#she's like half deer half pony? something like that
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my fluttershy redesign x3
#she's like half deer half pony? something like that#she used to feel extremely self anxious becuase of her antlers#but she realised that birds love to perch on them!!!#i kinda rushed this so i forgot to draw them#WAIT I FORGOT TO DRAW HER CUTIE MARK!! NOOO!!! :(#oh well#i wanted to draw this redesign for like a month now i think#yay :3#art#digital art#mlp#mlp fim#my little pony#friendship is magic#mlp g4#mlp:fim#mlp art#fluttershy#mlp fluttershy#fluttershy mlp#artists on tumblr#artwork#mlp redesign#redesign#fluttershy redesign
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Late Night
Emotionally distressed Tyler doesn't exactly find comfort from his flat mate and friend Tara.
A little in advance for @whumptober day 15 "Emotional Damage" (Lies) and 22 "Pick your Poison".
Part of Making Angel, set after [Sound]. (Tara appeared in [Match] for the first time).
Content / warnings: BBU, discussion of WRU recruitment tactics, alcohol consumption, emotional distress / angst.
It was almost one at night, when he came home. The small apartment building lay in darkness, when Tyler turned the key in the lock as quietly as he could.
He'd showered long tonight at the facility, under scalding hot water, and still he felt dirty. 238 got under his skin, more and more. He'd debated if he could request reassignment, but he couldn't. They'd ask questions, and Tyler didn't have answers. He just had emotions. And he hated them.
There was a bottle of grass vodka in the freezer. He'd bought it from his first WRU paycheck, saved it for special occasions. This wasn't the occasion he'd imagined, but still he felt the desperate need to drink himself to sleep.
He kicked off his shoes and quietly stepped towards the kitchen, careful not to wake his flatmate, until he noticed the small line of light under the kitchen door. He knocked softly, before he stepped in.
"I heard you," Tara said flatly. "You're too hunky to be quiet, Ty."
She tried a shaky grin. If there was one thing Tyler had learned to recognise, it was fake smiles.
"Why are you still up?"
She shrugged. Her ginger hair was a mess, most of it fallen out of her short pony tail, and just as he watched her, she ran a hand through them again. "Shit day. Made pizza and poured me a drink."
She gestured at a half full glass with a dark brown liquid in front of her. Jägermeister, he wagered, given its sweet smell and her slightly glazed over eyes.
"Want some?"
"Got my own." He stepped to the fridge and pulled bis vodka out of the icebox. "What happened?"
Tara ripped off a piece of pizza and folded it up, before taking a bite of it. Tyler watched her with sick fascination, thinking of 238's delicate little pizza pieces, the way he'd taught her to eat, elegant and seductive. He wondered if her old self would have devoured the pizza like Tara did. He wondered, how hard it would be to take all of this away from Tara.
It would be so insanely easy.
He felt sick to his stomach. His hands shook, as he poured himself a vodka.
"You go first." She watched him over the rim of her glass. Her eyes had the same colour as the Jägermeister. The same colour as 238's, too. Had he never realised? Why was he looking at her in this way, now? "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Just work." He shrugged. "You know I can't talk about it much. So, your turn. What happened?"
"Have we..." She bit her lip. "Have I ever talked to you about WRU?"
Tyler almost choked on his drink.
"N... No."
"It's, uh. Well. They're like, this super creepy mega corp. Hands in everything, unlimited power, no morals, all that conspiracy stuff, right?"
Tyler forced himself to nod, voice refusing to work.
"I was working on a story about them."
Tyler stared at her blankly. It was real. It would be real. People would come for her, his own colleagues, and she'd be the next number on their lists. On his. They'd made her a romantic, he thought. She was pretty, and romantics both brought the most money and were handled with the highest discretion.
"You..." He all but croaked. "You really shouldn't."
"Oh yeah?" She cracked a smile. "Well, what do you know, Ty?"
"Nothing." Tyler shook his head. "Please... Please go on." He didn't want her to. He didn't want to know. But he had to.
"My informant was arrested. She uhm. Ran a shelter, for homeless kids. Said WRU 'recruiters' were all but hunting them, telling lies, making promises. Borderline stalking. She tried to do something about it." Tara lifted the Jägermeister bottle, stared at the deer on its label intently. "Now she's gone. I talked to one of the kids. They said there were WRU agents present at the arrest. And when I inquired about her whereabouts I..." She inhaled deeply. "She's not with the police, Ty."
"They took her," he mumbled numbly. "'Course they did."
"I need to -"
"Run," Tyler finished.
"Do something about it." Tara crossed her arms, ignoring what he said. "They can't do this. They can't get away with these methods. I have a lot of material. But you know what I lack? A source inside, to back it up. Small fish would be enough, probably. Just someone ready to talk."
"You think someone would?"
"I don't know. You have friends in shady places, don't you? Maybe someone knows someone who knows someone...?"
"Nope." His answer came fast. Too fast.
Tara raised an eyebrow.
"I... I don't want to get involved."
Fury lit up in Tara's gaze and she slammed her hand on the table. "You know what? That attitude, that's what carries the system. Thinking that, that's... That's like almost as bad as being one of fucking WRU's pet trainers yourself."
"Handlers," Tyler said quietly. "It's handlers. And yeah, maybe I am just as bad as they are." He rose to his feet and picked up his vodka. "I'll be in my room. I'm sorry, Tara. I can't help you. Good night."
#whumptober2022#no.15#no.22#pick your poison#lies#emotional damage#medium fic#oc#bbu#Angel's story#tyler parker#tara mckenzie#angst
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So this was SUPPOSED to be an NPC. Just a general store owner that's a little weird because she lives on a remote island and is fey-touched. But then she got development and now she has player levels and she's a low-key backup character for me for any other campaigns. She is a warlock, and her patron is a wind djinni.
Dia is half…something. Definitely not fae. Most people suspect deer as she has a more slender body than a pony, and there is a deer in the settlement that is broader in size and calls her “sister.” It is believed that Dia simply looks more pony and her sister looks more deer. However, in reality, she isn’t blood related to her sister at all. Dia grew up in the feywild, so she has some very odd mannerisms. She also doesn’t always get…social norms. For example, she sees the use of “mud pony,” “featherbrain,” and “bonehead” as odd nicknames the town gives to everyone and uses them in an endearing or teasing manner, not realizing they are essentially slurs. She and Captain Illizar Cutter have an...odd friendship.
Hope you enjoy~! Want art like this monthly? Why not join?
My General Patreon, safe for all audiences: www.patreon.com/rosexknight
My 18+ ADULT-ONLY Patreon: www.patreon.com/rosexxxknight
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Woona's bebbehs! In my headcanon, Luna is poly and has had multiple lovers in the past, but it's only recently that she openly took other creatures not just as lovers but as consorts. She had officially declared that as a way of further establishing peace and friendship between ponies and other creatures, she would take on multiple royal consorts.
The results of the forming of Luna's harem this multiple-in-one marriage arrangements are, from left to right: (Top) Ganymede (sired by my Griffon OC, Glover), Waxer (sired by Gaius the Dragon Lord from Smolder's story), Waner (sired by Rain Shine the kirin leader), Gibbous or "Gibby" (sired by the zebra Prince Abraxas from the comics), (Bottom) Elytra or "Ely" (sired by Pharynx), Oberon (sired by the deer King Aspen from the comics), Triton (sired by Queen Novo), Io (sired by Prince Rutherford), and Deimos (sired by Prince Scorpan)
Some more info below👇
A collective nickname for them, affectionately given to them by Luna's own night guards, is "Moonlings." Ganymede, Elytra, Oberon and Io absolutely adore this nickname. Waxer, Waner, and Gibbous are embarrassed by this nickname. Annnd Triton and Deimos have fairly neutral feelings on it.
Gibby is a true romantic at heart and wishes to find "the one" He does have a lot of ponies interested in courting him, most being nobility, but he's often let down by how they're merely attracted to his status as royalty and the fact he's a zony hybrid (the latter makes him deeply uncomfortable).
Waner is rather grumpy and standoffish and has a bit of a strained relationship with his family, especially his mothers, except for Waxer and Elytra. The former for not making fun of him despite their differing personalities, and the latter for taking the time to understand him. Both of them also respect his wishes.
Ganymede wants to do better than her ancestor King Grover and show that not all Griffons are greedy and selfish, but she tends to overcompensate to the point of self-sacrificial behavior. Her mother and aunt often try to remind her that it's not selfish for someone to love and care for themself.
Waxer and Elytra have rather interesting wing compositions, ones that are very different from the rest of their siblings. Waxer's are both feathered and scaled while Elytra's are mostly transparent like Changeling wings, but a part of it is feathered like an alicorn/pegasus'. What makes this especially interesting is that both cases stand out even in the type of hybrids there are. Waxer isn't the first dracony to be born, there being a few records of such pairings from a very distant past. But in cases where those hybrids had wings, they were always scaled. For Elytra, she's the first ever recorded/known instance of a changeling-pony hybrid, but it was expected that her wings would be completely like a changeling's or alicorn/pegasus', not a combination of both like her brother's.
Waner is sometimes mistaken to be a bat-pony/alicorn hybrid on account of his wings being leathery like a bat pony’s. He’s rather annoyed that others keep assuming such without even asking him.
Out of technicality, Waxer and Deimos are the oldest of the brood. Both of them were born from eggs that had been petrified for centuries, but it was only recently, that their eggs were able to hatch. Waxer’s egg was hatched thanks to the combined efforts of Spike, Sapphire, and Sulfur in heating his egg with their dragonfire. Meanwhile, Deimos’ egg hatched thanks to Scorpan’s lose and tender care, even if it took a long time.
Oberon can talk to animals and regularly converses with them, something that the nobility find strange, but his siblings always defend him.
Triton and Oberon tend to come to each other for advice on dealing with their half-siblings from their other parent, Skystar and Bramble respectively, even if their relationships with each of these half-siblings are rather different. Skystar adores Triton because she was happy that her mother was able to truly find love after the death of her father, and Triton’s existence helped bring Luna and Novo closer together. Bramble, however, dislikes Oberon since he stll held onto his distrust of ponies even after his father had remarried to Luna.
Deimos tends to unintentionally scare ponies because of his imposing appearance, but he’s a very gentle soul at heart. It’s this gentleness that won him over the foals of Canterlot, who love hearing his stories and playing tag or hide and seek with him, with some of them even hanging over his wings or riding on his back.
Io generally has a better grasp of Ponish than her father, but she still refers to herself in third person.
Ganymede is the closest with their cousin, Eclipse, and the two often talk about their woes together. Because of this closeness, she’s the one who’s most patient with his political matchmaking attempts.
#mine own postsss#dexdraws#dexwatches mlp:fim#dexwatches mlp#mlp next gen#oc:ganymede#oc:waxer#oc:waner#oc:gibbous#oc:elytra#oc:oberon#oc:triton#oc:io#oc:deimos#lunover#lunaius#rainuna#lunaxas#lunarynx#lunaspen#lunovo#lutherford#scorluna
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465.
Have you ever been cut off by a bartender because you were too drunk?
No, that’s never happened to me before.
Have you ever borrowed money from your mom and lied about why you needed it?
Yeah, I definitely did that more than once as a teenager lol. I’m also pretty sure she knew I was lying and let me have it anyway ha.
Have you ever flirted with a cop to get out of a ticket?
No, I’ve never been pulled over so I’ve never been in a situation where I’ve needed to do it.
Have you ever lied during a job interview?
Not about qualifications or anything, but about my confidence or my availability sometimes.
Have you ever bought alcohol for someone underage?
Yeah, sure.
Have you ever started a rumour to ruin someone’s reputation?
No. I don’t think I’ve ever started a rumour before, actually.
Have you taken any pics of yourself that you won’t want your parents to see?
Sure.
Would you turn a family member in if you see them commit murder?
I don’t think anyone can answer this until they’re in that situation, surely?
Do you feel accepted by your BF/GF’s family?
Yeah, most definitely. They’re very open and welcoming people.
Have you ever trashed your ex’s car after an argument?
No. Is that really something people do outside of movies?
Would you leave a note on a car claiming responsibility if you damaged it?
Yes, of course.
Have you ever used someone's handicapped parking pass to get a parking spot?
No.
If you ran over an animal would you keep driving?
Depends on the situation - I’d always stop for a dog or cat, but I’m not going to pull over for a pigeon or a squirrel.
Do you really care about saving the planet for future generations?
I mean, I care but I also think that anything an individual can do is absolutely pointless when you have countries like China and the US churning out all the pollution and crap that they do.
What was the first thing you learned how to cook?
Pasta sauce from scratch.
What are some wild animals commonly found where you live?
Hare, adders, deer, badgers, rabbits, hawks, seagulls, fell ponies.
Do you think there will ever be world peace?
No.
Have you ever turned down a job offer?
Yeah, I’ve turned down promotions several times.
Do you know anyone who believes that vaccines cause autism?
Nah, thankfully nobody I know IRL is that ignorant, lol.
What does the name say on your birth certificate?
Yeah, I’m not sharing my full name on here.
In terms of politics, do you sit on the right or the left?
Left.
