Baa-Ram-Ewe!

by Darkonshadows

163. A Horseshoe Drops.

-???, Oleander-

“Okay let’s begin the meeting.” I stated with clear and concise tone while clearing my throat in a manner that would inevitably draw the attentions of everyone here. “So how many lost Pom’s have been found and brought home?”

“According to the numbers Equus Prime-Oleander of Dimension One A, we’ve found half a trillion Pom’s thus far… we are sorry to inform you that none of them were yours. Also we need a home for a spare Pom we found that somehow survived the destruction of an entire dimension, if anyone would adopt her after her dimension was destroyed by Organization Seventeen that would be nice. Also, before anyone asks, Fœnum Prime-Oleander One A can’t take her.” Nollie, Nerd Oleander, looked to the Pom that looked listless and dead inside. Her wool was dyed black and she had a black spiked collar around her neck and was wearing a black dress with black stockings, the only thing not black was the white mascara. Apparently that Gothic Pom’s world was entirely gone. “Now how many of you have utterly destroyed Organization Thirteen before it got worse or at least to the point that Gothic Horror World’s did?”

Every Oleander and Fred present raised their limbs.

“My life is like my heart, empty and purposeless.” Gothic Pom stated depressingly despite how nice she looked, at least she seemed to be eating enough to stay alive. “I wished the heartless would have at least tried to consume me, instead they all just gagged on the stench of my hopelessness.”

“Okay, good, so we’re saving that many existences at least…” Nollie, the thick glasses wearing unicorn froze, as did every other Oleander and Fred and they all pointed to my back in fear at finally noticing someone we were going to take back to Dreamland on the planet of Popstar. “Why is there a Kirby here?! Those things kill gods you know!”

“I befriended him, I also made him promise to not slaughter anyone at this meeting… for a slice of strawberry cheesecake.” For a creature called a ‘star warrior’ and ‘slayer of dark godly entities’, I bribed him so easily.

“Hi!” Kirby said while waving a nub at everyone in a cutesy manner, all the surrounding Oleander’s and Fred’s flinched slightly.

“This is really trippy Oleander.” Gallus stated as he stood with a group of different colored versions of himself. “Also I come in Pink… really?”

“It’s a true griffon’s color!” Said the gruff voiced, bulkily muscled, Gallus in response while he constantly flexed.

“Ignore Overcompensating-For-Something Gallus. Also ignore anything Blonde Stream says, she actually lives up to the stereo type of being a dumb blonde and will kill your brain cells.” Grunted out Envy Gallus, his body color was primarily green.

I would ask why Blonde Stream had brown hair, but I realized it might be a running gag among the Silver Stream collective of existences.

“Okay, no more distractions ‘Joinder of Ollie and Fred’. Let’s get back on task of figuring out how to find my Pom and a feasible home for this Gothic Horror World Pom…” I tried to get us back on track, but then a green portal opened and two figures came in to the meeting of the ‘Joinder of Ollie and Fred’.

“I welcome assassination attempts from any Fred willing to try, I just wish that you would please try to make it as painful as possible too.” Goth Pom stated blandly from where she laid unmoving on the ground. “For everything is black, like the void and my heart.”

“Oh gee Rollie, I think we got the wrong location, weren’t we s-s-supposed to be at the council of Rick’s and Morty’s?” Morty-Fred stated in a wimpy sounding tone that grated on everyone’s nerves as he and his companion joined us.

“No, we’re definitely in the right place. We’re much safer sticking with these yahoos here Freddy, says a lot considering we’re surrounded by demons and at least half of them are ‘for-the-laughs’ type of evil.” Rollie, sometimes better known as Rick Roll or Rick Oleander, stated before taking a drink from her bottle. “Bottle of infinite Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, you are my best friend in any world!”

“Right back to the topic… in short… what do?” I confined it down to two words and every Oleander and Fred present started talking amongst themselves.

-Earth, Cape Suzette, Canal Square, Pom-

After we quietly left Mr. Kahn to his thoughts and we were on our way back to the hotel, I couldn’t help but worry about how silent and withdrawn Dormarch had become. Apparently he thought he was a creation of Kahn Industries, in a small part that was true and I guess we now know why he was nervous.

