Chapter thirty two, The Grand Dissolution: The Shadow Fighters!
-Fizzle-
After Jacky left, the next to leave were Arizona and Velvet.
This upset me, because I was used to hearing their bickering and bashing each other around Airship Mauled in the morning.
Though with Jade gone, their fighting had become much quieter and yet it was still quite prevalent.
I swear if those two didn’t get married, then the world was going to be destroyed by their utter stubbornness.
They clearly knew they were attracted to one another like the world’s most powerful magnets going full blast in opposite polarities.
I had other problems to really worry about than the Dueling Duo, like a chronically depressed flying turtle that could no longer fly.
“How are you feeling Snickers?” I gently ran my hoof over the turtles head, she let out a soft hissing noise. “Come on you have to eat something, what would Jade say if she saw you wasting away like this?”
Snickers eyes met mine and I could see nothing but suffering in them.
After some time she finally let out a faint groan, then she sat up to lazily nibble at the salad I put in front of her.
It was something at least.
Sugar seemed angry at the world, as if her mood matched moms. There would be no noise from Barely Bearable Woods in the coming days.
Sugar hadn’t done the temporary rapid growth thing once since that whole thing with the cult on Seared Seer Mountain, could she even do the growing thing anymore or did Kuril hold her back against Top Snide? Admittedly, that would have been overkill.
-Arizona-
After Jacky left yesterday, I’ve been feeling a bit… odd. I had finished pony schooling a while ago, fat lot of help that did when the next course of action would be to have a cutie mark and go into a vocation fitting my special talent.
Just a reminder, I’m a cow, not a pony! What was I supposed to do now?
The fact that Jade got taken out made me realize how short life could be.
It had me worried about Velvet’s safety, which is why I tried to hit her harder whenever we started fighting with one another. I wanted her to realize that going on like we were could get us seriously hurt. To my surprise Velvet would hit me just as hard right on back with her magic.
That crazy reindeer would stubbornly match me blow for blow. If I slowed down, then she’d slow down. If I sped up, she’d keep up with me. If I tried to knock some sense into her, she’d do the same to me.
Suffice it to say we were perfect for one another, given how often we fight like an old married couple.
Giving it some thought, Jade wasn’t the only one I wanted to bring back. I wanted to find my mother and possibly earn her approval… that is… if she is even still alive.
Our recent sparring match at an end, I got up and made my way for the Helping Hoof. Thinking of a decision I had to make.
“Thank you for staying, have a wonderful time in Las Pegasus!” Grace cheerfully stated to two ponies who were leaving the comfy little inn with smiles, she waved goodbye to them and turned to me with a gentle smile. “Hello Arizona, do you need something?”
Grace had found herself a place where she could live well. My aunt was respected despite her less than stellar mental acuity, not to say she couldn’t do smart things.
I just had to ask her.
“Where did you say you last saw mom again?” The fourth year of Airship Mauled being here was starting soon, it was hard to believe we’ve been here for two years.
This place really grew on us.
“Hunting the world snake in the grassy plains to somewhere far west of Appleoosa, it was the last I heard of her after she passed you off to me and told me to take care of you.” Which you have done quite well Grace. “She wanted to see you grow big and strong and I’m sure when she gets back from being lost, she’ll be so proud of you! Provided the world is not covered in evil shadow monsters bent on consuming us all, but I’d like to think Maggie is still dealing with it to this day.”
Grace we’ve been together for years since I was little, I’m pretty sure my mom would have solved it by now and would have tracked us down if she were still around. Which is why I’m going to go and do the opposite, I wanted to track down what happened to my mother!
“Grace… I’m leaving to find my mother.” The friendly smile or demeanor at my words did not leave Grace’s face. “I’m also going to try and find way to bring the darn crazy cat back.
“Well… be sure to take Velvet along with you then. I really doubt she’d let you go out into the world by yourself anyway. Just remember to not get lost and to come back here eventually, I’m going to stay here so you’ll know where to find me and I’ll be waiting for that day. I like helping people around here and running an inn, it’s a really quite quaint occupation.” Here Grace sighed while staring off into space. “It’ll be just like Maggie, Cally and I all over again… only there isn’t a third cow and one of the cows is a reindeer which is kind of really different overall. Also the two traveling out on a grand adventure in question are gay unlike our bounty hunting group was, you see we were all more like platonic lovers, but I’m sure it’ll be quite the adventure and it’ll work out in the end! Just like it did… for us… or at least it did for me so far.”