Out of all those blood related, immediate or other, which single person would you list as your favorite?
I’m closest to my mum or my dad’s half sister.
Who is one you wish you didn't share blood with?
I can’t say that there’s anyone I feel that way about.
Generally, what genre of movies do you jump at the opportunity to see?
Disney, comedy, fantasy.
Have you ever been able to pet a normally wild animal, like a tiger or dolphin?
Yeah, snakes, giraffes, rhinos, elephants, lemurs, meerkats, kangaroos, squirrel monkeys, wallabies and penguins.
If you had a work office that you would be allowed to decorate any way you want, how would you decorate it?
It would have fairy lights, comfy chairs, a nap space and a really good coffee machine lol. It would also be pet-friendly.
Do you know anyone who is a Native American?
Nope.
What was the hardest thing you went through in your childhood?
Honestly, I had a really good childhood, especially when I was primary age.
Have you ever had a girlfriend?
No.
Do you have any close friends that were adopted?
My mum was adopted and a friend I went to school with had an adopted sister.
Does your mom eat meat?
She does.
Was your dad ever on a sports team?
Yeah, he used to play cricket when I was little.
Who has the prettiest middle name you know?
I don’t really know.
What’d be your name if you took your mom’s middle name?
Ann.
Do you know a lot of things about the opposite sex’s body parts?
I mean, I know what I need to know.
What is your least favourite thing about your full name?
There were loads of at school so I hated that it was so common.
What’s your favourite kind of poptart?
I’m not a fan of Poptarts anymore but when I was younger I liked the chocolate ones.
When did your family immigrate to wherever you live now?
My parents moved here about ten years before I was born.
Do you enjoy watching birth vlogs?
No. Is that really a thing?
Do you know anyone else with your name?
Yeah, quite a few people.
Which country’s flag is your favorite?
I don’t have a favorite.
What would you be most afraid of happening if you were to visit Africa?
I’d be worried about being a victim of crime.
Do you ever take pictures of negative moments?
Yeah, I have done in the past.
Would you ever post a picture of yourself crying on social media?
Nope. I think that’s so...tacky.
Have you ever held a newborn baby?
Yes.
Do you know anyone who has twins?
I went to school with several sets of twins, but I don’t know anyone my age that has twins.
Are you following in the career path of any family members?
Nope. I can’t think of anyone on either side of my family that works with animals.
Do you feel you missed out on a lot as a kid?
Sometimes - my parents were quite old-fashioned so we never had a VHS player or anything, and I wasn’t really allowed to watch TV - like, we only had four channels at home until I was about eighteen. I also wasn’t allowed loads of the trendy toys so I did feel a bit left out sometimes because of that.
Who was that best friend you ever had?
Linnet.
Do you have people in your family who want you dead?
I mean, I hope not lol.
Honestly, if you could have anyone in the world, who would it be?
.
What do you usually order at Taco Bell?
I’ve never been to Taco Bell - the nearest one from here is a good 2-3 hours away.
Have you ever streaked?
Nope.
How many city/towns have you lived in?
Five.
Do you prefer to shower at night or in the morning?
Either in the morning or straight after work. I work an outdoors job that’s pretty physical so there’s no point showering then going to work lol.
Have you ever wanted to be a ballet dancer?
No, but I did ballet lessons for years when I was younger.
When was the last time you really laughed?
The dog being ridiculous this morning.
Honestly, whose numbers do you have memorized?
Mine and my mum’s.
Do you sleep with socks on?
No.
Has anyone ever told you, you were beautiful?
Yeah.
What kind of house do you want?
One by the coast with a wrap-around porch please.
Would you like living on the coast?
I already do really, but I’d love to own a house with a view of the sea.
What would you like your generation to change?
World hunger.
Are you a sore loser?
Yeah, I can be.
Honestly, do you enjoy arguing?
Nope.
Have you ever wanted a Nikon camera? Or do you have one already?
I used to want one.
Are you a picky eater? What’s one food you refuse to eat?
No, I’m not picky as such but I’m really funny about textures.
Do you have Photoshop? If so, how often a day do you use it?
No.
What color are the walls in the room you’re in right now?
Two of them are red, and two are grey.
Do you use your queen right away in chess?
No.
Were you in track and field?
Yeah, until year 7.
Were you ever in a school talent show?
Yes.
Have you thrown up in a car?
Yeah, I get really bad travel sickness - especially on windy roads or when I have to sit in the back seat.
Who was your first grade teacher?
Mrs Richards.
Where did you go on your first airplane ride?
Australia when I was about three months old.
Whose wedding were you in the first time you were a bridesmaid or a groomsmen?
I’ve never been in anyone’s wedding. In fact, the only wedding I’ve ever attended is my own lol.
First tattoo or piercing?
My earlobes when I was eleven or twelve.
First celebrity crush?
Josh Hartnett.
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(Please read in full before interaction!!!)Hello everyone! Yet I'm Back again from the grave , or at least from others perspectives . I'm doing another revamp of this blog , since my interests in characters changed and are a bit outdated! Though there may be more males atm in my muse list I'm still trying to get back into some females for a little mix for those who like either! This is a multi muse and Fandom blog based around rps , and the theme is most likely obvious , kink related !! I'll make this blog multi kink , though I may do some seperate blogs depending on some .
I'm 21, and I go by Cherri , CherriMocha, etc. Based off of my ponysona! I'll make a updated ref soon of her since she's a muse of mine . And some other ocs of mine.
This is both cannon and oc friendly! Since I am using both of them basically 😅 I'll post refs of them as time goes on but I'll put short descriptions in their bio here .
I have sfw blogs to ! Though their in revamping stages to!
Now let's get started with fandoms and muses! It's a wip and I do have some changes in moods now and then! Please note in kink related rps I am at most part a feedee/sub!
Rules!!
Don't Spam Dms or notes , it's annoying
If I don't reply , I'm busy , not doing ok or want me time
Don't tell me who to be (It's ok suggesting just don't be bossy)
Don't expect me to answer right away, I may be doing something for a few
Please have some literate wording.(if I start to mess up on that I'm most likely tired)
Fandoms
MLP
Pokemon
Baldis Basics
Scp Containment Breach
Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss
Cookie Run
DHMIS
MORE TBD!!
Muses
CherriMocha- Ponysona: cherri is a deer pony hybrid who lives in the outskirts of ponyville and near the ever free forest, she used to be in a deer tribe and is the daughter of the cheif buck (can't spell) when she came of age she refused to be the next in line due to not really being into the ordeal and would like to choose her own path. This making her have some issues with her father.
The Rot(Multifandom Friendly): The rot , not really having a specific gender , can be either is the spawn of lucifer(an oc) and an angel hybrid. It's attitude isn't really great and is mostly an asshole most of the time. It's main goal is to basically torment souls and hosts etc. But it is the demon of lust/gluttony. It's body is made of a corrosive substance which can be toxic to mortal beings.
Brock(Pokemon): Brock in my au is a early young adult who in others eyes is like a normal person. But taking a closer look and getting to know him he isn't really fully human. He has elemental abilities like his parents and has a rock hard shell on his skin. He has elemental abilities but also counters with weaknesses. His main powers are based of pokemon types like ground/rock, normal, fire, and fairy type abilities and can shape-shift into certain pokemon. His main being an onix and eevee!. He has a hard time though controlling his abilities and feelings and can go out of hand quickly. But tries to keep it all a secret due to team rocket and others calling him a monster etc.
Almond Cookie (Cookierun): Almond in my au is a difficult guy, being turned into a half bat-cat by a magic mishap and is still grumpy about it. He's a workaholic who rarely keeps his hair nice and tidy and is tired alot. Being nocturnal he hates the bright sun and goes in hiding. He doesn't really get along well with others well (especially Roguefort) and is always out for his family. He can become a half bat-cat and full with his full form being able to change size depending on his mood!
Cotton-oc: cotton is my fursona , whis a cat/dragon hybrid. To make this short she has a personality similar to pinkie pie and spinel , and is always joyful!
Flint/Pokemon-AU: Flint (if most of you don't know) is brocks father in the indigo league series . In my au is the same. But like brock he has elemental abilities and has a monster like form of a half draconaquis. (Pokemon ver) he is protective of his family and is always there to try and be a good father, though him and Brock have a iffy father son relationship.
Twilight Sparkle
Princess Luna
Fluttershy
Rainbow Dash
Kink List
Weight Gain (Main)
Preg (both male/female) (just no s*x)
Slob, Blob(immobility)
Barn TF(pig, cow , etc)
Normal Tf
Will not do
Anything too sexual
Vore
Anything to gross (other then weight gain related stuff)
We can discuss if you want a private rp or chat on more!!
That's it on info for now!! I'll be updating when I can !
#weight gain kink#weight gain#pokemon#mlp fandom#mlp fim#mlp oc#brock pokemon#almond cookie#cookie run
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Hi! Can a request an aragorn x reader one where everyone of the fellowship knows he loves her and she just doesn't realise? Fluff and maybe a kiss in the end? Thank you
Aragorn was by no means stupid. He was quite intelligent really. However, the second you entered the picture the man became a complete moron. He’d trip over his own feet, he’d walk smack into wall, half of the time he couldn’t carry a full conversation with you because he’d literally forget how to speak. Everyone could see it. Everyone but you apparently. Aragorn was in love. He had known you for a number of years, seeing you as the occasional hunting partner seeing as you worked for Barliman in the Prancing Pony.
Aragorn first saw you walking in with a dead deer strapped to your back and actually thought you to be a man at first before you removed your hood. Then he saw your face. Your e/c eyes met his and it was game over. The man spoke with you and discovered that you originally hailed from Rohan but moved after a sickness swept over the land. Aragorn found out quite a bit actually. You were a hunter who frequently supplied food to the inn, you played the lute (very well) and you loved to be around the bar. But more importantly, you loved adventure. According to you, without adventure, many a song would not exist, which by all rites was true. You had a bit of a adventurous soul that constantly wanted to run through fields, so when Aragorn went on a task to help a group of hobbits leave to Rivendell, you naturally decided to leave with them.
Even Merry and Pippin could see the love in Aragorn’s eyes when he looked at you. It was hard not to notice such love. Which is what they had trouble grasping. How were you not noticing it?
The fellowship was formed, you joining them after Aragorn announced that he’d go with them. Was he thrilled to take you on a potentially deadly mission? No. Was he happy that you were going to be right next to him for a long time? Yes. Arwen said that he was acting like a child for not voicing his emotions towards you though. She claimed that if he didn’t speak up soon she’d have to do it for him. Well, this led to Aragorn being irrationally paranoid about leaving you alone with Arwen. Anyone else? sure. But Arwen was a big NO.
You stood in the halls, looking at Isildur’s sword with Boromir. “It’s impressive even if it is broken.” you pointed out. “Indeed." Boromir agreed. You stared at it with this almost sad look. "Do you suppose there is a true heir amongst us?" Boromir asked. You nodded. "Aragorn bares the ring and shares Isildur's blood." you stated. This was a fact he told you after four years of knowing him. He told you after a hunting trip, you had asked why he was a ranger for Gondor. He didn't tell you at first but you asked him why he went by another name. That, he answered. He showed you the ring, the books from Rivendell about his lineage. How he technically switched his name twice and didn't know of his true lineage until he was older. You were shocked of course. You had heard stories of your people hoping to accidentally stumble across an heir. You had done it without meaning to.
Boromir sighed. "You believe this to be true?" Boromir asked. "Did Lord Elrond, a man who once stood with Isildur, object when Legolas claimed this?" you asked. Silence fell over Boromir. Shit, you were right. If Elrond didn't object then it had to have been true. "Do you suppose he'd be a good king?" Boromir asked. "Yes." you nodded. "How do you figure?" He asked. "I've seen Aragorn with people. He understands their struggles, he grasps why people need something. He has resolved many problems, all while dealing with his own. " you stated. Boromir looked at you once more. "...You feel strongly for him?" Boromir asked. You stuttered. "I-I never said-" " you didn't have to, it's rather obvious." Boromir said. You sighed, looking down. "Please don't say anything." You muttered. "Why not voice your feelings?" Boromir asked. You sighed. "I don't want to make him uncomfortable." You muttered.
Boromir blinked. "You mean you do not notice it?" He asked. "Notice what?" you asked. "Notice what?" You asked. He chuckled. "What!?" you asked again. "It is not for me to tell you." He said. "My lord please! I must know now, you treat me as if I was a child!" you whined. He sighed and turned to you. "You want an honest answer?" he asked. "Please." you nodded. "With the way he looks at you, there is a large chance he reciprocates your feelings." He said.
And so you were driven mad by this statement, observing Aragorn's actions to you at a microscopic level. He was touchier with you, often patting your shoulder or head when you did something. He stuck closer to you and often stayed up with you if you could not sleep. Perhaps Boromir wasn't insane for assuming something. Aragorn did in fact have some sort of affinity for you, however you weren't sure in what manner. Was it romantic? Platonic? Brotherly? What was this?'