He was fairly devastated to find out he is a reincarnation of something that had killed people, possibly not even on purpose and maybe through a complete lack of understanding of what his past self was doing.

“Come on little bro, talk to me, I’m your big sis aren’t I?” Dolly was trying to rouse Dormarch, but it wasn’t working. Even her boundless cheerfulness had its limits and she looked up at me from the PET. “Pom…”

“Give him time to come to grips with what we learned Dolly, he’ll eventually come around if he wants to keep us up to date with our health after all. Also, I seriously doubt he would withhold your ability to connect with the rest of… ‘our’ family.” Now that I said it, I realize why Dormarch was fairly concentrated in medical knowledge given whatever prior form he had ate all kinds of information from a hospital. Not going to bring up anything medical anytime soon, but I at least hoped giving Dormarch a purpose would get him back into a better mood. “Now come, we need to get back to the hotel and get ready to see the show that Molly Cunningham and Kit Cloudkicker are going to put on.”

I glanced at Dormarch on the screen, he was facing the corner of a wall and laying on the floor limply.

-A hour or so later-

Kit had brought us to where the seaside show was going to take place, apparently Launchpad knew what the show could be like given he grew up in a flying circus that was the McQuack family… which explained a lot about him that his entire family had a thing for flying. Also I didn’t know how to take it that Launchpad’s father had a chin that was three times the size of his own.

“So are these Jungle Aces any good at flying?” Launchpad asked as we were just told about them.

The Jungle Aces consisted of some curious members from what we knew. They were an all biped group consisting of a rabbit, a hyena, a hippo, a vulture and another bear that made up the friends that Kit Cloudkicker grew up with and, with the exception of the other bear, they were all now daredevil pilots in Danger Woman’s Death Defying Flying Circus.

“They are some of the best, in being childhood friends and flying the skies.” Molly Cunningham answered as she threw a paw around Kit, their relationship being adoptive brother and sister that Dolly found bittersweet judging by the feelings I was getting.

“I wouldn’t know, I’ve… never been to an air show before.” Longma really didn’t do airshows so much as training exercises with intricate displays already involved in keeping control of their flames, I also have never been to a Wonder Bolts show either. So never been to a show in an official capacity, but watching training longma was a close comparison.

There was only one person I wanted to be in the air with once I figure out how to fly and she was hopefully still safely watching my pack back home with Blighter protecting her back.

“Then you’re in for a treat!” Kit stated jovially as we had plenty of snacks and were in the stands ready to be entertained. Everyone that came with us were here and ready to enjoy things as well.

“The word treat should never be used unless...” Mumbled Dolly as I felt her thinking about the ‘fam’. “Thankfully I have a jar of peanut butter entirely to myself and plenty of things to dip into it!”

Dolly started chilling out next to me, trying to get Dormarch to talk to us. Dormarch was still unresponsive, I’d give him more time and he would be watching the show with us too. At best we could get him to call the Dalmatian family, but otherwise he just wouldn’t interact with us. I sent a little warmth his way through the bond I felt we still had.

I was an official member of the Dalmatian family by way of Doug, Delilah and at least forty five or more puppies agreeing on it that weren’t the one raising the invitation, the vote was a perfect landslide and just for ceremony. Sure they miss Dolly fiercely, but they were happy for her as well and wanted me to keep her as safe as I ‘feasibly’ could with the weird things we’ve gotten up to.

“This will be being interesting.” Currently reclining atop her mechanical familiar disguised as a small parade float nearby, Shanty was smiling as she snacked on various things from the nearby concession stand and was chipping away at the funds we were legally owed from Hunter De Ville.

Shanty had learned a few new tricks since we last met, moving on water and being able to shoot a concussive blast of water being the most notable. Shanty called the attack ‘riptide’, which makes sense for how she formed it.

Honestly, I was going to ignore the fact that Shanty had likely learned thieving tricks from Mr. Cooper who is stated to be on the path to being the world’s greatest thief.

