Experiment: GENESIS

by Typographical Error

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

“This won’t be easy for me to say, especially after what you have told me.”

“What is it, Doctor?”

“The tests indicate that even if you were to find a spouse and try, you wouldn’t be able to have children. I’m so sorry.”

“.......Isn’t there anything you can do?”

“Not without major surgery, and even then, the scar tissue would probably render the operation void. I am so very sorry, but there’s nothing we can do.”

“....”

“A surrogate is a choice, and adoption is always a possibility. There are other choices...”

“Yes, yes there are other choices. Thank you, Doctor...”

*****

Savor every minute, she told herself. Savor every minute with them, because it could all end without a moment’s notice. She watched from the balcony as the six of them hopped from cloud to cloud, playing some convoluted game of tag that Yellow had thought up. Even from the distance, she could see the smiles and hear their laughter as they played. A single black bolt stood out against the white, but among the other five, he was almost not noticeable.

Three weeks had passed quick as lightning. And in that short of time, many things had changed. Orange had been completely accepted, even by Dual, and it was like he had never left. Yellow and Red, who had been so afraid of him a month before, were now tackling and laughing with him as they flew together through the sky. She had to let out a laugh as Orange flew past a cloud, only to be brought to a crashing halt on another by a pleased looking Dual, who was tackled from behind by Blue. They smiled at each other for a minute before kissing briefly, getting up and jumping back into the fray. Twilight had walking in on them kissing two weeks previously, and she had been stunned when she saw it. They were startled, afraid that she would be mad, but she couldn’t have been happier. That meant their programming wasn’t interfering with any other parts of their lives.

As she looked up and watched them play, she felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time. For a while she couldn’t place the feeling, too absorbed in watching her children fly in the sky above her, free for once. But as her mind started to work its way through the dictionary, she finally found the word she was looking for.

She felt normal.

She retreated into the library, out of the heat of the day. It was mid-summer, and probably close to 90 out, but the six didn’t care. Sweat dripped off them as they played, their laughs echoing off the silent clouds. For once, they could just have fun, without having to feel in danger, not have to be constantly alert. Even Dual, who usually never let his guard down, was relaxed for once, grinning broadly as he struggled against Yellow and Red, who were trying to pull him down. He was about to shake them off and fly away when he saw Green jump from the cloud above him and land on his back. The four went down in a puff of white clouds.

Yellow, who was standing on Dual’s back, was holding his wings to make sure he didn’t fly away. He tried to shake her off, but he was being pinned down by Red and Green, and he gave up with a sigh. A shadow passed over him, and he looked up into the dark face of Orange.

“Well, well, what have we here?” he asked, a smirk on his face. “Brought down by children. You’re losing your edge.”

“You’re pretty cocky for a stallion who’s not watching his back.”

Orange just gave him a curious look, before looking over his shoulder. His eyes widened as he saw Blue flying full speed towards him, a broad smile on her face. He only had time to brace himself before she slammed into him, knocking him off the cloud. They fell for several feet before they hit another, causing a small shower to fall to the ground below.

Blue gently peeled herself off him, shaking to dry the rain water off and smirking down at Orange. He was just blinking up at her, disorientated. Blue knelt down and whispered in his ear.

“I think I win.”

Still smirking, she flapped up to where the others were, Dual untangling himself from the mass of other ponies. When he saw her standing there he rushed forward and embraced her, letting her go after a few seconds.

“That was amazing, Blue!” A slight groan announced the arrival of Orange. He landed on the cloud next to Blue, shooting her an annoyed glance.

“I’m still healing, can you go easier next time?” he asked, pointing at the bandage on his leg. “And, what the hay! I was on your team?!”

“You switched sides, I wanted to know how it felt,” she replied, hitting him in the head with her wing.

“Oh, low blow,” Orange replied. But he was smiling still. He turned back to Dual, who was smirking at him as well.

“You’re a pretty good flyer,” he remarked, like he wasn’t expecting it. Orange just shrugged.