You sat on a rock, reading a map. Or at least trying to... Your focus was all over the place. You sighed, running your fingers through your hair. You heard someone sit next to you and saw Aragorn. "Trouble with the map?" He asked. You jumped at the sound of his voice. "Oh uhm... I wanted to see if Gimli was right about us taking the path through Moria... He isn't wrong. It would be quicker but for some reason Gandalf seems adamantly against it." you muttered. Aragorn nodded. "There is much danger within those walls of Moria. You seemed close with Arwen, I am surprised she didn't speak with you about it." He muttered. You looked over. "Her mother once took that path." He told you. You looked back at the map. "she mentioned this story, she never mentioned the path that was taken." you muttered. Aragorn nodded. "Are you... close with Lady Arwen?" you asked. "She is my friend. Why?" He asked. "A friend? Nothing more?" you asked. He rose a brow. "Why the sudden curiosity?" he asked. A blush came over your cheeks and he leaned forward, observing the expression on your face.
To hide the embarrassment you raised up the map, blocking his view of your face. He pulled the map down and rose a brow. "Y/n, what's going on?" He asked. You wanted to speak but nothing came out. "Aragorn, it is my turn to watch." Gimli said, trudging over. You got up but Aragorn followed. "Y/n, why are you suddenly flustered? I haven't seen you like this since the first time you met Lord Elrond." Aragorn said. You still didn't talk, walking over to your sleeping area and sitting down. Aragorn of course, slept near you so he sat in front of you. "Boromir mentioned something and I cannot get this out of my mind." you sighed.
Aragorn rose a brow. "What is it?" he asked. "He said, something along the lines of you..." You sighed. "This is ridiculous. Can I please just sleep-" "Y/n, this is clearly bothering you." He said. You looked down. "He said you held romantic feelings for me." you said in a low mutter. He gulped.
Well shit, he expected Arwen to say something before Boromir would. "But that's... Foolish. Right?" you said softly. He looked at you. "Why is that foolish?" He asked. "Aragorn you... you're a king, you have these important titles... I do not fit with your life I-I'm just a woman." you muttered. "You speak as if you are nothing." He said. "I speak realistically because to most, I am nothing." you said. Aragorn shook his head, clearly upset by your feelings. "You are not nothing to me." He said. You swallowed, looking at him. "Aragorn-" "I don't give a damn about your status. I don't care if you're the lowest class possible, you are an amazing woman. You are beautiful, kind, you are someone who is strong and courageous- Y/n how could I not love you!?" He asked. You blinked. "...You... You love me?" You asked. He swallowed.
Aragorn was never very straightforward with his feelings, in fact he rarely showed large amounts of emotion, he typically kept to himself. You however had this effect on him. He'd share everything with you. And right now that was showing. "I love you." He repeated. You didn't move. Your expression didn't change. In fact you seemed motionless. "Y/n?" He asked. You seemed frozen. "...Y/n are you alright?" He asked. You finally leaned forward, gripping him by his shirt and kissed him.
He was shocked of course. The second he registered what was happening though, he put a hand on the back of your neck, pulling you into his arms. You eventually had to pull away for air, looking into his beautiful eyes. "You are not useless. Please know that." He said softly. You hugged his neck, him burying his face in your neck.
The next morning you two were found asleep in each other's arms. Sam looked at Frodo with a grin. "It seems we missed a lot while we rested." Gandalf said. You leaned up with a yawn as did Aragorn. You smiled at him and he smiled back at you. He felt eyes on him though making him turn. "...It seems we have an audience." He said. You looked over. "What should we do?" You asked softly. "Give them something to look at." Aragorn chuckled before he kissed you.
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One Hit West
Chapter 7
Author’s Note
Ok so like its late (I’m sorry) but its here, I pray its not underwhelming. Its quite a nasty cliffhanger so I’m sorry about that. And now I’ll leave you to it.
xoxo
…………………...
“Welcome home honey.” Barry says as he looks at her over his shoulder. She smiles sweetly, relieved to be back home. Where she belongs.
She walks over to Barry who tilts his head up to give her full access to his waiting lips. She leans over and pecks him, her high pony falling to the side. On his lap, Nora closes her eyes behind her toddler fingers and chuckles as she says:
“Ewwwww.”
The two can’t help but laugh and turn their attention onto her with mischievous (yet loved filled – always love filled) eyes.
“What’s so funny little missy?” Iris asks and Nora shyly replies:
“Noooottthhhiiinnnggg?”
“Mm I don’t know mama bear. I don’t think this cute little cub is telling the truth.” Barry plays along.
“I think you’re right papa bear. What should we do with her?”
Barry pretends to think really hard then answers:
“I think… we should… TICKLE IT OUT OF HER!”
“Daddy no!” Nora yells in-between laughs as both her parents attack her with tickles, filling the house with their favourite sound, the sound of her laughter.
That’s the scene Iris has dreamed about for years. Coming home to Barry and Nora, hearing her baby laugh, hearing her call him “daddy”, parenting with the man she loves.
“Mommy, you’re home!” Nora yells excitedly and the look of dissapointment in Barry’s eyes slams Iris right back into her reality. The two people looking back at her have no idea of the secret she carries.
And she plans to keep it that way.
At least until she’s sure she can trust him.
Barry stands, carrying Nora in his arms and Iris’s heart skips a beat when Nora leans her head into his shoulder and smiles.
“Thank you mommy.” She says and Iris smiles, trying to hide the hurricane of emotions rattling through her.
Confusion.
Relief.
Anxiety.
Happiness.
All of them rambling into each other inside her like waves during a storm.
“Thank you for what baby?” she asks.
“For my birthday present! I get to call Barry Allen, uncle Barry!”
Barry chuckles.
“Am I the best birthday present ever?” he asks her with squinted eyes and she nods with a bright smile on her face.
“Prove it,” he challenges.
“How?” she asks, her little eyes widening behind her glasses.
“Mmmm…give me a kiss.” Barry answers, turning his cheek towards her. Nora pecks her father without hesitation and Barry closes his eyes dramatically.
“You know what?”
“What?”
“That was the best kiss I’ve ever gotten.” He says and she chuckles.
“What you don’t believe me? I’ll prove it.” he says and plants a kiss on her cheek.
“Do you believe me now?” he asks and plants one on her other cheek.
“How bout now?” this one is on her forehead.
Each kiss sparks another round of laughter from the little girl and Iris’s heart warms up, it’s been a while since she last saw her daughter this happy and care free. For a moment, a split second, Iris considers giving in. She considers telling him the truth. She considers apologising and making her family work.
Then flashes of her baby boy’s innocent little face breeze through her mind and her broken heart cries louder.
She can’t give in.
“Alright baby, come on. Time to go home.” She says with a smile.
“Awwww. But you just got here. Plus, uncle Barry and I…” Nora stops mid sentence and the blank look in her eyes sends Iris into autopilot.
“Barry, lay her down. Keep her head raised.”
No sooner had she finished giving the instruction, Nora’s eyes rolled back and she began to convulse. To Iris’s surprise Barry was calm in that moment he laid Nora down on her side and kept her head up.
“Aren’t you gonna call 911?” he asks when he notices that she’s simply still, looking down as their daughter seizes. Iris doesn’t answer, she simply kneels down in front of him and watches.
Her heart constricts and her eyes fill with tears that she struggles with all her might to hold back. She can’t call the hospital, not without risking exposing her daughter. All she can do is watch and helplessly wait for Nora’s fit to end.
In these moments, she feels like a complete failure. A mother powerless to help her child. Without the ability to take her baby’s pain away. It shatters her, and still all she can do is watch.
[Barry]
He’s never seen her look so defeated.
As he leans against the wall next to Nora’s bedroom door, Barry can’t shake the depression he saw in her eyes. He’s never seen her stare look so hopeless.
The ruffling of sheets sparks his attention and he stands back up and peers into the room. Iris leans in and gives their daughter a kiss on the head. After the seizure, Nora passed out and Iris, almost as if possessed, picked her up out of Barry’s arms and took her to her bedroom. She’s been in there for almost half an hour and every so often a sigh of exhaustion echo’s from inside the dark room.
Barry’s heart hurts. This seems almost routine. How long has it been going on for? Has she had to endure all this on her own?
As unbelievable as it may be, a wave of guilt flows through him. He should have been there to help her in moments like these. Maybe she wouldn’t have been so tired. Maybe the pained look of helplessness wouldn’t have tainted her eyes like it had just a few moments ago. If only he’d been there to bare the load with her.
If only he knew.
Iris walks out of the room looking as lifeless as she had when she walked in with their daughter in her arms. She’s about to walk past him without so much as nod in his direction when Barry holds onto her upper arm, stopping her in her tracks.
“Can we talk?” he asks, concerned about her state of mind.
“She’s not yours Barry.” She says simply, like a sleepwalker trapped in a dream.
He stops short, her denial only conforming his suspicions. He let’s out an incredulous breath.
“That just told me that she is.”
Iris turns to him annoyed, her exhaustion clear in her sigh.
“Barry, just stop…”
“No Iris. You stop it. Stop lying to me. You know how you gave yourself away? When I said let’s talk, I wanted to know if you’re OK cause our daughter just had a seizure and you looked like someone hit you in the gut with car. Your automatic assumption that I’d want to confront you about whether or not she’s mine, tells me that you’re trying to keep up a lie.”
Iris looks up at him startled, like a deer caught in headlights and Barry feels his heart beat out a painful note. It is true.
Nora is his daughter.
She has to be.
He decides to push his luck in hopes that she’ll break and tell him the truth.
“After the day I spent with her, I wouldn’t even need a DNA test to know that I’m her father Iris. She’s an exact replica of the both of us. Physically, mentally, emotionally. I saw you in her smile, her kindness, her sense of humour. I saw me in her eyes, her mind, her incredible ability to dream. I felt a connection with her Iris, something I can’t explain. So you can lie to me all you want. I know she’s mine.”
“She’s…not,” Iris persists with her lie, swallowing down the tears he can see in her eyes. Barry struggles to hold back his own tears as he whispers:
“Then why did you name her Nora?”
Iris’s eyes widen and for the second time in the span of five minutes she looks like someone who’s been caught red handed.
“Why Iris? Why did you name your daughter after my mother if she’s not mine? The math adds up, her features and personality are like neon signs and she has my mother’s name, do you really expect me to believe she’s not my daughter? Our daughter? After all that?”
Her eyes meet his with a plea and he softens his attack.
“I’m sorry I…”
Before he can finish talking she turns around and speed walks into her room, slamming the door behind her. Barry stares at the empty hallway uncertain how to feel. Iris’s behaviour seemed to have given him the confirmation he wanted.
She’s mine.
She has to be mine.
So why does he feel so broken?
[Iris]
She flops onto her bed expressionless and a split second later, tears stream down her face. It’s been a while since her last cry but she can’t help it.
He knows. He can’t know!
She feels like a double failure. First she couldn’t help her daughter with her seizure and now she can’t protect her either. She feels a scream bubbling up the back of her throat and hides her face in a pillow to let it out. She wants to choke on the sound. She wants the pillow to strangle the air out of her and just take her away.
Nora.
Her baby’s name pops into her head and suddenly she remembers what’s kept her going all these years. Despite the trauma and the heartache and the difficulties. Her baby’s smile, her laugh, the warmth of her hug. All that and more are like fuel to Iris. They keep her going further.
So the thought of having her baby snatched away from her….
The tears stream down her cheeks with increased vigour and the sobs that shake through her become more violent. She clutches at her heart as the familiar sting of loss pierces through her. Iris drops onto her side and curls into the fetal position.
Can I please just wake up from this nightmare.
She begs in her mind as her cries lull her to sleep. Exhausted, her eyes droop closed and she drifts off, hiccupping silently…
The alarm rang and she opened her sleep heavy eyes, blinking away the slight sting of exhaustion. As her body slowly woke up, the aches and pains worked their way through her limbs. The creaky old couch she’d been using as a bed squealed in protest as she got up and tried to work some of the stiffness from her neck.
Then the nausea hit.
Her eyes shot open and Iris ran to the bathroom with her hand firmly pressed over her mouth.
Morning sickness was a bitch.
Out of breath and partially shaky, she flushed out last nights dinner and made her way back to the staff break room (that she’s been using as a bedroom) to get her tooth brush from her suitcase. She was only on her second month and not really sure how much more of this morning routine she could handle. Sleeping on an old couch was miserable enough without the sudden sprints to the bathroom at six in the morning.
With her teeth brushed, she then used a face towel and a small bucket of lukewarm water to freshen up as best as she could before heading out to open the café. As she made herself busy, cleaning out the coffee machine, the bell above the door rang and she turned around, expecting to see her colleagues but was met instead with the suspicious sight of four men in suits and sunglasses.
Being the daughter of a (then) cop, being skilled at detecting danger was basically a calling and all her inner buzzers were going off.
“I’m sorry gentleman but we’re not open yet.” She explains but that bit of information is received as invalid.
Three of the men formed a straight line and the fourth, supposedly the leader, stepped forward.
“Iris West?” he asked and for a minute she was hesitant to answer but saw no way out so decided to buy herself some time.
“Who’s asking?” she tried on her bravest tone, praying to God that someone would walk in and interrupt this unwanted meeting. In her mind all she can think about is keeping her babies safe.