Grace looked a little down, I reached up and put my right hoof over one of hers.
“Grace… don’t ever change. You’ve been a wonderful aunt to me.” I received a bright smile and then felt myself get pulled up against Grace into a tight snuggle. She was still pretty strong for someone who’s a technical pacifist and relaxed throughout most of every day.
“You’ve been like a daughter to me Arizona, I should really thank Maggie for giving me the opportunity to raise you when I see her again.” Grace eventually let me go and rubbed the top of my head affectionately. “Whether it be in this life or the next, but I’m pretty sure it’ll be this life. I have a… let’s say… an intuition about your mother Arizona. She’s alive out there somewhere and I doubt that she’d be beaten by adversity so easily, she just might be a little… stuck.”
“If she’s just stuck, then I’ll find her!” I declared loudly, finding out what happened to my mother was one of the biggest things on my mind. “If I just so happen to find a way to bring Jade back along the way, then all the better.”
“That’s the spirit my little wonder cow!” Grace nuzzled my neck and I blushed brightly. “Things are always at their darkest before the dawn.”
“Wonder cow?” Oh no, please don’t answer Velvet’s curiosity Aunt Grace, look at my pleading eyes here!
“Oh Arizona was so rambunctious when she was little, always running around with a towel wrapped around her neck proclaiming she’d become the world’s strongest cow. Her mother kind of holds that title at the moment.” Grace ducked behind the counted and brought up a photo album and showed Velvet the picture of me with a towel around my neck. That reminded me of when times were better and much simpler, when I couldn’t understand why my mother left me in Grace’s care. “I think she’s come a long way to meeting that goal, though I don’t think she’ll be larger than life like Maggie is. Few things hardly are, but I know Arizona will make up for it her own way.”
Velvet giggled slightly, a little mote of happiness in the bleakness that was Airship Mauled right now.
I didn’t get upset because I wanted her to keep that smile on her face… maybe me getting upset about it would make her smile more? I didn’t know what to do, but I still had to say it.
“I’m leaving to go hunt down my mother, do you want to come with me Velvet?” There was a pause before the reindeer answer me.
“Are you crazy? Of course I’m coming with you, you brainless buffoon!” Velvet took on one of her more dazzling poses she’s done to date while putting a hoof to her chest. “Why you’d be quite lost without me and my magnificent beauty to keep you alive.”
“You’re certainly are a magnificent ‘something’ fluff butt, but I’m sure Grace wouldn’t appreciate me using that kind of language in front of her.” I smirk slightly. “So I’ll just tell you later.”
“Why I never…” Velvet huffed loudly while putting her nose high in the air, but she was sending me a bright smile. “Could love anyone more.”
“Please remember to invite me to the wedding when it eventually happens.” Why did Grace have to be so embarrassing at times? “It’s not a matter of ‘if’ with you two, it’s more a matter of ‘when’ and I would like to give you away to Velvet if Maggie can’t Arizona.”
“Me, marry this thing?!” Velvet shouted pointing at me.
“Me, marry that thing?!” I intoned almost at the same time as her.
We paused for a second, Grace just smiled gently at the both of us pointing hooves at one another.
“Okay, I can kind of see where Grace is coming from here, especially with all the stuff we do together.” Again we said two things at the same time, I was first to voice it barely a millisecond ahead of Velvet.
“Yeah, we do kind of get along like oil, fire and even more fire don’t we Ms. Grace?” That’s what Velvet said before she looked at me staring at her flatly.
“Don’t forget to write back when you two can, especially when you two are really into your journey!” Grace said cheerfully. “Like Kuril did with Gene, I think I should say that it would be nice if you two could stay separated until you’re absolutely sure you’re ready to… nope… I can’t really think of a nice way to put ‘start having intercourse like happy bunnies in the Spring’ really. I guess I should educate you on the birds and the bees... so a hummingbird flies into a bee hive…”
We were both so embarrassed by Grace by the end of that discussion. This was once in a lifetime fluke that Grace couldn’t possibly repeat right?
It sounded like Grace was innocent the entire time, yet I still couldn’t help but think that Grace couldn’t be doing it all on purpose though.