“You learn a lot when they teach you how to kill.” he said it calmly, like it was no big deal. He smiled at Dal for a second, showing his oddly pointed teeth. For a second he stood ramrod straight, then with a flash of movement that Blue didn’t believe was possible, he rushed Dual. Within less than a second he had him by the head, hooves ready to snap his neck. The other four let out identical gasps, but Orange let him go before they had even finished that. Throughout all of this, he was still smirking. Dual rushed a few feet away, almost falling off the cloud. He rounded on Orange, anger in his eyes but a smile on his face.

“Oh, is that how you want to do this?” he asked, starting to walk in a circle around the edge of the cloud. Orange smiled slightly, eyes narrowing. He started pacing in the opposite direction of Dual, not letting him leave his sight. Blue gathered up the others and jumped up several clouds, giving the boys plenty of room to have it out.

“Don’t hurt yourselves, guys!” she called down, but she knew it was useless. If they were going to hurt each other, they would. The two circled, silently watching the other. On the surface, it looked like they were playing around, all smiles and narrowed eyes. But, inside, there was something else. A years old fight they felt they needed to end. Blue was holding her breath, watching to see how this ended.

Dual was the first to move. Taking the straightforward approach, he dove straight at Orange, who just smiled. With another surprising burst of speed, he dove out of the way, slamming a hoof down on Dual’s back when he went by. With a quiet yelp, he fell to the cloud, rolling before Orange’s other hoof could land another hit. He swept his hind leg out, catching Orange’s and throwing him to the ground. The black pegasus couldn’t right himself before Dual pounced on him. The two rolled briefly, Dual landing a few solid hits on Orange before the latter could throw him off. He backed a few feet away, wiping some blood away from his mouth and smiling at Dual again.

“I’m out of practice, I should have seen that coming,” he taunted, flapping his wings a few times. Dual responded in the same way, generating a small wind with all four of his. orange just cocked an eyebrow, putting on a bored expression. He looked up and his eyes locked on Blue, who was looking worried, a hoof over her mouth.

“Who knows? Maybe if I kick your flank hard enough, Blue will get the hots for me.” He smirked again, watching a dark look crossing Dual’s face. It was all play, and they both knew it, but that was over the line. With a growl he lunged forward again, catching Orange in the cheek with a hoof. The black pegasus flipped backwards, catching himself before he could fall to the ground. He flapped his wings rapidly, holding himself aloft as he shook his head, neck cracking a few times as he did. He was about to open his mouth and apologize when Dual launched himself at him again. Orange had just enough time to flap back to the cloud when Dual hit him full in the chest. The two collapsed into a pile, each landing several hits on the other. Neither of them were going full force, one of them would probably have been dead if they were, but the punches still hurt, enough to let the other know this wasn’t play anymore.

Orange managed to land a hit in the center of Dual’s chest, causing him to fall to the ground, coughing. Orange got to his hooves as fast as he could, placing a hoof on Dual’s back, right in the middle of his four wings. He pressed down with enough force to keep him there.

“How did you think this was going to work?” he asked, his voice cocky. “I’ve had more training than you, brother. Simple fact.” Dual stared straight down into the cloud, just listening to Orange’s words.

“It’s true you’ve had more training...” he said quietly. Orange just smiled, but since he couldn’t see Dual’s, he didn’t know he was as well. Before he knew what was happening, Dual wrapped his tail around the black pegasus’s hind leg, and pulled. It wasn’t enough to down him, but it was enough to throw him off balance, allowing Dual to roll out from under him. She shot to his hooves, landing a single uppercut against Orange’s chest, much stronger than any of this other hits. Dual heard his breath leave him, and the pegasus fell to the cloud, wheezing. Dual just stepped forward, placing a hoof against his throat.

“But I have had more chances to fight,” he said into Orange’s ear. Eyes watering, Orange just coughed in response. Dual smiled, removing his hoof from Orange’s throat and offering it to him. The black pegasus took it, somewhat hesitantly, and was pulled to his hooves. He swayed for a few second, holding a hoof to his chest, but he finally looked up and smiled at Dual, his pride barely even scratched.