“You need to come with us.” He says taking a step forward and she takes a step back, despite the counter between them.
“And why is that?”
“That’s classified information.”
She let’s out a nervous chuckle.
“Considering you want me to leave my work place during my shift with four complete strangers, I think the least you can do is tell me why.”
“I’m sorry Ms West but my orders were clear. Now you can cooperate or we can force you to cooperate. Either way, you’re leaving with us.”
The men began to approach and she held out her hands to halt them.
“OK, OK. I’ll go. Just let me get my stuff ready.” She succumbed and they stopped in their tracks and gave her room to walk and get to her room in the back. Surprisingly enough, neither of them followed her in.
Idiots.
She thought as she made her way to the bathroom and forced the miniscule window opened. It was wide enough for her to slip out of so she used all her strength to climb out of it into freedom.
She landed in an empty alley behind the building with a soft thump and bent knees. A quick glance around told her she was clear and that’s when she made a break for it, running as fast her legs would let her.
But she didn’t make it very far.
Strong hands pulled her into stronger arms just as she stepped out of the alley into the street. Her mouth and nose were covered before she could scream and she felt a sting on her neck just before she slipped out of consciousness.
Needles.
IV drips.
Chemicals.
Pain.
Needles.
IV drips.
Chemicals.
Pain.
Needles.
IV….
A familiar face.
She screams.
[Barry]
He stands frozen in the hallway for what feels like an eternity and as reality begins to sink in he turns his head towards Nora’s bedroom.
He’s a father. He’s been a father for the past five years and he didn’t know it.
The shame, the betrayal, the fear of what his little girl might think about him all cut through him like a knife. Who does she think he is? What does she think happened? What does she think is the reason why he hasn’t been with her and her mother all this time?
He takes shaky breaths as he walks towards her room. Slow steps that contrast against his rapid beating heart. At the door, he hesitates. Going in feels like crossing a life changing barrier into a whole new world of experiences.
Barry wants to go in but something holds him back. Doubt. He can feel it in his heart and in his mind he knows that she is his daughter. Yet he can’t trust his own instincts because the last time he was led by intuition he got his heart broken. The memory of that pain, of losing the woman he loved (loves), plants a seedling of fear in his confident heart.
He could never survive losing Nora. Not after forming a bond with her and seeing her as a daughter. That’s a pain that might destroy him once and for all.
Despite the uncertainty and the possibility of heartbreak, his hand still itches to caress her to sleep. His arms still want to hold her and protect her. His heart still wants to hear her call him “dad”.
Deciding to take that leap, he pushes his fears aside and decides to take that leap. Even if she turns out not to be his, even if he loses more than he gains, even if he’ll never see her again after this, he wants to at least try.
He wants to believe for five minutes that the incredible little girl he spent the day with is half of him and half of his soul mate. Even if it only lasts a second, he wants to look at her with a father’s eyes and claim responsibility for her existence.
He wants a taste of paternal pride, no matter how selfish that wish may be.
As he’s about to take that leap, his heart stops, his hairs stand on end, his eyes widen, his blood freezes and his breath gets caught in his throat.
#fanfiction#fanfic#flash fanfiction#The Flash#iris west#barry allen#barry and iris#Nora West-Allen#west-allen#One Hit West
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Little Lost Souls
Read it on AO3 Here!
When a woman arrives in the spirit realm with no memories of her past, she is whisked away by a spirit that needs her help more than he cares to admit. But as the end draws nearer, she must make a choice; a way home, eternal peace, or a chance for something more.
Rolling waves woke her from a deep slumber. The sound echoed in all directions, booming as if she were in a field full of speakers. Cool water brushed her toes, sending a shiver through her spine. It wasn’t altogether unpleasant, but it did snap her awake better than anything else could. A blue sky and wispy white clouds stretched to infinity in all shapes and patterns. As she sat up, another wave crashed onto the shoreline, splashing up over her knees. She scrambled away, swearing softly as she wrung the water out of the edges of her skirt. But when her gaze finally landed on the water, she froze, transfixed by its beauty.
A feminine chuckle seemed to cascade in from all directions. “Hello, stranger,” A voice said. “It’s about time you woke up.”
She turned around, startled to see a strange, white fox sitting on the edge of a beautiful forest. Nine, turquoise tails fanned out behind the creature, and two golden bells hung off her neck with a pink rope. As their eyes met, the fox’s head tilted. “How did you get here?” The fox said. “Are you lost?
“I don’t know,” She said.
“How intriguing!” The fox said. “Maybe you just forgot.”
“Forgot?”
The fox shrugged. “It happens to a lot of spirits. Though you seem…” She paused. “Different.”
“Different?”
The fox shrugged again. “You can follow, or not. It doesn’t matter to me in the end. And this is the end.” She paused. “Or maybe its the beginning? Who knows? Many spirits live here, and I suppose you might be one of them. Or maybe you’re lost. Nothing is for certain.” The fox took a step forward, and a piece of rolled parchment appeared in her mouth. “Take this map,” She said as she dropped it at the woman’s feet. “Seek the spirits out, and perhaps they can provide you guidance. Or don’t.”
“You want me to find these other spirits?”
“It’s your choice,” The fox said. “Will you chase or will you follow? Speak, or listen? Or will you simply do nothing at all? The fox chuckled as she walked away. Maybe I’ll see you again, stranger.” With that, she disappeared into the trees as if she never existed. The woman stood on the beach and stared at the map in her hand.
She walked through the forest, staring at the map with no guidance whatsoever. It was difficult to tell where she had begun and where everything else ended. All she had to go on were the colors on the map itself. She avoided the creepy green snake place by dodging the green-tinted forest. She saw a woman with blue hair sprinting through a mountainous landscape and kept walking. She climbed a mountain overlooking a field of swords with another woman who was being followed by something that didn’t seem friendly. She moved toward a darker forest where she swore she saw a deer. But all she heard was a loud “EEP”, and she quickly turned around and went another way. On and on she walked, increasingly uncertain where she was going.
She stopped at the most recent forest, confused when she gazed upon the decaying trees. Her heart was pounding in her chest, though she wasn’t sure if it was the dark energy or exhaustion. Her legs were heavy, and she wasn’t sure she could go much farther. Even so, a part of her felt she should turn around. There was something... off about this new part of the world. Everything was dying. The leaves had been chewed through by bugs she couldn’t see. There was a deep purple mist settling around her feet. She could hear the rolling of a distant river, but couldn’t possibly figure out where it was coming from.
This is not the place for me.
But when she turned around, she froze. The forest stretched far behind her, further than she had walked in the first place. Light spilled through the canopy, but it was dreary and foreboding. She took a long step back as fear gripped her heart. Which way did she come from? Had she actually gotten turned around? That was impossible…
Right?
A dark chuckle echoed around her even more so than the fox’s had been before. “Hello, little lost one.” A humanoid figure stepped from the shadows, and everything within her screamed to run. His skin was a dark purple with a light glow along his muscles, and his flowing white hair was tied back into a pony-tail. He wore what looked like some version of a kimono, with long, puffy pants and an open, half-vest. One sleeve was massive with a blue interior and a purple ombre as it hung to his knees. A robe was tied around his waist with a demon mask that matched the one on his face. But her eyes snapped to the hook in his hand as he spoke again “You will make a perfect addition to my collection”
A rope snapped around her. She shrieked as the hook tore a piece of her shirt. “You have nothing to fear,” He purred, dragging her back. She tried to respond, but her words died on her dry tongue. “I am Thresh,” He continued. “A servant of the natural order which guides us all.” His head tilted, but she couldn’t tell through the mask if he was staring at her with interest or hunger. “Your soul is… strange…”
She gulped, trying to find any words she could. “Strange?” She choked out.
He hummed in thought. “It sings of souls I have not yet encountered.”
She tried to breathe. Maybe that was a good thing? She didn’t know, but terror wouldn’t do anything now. “I’m not from around here… I think.”
“You think?” He chuckled. “Then where did you wander from, lost one?”
She tried to recall what she had been doing before waking up on the beach, but very little came to her. “I was walking through the woods… and ran into you.”
“I see,” Thresh said. She wished she could see his face. Maybe then she’d at least know what he was thinking. Or maybe not. Maybe a demon like himself didn’t have normal emotions. “The woods are mysterious… and known to connect many different realms.”
“I’m trying to get home,” That much she knew for certain.
“Well here you are,” He said. Her heart sank. “The woods are home to many of my friends, and my children.” He paused for a moment before saying, “I have not spoken to them in quite a while.”
He sounded… sad. She hated how her heart longed to help him. “Your friends… or your children?”
“Both,” He said simply. “But I hear their spirits, calling out to me in their suffering. I must find them.”
“Why?”
“I am their caretaker. That is my duty. Nothing more. Nothing less.” He gazed at her, and this time she was certain it was with interest. “You have little idea why you are here, yes?” She nodded. The rope around her slackened, then fell away entirely. The hook snapped back to him, bound by some kind of spirit magic. “Then perhaps you should follow me, lest you wish to stay here, lost and forsaken… forgotten...”
He paused again. Then, she swore she saw his eyes flash with anger. “No! It would pain me so, to leave a spirit in need behind.” He turned away, dropping a mysterious looking, demonic lantern behind him. “Allow me to show you my home.” As he walked away, she stared at his back, uncertain. Then, with nowhere left to go, she reached for the lantern. It hopped away from her. She scowled and reached again. It moved a second time. Finally, she gave up and followed after it, praying that her guide wouldn’t kill her at the end of the road.
She expected a lot of things when approaching his home. What she didn’t expect was a beautiful river running under a strange-looking, dark purple gate. Chains hung from it, including another one of those demonic masks that Thresh himself wore. Lanterns lit the river on both sides, though she thought they looked oddly dull compared to the beautiful purple and orange-hued sky stretching out over the horizon. The lantern she was following vanished and Thresh reappeared under the gate. “This is your home?” She said.
“Yes,” He replied. “Though I apologize for the mess.”
She snorted before she could stop herself. “What mess?”
“You flatter me,” he said as he gazed down at one of his lanterns. “These lights represent my children.”
She leaned forward, peering into the lantern. It didn’t look like anything special to her, but she didn’t dare say that to him. “What are they doing?”
“They each serve a special purpose,” He said. “But many of them have been taken from me.”
“Taken?”
“Yes,” He said.
She hesitated, then said. “Are you okay?”
The lanterns dim even more than before as Thresh turns away. When he turns back, his mask fades away, replaced by a partially human face. His beady red eyes stared at her as he gave her a grim sort of smile. “I have been forced to appear a mere reflection of my true self.”
“So this isn’t you?”
“No,” He says. “And I hope it does not scare you away.”
Surprisingly, she wasn’t nearly as scared as she thought she should have been. Instead, she felt… sad, as if she could feel the weight of his pain on her own shoulders. “Not at all,” She said.
He smiled for a moment before his long ears sagged and his eyes shifted toward the ground. “I cannot hold this form for long, as those closest to me have been taken.”
“Your children.”
“Yes.” Darkness surrounded them for a moment. The weight of a thousand lifetimes dropped squarely on her shoulders. A part of her wanted to reach for him. Maybe even hug him tight and promise everything would be okay. But she still wasn’t certain if he was still planning to kill her. So, she held herself together and said, “Is there something I can do to help?”
His mask reappeared as the lights came back. “No. This matter does not concern you.”
“But I can help,” She said. “I’m different from these other spirits. Surely you see that now.” How she knew that was beyond her. She just… knew it.
“You are already a lost child.”
“Then you can help me,” She said. “I’ll help find your children, and you can help me figure out where I came from. Does that sound fair?”
He paused. “Very well. Look around the area for my children and bring them home.”
She nodded with a small smile. “I’ll do whatever I can.”
His ears twitched in what she knew now was a small hint of happiness. “Thank you, lost one.”
It didn’t take long to find the spirits- purple, wispy things with eerie human faces that stared at her with painful confusion - but it did take her awhile to collect them. She wondered if she would have been better off asking for his lantern, but she had a bad feeling that it wouldn’t react well to her presence. Instead, she was left in the middle of the forest, trying to figure out how to grab a spirit that didn’t want to be grabbed.
“Hello, stranger,” A familiar fox said, appearing in front of her. “I’m afraid you are messing with things you do not understand.”
“He asked for help,” She said.
“Of course he did,” The fox said. “He is weak and obsessed with souls that are not his to take.”
“He calls them his children,”
Her tails flicked in annoyance. “I should have warned you about spirits like him.”
“I followed the map,” She said. “And it brought me here.”
“True,” The fox said. “But I had not expected you to try and effect the balance of this world.”
“What do you mean?”
“These souls deserve a choice,” The fox said. “I give them that choice. Your little Thresh does not.” The fox shook her head. “He is simply a demon that has ensnared you.”
She hesitated, not certain what to believe. She had felt Thresh’s pain over the loss of his so-called children, but she didn’t think the fox was lying either. Were they two sides of the same coin? Two different ways the souls in this world could go? What right did she have to disrupt that?
“Oh well,” The fox said. “I’ll just have to work twice as hard.”
“What’s your name?”
“My name doesn’t matter.”
“But I’d like to hear it.”