I looked over to Ocellus and Smolder holding claws, they were fine. Though I would be stepping in if they got into doing anything too crazy, I get enough insanity from Shanty and her rampant rum addiction.

Drake and Gosalyn were excited to see what kind of show we’d be getting here, mostly because it was free for us.

Launchpad looked to be over by Molly’s group and seemed to be giving out a few pointers from his own experiences with stunt flying, such as finding a good venue for the audience and safety concerns. I wasn’t capable of reading beaks or lips, but it was what I was guessing from seeing Launchpad talking with them.

The Cooper Gang were nearby and were sitting around acting as civilians. When it came to their heists and the ways they robbed criminals, they were fairly good at performing spectacles personally. So I wondered how much this would really interest them.

Mopsy at least seemed attentive personally, now if only she didn’t smell so much.

Having a sensitive snoot let me know exactly what Mopsy got up to and she wasn’t exactly trying to hide what she does for a living. To me, ‘Escort’ and ‘Dancer’ were the least troubling of the jobs Mopsy knows how to do. We were kind of like estranged sisters and she cared about Shanty as much as I did by fussing over her.

I shook my head and watched as people filtered in to see the show and tried to relax. I’ve been having a nice vacation over these last few days, even if I’ve been incredibly tense and wary. Just waiting for something big to happen

-Ocellus-

“So this is going to be something like the Wonder Bolts right?” I could almost hear the lecture Rainbow Dash would go on about the flying team, only this would be flying with machines instead of doing it biologically. It was far more impressive to do it mechanically without magic.

“Maybe, but the Wonder Bolts aren’t circus performers… though you wouldn’t know that by how they act in general. From what I last heard Spitfire was being constantly annoyed into an early retirement by an Abyssinian that… its Jade isn’t it?” That sounded so right Smolder. “Of course it is, nobody knows an Abyssinian that riles up more people than her when she’s feline frisky.”

“Horrible pun Smolder, but I forgive you for it. Also I don’t know of any other Abyssinian who’s famously as annoying in Equestria aside from Capper or Kuril.” Maybe we could see if Capper and Shanty could be friends? I mean he seemed friendly enough rogue when Rarity introduced him to us during a class and if we made it home he could be a starter crewmate for her, well aside from already having a crew pet in Dodo. “I’m fairly certain I know why none of our teachers have ever invited Jaded to teach a class about friendship for a day. She’s one of those ‘Discord’ kind of friends where small doses are better.”

“The kind of friend you would wish was not chaos incarnate?” Snorted Smolder.

“Oh definitely." I leaned into Smolder and she leaned back into me and she would be eating all the snacks near us while I fed off of her. Worked perfectly fine for me, I enjoyed her enjoyment of food. "Also quiet, the show is about to start!”

Enjoyment by proxy was a changeling thing, as much as watching couples showing affection for one another was.

-Shanty-

Dodo be watching the show and warbling happily in a quiet enough tone to not be drawing too much attention to himself, I be enjoying the sight of several airplanes twisting, twirling, diving and crossing each other’s paths dangerously close to one another.

I be lifting a plate of chips with jalapenos and melty cheese towards Dodo and he be snapping quite a few of them up in his beak.

When I be getting an airship, I’ll be wanting to be making at least one of those to fly for myself! Though to be doing that, I have to be finding someone to build it for me or I be building it myself.

-Gosalyn Mallard-

“Keen Gear…” It was nice of Pom to get us tickets to this thing, those pilots were awesome! Sure Launchpad was cool and everything, but the guy crashes regularly with frightening ease.

There wasn’t much crime in Cape Suzette, well at least not much visible crime. What wasn’t visible Dad and I could totally handle quite easily.

I was kind of worried about both Pom and Drake’s paranoia.

The both of them seem to feel that something was off here with Cape Suzette, but they couldn’t seem to be able to say what it was. Something has to be setting off both of their instincts. I’m not as experienced as they were, but I was willing to believe something was wrong or off if the two of them were experiencing the same kind of restlessness.

Drake was always restless in Saint Canard for a reason, as for Pom she finds danger regularly from what she’s told us and if the news of her exploits were anything to go by, then something was up when she’s had plenty of time to actually enjoy a vacation.