“Remind me not to underestimate you next time,” he said, looking up at the other four on the cloud above them Red and Yellow were cheering, while Green was looking slightly worried, her eyes on Orange. Blue was just smiling brightly down at Dual, any worry gone from her expression.

“Do you expect there to be one?” Dual asked, a smile on his face, but there was a steel tone in his voice. Orange just shrugged, jumping into the air and hopping to the cloud above them.

“You never know. You might get me mad one day.” With a grin on his face, he took off flying, shortly followed by the others. But Blue just glided down, landing next to Dual.

“You didn’t hurt him too bad, did you?”

“Oh, he’ll be fine. If anything his ego took more of a beating,” a slight grin crossing his lips as he looked over at Blue. She just smiled at him, giving him a quick hug and a kiss on his cheek. He returned the kiss, on her lips this time, and watched as Oranges started up another game of... whatever it was they had been playing. But this time, it was the three youngest against him. He flew by them and winked, Red holding on tightly to his tail.

*****

“He seems to have blended perfectly with us,” she said quietly, snuggling up against his side. She heard him sigh softly, nodding after a few moments.

“I still can’t believe he did. It just doesn’t seem right,” Dual whispered, looking down at Blue. “Only a little more than a month ago, we were fighting him.” He moved slightly, wrapping his forelegs around her.

“Just goes to show how much ponies can change.”

“Why do I have a feeling you’re not just talking about Orange?”

“Because it took two ponies to let him into the group,” Blue said, smiling slightly. “You have to be happy you gave him a chance to prove himself.”

“I wouldn’t say happy is the right word for it, but I am glad,” Dual said, kissing the top of her head. For a while the two sat in silence, looking up at the stars from their position on Twilight’s balcony. She had pulled a blanket out and left it for them, and they had gladly taken it. Now they Yellow and Red knew about them, they took great enjoyment out of ruining any time the two could get. But at night, they could spend as much time together as they wanted.

Looking back through the windows, Blue could see Green and Orange talking, identical smiled on their faces. She had taken to him faster than any of the others had, and they had formed a bond that Blue just couldn't quite name. But she was happy about it; Orange could use some love and attention in his life.

We could have kept watching them for a while, but her view was blocked by a set of four purple legs. Twilight gently pushed the balcony doors open and stepped out into the cool night air. She had a worried expression on her face, not something that was new for her, but something about it instantly alerted Blue. She sat up, Dual sitting up as well, and turned to face her.

“What’s up?”

“We need to talk,” Twilight said, before turning and walking back into the house.

*****

“What is it?” Dual asked, sitting around the table. They had followed Twilight back into the kitchen, where she was busying herself making cocoa. Several quiet minutes passed, and Blue could feel Dual getting annoyed with the silence. Finally Twilight sat down at the table, sliding three steaming mugs of hot chocolate onto the table.

“Before I say anything, I want to tell you this is just an assumption. It doesn’t mean anything.” Blue and Dual just exchanged a confused look before turning back to Twilight, who took a deep breath. “It’s been close to four weeks without a single attack happening. No black pegasi in the sky, no suspicious ponies following me around town. Absolutely nothing. And this is setting me on edge.”

“Maybe they just forgot about us,” Blue offered, but Twilight shook her head.

“They wouldn’t do that. Never. My thought, and here is that assumption, is that they are planning something. Building up their forces to finally kill you or get you back. Either that, or, they are making some new type of creature that could hunt you down more effectively. And as much as I want to say that sounds like a load of manure, they could do it.”

“So... what are you saying?” Dual asked, eyes narrowed.

“I’m saying, I think we should move again,” Twilight replied. Blue was about to argue, when Twilight held her hoof up. “That’s not the only option.”

“What’s the other option?” they asked in unison. Twilight shook her head, eyes cast down.

“You could fight.”

Silence fell and her words hung in the air as the two took in what she said. Even the sound of Orange and Green talking seemed to have stopped. it was several seconds before anyone said anything.