The fox chuckled. “You can call me Ahri, stranger. I suggest you be careful. Or don’t. It doesn’t matter to me. Good luck in your chase, but don’t expect to beat me.” She looked to the closest soul and whispered “follow.” The soul flickered a bright purple, but as Ahri left, the soul drifted after her. She had a feeling the same trick wouldn’t work for her. But what else could she do? Follow the fox? Maybe that was the safer option.
But… the pain in his eyes… she couldn’t just leave him.
She sighed, looking for more souls. She found a small conglomerate closer to the entrance to Thresh’s domain. Most of them fled, hiding behind nearby trees. Her heart sank. How could she possibly convince them to follow after her?
Follow…
The fox’s voice had been enticing. Maybe she could do something like that?
She took a step forward, closed her eyes, and began to sing.
The spirits froze. Some drifted toward her. Others just sat there, staring. But she kept singing the most soothing song she could think of. More spirits came toward her. Some landed on her arms. Others in her hands. One even landed on her head, and she swore she could feel it flop onto its side. Could spirits sleep? Did it matter? No, She decided as she drifted back toward Thresh’s home. She had the spirits. Nothing else mattered.
The surprised look on Thresh’s face when she returned was more than enough. “You have the voice of an angel,” He conceded. “If such a thing exists.”
She held the spirits out with as much pride as she could muster. “I got them.”
“That you did,” He said. “Seeing my children returned to me brings greater joy than you could imagine.” She paused for a moment as his hands drifted over the souls. “Something is on your mind.”
“What are you?”
He chuckled. “I suppose that is a fair question to ask.” He took a step back and met her gaze. “I am a denizen of this world your people call the spirit realm. Some see me as a guardian. But…” He shook his head. “I see myself as much more than that. I’m a caretaker to these spirits… a father, if you well. And many are lost like yourself.”
“But I’m different… right?”
“That you are,” He said as his head tilted. “Though I am not sure how just yet.” His smile faded and he sighed. “But I’m afraid we have bigger things to worry about.”
Her heart fell again. “What?”
“My lantern has been stolen,” He said. “Without it, I cannot guide my spirits home.” He gestured to the other lanterns. “As you can see, the river is no longer lit as each of them draws on my own powers. But… without my lantern.” His expression turned angry. “My most treasured possession…”
“I’ll find it,” She said.
His anger faded, replaced by surprise. “You would do that for me?”
She nodded. “Where do you remember seeing it last?”
“I was walking through the woods near here,” He said. “Maybe you can find it there.”
She gave a small, encouraging smile. “I won’t let you down.”
Wandering back into the forest wasn’t so scary the third time. She liked to think she’d gotten used to the strange fauna around her. She walked with confidence, eyes scanning her surroundings as well as she could. But every direction she looked, she saw nothing. She frowned, stopping in the center of a large clearing. How long had she been walking for? Now that she was thinking about it, she felt like she’d been walking for hours. Maybe even days. Now she had to find the lantern. Without it, she wasn’t certain she would find her way back.
Would the fox come and save her? She highly doubted it after all that had happened.
A rustle in the trees caught her attention. She spun around, but a chuckle echoed behind her. When she turned again, it moved to the side. She scowled, but the cackling only got louder. Was a spirit messing with her? She wished she had asked Thresh more questions before coming out here. Or maybe Ahri. Hadn’t she mentioned other spirits? It was difficult to remember after all this time spent wandering through nothing.
Then, she saw it; the purple lantern she’d been looking for. Unfortunately, it was in the grip of a small, brown racoon… thing. It was dressed in purple and yellow striped pants with a pink rope wrapped around his little waist. The large, straw hat on his head was tied to his chin with a blue ribbon, and held a flute in its pudgy little hands. Or maybe it was a blow gun? She didn’t want to wait around to find out. “Hello… little guy,” She said, taking a small step forward. He didn’t move, but she swore she heard more obnoxious laughter in the trees. “Can I get that lantern from you?”
The creature said nothing. The lantern didn’t move. When she reached for it, his eyes snapped open as he yanked it away. “Wait!” She said. “I need that!”
He peered at her, his smile returning as he sat the lantern back down. Then, he threw a hand out, palm open. She stared at it for the briefest moments, then moved without thinking, throwing out two fingers. The creature burst into laughter. “You win!” He yelled. “Enjoy the lantern!” Then he scurried off, his laughter echoing far off into the night.
She stared at the spot he’d left. “Thanks?” She said to nothing before shaking her head and picking up the lantern. It glowed brighter in her hands, greeting her the only way a lantern could. Then, it popped out of her hand and landed a few feet away. “Why didn’t you just do that from the beginning?” She said. “You don’t even need me!”
But the lantern just hopped away, leaving her to trudge after it, the echoes of the creature’s laughter still ringing in her ears.
Thresh had been grateful for the lantern, but he didn’t truly approach her until a few days later when she returned from her fourth incursion into the forest. She didn’t have many spirits this time, but he looked far happier than she thought he should have. She had technically failed in her mission today. Ahri had gotten away with significantly more than her, taunting her all the while.
“I’m glad one of us is in a good mood,” She muttered as she handed over the relatively few spirits she had.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” He said, sweeping his hand out over the river. “It’s been restored, all thanks to your hard work.”
She smiled softly. “We did it together.”
He chuckled. “I suppose.” He shook his head as he ushered the spirits into the closest lantern. She was caught off guard when he met her gaze again, as his purple skin had turned a deep shade of pink. Was he truly embarrassed? She couldn’t remember if she’d ever seen him like that before. “My little lost one,” He said as he caught himself, his skin returning to normal. “You mean the world to me.”
It was her turn to blush. “I’m just doing my job.”
He shook his head. “Come now… I’ve never shown anyone this before.”
She tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
He shook his head, smiling gently. “Trust me. For you it’s the least I can do.” He turned away, walking proudly toward the gate as he left his lantern behind. This time, it let her grab it, choosing instead to yank her along with as much excitement as a sentient lantern could muster. As she passed the gate, a light blinded her. “It’s alright,” Thresh’s voice said. “Just give it some time.”
When she blinked, she gasped. There he stood, his purple skin tone replaced by a pale, human one. His mask was gone, and she could see the small smirk he gave her in its full glory. The lantern floated beside him with cards instead of chain links hovering like some kind of archway above Thresh himself. His white hair had turned purple, falling in long bangs that reached nearly to his chest. Behind him was a screen with a beautiful, mountainous landscape with a yellow dawn and green bonsai trees. “Welcome to my sanctuary,” He said with a genuine grin. She stared at him, mouth open as she tried to figure out what to say. He blinked, and his smile wavered. “Is everything alright?”
“You’re…” She swallowed, blushing. “Very handsome.”
His smile returned, but it was much softer this time. “You are the true beauty of this realm.”
Her eyes widened at that as her face lit on fire. He chuckled, clearly aware. “Do you like my sanctuary?”
“Yes,” she said. “It’s genuinely amazing.”
He moved forward a step. “You have shown me much kindness over our time together.” He looked back for a moment, before meeting her eyes again. “This is where I share my most intimate moments… and I will admit, I have never brought someone in here to see it, especially not a human.” He took her hand, his blush returning. “Thank you, little lost one, for everything you have done for me. I hope to repay your generosity some day.”
She smiled, squeezing his hand. “I’d be happy to talk for awhile, if you’re interested.”
His voice lowered. “I’d be happy to listen to your voice every day of my life if you would permit me to.”
“And you say I flatter you.”
He chuckled as he gestured to a pair of mats. “Will you join me? I’d love to hear what kind of stories you can remember.”
So she did.
On her seventh foray into the forest, she met a wanderer. And, in hindsight, that was probably the only reason she hadn’t just stormed right off a cliff.
Thresh had been irritated that morning due to no fault of her own. Yet he’d snapped at her when she’d come home with a few less spirits than she had hoped for. I’ve done this every day and you're complaining now? She had said, exasperated.
You can do better, He’d snapped back.
You’re lucky I’m helping you at all.
Is that so? Then you’re lucky I’ve let you in at all.
She’d stormed out after that, hurt and furious. And maybe he had called for her to come back once or twice, but she didn’t care. No. She was too angry for that. Too furious at him after days - months? - of doing his job to be treated like that.
Stupid… handsome… demon… man.
She stopped at the edge of the forest, surprised to see brighter colors. Had she actually reached another forest? She thought he would be trapped in Thresh’s home forever. Could she really just walk away? She didn’t have her map anymore, so she had no idea where she might end up. The last thing she needed was to try running away, only to end up with a much more dangerous spirit, or back to an angry Thresh.
Bold of her to assume she wouldn’t come back to an angry Thresh already. But that was his fault. Not hers.
She scowled and took many strides forward, her eyes planted firmly on the ground.Why had they fought over something so stupid? Maybe she’d assumed too much. She had thought they were closer now. He had, afterall, shown her his “sacred room” as he called it. He’d shown her his human form- something which was, quite frankly, needlessly attractive- and continued inviting her in to rest. But now he was turning cold again? Now he was upset that she’d gotten a few less spirits than normal? Now he didn’t want her around?
And now here she was, rushing right out of his domain with nowhere else to go.
A hand pressed against her forehead, stopping her in her tracks. “Going somewhere?” A man said. She looked up, surprised to see a pale man with his ridiculously long, white hair tied back with a pink flower band. He had a sheathe on his hip, but held his blade over his shoulder with a turquoise arm that reminded her of Ahri’s tails. He was chewing on a leaf of some kind, and dressed in puffy black pants, sandals, and a vest that showed off his rather impressive physique.
“Yes,” She said.
He didn’t let go. “Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“I would suggest not wandering through this place,” He said. “You’re lucky you didn’t run into one of the… unsavory types.”
She raised an eyebrow. “And you’re… not?”
He scoffed as he pulled his hand away. “Hardly. I’m just a wandering spirit.”
“... Didn’t you just tell me not to wander?”
“But I have a sword.”
She scowled again. “Fair enough.”
He tilted his head. “Something on your mind?”
Yes, was what she wanted to say. Things had been going well with Thresh as far as she knew. Ever since she brought his lantern back, the two had been getting along. He conversed with her like an equal. She was no longer afraid he was going to try and flay her and stuff her body into a lantern. They weren’t any closer to figuring out who she was or where she was meant to be going, but they were at least friends.
Or she thought they were. The last time she’d come back from collecting some of his wandering children he’d been rather cold to her, as if she was nothing more than a grunt. They’d argued about it and… well…
She sighed. “I suppose.”
He watched her for a long moment. She fidgeted, wondering if she should turn around and hope the lantern was there to guide her back, or ask this stranger to lead her somewhere else. But then, he sighed, took a step back to sheath his sword, then sat down. “My name is Yasuo,” He said, beckoning to the ground in front of him. “And I find that meditation solves many problems.”
She couldn’t stop the eye roll. “I’m not sure this is a meditation problem.”
“Humor me.”
Eventually, she did. But she was restless. Her mind kept wandering back to the forest behind her. Back to the spirits roaming around. To Ahri. To Thresh. To the other tales she’d read about or heard since she’d arrived. She quickly found herself taping her fingers on her knees, staring at his calm, motionless pose as if it would help.
He opened one eye in annoyance. “That’s not meditating.”
“There’s too much on my mind.”
“That’s what the meditation is for.”
She sighed again, trying her best to breathe. It only kind of worked. After another minute or two, he opened his eyes, releasing a long breath before he smiled. “Feeling better?” She nodded miserably and he laughed. “Talking, then. Will that help?”
“I don’t want to bother you.”
“I’m already sitting, am I not?”
“True but…”
“Go on,” He said. “Whatever’s on your mind.”
“... What would you do if…” She hesitated. “If you felt like someone you really cared about… didn’t care for you in the same way?”
His smile retreated, and she instantly regretted her question. When she started to retract it, he held his hand up and shook his head. “I may not understand exactly what you’re going through,” He said. “But I have experienced something similar with my brother, Yone. The two of us… well… our relationship is complicated.” He rested his blade in his lap. “I’ve been searching for him for years, hoping that maybe his soul found rest after our battle so long ago. But I don’t know what I would do if I found him. I don’t know how he feels anymore. Maybe he hates me. Maybe he doesn’t remember a thing. It’s impossible for me to know.”
“So…”
“So you know where this person is, right?” He said. “You can talk to them?”
“Well, yes but…”
“Then talk to them.” He said. “And do it soon, because I promise that you will regret it if you wait too long.”
After a pensive moment, she nodded. “I’ll try my best.”
His smile returned. “Good. Now meditate before you go back.”
“But you just told me not to wait!”
“Whoever it is can wait for five minutes while you get your thoughts together.”
“You don’t know that.”
He snorted. “Then I personally promise to escort you back to wherever you want to go if it doesn’t work out.”
She paused. There it was again. Another option. Another way out. Another chance to return to the life she couldn’t remember. And yet it… bothered her. The idea of leaving things the way they were… of leaving Thresh in his weakness… Even despite his cold demeanor, she wanted to help.
A demon that’s ensnared your heart.
She sighed as she sat up straighter and cleared her throat. “Fine,” She said. “Five minutes.”
