silence as lowered her binoculars and tied back her mane. She pointed her nose to the sky and closed her eyes. ‘Wind direction south east, perfect.’ She opened her eyes with a smile and took her arrows off her back and using her magic she pulled one out. She inspected the gemmed tip intently, making sure nothing would throw it off balance. Satisfied she raised it up at eye level pointed at the target. ‘Concentrate.’ Summoning more power from her horn a green aura around the arrow formed into a bow around the arrow. ‘Pull…’ The tail of the arrow pushed back against the string of the bow. ‘…Breathe…’ She closed her eyes and breathed in through her nose. ‘…Release.’ All at once she opened her eyes exhaled shot the arrow leaving traces of her magic in its wake. ZZZZZZZUUUUT! She picked up her binoculars again and inspected her work. ‘Dead center.’ She put down her binoculars again and picked up another arrow repeating the process. ZZZZZZZUUUUT! ZZZZZZZUUUUT! ZZZZZZZUUUUT! ZZZZZZZUUUUT! With all the style and grace like her sister before her, every arrow split the last before it and the last arrow’s tail bloomed into a white orchid. Looking down from her binoculars with a satisfied smile she looked towards the others. While Laura and Jennifer applauded Sweetie’s performance, Rarity’s eyes began to water as she wore a smile on her face. Concerned, Sweetie Belle approached Rarity. “Rarity are you alright?” She gently pulled in Sweetie Belle for a hug. “Just swelling with pride is all.” Fluttershy enjoyed days like this. Sitting in her cottage, sipping Zecora’s herbal tea, enjoying the natural sounds of the wind softly blowing against her tree home. It is quite literally a perfect autumn day except for one minor detail, she was alone. With many of her animal friends already settling in for hibernation she had no one to talk to, no one to give her company. Yes she could always go to one of her friends and spend time with them but she doesn’t like being a bother to anyone. She looked out of her window and thought of Angel. Even though they have their ups and downs they always loved each other and were always there for one another, and until March she wouldn’t be seeing him around. She breathed and looked at her tea, it was getting cold. “Maybe I should head to the library and pick up a book. Twilight always has something interesting to read.” Finishing her tea she hovered up stairs to dress for the weather. She didn’t really need to but she liked the warm feeling clothes gave her. In her room she spotted her suit case next to her closet. “No hurry.” Deciding to go through its contents she placed it on its back and opened it. Inside was everything she had from her travels to Earth, from her clothes to little trinkets and souvenirs and even a collection of photos in an album. During their time on Earth Twilight wanted to document as much as she could, unfortunately the camera she brought had been damaged that first night and was useless. Understanding the situation Eduardo had given her one of his cameras and since then she had been taking pictures of any and everything she found that was important. Within the month nearly 10,000 pictures were taken. Most of it was for documentation but many others were pictures taken for sentimental reasons or Kodak moments as the humans would call them. Before their leave Eduardo had personally made an album of those moments for everyone including his cousins, Alison and himself. A special album was made for Twilight and came in the form of a memory card and a laptop. Probably for all the documentation and research on humans and to keep her from straining her back. People can say what they want but boxes upon boxes of photos and paperwork are not fun to carry. She picked up the album and went to her bed. Opening it she saw the very first picture they took together. It was Eduardo, herself, Twilight and Spike standing around Joseph’s G8. The picture was dubbed ‘Mission Success’. She turned the page, the next few pictures were of just the four of them including Alison also Joseph and Jericho in various areas in the warehouse. Most of the time neither of them knew a picture was being taken. Skipping a few pages she found herself looking at the moment when herself, Twilight and Spike were reunited with their best friends from Equestria. It had been a long night for all of them, Luna especially. The picture next to it was of Eduardo sleeping on his bed with Pinkie Pie using her fingers to make him smile, Rainbow Dash thought it would be funny to catch that moment where he was battered and bruised from his fight with Alison. Below were the results of the pranks the two teams pulled on each other. Eduardo as a stallion shouting out of the warehouse main gate and the terrified looks on Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie and Rainbow’s faces as Eduardo descended upon them dressed as the pony version of the grim reaper complete with a scythe. Turning the page again she saw a picture an overhead shot of all of them together standing around the warehouse with Eduardo’s cars behind them. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. Leaving it open she set the album aside and went to her bedroom door. “Who is it?” “Hey Fluttershy, its Twilight. Can I come in?” “Of course, the door is open.” The front door opened and Twilight walked in closing the door behind her. “I’m sorry if I interrupted anything. Just wanted to see what you were up to and see if you wanted some company.” “Oh no not at all, I was actually about to get dressed and go and see you. You’re welcome upstairs if you’d like.” “Sure.” Twilight trotted up the stairs and followed Fluttershy into her room. While Fluttershy went to go pick out a sweater Twilight noticed the album on her bed. She got closer to take a better look. A small smile crept on her lips. “I remember this day.” “The group picture?” “Yeah, Pinkie said that we needed to have one so we can frame them in our rooms.” “So Celestia set up a tripod while the guys moved the cars into place then we all gathered around and smiled.” “Then we played poker and had a barbeque.” “That weekend we all went boating for the first time.” “Ugh, don’t remind me, my stomach still turns at the thought of going that fast on water. Crazy engineer, ‘If it ain’t fast I ain’t happy.’ I mean really who needs to go 100 knots on water!” Fluttershy giggled as she picked up a green turtle neck. “Yes I was pretty scared too when he did that, nevermind Applejack.” “And Rarity kept complaining about the salt water in her hair while on the other side of the spectrum Rainbow and Pinkie were relishing it.” Twilight turned the page to see a picture of Pinkie Pie back flipping over Rarity off the bow of a speedboat while Alison hosed Spike’s face on the stern of the craft. “Maybe once all this blows over we can visit each other. What do you think?” “I like that idea, but how would we do it?” Fluttershy asked putting on her sweater. “We’ll figure something out. Ready to go?” “Mhm.” Twilight closed the album and followed Fluttershy down stairs. Within the main room of the library, the smell of mahogany filled the room mixing with smells of the books as well as the fresh air coming in through the open windows. Focused on only breathing, Alison sat on a pillow with her eyes closed in an Indian style position feeling the natural energy swirling around her. In all her years in her martial arts teachings and training never did she feel so at one with her environment. So much natural energy in this world not hampered by concrete and steel. ‘So beautiful.’ Within her womb she felt another energy, another form of life. It came in the form of a little heartbeat. Small as it was she felt it was strong and growing stronger. With a small smile skimming across her face she began focusing on both heartbeats, breathing to synchronize hers with his. Within moments she felt something wonderful, the baby’s little limbs moved around. Tears of joy slid down her cheek as she placed a hoof on her stomach. “Shame no one was here for this.” She said. “Wouldn’t have made a difference though.” Taking another whiff of the air she noticed a new aroma, cinnamon. “Mmmm.” Her wings opened as the tips began flapping lifting her off the ground allowing her nose to guide her to the source. Hovering just above the ground she opened her eyes following the angelic smell to Twilight’s desk. There sat a white box with a string around it. She undid the knot and opened the box to find a dozen freshly made cinnamon rolls lathered in the traditional sweet white gooey icing. Licking her lips she eyed the treats. “I don’t think anyone would mind if I have one, or three.” Just as Alison began reaching into the box she heard the front door open, she looked over to see Spike with a bag of supplies. He smelled the air. “Oh Sweet Celestia are those Pinkie’s Cinnamon Buns?” Alison smiled. “I guess, I want to grab one but I don’t know who these belong to.” “How many are in there?” Spike asked setting the supplies next to the basement door. “A dozen.” “Well I saw Twilight and Fluttershy headed into town so that kind of narrows it down.” “Knowing him he probably got enough for the four of us. Speaking of which do you know where he is?” “I saw him outside working on something.” Alison looked outside the window to see Eduardo on the underneath a craft covered in a beige tarp. “What are you up to now?” The Chevy’s 427 was building up revs at full throttle at 3rd gear building up speed. ‘7000’ The next corner’s coming up. ‘7500’ 100 meters. ‘8000’ 75 meters. ‘ 8300’ 15 meters Jericho turned the steering wheel sharply to the left and right hitting the brake dropping the revs down to 4500. The Camaro dove into the corner going sideways. He pressed the clutch and shifted to 2nd as the revs jumped to 6000 initiating heel and toe through the corner. The Camaro barreled in drifting through the corner hitting the apex and kicking up a cloud of dust in its wake. Jericho continued on adjusting the throttle through the series of S-Curves. Shifting the weight through delicate foot work and steering he made it to the long straight without incident. At the rev limit he shifted to 3rd and shot out of the forest into a clearing. He let off the throttle and smiled in satisfaction. “Nailed it.” He shifted to 5th gear and cruised along as the CB radio came alive. “3 minutes 14.87 seconds, that’s a new personal best.” Jericho picked up the radio receiver. “I’d like to see Eddy beat that!” “Be careful what you wish for man.” “Yeah yeah, I’ll see you at the park.” “Copy that, over and out.” Jericho put the receiver back onto its holder and proceeded into town resting his right hand on the shifter as he drove. Eduardo told him he was going to give the second Jet Bike its first test flight. Remembering how the first one went, he was a little apprehensive and had good reason to be. 2 years ago… “How’s she handling up there cuz?” Said Jericho over the com link. “So far so good, she’s handling 400 knots pretty well. Not bad for just 70%.” Replied Eduardo as he flew over the Everglades. On the ground, Jericho stood by next to the F350 watching his cousin fly the prototype Jet Cycle he had built himself dubbing it Nightfire. Sticking to simple maneuvers the Jet Cycle had done a few over head passes at various speeds. The sound of the single turbine