“Fight them?” Dual asked quietly. Twilight nodded. “We spent over two years trying to get away from them, and now you want us to just go back!?” Twilight flinched like his words were daggers. She dropped her head again, mane falling into her face.

“I just want this all to end...” she said, voice quiet. “Don’t you think I want to see you living happy lives? For Blue and you to grow up and have a life together? For Yellow and Red to get passed ten?!”

“Well, yes...” Dual answered, not meeting her eyes.

“Well, unless we keep on the move and never stop, or, we stand and fight, that will never happen.” Her words were hard as steel, and they seemed to cut into Dual. He sank back into the chair, wings opening and closing rapidly.

“It’s just.... it doesn’t seem like it would end well!” he said, sitting forward again. “You were there in San Foalsisco, you know how many there are. We can’t fight them!”

“Maybe now, no. But with training--”

“Twilight! We will die.” He pronounced each word like its own sentence, and each one cut into Twilight like a knife. Her face fell into her hooves, and stayed that way for a long time. Dual just looked down at her, feeling a mixture of guilt, sadness, and anger.

“So, you get to just decide for the rest of us then, is that right?” Blue’s eyes flashed to the doorway, seeing Orange standing there, Green in the shadows behind him. He silently moved into the room, keeping his gaze locked on Dual. “Because last time I checked, there were six of us, not one.” He sat down in the seat next to Twilight, still giving Dual a hard look. “What gives you the right to decide for the rest of us?”

“This isn’t for you to get in to, Orange,” he said quietly, still not looking at him.

“Oh? And why not? Because I’m new? Because I’ve been with them for over five years? Because I know their strategies and plans? Tell me why, Dual.”

“Because it’s not your--”

“Look at me when you're talking to me!” Orange yelled, slamming his hoof into the table. Twilight pulled her head away from her hooves with a loud gasp, stepping back a few feet. Orange was on his hooves, wings flared out behind him, eyes alight with fire. Dual raised his eyes off the table, looking straight into Orange’s face. “Why do you get to choose for the rest of us?” His voice was just a whisper.

“Because, obviously, I have the group’s best interest at heart!” Dual yelled, standing up as well. “You want to just send them out to fight!? We don’t even know what we’re up against!”

“Maybe you don’t, but you forget. I was with them until a week ago! Unless something major has changed, I know everything they were planning.” His voice was like steel, eyes boring straight into Dual’s. Black never wavered from orange.

“Don’t you think it’s hopeless?” Dual asked, giving Orange a hard stare.

“No. No I do not. Sure they outnumber us. Sure they have more training than the six of us combines. Sure we would be fighting for our lives. But we will still come out on top.”

“You can’t know that!” Dual exclaimed, coming to his hooves as well. “How can you just say we will win?”

“Because we have each other.” Orange said with a smile. “There is no stronger force in the world than the six of us combined. You want to know how I know we will win?” He walked towards Dual, stopping only a foot away, and held out his hoof. He looked straight into Dual’s eyes with a smile.

“Because we fight together.” Dual stared at him for a few moments, Orange’s words sinking in. He tried to think of a way, any way, to argue, but he couldn’t think of one. Finally, he reached out and took Orange’s hoof in his own, giving it a small shake.

“This doesn’t mean we are going to do it, however,” he said, before Orange can say anything else. “I want to know what the others think.”

“I want to fight!” Green piped up, jumping out of the shadows. “I think it’s probably the best idea, and that we should do this so that we can actually live a happy life, and--” Orange shoved his hoof into her mouth to stop her rambling.

“Well, we know what she thinks,” he said with a grin.

“I still want to hear from Yellow and Red tomorrow. What they decide will be the determining factor for what we do.” Dual didn’t look happy about this, but he said it anyway. Orange nodded, starting to walk out of the room. Dual stared after him, biting his bottom lip like he wanted to say something, but he held back. Orange stopped at the doorway and looked over his shoulder.

“We will probably have to train. Do you want me to teach you guys what I know?”