“No more,” He said. “And no less.”
She found Thresh waiting when she returned. His lantern and chain hung nearby a surprising distance away from Thresh himself. Had he been waiting for her? She didn’t know why. She assumed he hated her now.
“Lost one,” He said stiffly
“Thresh,” She said. “Is…” She paused. “Is everything alright?”
“No,” He said. But he didn’t sound angry. He sounded almost… scared. She moved closer, hesitant. His eyes didn’t leave hers, and she soon found herself standing directly in front of him. “I… lost you.”
She stared at him. “That is all I am,” She whispered. “A lost one.”
He shook his head. “My actions have been… unbecoming of me. I sincerely apologize if I hurt you.” He reached toward her cheek, but froze and pulled away.
“You didn’t…” She sighed. “I was just… I don’t know. Everything’s so confusing and I just… I thought that maybe we…” She trailed off and refocused her thoughts. Then, she smiled at him. “Why don’t we sit down out here?”
He blinked. “What?”
“Have you ever just put your feet in the river?” She peeled off her shoes and sat them down beside her. “Is it cold? Warm? Anything you want it to be?”
His confusion turned to amusement. “I’ve never thought about it.”
“Well let's try it together.” She sat on the edge of the walkway, feet crossed as she stared into the river. It was clearer than she expected it to be. Even more surprising was the fact that she could see koi fish swimming along the rocks, just underneath the surface. Slowly, she unfolded her legs and gently placed her toe in the water. It was warm as if the sun had been brightly shining on it for most of the day. Except there wasn’t a traditional sun in Thresh’s domain, and the fact that the water was warm at all was almost as big of a conundrum as her own arrival. “Come on,” She said, looking up with as wide of a smile as she could manage. “Unless you’re afraid of a little water.”
Thresh scoffed. “I do not fear such trivial things.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” She dropped her second foot into the water, sighing in content as a few of the koi fish swam up around it. “Your river really is beautiful. I’m surprised you don’t enjoy it more.”
Finally, he sat down beside her. “I’ve never had a reason to,” He said.
“No interesting visitors?”
“You’ve been the first.”
She blushed, staring down at the water. “I don’t know… Ahri’s pretty interesting.”
“We used to be friends,” Thresh said. “But our paths… diverged.”
“Now you’re fighting over spirits.”
“Something like that.” As she met his gaze again, he leaned in. She felt his breath warm on her lips as he brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. “Lost one,” He murmured. “You… you are different than anyone I’ve met.”
She chuckled. “But we knew that already.”
He brushed through her hair. “Different than that.”
“But that’s why you showed me this form, right?” She said. “Because you trust me more than you’ve trusted anyone else.”
“And I haven’t shown it well,” He admitted. “I suppose I’ve been… scared of you.” He chuckled, but it was quiet and hollow. “How ironic that this old spirit would be afraid of something like this. Someone like you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Should I be offended?”
“On the contrary,” He said. “You should be proud. You’ve managed to confuse me. I didn’t believe that was possible.”
“Maybe you haven’t lived long enough.”
He laughed at that; loud and genuine. His face flushed a bright red as his ears shifted downward. He brushed a finger under her chin, lifting it ever so gently. “You are entrancing,” He said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. And instead of giving him a simple answer, she did the only thing she could think of.
She kissed him.
She thought he might recoil. Maybe even push her away. Her heart swelled when he leaned in with a tenderly surprising amount of eagerness. His lips were silky smooth, moving against hers so perfectly its like they were made for each other. One of his hands found their way to her hips and she turned toward him, wrapping an arm over his shoulder. It wasn’t particularly comfortable, so she pulled away from a moment, ignored his quizzical expression, and turned to face him fully. “Lo-?”
She kissed him again before he had a chance to speak, content when he relaxed back into it, as if she’d never left. She didn’t remember when he turned to better face her, nor did she remember why she ended up across his lap. She might have thought herself entrapped by his touch- ensnared by a demon - but she didn’t care. She just wanted him close. Wanted to feel his lips on hers until the end of time.
I’ve gone mad. She thought. But it didn’t matter.
He pulled away and placed a finger on her lips before she could chastise him for it. The fingers of his other hand intertwined with hers as he pressed their foreheads together. His breathing was as labored as hers. Their hearts were beating in sync- final proof that he did indeed have one. “Will you come with me?” He said, his voice quiet. She nodded once, and he whisked her away.
The eighth time she entered the forest was the first time she met death.
She’d been rightfully distracted, wandering the woods with Thresh’s sentient lantern bouncing around. She’d tried using his hook, but she was such a terrible shot that they’d both agreed that her singing tactic was significantly more effective. Thresh had promised her that he was almost strong enough to leave his home, but she’d seen the agony in his face when he’d stepped just a foot away from the river.
Their last conversation had been short and sweet, but painful all the same. He’d spoken so calmly, yet the sadness in his voice had rattled her. It was a different kind of sadness. One born of loneliness that he didn’t quite know how to explain. He’d tried to let it go. Tried to turn the conversation back to her. You have done enough, lost one. Yet she kept going back. Time and time again she returned to his side with more spirits. More of his children clung to her now, entranced by her constant humming.
But her throat was starting to burn with exhaustion. Time was, as the fox said, a finicky thing. She had no idea how long she’d been gone, and still no idea of where she had come from. All she knew is that she wasn’t a spirit. At least, not a traditional spirit. She was immune to Thresh’s lantern. Immune to Ahri’s charm. She’d heard stories of a snake lady that turned humans to stone and wandering spirits that were claimed by obsession or sadness. Thresh told her all of these things, and she had no reason to doubt him.
You’re not alone, she had said. I’ll help you.
I cannot ask any more of you.
But that’s what friends are for, right?
Friends… She still remembered the blank expression he had given her, as if the word didn’t exist. Despite his interactions with other spirits, he’d never had a true friend. At least, he hadn’t considered any of them to be. Or maybe she’d read his expression entirely wrong. Surely he thought they were friends at the very least after all they’d been through together. Just all they’d done together was probably far beyond the friend category. But she never pushed it. He was an old spirit, after all. Maybe things just worked differently in his world. .
A loud growl broke her from her thoughts. She jerked back, the lantern bouncing to her side. Once it landed, it flopped over, lying lifeless in the dirt. “Helpful,” She muttered as she picked it up. Another growl shuddered through her bones. A white cloud sprung out of the bushes, and a grinning wolf face formed on the front. She screamed as it snapped inches from her face. She barely managed to hold onto the lantern as she finally hit the ground. But the wolf chased right after, howling in triumph. “YES.” A deep voice said. “WOLF KNEW HE SMELLED SOMETHING TASTY!” His gruff laughter made her cringe. “ARE YOU GOING TO RUN? WOLF LOVES A GOOD CHASE!”
“Now, Wolf,” A calmer, feminine voice said. A short girl with long purple hair hopped out of the bushes. Two horns curled off the side of her head, and her white and pink furred outfit covered every inch of her body. On her face was a white mask with red painted around the stilted eyes. “You shouldn’t be so loud! I found you already!” The girl giggled as she tossed her light blue bow into the air, twirled, and caught it with ease.
The wolf pouted, his ears sagging against his head. “WOLF WAS DISTRACTED.”
“So you want to play again?”
“WOLF WILL WIN THIS TIME.”
“Maaaaybe,” The girl said. Then she looked over in her direction. “Oh? Did Wolf find a new friend?”
Wolf’s pout turned to a wide smile. “WOLF FOUND A SNACK.”
“No,” The girl said. “You found a human! What are you doing in the spirit realm?”
Human. She hadn’t been entirely certain before, but she couldn’t deny the relief she felt at hearing that alone. She didn’t belong here. Not entirely. “I don’t know,” She said. “I woke up on a beach, wandered my way up here, and haven’t been able to go home since.” She didn’t mention that she had yet to remember where home was or what it even looked like.
“Well, human,” The girl said. “I am Lamb, and this is Wolf. Together, we are known as Kindred.”
Kindred. She thought the name sounded familiar, but she wasn’t certain. Maybe she heard it in a story back at her home? “And what are you, Kindred?”
“A spirit,” Lamb said. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. I could’ve guessed that much. But Lamb’s pose shifted. Her back straightened. Both of her pointed feet touched the ground. She tugged at the strings of her bow. If she could see Lamb’s face, she guessed it would be something close to concern. “Be careful, human.” Lamb said. “Death lingers in your footsteps.”
“WOLF GETS TO CHASE THE HUMAN?” Wolf said, mouth opening wider than before.
“No,” Lamb says. “Her end has not yet come.”
“Death lingers?” She said. Was it because of Thresh? She’d been around so many spirits, so surely that must be it. There were a dozen or more of them clinging to her now, despite the lack of a song. But she could feel a few of them trembling the longer she stood there.
“WOLF RECOGNIZE SPIRITS,” he said. “WOLF HUNTED A FEW. CAN WOLF CHASE THEM AGAIN?”
She took a step back. “I’m returning these spirits to Thresh.”
Lamb’s stillness was eerie. “I see,” She said. “Then it is best we do not keep you.” She turned away. “Come on, Wolf. Maybe you’ll win this time.”
“WOLF WILL BE QUIETEST WOLF THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN.”
“Wait!” She yelled. “What did you mean?”
Lamb looked back “Be careful, human,” She said. “Your kind does not last long here.” When she turned back, the pair vanished into the wind.
Lamb’s words haunted her for days - Weeks? Months? - after they met. She tried not to show it, but fear had slowly begun to wrap around her heart, far more painful than anything Thresh could have done. She didn’t stray too far from his home, calling to spirits that were close. She saw Ahri in the distance, stealing away the ones that she couldn’t reach. Thresh never blamed her for losing his children, nor did he ever seem upset. If anything, he seemed worried, even though he tried not to show it.
Death lingers…
“What is bothering you, lost one?”
He was close when he spoke, his warm breath gentle on her neck. She bristled in surprise before taking a slow deep breath and turning to face him. “I met someone,” She said. “They called themselves Kindred.”
His eyes narrowed. “The spirit of death.”
Her breath caught. She tried to dismiss it, but she knew that he noticed. “They didn’t tell me that part.”
“What did they tell you?”
“Death lingers everywhere I go.” She looked away, fingers clenching at her sides. She knew she couldn’t hide her fear. Not anymore. The idea of dying now terrified her. She still hadn’t made it home. She still didn’t remember it. But a part of her had grown to accept it, as her time with him had been surprisingly rewarding. How far they had come from strangers close to death to something much, much more. “Something’s wrong with me, isn’t it?”
Thresh frowned. “There’s nothing wrong with you, lost one.”
“Why would she say that?” She said. “The spirit of death told me…”
“You have nothing to fear,” Thresh interrupted. “Your spirit is strong.”
“But I'm not a spirit,” She said. “Is that what’s wrong? Am I… is my mortal body slipping away?”
Thresh hesitated as he reached for her hand. But instead of brushing her fingers, he went right through. She jerked away and stared at her flickering form. It solidified a moment later, but it was enough to rip her heart out of her chest. “I’m fading.”
“I will figure something out,” Thresh said.
“I need to go home.”
The pain on his face made her ache to fix it. “If you were anyone else, I would seek to… persuade you otherwise. But…” He sighed. “I understand.”
A screech outside startled them both. Thresh whirled around, his demon form reappearing in a flash. “Azakana,” He said. “What are they doing here?”
“What?”
“Demons,” He said. “They attack lost souls before I can rescue them.”
“But I’ve been gathering all the souls I can!”
His expression turned grim. “There is one lost soul remaining,” He grabbed his lantern and chain. “Stay here.”
“Wait,” She grabbed his arm. “Don’t go.”
“I am a spirit of this world,” He said. “The Azakana cannot hurt me.”
The door burst in before he could move. A black figure moved with blinding speed, but Thresh was faster, hooking the creature out of the sky and tearing it apart. More flooded the room, rushing straight for her. He struck them all down, his hook moving with expert precision. Soon, the dark creatures turned on him. One slipped through, slicing through his side before he struck it down. He grunted, killing that one as another surged up onto the roof. Blood pooled at his feet. Three large shadows launched his way. One vanished as the hook cut through. Another disappeared into the lantern. But the third dove straight at his heart.
She moved before she thought about it, leaping in front of him. Something like a blade stabbed through her stomach. She heard a scream before she realized it was her own. The creature was torn to shreds a moment later, but she collapsed. He caught her as more shadows flooded the room. His eyes turned red. He snapped into his demonic form. Lights burst from his lantern, filling the room in an instant. The shadowy creatures shrieked, all turning to dust. Spirits rushed from the room. The lights dimmed. She wondered how many of his children he’d let go to do such a thing… how much he’d lost in an attempt to save her life.
“Lost one,” He whispered, trying not to move her. “Don’t… Hold on.”
She flinched when she tried to nod. “Thresh…”
“I should thank you,” Thresh said, his hand gentle on hers. “You’ve done things for me that no one else ever has… or ever would.”
“That’s what friends are for, right?” She said breathing heavily. The pain in her stomach was astronomical. The blood was sticky on her fingers. The wound was bad. She didn’t have much time left.