With that in mind I’ve been making sure my trick bolts were all set up and ready to use in an emergency.

-Drake Mallard-

At first I thought Pom was feeling the way she was after being chased around by mercenaries so much, but then I started to feel it too.

Gosalyn was enjoying the air show at least, but even she seems to be picking up on my and Pom’s feeling that something was going to go wrong. She was prepared for it and I was so proud, what I wasn’t happy about was that my daughter kept getting into trouble.

Hopefully it was just a trick of our minds and nothing was actually going to happen.

-After lunch, Pom-

The air show was pretty amazing, especially Kit Cloudkicker’s sky surfing. Danger Woman’s death defying sky diving drop. They had put on a profitable show, even if they gave me and everyone else mostly free tickets to it.

“Thank you again for the show Ms. Cunningham, Mr. Cloudkicker.” I stated to Molly and her friend as they got done talking with their flying circus team.

“Don’t call me Ms. Cunningham, reminds me too much of my mother, just call me Molly or Danger Woman.” Molly was really insistent on the Danger Woman thing.

“How did you come up with Danger Woman?” Instead of answering my question directly, Kit answered for her.

“She was obsessed with a radio show called, you guessed it, Danger Woman. It was about this woman who got into all sorts of danger and saved the day, Molly’s favorite show and bit of entertainment when we were younger.” Kit chuckled audibly before he was struck in the gut by Molly’s elbow. “My favorite form of entertainment was my papa bear Baloo, if I remember right, I still have a few things of his that we might be able to use for the flying circus.”

“You mean… you still have that Bullethead costume?!” Molly said after moment of silence before perking up with glee. “Kit, you have got to use that, you’re sky boarding brought in customers, but having two super heroes being a part of our act is going to add even more to our popularity! I’ve also always wanted to do what Danger Woman does.”

“Well yeah, wasn’t about to get rid of that one, I mean how many people do you know have a fully working hero costume? I’ve kept it clean and the rocket pack was upgraded by Professor Buzz... just in case we ever needed it.” Looking to Kit curiously, I tilted my head. He had a hero costume? Why does the thought scare me more than anything and seems like its foreshadowing things to come in Cape Suzette? “Sure there may be heroes like Gizmo Duck, Bazooka Bunny or even Leap Lamb these days, but Baloo… he was the original super hero to us. I mean who actually goes to the trouble of bringing a comic book character to life just to help me with befriending some other kids my age!”

“Yeah, he always did go above and beyond, I remember when he flew an airplane made out of ice out of Thembria… to think people said that was impossible and I was there for it.” Molly looked a little somber. “Heh, you have to use your imagination sometimes, the impossible is only as such if you think it is. It’s a good thing Wildcat is still around to keep helping with repairs, he and Baloo taught us a lot of life lessons. It’s why I started this circus, if cargo business isn’t doing great then shift to doing something else you love for money.”

“Excuse me, there’s a reason I’m still here.” I interrupted their walk down memory lane and they sheepishly rubbed at the back of their heads, they were definitely like siblings in the way they acted. “Shanty wanted an autograph, you got her interested in airplanes.”

“I be getting an autograph from the Jungle Aces, but there are two I didn’t be getting autographs from!” Shanty shouted as she galloped up to us. “I be wanting an airship someday Pom. Also a plane, they look fun!”

Dodo broke free of the float and came up to Shanty rocking his head back and forth warbling cheerfully.

“That’s on you Shanty… also make sure to keep your parade float a bit more discreet… heh heh… you’re not buying it are you?” After a moment I noticed that both Molly and Kit looked to Dodo, glanced at each other and then looked to me.

I gave weak grin to the two and they looked away with smiles.

“Don’t worry about that, we’ve seen a lot of weird things in our lives.” Kit Cloudkicker mumbled. “A… I want to say living machine… that doesn’t even rate within our top ten. My last adventures involved a stone that fuses things together and an evil organization that kidnapped me because of this vulture guy that absolutely hated adventurers.”