At least this discussion was cheering me up somehow, which was really weird to think about.
It was some time later that I realized that I forgot to ask who Cally was.
-Some, time later Velvet-
Grace was rather… gracefully informative about reproduction.
In any case, I went up to my room to grab my things. My bags, a tent and some supplies we’ll need for traveling. I had several canteens, I needed to stay hydrated and cool to keep my magic in top form.
We were heading somewhere a bit dusty and dry, which would be bad for me. So I had to carry a lot more water than what Arizona would be using.
I still had a few things to do, like talk to Kuril for one. I found her sitting with Snickers holding a bottle of mulched vegetables to her mouth. The poor dears, they were quite hurt by their bonds being broken.
Snickers familiar bond was more obvious than the queen bond that Kuril had with her kitten. Aside from Arizona, Jade led me to some of the best friends that I’ve ever had.
We’d be competing with Jacky in solving the issue of bringing Jaded back, but it didn’t matter who won as long as someone eventually did.
I approached Kurilian tentatively.
“Kurilian.” I said quietly, not to disturb her caring for Snickers too much.
“Yes Velvet?” The depression around here felt like a chronic plague, but she still tried to keep her tone upbeat. She was failing horribly at it.
“We’re going to be leaving soon, Arizona and I. We’re going to be searching for knowledge about Arizona’s mother, but we’ll also be attempting to find a way to bring Jaded back. Someone has to succeed eventually right?” I moved up to her. “She was everything to you wasn’t she?”
“More than most can ever know, I just wanted her to live a full and fulfilling life.” Here Kuril caressed Snickers lovingly and the flightless turtle responded weakly by wrapping her flippers around the cats hand to nuzzle it. “If someone does succeed, then I’d like to be the first to hear about it.”
I brought both of them into a hug.
“I just want you to know that you are a better parent than both of mine ever were. They really don’t appreciate a gay reindeer for a daughter and you were so open and warm to your daughter coming out like she did… at one of the weirdest times might I add.” I placed my face into her neck and a let a few tears flow. “I’m going to start calling you mom too as it seems like you need something to look forward to, I doubt my real mother cares as much about me as you do.”
“…” Kuril just held me and Snickers close to her for a minute before I released her. “Thank you… my little doe.”
“I promise, we’ll be back some day mom.” Making good on the promise was something I intended to do, even Jacky didn’t do that for her. “If nothing can stop Arizona, then nothing is ever going to stop me!”
Arizona being a bit rougher with me lately didn’t matter, I would not let her push me away.
A love like ours was bound to become legendary… mostly for all the wrong reasons.
-Fizzle-
Those two took a train towards Appleoosa. We saw them off at the train station, mom seemed a bit closer to Velvet and I heard Velvet call her ‘mom’ before she set off.
It seems like Velvet was another sister I would be missing from my life.
We wouldn’t hear much about what became of those two, though there is one thing I certainly heard.
It was a pony telling a story about an entire army of world eating shadows and the six individuals with a small contingent of weird and random canines.
They stood tall against what sounded like a ceaseless tide of death coming right for them.
Three of those individuals happened to be a cow, a reindeer and a certain perky alpaca who would face the army of living shadows that threatened to consume this world.
I knew three of them by name, Arizona, Velvet and Paprika. Their group was called ‘The Shadow Fighters’.
I never heard how their story ended. Whether they were dead or alive, they obviously succeeded in their goal somehow.
Thanks to all their rumored efforts, the world continued turning.
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I can only remember Oleander and the dragon. Always have trouble with names, forgetting members of groups, and no idea of who the canines are if its existing information or something for the story?
Farewell Velvet and Arizona.
May you be ever remembered in legend as the Silver Herd.
Who or what else will hopefully stay with Grace, as their Favour?
I hope there is a happy reunion. There needs to be one
9436384
I hope too
Damn you for stitching this lovely wonky family together and then ripping the stuffing out and shoving it through a time vortex THIS IS THE SADDEST ARK EVER!!!!!
9430944
Arizona, Velvet, Pom the sheep [Fluttershy], Oleander the dark unicorn, Tianhao of the fire Logma. [stand in for Dash] and Paprika
Wait a minute. Cally's full name wouldn't happen to be Calloway would it? You sneaky son of a snake, you took the three cows from that old Disney movie, home on the range!