Family Begins With You

by Jmaster49

Arc XIV Episode III: Smooth Recovery

To make a long story short, everything went rather swimmingly for the rest of the day at least. Sunset Shimmer and Aidon arrived not long after, only to be told by Twilight that her friends were in good condition and simply needed time to themselves after what had happened.

“Well that’s good to hear,” the professor confirmed with a nod, “With that in mind, I need to take my leave. Have a good day, young ladies.” With no further hesitation, the man left the hospital once his suspicions were confirmed. “...This reeks of corruption from my homeworld.”

“Oh…okay…goodbye, professor,” Twilight replied with a sigh, only to be met with a supportive Sunset Shimmer who placed an arm around her shoulder.

“Don’t sweat it,” she said in an attempt to encourage her, “He’s probably very busy right now and needs to keep track of a ton of different things. College entrance exams, potential career day field trips, demons that seek to ruin the lives of humans…the usual stuff.”

The way she spoke about it so casually caused Twilight to chuckle at her sense of dark humor. “Pfft--yeah, you’re right, Sunset. I’m just glad he was here to support all of us. His magic is insanely strong…Keiji also now that I think about it.”

“True, but…I don’t wanna start relying on them too much,” Sunset lamented as she thought through the implications of allying herself with those who had power to gain an advantage. “It…kinda feels…wrong? For lack of a better term.”

“Eh? What makes you think that?” Twilight asked.

Sunset let her go, and started to call to mind the way Princess Celestia ran things back where she came from. “Well…back home, there’s a tendency to befriend our enemies and make them into allies. But part of me wonders if it’s ethical since it can be seen as manipulation…” she shook her head and waved her hand, “Nah--never mind. I’m going on a tangent with no clear answer again.”

“I can see things clearly,” Twilight responded while adjusting her glasses, “And I say, if they wanna help us out of their own free will and conviction, let them. We’ve no reason to deny their assistance. After all, I don’t think we’d be able to control them even if we tried.”

Sunset giggled as she pondered exactly what Twilight meant. “Well you have a point. From what I learned from Celestia, dark magic is only something that can be controlled by ponies with strong mental states. Even she can’t use it for very long.”

“No wonder Professor Aidon always has a crazed look in his eyes when utilizing his abilities…I hope he’ll be okay.”

“I think he will be,” Sunset replied confidently, “He’s in a much better place now than where he used to be. And Keiji…he just seems waaay too stubborn to fall to mind control.”

Twilight scoffed with a smug grin on her face. “Ho-yeah I can tell. If anyone could potentially break out of a mind control spell, it’d be him. Almost to his detriment though, he seems to act on impulse rather than tact…”

“Yeah…” Sunset put her hand to her chin as she gave it some thought, “He’s gonna need some help. But I think the Sirens have got that covered. Speaking of which, where are they?”

“Oh, Aria told me on her way out,” Twilight tilted her head in the direction of the hospital’s doorway, “They’re all going out for tacos. A sibling bonding sort of thing I’d wager. School was about to be out anyways. I think our teachers would understand.”

“Well that’s good--and considering one of those teachers was literally fighting alongside us…I don’t think there’s much reason to doubt us.” Sunset interlocked her fingers and stretched her arms upwards, causing a few of her joints to pop. “...Aaaagh…we need to get some rest though. Human bodies aren’t exactly the most durable in the world.”

“Believe me, I know,” Twilight replied with an eye roll, “It’s why I’m still trying to develop nanomachine alloys so we can expend lots of mana without deterioration.”

It took a moment for Sunset to process what she had just heard as she began walking out of the hospital. “Er…yeah. What’s that mean?”

Twilight began to follow her friend at the same pace. “Ever see the one movie with the time-travelling robot endoskeleton with human flesh overlaid--”

“NOPE--” Having already seen the movie she was referencing, Sunset denied the suggestion outright, and began speed-walking ahead of her friend. “I am not risking an artificial intelligence takeover--”

“I’m kidding!” Twilight shouted as she walked after her, but immediately after, she snickered under her breath as the sunlight reflected off of her glasses. “...Mostly.”

---

The Next Day…

It was the weekend, so everyone was able to go about their day casually and without worry. No demons on the horizon, and no trouble in the city.

For now, we’ll focus on Aidon. Yes, of course our professor had a life outside of teaching. After all, the will to live would slowly diminish if all one did was work. What kept him motivated you might ask?

The man exited his vehicle and shut the door. On this day, he was wearing a blue shirt with a floral motif--red flowers to be exact, and brown cargo shorts with a pair of rather worn white tennis shoes. “Ah…a welcome change of pace. Now what do I need…” He pulled out a list…

The answer was shopping at the scramble crossing in the middle of the city where everyone was hustling and bustling through the open sidewalk. Specifically for items related to his personal hobbies.

“I need a new lens, a new tripod…can’t forget film…”

And so, he began to walk through the crowds and stopped at a few stores to buy what he needed. Nothing of any real note happened--that is, until…

He stopped dead in front of a window display with a telescope, and inspected it with narrowed eyes. “Hm…this could be beneficial during the next meteor shower…”

“Oh? You keep up with such events as well?” a silky, feminine voice called out next to him, “I expected as much from you, professor.”

“Hm?”

And standing there was a familiar blue woman--except she was out of her usual attire. Instead, she was wearing a pair of skinny jeans, a dark blue tank top, and lastly, her hair was done up in a ponytail. “...Sorry, am I interrupting you?” she asked meekly with her arms behind her back.

“...” Aidon removed his glasses for a moment, and dusted them off before putting them back on. “...Luna? Huh…that’s unexpected.”

Comments

[Snowdrifter]

“...” Aidon removed his glasses for a moment, and dusted them off before putting them back on. “...Luna? Huh…that’s unexpected.”

A wild Luna appears!
Luna surprises Aidon!
Luna uses Chat!
It's super effective!
Aidon is stunned!

(Luna is Best Princess.)

[Jmaster49]

11201846
She really is! Even in the human world, she's always a looker.

[Mr Swanky Hat]

“NOPE--” Having already seen the movie she was referencing, Sunset denied the suggestion outright, and began speed-walking ahead of her friend. “I am not risking an artificial intelligence takeover--”

Better then a Grey Goo" scenerio, much much harder to fight.

[Jmaster49]

11395606
Yeah that doesn't sound fun lol.