“Friends…” He trailed off with a light blush on his cheeks. But his eyes were glistening. Tears? Impossible. He was a spirit of this world. Another spirit of death, right? Or something like that? She was struggling to remember as the world faded away. “No… you’re more than that.” He said as his arms wrapped around her. His hand pressed on hers, and she flinched. “This isn’t… your end.”
“I’m afraid that’s not your decision to make,” A soft, childlike voice said. Kindred. “It is her end.”
“No,” Thresh said. “She is not of this world. This wound is not…”
“Her soul is torn,” Kindred said. “Her life is over. Now she must choose; run, or accept it.”
“RUN!” Wolf howled. “WOLF LIKES WHEN THINGS RUN. WOLF GET TO CHASE.”
“She is not yours to take!” Thresh snapped.
“She is not yours to keep,” Lamb said.
“She is mine,” He said. “She is… my…” She was surprised when he choked on his words. There were tears in his eyes. He’s nothing more than a demon whose ensnared you Ahri had said. But a demon like him shouldn’t be able to cry… right? An old spirit like him shouldn’t be crying over a lost soul like her.
“It’s okay, Thresh,” She said.
“No!” He said. “You’re… you’re mine.”
She tried to smile. “Just another lost soul?”
“You’re more to me than that,” He said. “You’ve shown me life. Happiness. You’re more than… a friend...”
“It is her choice,” Lamb said solemnly.
She reached up and brushed his cheek. “It’s okay,” She repeated. “You have to let me go.”
His eyes slammed shut as he lowered his head to meet hers. “I don’t know what will happen to you,” He said. “No human has ever died in the spirit realm.”
“I’ll remember you,” She said. “I promise.”
She didn’t hear his response. All she heard was Lamb whispering her name as the world faded away.
When she woke again, it was under a golden tree. “Well, well,” Ahri’s voice said as her fox form peered over her, amused as usual. “It seems you really did meet your end. Or is it your beginning? I still don’t know, but I suppose it doesn’t matter.”
“Where am I?”
“The same place you’ve always been,” Ahri said. “Or somewhere new!”
She scowled as she sat up, eyes locked on the beautiful leaves above her. “What is this?”
“This is a special tree,” Ahri said. “Here, you can collect spirit petals and give them to the spirit that cannot collect their own.” Her tails flicked from side to side. “I wonder who you’ll choose.”
“But I’m dead, am I not?”
Ahri sighed, but it was whimsical. “Take a petal and follow me.”
She did as she was told, reaching for the closest petal she could. It broke off perfectly into her hand and solidified, like a piece of gold meant just for her. Ahri wandered away, humming to herself. She followed after the fox down the hill. They entered a forest, but Ahri didn’t stop. She broke into a sprint, the petal held tightly in her palm. Ahri seemed to move faster and faster, leaping through the trees and jumping over everything she could. But she ran just as fast, nearly catching up. The forest turned dark. The light faded away. Ahri stopped at the clearing, and she slowed to meet her.
“It’s your choice,” Ahri said. “I can lead you to the light, where your soul will be safe. Or, you can return to him, and hope he sees you for who you really are.”
Thresh. “How long has it been?”
Ahri shrugged. “Days? Months? Years? Time is finicky in this world remember? Maybe he’ll remember you. Maybe he won’t. If he chooses to lock you away, I cannot save you.” Ahri turned away, her tail brushing under the woman’s chin. “Whatever you choose, spirit… I do sincerely wish you the best.” Then, the fox left, disappearing back into the trees. She stopped once, letting her tails fan out, beckoning the spirit toward the light.
But the woman smiled, clutching the petal, and shook her head. Ahri nodded in understanding and disappeared. The light vanished, leaving her alone along the river. She could see Thresh’s home in the distance, lit up by the lanterns along the side. She took a step forward, the petal in her hand glowing brighter with each step. He appeared under the archway, his human self barely more than a memory. He wore his mask like he had when they first met. She couldn’t see his expression, but she could see his beady red eyes as he reached for his hook. “It’s me,” She whispered, but he didn’t respond.
A prickle of fear cascaded through her. It was over. He’d never remember.
You have the voice of an angel, if such a thing exists…
She began to sing; the same, soft melody she’d sang for his children before. He froze, eyes widening. The grip on his chain faltered. His lantern sank to the ground. His mask vanished, leaving behind the human face she’d come to love. “Lost one,” He whispered as she approached him.
“It’s me,” She whispered as she held the petal out. “I’m here… I didn’t forget.”
“It’s been too long.” He said..
“Only a moment for me,” She whispered.
He took the petal. “This warms my heart,” He whispered, caressing her face. “Maybe it was I who was lost the whole time.”
She smiled, taking his hand. “Not any longer.”
“No,” He said. “And neither are you.”
#Zenni-Writes#league of legends#LOL#Spirit Blossom#Thresh#Ahri#Teemo#Kindred#Yasuo#Third-Person Reader#Reader#ThreshxReader#one shot
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Empathy for the Devil Re-Read: Chapter 7
It’s the final countdown! (but not really cause this is only Part Oooooone)
Doo-dee-doo-doo
Flash gave her a chance. And then after everything she’d done, knowing that darkness in her better than anyone, he told her that she’d deserved a second. It was why she’d defend the kid in everything—
The goodest of good boys.
He really is like a hobbit. Lil’ chubby, wants to help his friends but feels too powerless to be able to, believes the good in folks and gives them a chance. He's a cinnamon roll of the highest order.
Twilight being a parallel of the person who never really gave Flash closure.
Huh... Flash DID want to come to the pony party... is he really not over her? I know he probably wants to be considered part of the squad at least, but maybe he IS looking for closure. Maybe he wants to move on with Timber but can't.
WHAT IF HE GOES AND HE FINDS THE PONY VERSION OF HIMSELF
GUARDING PRINCESS TWILIGHT
WHAT IF PRINCESS TWI AND PONY FLASH ARE DATING
Get it over with, Shimmer. You’ve got this. Friendship is magic and whatever.
But also like, you know you can't force it right? Sure there's merit in forcing yourself into a thing and then going along with it, and having it be more real as you go along, but like, don't turn this into another Wallflower.
...trip with Princess Celestia to Thicket, the kingdom of the deer.
COMIC CANON
IT'S THERE
THAT MEANS THIS GUY HERE COULD BE THE GOOD KING SOMBRA VER. THAT CELESTIA IS IN LOVE WITH OR A VARIATION THEREOF.
CONSPIRACY THEORY TIME
WHAT IF THIS PRINCIPAL CELESTIA IS THE REAL CELESTIA AND THEY SWAPPED FOR A TIME OR SOMETHING
I DUNNO I WAS THERE FOR A LIVE VOICE ACTOR PANEL AT BRONYCON AND THEY VOICE ACTED A STORY ABOUT THAT
REBECCA SHIOCHET WAS THERE AND NICOLE OLIVER AND ALUMX AS THE OTHER CELESTIA IT WAS GREAT
I'm sorry that's kinda less relevant but now you know where this idea came from
I know it’s pretty out there, but what if they did just switch for a time long enough for Celestia and Sombra to figure out how to handle this whole magic affecting the school thing? And it’s secretly Sunset’s Celestia looking out for her for the last year she’d be at school?
That’d be nice
But really it wouldn’t make as much sense or be fair to the other students. Then again, this Celestia might know pony-Twilight well enough to understand what SciTwi is going through and be able to help better.
Uh, well, music is kind of more my thing. And baking. Sometimes knitting. Um. I’m not really a sports guy.” He winced, pushing his mouth to the side. “I guess you can sort of tell, huh?”
Absolutely precious boy. Must protect at all costs.
Well, that, and you’re both big gay dorks.” Saying it out loud brought the connection together in her mind, and she frowned. “Wait, does that mean I have a type?”
Sunset taking the words out of everyone's mouths.
Also yes Sunny, yes you do. You like the adorkable cinnamon rolls that make you want to make the world a better place.
Rainbow Dash lost the remainder of her mind
Absolutely love this bit too
“Somebody score a goal! You’re killing me over here! Wait, no, not the other team—not the other team! I shouldn’t have to say that!”
You jinxed it
Hollow Shades Bats
Chant it with me boys and gals and nonbinary pals! - “STOP THE BATS. STOP THE BATS. MAKE THEM GO AND NOT COME BACK”
Honestly Fleetfloot is the real MVP. Like the Carey Price of soccer.
The rest of their friends joined after that, and the home crowd picked it up fast. Soon, half a hundred voices barked back into the night and Sunset shot Timber two thumbs up.
What a great leader ;)
The song changed over the speakers: a guitar led the charge.
Guitar eh? Makin’ him think of the bf? Also, does Timber really thrive on that kind of support? Essentially what Flash is really good at?
...I’ve ever made besides my dog Spike, but Timber was the first friend I made myself, all on my own. He made it easy.” Flash’s smile melted. “Yeah. He’ll do that.”
I'm so proud. They're so proud too
Guess it can be called gay pride
Sunset’s voice possibly the loudest among them as her fists shot up into the air
Throwing in a lot of pent up emotions there I’m sure.
Rainbow Dash jumped up and down, saying, “I knew you could do it!”
OKAY THERE RAINBOW, SURE YA DID
being treated like the school hero, hoisted up, patted on the back, and splashed with the sports drink from the team’s cooler.
Honestly must be a unique experience for him. He doesn't go to school, or really have the same amount of social interaction that the others do per se. He's a camp counselor sure, but like, that's coordinating and guiding activities and stuff. He kind of lives in a separate world.
I’m a recruiter from Nightfall Reach Military Academy and I must say, you’d make a great soldier…”
Nightfall Reach? Hmm
I'm not familiar with the name... kinda sketchy and ominous...
Remember Reach
...the cat quite literally came phasing through the window from the fire escape and hopped down as if nothing extraordinary happened.
Very cat like. Absolutely gives no shits about it like:
"Yeah I got god powers and bathe myself with my tongue and demand mac and cheese and kisses from mommy. So what?"
...her clothes were a bit loose on Twilight, but not comically so
Sunset would make a good big spoon for the gf. Perfect for cuddling
He waved like the queen, telling passersby, “Thanks! Go Wondercolts!
Like, honestly, I don't think he would've had the chance for this kind of attention. As a counselor, you kinda support everyone else's fun right? It's not about you, its about facilitating the fun. So Tim's got some great opportunities to get the chance to be loved.
Still, even if all the students here were especially sensitive, Sunset frowned. That was a lot of sensitivity…
Surprise! Everyone's got mental health issues and we just don't talk about it or have the opportunity to do it with a pro.
Solstice flinched back to the point that his coffee narrowly avoided a spill, plopping back into his mug.
Oh so he moved half a millimeter?
Lol seriously. What the fuck is water physics. Hot drink physics especially. I take half a step with an open cup and it's fucking everywhere.
No I'm not a bumbling oaf I'm just bullied by Murphy’s Law.
Okay maybe I bumble a little bit but I also exist in a state of permanent exhaustion so fuck you.
He attempted to steady his hand with the other. “A demon?”
Wallflower had an almost catlike ability to slink past crowds unnoticed, and in this case the girl managed to get to the sign-up sheet in all the commotion. Impressive, really.
She'd make a good spy. JUNIPER, GET ON IT! MAKE HER THE NEXT BOND!
It’s what happens whenever magic turns someone into a dark reflection of themselves, but... you don’t really need to transform into a demon for that.” Sunset’s heart plunged into icy rapids. She thought Wallflower knew she could talk to her friends if she needed help coming to terms with what happened vis-a-vis the Memory Stone. More accurately and importantly, Sunset thought Wallflower already had.
Ayyyy, friends is good and all, but that mitigates the problem only so much
Us demons have to stick together, right?”
I guess you could call that... "Empathy for the Devil"
It sounds like you’ve all been through a lot. That must be hard to deal with.”
What a good guy. I mean, he appears good and I don't want him to be bad. It WOULD be scary to find out that a good counselor is an evil villain.’
I know I’ve generally been on his side for most things, but it wouldn’t just be scary, it would be absolutely terrifying. Imagine that, someone who everyone who goes to and tell their deepest darkest fears and secrets. Shit that someone like Sombra and the Nightmare Forces/Umbrum from the comics (which are canon in this story!) would absolutely thrive on. Convert everyone into a demon. Hell, maybe it did? Maybe that part with Luna earlier was actual foreshadowing? Like this is all CONSPIRACY THEORY shit, but the more I think about it the more I fear it may be true.
Going off of that idea, its not unfounded since therapists and mental health professionals themselves are only human too. They’d be vulnerable to human biases and errors. I recall after some brief research into paranoid delusions, that one patient a therapist had actually managed to convince the therapist what was happening to them was real. It was only a discussion with another therapist that brought them back to reality.
So Solstice could be a true and valid counselor, but he could also be a bad counselor. Bad evil. Which would technically also make him bad-sucky.
You’re allowed to go to different therapists to find one that suits you. But in a school, well... it’s free, and principal-seduced approved, and it’s right there. AND IT’S A MAGIC-SPECIALIZED SERVICE, uniquely suited to the needs of the school. It’s a recipe for disaster. Who knows if even Sunset herself is potentially affected by the Umbrum and doesn’t know it?