propelled engine echoed over the wetlands through miles of open air. “Alright, I’ll go for another pass going full speed at 1500 feet and we’ll call it a day.” “Copy that, watch yourself up there.” Jericho took another look at the three laptops laid out, in one two video screens were open, one of a camera on the underside of the Nightfire and another pointed at a flight helmet within the cockpit. The next contained various graphs and charts reading diagnostics of the craft and weather patterns for the day. The final laptop read Eduardo’s heart rate as well as other medical diagnostics and a G-Meter. He turned back to the sky, the JC-X was coming into view. Streaks of wake turbulence forming at the wing tips as he leveled out and accelerated. “Alright, 700 knots comi-uh oh…” “What do you mean uh oh?” Jericho said as he looked at the diagnostics. “Whats going on bro, talk to me.” “Fuel Pressure is dropping.” Eduardo replied as he flew over. Jericho checked the fuel pressure and to his dismay numbers were dropping at an alarming rate. “Eduardo, land now. You hear?” “I would but we have another problem…” “God don’t tell me…” “Landing gear and the stabilizers are unresponsive.” Jericho felt a cold chill run up his spine recalling what happened next. “I really hope things don’t turnout like last time.” In the outskirts of town Alison, Spike, Twilight and Fluttershy stood by as Eduardo worked on getting the craft ready for flight. “So this is your second prototype.” Said Alison looking under the tarp. “That’s what I said.” Replied Eduardo as he was on his laptop. “What happened to the first one?” Asked Spike. “Multiple Catastrophic System Failures.” He replied. “Again a whole lot slower?” Said Fluttershy. “It exploded in midair while trying to hit mach 1.” Said Alison. “Glad you went for a closed cockpit this time.” “Yeah, I still owe Joseph for that body armor. I don’t know what I was thinking the first time around.” “You don’t know or you don’t remember?” Asked Twilight. “Not sure, I do remember being very, VERY high on morphine and vicodin for a few weeks.” “And yet here you are again.” Said Twilight gesturing at the craft. “Hey, this can really improve individual travel. Best part is that this runs on the same racing fuel dragsters use.” “And you’re thinking about marketing this to the public in your world.” “It’ll be a slow start I’ll admit and yeah you kinda need the skill to fly one of these but eventually these will be more affordable than taking an airliner.” “Can I ask you something?” Said Alison. “Anything babe.” Eduardo replied with a smile. “What guarantee do we have that this thing won’t explode like it did the first time?” “I’m glad you brought that up because in all honesty your guess is as good as mine.” He replied with a smile. “Please tell me you’re joking.” “Wish I was.” “And yet you expect us to let you fly this thing?” Said Spike. “Yes,” Eduardo said as he dug into his backpack. “With this.” He pulled out a pad and turned it on showing it to the others. “With this I have the option to fly this thing without ever having to be inside. Plus with the things I’ve done to this one it can do everything from hover to breaking the sound barrier. At least that’s what I hope to accomplish. In addition the cockpit can detach itself from the engine and fuel in case of an emergency. Anymore questions?” Fluttershy raised her hoof. “Yes Fluttershy?” “How do you ride it?” Eduardo put a hoof to his chin. “Well its similar to how one would ride a motorcycle, difference is that the yaw controls are actually pedals at your feet while the flaps on the wings are controlled by the handles. Plus one would need thumbs to handle the throttle and hover controls. All in all its pretty simple, with a little training anyone can do it. Speaking of which, Twilight, would you be a dear and turn us human again?” “Promise to scrub away any and all traces of your activities?” “Promise.” Alison and Eduardo said in unison. “Though we will have to start with your room and work our way down.” Said Alison. “Keep in mind of that one time we did it in the kitchen.” They looked from the corner of their eyes to guage Spike and Twilight’s reactions, they weren’t being fooled. “Ugh fine we promise.” Giggled Alison. Satisfied she turned Eduardo back into human. “Once Alison gets some clothes on her she’ll be human too.” “Sounds good to me.” She turned towards Eduardo. “Babe?” “Whats up?” “It doesn’t have any other uses, does it?” She asked. “If you’re asking if it can be weaponized the answer is no simply because it wouldn’t be practical as a fighter aircraft.” He crossed his arms, “Its not my intention for this thing to fly around with a payload and I would rather keep it like that.” He looked towards the sky. “The moment we go home I’m destroying everything in that armory, starting with the Long Colt.” Cortez paced back and forth around the dining room, his face unreadable. The Nightmare’s mist crept in from the cracks of the tiled floor forming together alongside him. “How much longer till they are ready?” “In a week’s time our numbers will be sufficient enough for the humans and the elements.” “How many?” “Our numbers are nearing over 9000.” “I’ve got about 100 mercenaries in my pocket right now.” He reached into his suit and pulled out a cigar and lit it. “For each one I want 90 gouls under the control of each man, can that be done?” “It can.” “Good, inform me when they are ready, I want to test how strong they are.” “I take it you want to leave Eduardo for last?” Cortez walked over to the dining table and placed his hand on a box. “I think I have a better idea.” Cortez smiled as he opened it revealing two 1911s and a S&W 625-9.