“I think that will be for the best,” Blue said, stepping in for Dual. “We will need every advantage we can get.”

“Alright. We should start in a couple days, give everypony a chance to mull things over.” With that, he left, Green following him out. Silence fell once more as Twilight and Blue exchanged a glance, before looking at Dual. He just shook his head before leaving the room. They heard the door open, then slam shut as he flew out into the cold night.

*****

The Everfree forest was fairly calm and empty when he landed on the top of the tree. It was a new moon, and there was almost no light in the forest, save for the small glow coming from Zecora’s shack almost a mile away. But he could still see perfectly as he settled down onto the branch, feeling it bow under his weight. Despite the cold night air he felt warm, hot even. Sighing loudly he collapsed onto the branch, looking up into the clear, black sky.

He remembered a time when they were all back at the lab. He had been ten, Blue was eight, and Orange was six. One of the doctors had left the room, and left orange’s cage open. So, despite all their pleas, Orange had left and flew up into the rafters, out of sight. When the doctor came back, he was, of course, distraught. So for the next couple hours, the scientists searched the entire compound, not finding tail or wing of Orange. He had flown back down into his cage as soon as the doctors had left the room. So, many hours later, when they finally returned to the room, they found Orange asleep in his crate, like he had never moved

Dual felt himself starting to smile, anger subsiding. Orange was Orange. Unstable, cocky, egotistic. But he was a brother, and a friend. And he was the next oldest male, something Dual would have to get used to. He shook his head a few times, closing his eyes. it was late when he and Blue had gone out on the balcony, and it was even later now. he didn’t know when he fell asleep, but he did know when he woke up.

Blue was settling down onto the branch next to him, a small smile on her lips. She pressed herself against his side, feeling his wings wrap around her in feathery warmth. He smiled at her, hugging her close to his body. As he looked over the top of his head he realized that it was now almost sunrise. As she curled up against his side, he felt her speak.

“You need to not storm out like that,” she said quietly. “Twilight was upset.” Dual just laughed, giving Blue a squeeze.

“I’m fine. I was just a little upset is all.” he looked out into the sunrise, which was only just starting. “I’m just not used to opposition, especially from Orange.”

“It’s just something that we are all going to have to get used to.”

“What do you want to do?”

“What do you mean?”

“What do you want to do, about the fight or flight?” Dual asked, looking back at her.

“Oh... I want to fight. I really think we should take a stand,” she said, looking out at the sunrise. “It’s time we fought back instead of running away.” She looked over at Dual, who was just smiling slightly at her. “What?”

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, leaning down and pressing their lips together. Taken slightly off guard, Blue took a moment to respond, but she finally leaned into the kiss, wrapping her forelegs around his neck. She felt his hooves working slowly up and down her back, pulling her closer against him. His hooves, which she had seen punching Orange not more than a day ago, were now softly caressing her mane and wings, the gentlest of touches finding her fur. she couldn’t help but sigh quietly.

Dual rolled without warning, pulling her on top of him. The branch under them sagged even more, but it held them up. Blue smiled down at him, her eyes alight. Before either could say anything she pressed her lips against his again, reveling in the feeling of being together. Their breathing began to become louder as their kisses became more furious, Blue’s hooves rising to hold Dual’s cheeks.

She felt something inside her rise as she kissed him. Something she hadn’t felt before. An urge that she couldn’t place, a want that didn’t have a name. The feeling was so strange that she had to break the kiss, blushing furiously. Even after breaking away, she still felt it, nagging at her. She wasn’t sure if Dual had felt it, but if the curious look on his face was any hint, he might have. She felt her mouth go dry as she looked down at him. She gently rubbed her hoof down the contours of the muscles on his chest.

“I love you,” she whispered. She watched as the curious look feel off Dual’s face, replaced with a wide smile.

“I love you, too.”

Comments

[Sky Spark]

I can't wait for the next chapter.

[MadMan]

this is literally the only story i'm following anymore. MOARRRRRRRRRRR

[Typographical Error]

2679167 Oh. Well, looks like I should get off my plot and write.