“Trust us, we know weird and we are keeping a lot of secrets… I wonder how those dinosaurs are doing… also don’t leave me out whenever you go on an adventure you big goof!” It seems Molly’s mood went up as she took up Shanty’s little booklet and signed her name and softly punched at Kit’s shoulder. “Magic and strange machinery isn’t unknown to us... here Kit sign this and ignore the living robotic turkey that is most certainly a parade float.”

Dodo warbled in a slightly angry mechanical huff as Kit signed Shanty’s notebook.

“Dodo prefers being called a robotic ostrich.” Shanty translated as she took the little notebook back from Kit.

While she looked at the signatures and I notice that Shanty had scribbled down some plans on what she was going to do when she could finally become a pirate, the diagrams she had of the nearby planes were scarily accurate and I worried for the future.

“Like old times?” Kit said with a grin.

“There are still adventures to be had out there Kit and we’ve been missing out on quite a few of them.” Molly stated as she and Kit went back over to their friends the Jungle Aces. “I think it’s about time we started looking for trouble together again.”

-Late Evening-

The plane took off and we left behind the city of Cape Suzette, we wanted to help Sly Cooper because of Shanty and we were leaving to head over to Russia. Darkwing Duck only agreed because we would be dealing with one of the world’s most renowned villains.

Surprisingly nothing happened on takeoff, nothing happened as we flew out of the bay and I looked back at the city lighting up the surrounding waters with lights.

Well I guess this peaceful vacation was… I saw smoke rising from the city in the distance behind us.

I slowly inhaled through my nose, closed my eyes and then heaved a long drawn out sigh.

“Mr. Mallard, everyone else, I think Cape Suzette just came under attack…” We could just leave, just ignore the danger, we could simply look away from the disaster and continue on without looking back… everyone was looking to me. Everyone except Gosalyn who was already putting on her Quiverwing Quack gear. “Launchpad… turn us around and head back towards Cape Suzette.”

“Righty-o!” After that, Launchpad veered the plane around. “Where do you want me to land?”

Drake Mallard, Sly Cooper and I looked at the city know pouring smoke into the sky.

“Try to land somewhere in the city and nowhere near the water.” From what I knew, Launchpad will likely crash right into the water just because I asked him not to. “Dolly, Shanty and I will be jumping out over the city.”

“Ditto for Murray and me.” Sly stated immediately. "We have Cooper Gang branded paragliders, Bentley's been working on them."

“You’re not leaving Darkwing Duck or Quiverwing Quack behind!” Drake stated already in his costume in a blink. "We have our own ways of getting down."

“This is going to be another big one huh?” Dolly said as she quickly crawled up my back and to see. "Where there's trouble, we'll leap into it!"

“Please don't catchphrase Dolly. Okay, first off, Shanty how do you feel about the name Cut-Lass for a sidekick name?” We were all going to hit the ground running and we’d deal with this situation. This plane was full of heroes and I was going to be out voted anyway. “So if anyone asks, your my partner.”

“Cut-Lass be ready Leap Lamb!” Winked Shanty with a grin.

"Here we go..." I groaned out heading towards the back.

Author's Note:

Last page of the year, the start of the next will be the eye patch wearing mostly healed Leap Lamb in her biggest issue yet.

Leap Lamb and Caper Canine Special Edition: The Cape Crusaders!

Nothing like an end of the year ball drop.

Comments

[Darkonshadows]

11099069

All Myths and Legends tend to become very much real as far as Digimon are concerned.

[Herald of Opera]

“Righty-o!” After that, Launchpad veered the plane around. “Where do you want me to land?”

"Look for trouble and ram it with your plane. Weaponize that crashing expertise."

[Shadowshame]

You know I wonder how Pom will react when Domarch eventually leaves the pet and her emotions cause him to digivolve also would Dorumon have been a possible partner I’m curious because while not dogs they are doglike

[Darkonshadows]

11102710

I'd say... eh... not as likely.

11102608

The problem with that is, if you tell him to do it, then Launchpad is completely incapable of carrying it out.

It happened one time in the old cartoon when Scrooge McDuck told Launchpad to literally 'crash on purpose', that was the one and only time he actually landed the plane perfectly and normally for the first time in his life.