...Sunset look feral and at no point did contracting rabies cross her mind as something to be worried about—until now.
Oh myyyy goooood
Seeing her, Flash made a high-pitched whine that didn’t sound too different from the yelp Spike made whenever someone stepped on his tail.
OH MYY GOOOOOOOD
He really is just a sweet lil’ pubby
“Don’t you just love the smell of testosterone and puberty in the morning?”
"Smells like, gay..."
"Someday this year's gonna end."
Twilight gasped. “Timber Brambleton Spruce! Cut class? Cut class?!”
BRAMBLETON
What other middle names are out there? Twilight Star Sparkle? Sunset Dark’ness Dementia Raven Shimmer?
Groaning like he was in serious physical pain, Flash buried his flushed face into his other hand in one large full-body wince. The concern really set in when she noticed his legs shaking in spasms from the knee as if he’d been locked in the walk-in freezer at Sugarcube Corner.
Honestly? What a good portrayal of how horrible this shit feels. Like, something so simple, but the dread and fear and terror just consume you. Gym class fucking sucks. Especially the culture around people who enjoy it vs people who don't and how they both get mixed together.
Really comes out in Bevin’s artwork here too. Twi in Flash’s body makes it so clear that it is in fact Twilight, but Sunset’s embarrassment and outright terror in her stance just
...huge magic disasters on the regular and you all started rushing into danger and it all sort of just caught up with me!
See also: 2020 and drinking problems
Timber smiled, albeit gently, and held out a hand. “That’s what I’ve been saying. Total hottie!”
Omg
What kind of friend missed all that? “You’ve been that stressed this whole time, and you never talked to me? I would’ve told you you’re fine.”
Friends don't know everything Sunny. That's why they gotta TALK to each other about stuff. Even more, talk to a pro when it's too much.
It clearly messed me up when she left without saying goodbye.
Twi. Princess Twi. Princess of Friendship Twilight Sparkle. Get the fuck back over here. You got more fences to amend.
but I’m no magical pony princess. I’m not eloquent. I’m not graceful. I stumble over myself just trying to get to class. I can’t imagine how someone like me could ever become someone like her,” Twilight said, holding herself. “It hasn’t been easy standing in my own shadow.” ”
LMAO
YOU GOTTA SEE THE OTHER YOU. SHE'S VIRTUALLY NONE OF THOSE THINGS. JUST HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAVE THE WORLD.
AKA. SHE GOT LUCKY.
Oh don’t forget blundering!” Timber chimed in. “It’s super cute when you blunder.” It only just occurred to Sunset to wonder if Timber had the same type as her, even though they’d both only ever dated the same two people. So yes, she thought, he absolutely does.
Huehuehue
Wait. Why did any of these folks break up with each other in the first place? Okay yeah Sunset was technically evil, but, still. Okay not evil just had an identity crisis and was being kind of selfish, ingredients for evil and bad.
“Touch those downs.”
FUCK
That's cute. Please let this be their friendship motto saying. Every time they go into magic battle, or take a test, or they know the other's about to get laid, just like:
A fist bump and "Touch those downs"
A small, if shaky smile rose on Flash's face. "Well, it feels pretty good to get all of that out in the open. You know,” he said leaning toward the two of them, “I'd totally recommend it. Emotional openness. Making friends. Having conversations about things. It’s good stuff.” “Tcht. Read you loud and clear.” Timber clapped a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “Our turn, new best friend.”
YER GODDAMN RIGHT. THERAPIST FRIEND SQUAD ACTIVATE.
Oh no
What if Sunset and the Therapy Squad here have to do mass therapy on an entirely demonized student body/actually powerful army of teenagers, using their combined powers to reach out to everyone?
Psh that’d be too easy though, all ya gotta do is lift up Flash to them and show them all how pure he is and boom. Everyone’s like “daww, can’t be evil where there’s goodness like this in the world.”
Twilight had told her once, cuddled up to her in the aftermath of one, that it wasn’t on her or their friends to cure her anxiety, and as much as Sunset wanted to be her hero, she promised she wouldn’t try to “fix” Twilight. What she could do, though, was to understand what led to it. That in all likelihood included finding out Sunset ditched class and ruined her perfect attendance record.
FUCK YEAH HEALTHY APPROACHES TO MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.
Friends are excellent startlers. Be very afraid.”
How can you not love this boy.
“I never thought it’d be so rewarding to be behind the camera in the director’s seat, but uh, director’s seat, but uh, don’t tell my Uncle Canter I said that.”
Haha aww, you should totally tell him that tbh, its been made pretty clear by now that talking out in the open with people about how you feel is good. Usually/under reasonable conditions.
Juniper caught on and stopped the footage. “If it’s too much, absolutely let me know. I’ll make the cut. The point is to be true to the students’ real high school experience, not open old wounds. Wallflower thinks it’s healthy. And, well, I’m starting to agree. She doesn’t want to hide from who she became, and if we do this right, maybe it can be cathartic for everyone.”
Daww. She and Wallflower really do make a great pair.
Pretty girls do that.”
They doooooo.
...she had it bad.
THIRST
Mind if I steal that? It kind of seems like the least I could do is give people a pamphlet when I reshape their entire worldview with demons and magic fights
New potential career? With the help of a resident coffee addict? If it turns out he’s not evil or at least redeemable?
“As far as I can tell, yeah. There’s another Twilight, another Flash Sentry, another Celestia—”
Wait... she KNOWS there's another Flash???
Did... did she date that one too??
I obviously didn’t end up defeating her or taking my place by Celestia’s side like I thought I was destined for, but Twilight figured out how to bring Luna back instead. Worked out way better than any of us ever dreamed. But that’s Princess Twilight for you. She finds a way...”
She winced internally at the tone of her voice. What? Did she think she could have done any better? It worked out for the best without me. And I’m glad it did! Princess Celestia seems so much happier now that she has her sister back—she has a sense of humour now. Who knew she could have one of those?
She didn't have that before either???
Shit... this shit is way more serious than I thought. I guess it could’ve been because of Luna’s return but still. Imagine being raised like that. Like, Sunset seems to have been pretty much raised and groomed under Celestia to be something specific, but how different would things have turned out if her caregiver/parent figure was happier overall?
All the times well-meaning teachers, members of the royal staff, or even guardsponies told her it was too much for her got irritating after a while. She used to be able to shut them up by naturally out-performing her upperclassponies. That was an undeniable fact: Sunset Shimmer was a natural born mage.
Or was it your ability to prove them wrong? Your capacity to succeed against overwhelming odds? In less-than-ideal circumstances? You sure survived alone in the human world here. Fought back against the Dazzlings when the Rainbooms were almost defeated, against yourself and the others putting you down. Was it your resilience that got you through everything?
...where she and Princess Celestia got to spend their days ruling together.
Aww, she wasn't even looking forward to any sort of glory or anything. Just wanted to spend time with a proud mom.
It wasn’t like Sunset hadn’t given any thought to the future. Senior year wouldn’t last forever.
Mmhmmm
THE YEAR, WILL LAST, FOREVER!
WHO KNOWS WHAT HUMAN SUNSET WILL DO, OR WHERE SHE'LL BE
WHAT IF SHE'S FUCKIN DEAD
WHAT IF SHE'S IN NORTHWAY?
WHAT IF SHE'S JUST BABY RN?
WHAT IF SHE’S A STOCK MARKET TRADER WHO’S RICH BUT ALSO LIVES A HOLLOW LIFE?
What if she lives an utterly mediocre existence where she loves nothing, has no hobbies, and is wholly unsatisfied in life?
OH MY GOD WHAT IF SHE’S TRAPPED IN RETAIL HELL?
Or maybe she’s a therapist who needs to literally evaluate what’s wrong with herself?
Only time will tell. Or maybe my continued attempts at guessing will hit something eventually.
Welp, that’s all folks! For now... hope we all make it through this EftD mid-season break. Oh also the pandemic too, that’s a thing. Stay safe, and take care! Be as good to each other as Flash would be to you.
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Remus never planned on having kids, he was for all intensive purposes a gay man. That didn't stop fate from being a bitch and throwing a scared twelve year old at his feet. Well it was more like he heard crying from an alleyway through the rain and car honking.
What Remus found was a kid or a preteen curled up in a cloak speaking greek of all things. Well atleast ge knew hreek thanks to where he worked. "Uh hello I am Remus and you are?"
The kid looked up at Remus a yellow eye glowed on his face. "Don't kill me I can't do what my mother did I promise." He hissed out weakly
Poor kid looked like he hasn't eaten a good meal and uh Remus kind of stood like a deer in headlights. The kids hair was made of snakes like actual live breathing snakes. Well if he had to adopt a kid atleast it's weird. He was already going through a metal checklist in his head on what to get for him. "What's your name?"
"My name?"
"Yeah what can I call you so when I bring you home you won't be called mr preteen?"
"Lazarus mister."
"Nice to meet you now let's get you out of the rain."
......
Ok Lazarus has been in his home for about an hour now and he is still transfixed on how the lights work. "Lazarus?"
"Yes Remus?"
"What year is it?"
Lazarus blinked his human eye "it's the second reign of....."
Remus blinked and smiled internally screaming. "Right well Lazarus we aren't in Greece anymore and its 2020."
Lazarus looked confused. "Are you with the gods who sent to kill all of us?"
"What no I'm a chef. "
Remus sighed into his hands he needed help or like a week.
.....
It took three days for Lazarus to be convinced that he was in the future and not just a gods room. It took Remus a week to get a police report going then to contact social services to adopt this child.
In the end nobody wanted to deal with this kid so they just left him to Remus. Which was good don't get him wrong he just didn't expect to become a parent. He needed to find a school that will take him.
Then the glaring issue roared its ugly roar. Lazarus wasn't human. Like yeah that was an important thing but also he was still just a child and that took priority. Now the dust had settled Remus is trying to swallow the fact his new child isn't human and that was a possibility of happening.
The supernatural shouldn't exist.
.......
A rushed knock then a opening if the door as Logan stumbled inside the apartment. "Remus I got your message what's the emergency."
Remus is trying to get Lazarus's snakes into a pony tail so they won't go in his eyes he hasn't dared to ask if he could cut them like hair. He was also glad they weren't venomous like Lazarus. "Oh uh hey Logan you got here earlier then I thought.... uh just a second." He manages to get it in a somewhat functioning pony tail.
"Is this the professor?" Lazarus asks still speaking greek.
Logan blinked. "Is this the emergency because this obviously shouldn't exist gorgons went extinct back in ancient Greece."
"What?" Remus pushes Lazarus to go to his room.
"Gorgons are extinct."
"No no I got that but Logan you are a scientist why do you believe in magic and the supernatural."
"Remus I'm a witch."
Remus was at a loss and trying not to scream. "Look I don't care can you first help him speak english and two help me take care of him I'm not a good teacher."
"How did you get a gorgon?"
"I found him in an alleyway he was shivering and covered in just a cloak."
"How odd.... but I will help. How old is he?"
"12 give or take he keeps saying he isnt like his mom and he won't turn me into a statue."
Logan had a look of heartbreak on his face. "Oh that poor child. Remus I'll be staying here for awhile to help you get aquiatented with the supernatural and to help Lazarus."
Remus just nods.
.....
"Let me get this straight you were hiding behind your mom then you fell into something." Logan asks laz again
Laz nods looking up from his beef jerky that he has been happily eating.
"Fascinating."
Remus sighs they've been at this for about half a year Logan practically moved in they started to fuck which is wonderful, and Logan is also in the process of getting Lazarus into school. Turns out there is a supernatural school.
"Whose that?" Lazarus points to the picture of Remus and Roman. "He looks like you is he your brother?"
Remus smiles "he is that's Roman. Uh we don't talk much now in days."
Logan sighs picking up the stick from the wall after it smokes.
They sat in silence before Logan smiled. "Perfect we can be there within the hour."
......
Remus was amazed at the building they entered outside it was like a shoebox but on the inside it was massive.
"Right Logan when you told me you had a gorgon I thought you were mad but now.... I still can't believe it they went extinct before I was born." Patton says. "And well I've been alive since the height of Rome, but nonetheless he is welcome at this school."
Lazarus looked up at the statue of a hero holding a severed head of a gorgon aka medusa aka his mother. He began to cry.
Remus immeditally pulled Lazarus into a tight hug.
"That's my mom." He cried harder. "Why do they have my mom?"
Patton froze and Logan quickly snapped the statue away.
Patton looked at Logan "why didn't you say he was medusa kid ?"
"Patton the kid only knew that he was a product of rape and his mother loved him." Logan retorted.
Remus gets laz to relax and stop crying. "Its ok Laz."
"Not ok mama is dead."
Remus smiles softly. "She would of wanted you to be happy and safe."
Lazarus frowns. "I'm safe mama would like that."
"Yea she would."
#deceit is a jazzy boy#ts deceit#deceit sanders#sympathetic deceit#soft deceit#deceit angst#remus angst#ts remus#duke remus#sympathetic remus#remus sanders#ts logan#let logan make the first move cowards#logan sanders#patton sanders#ts patton#sanders sides#thomas sanders
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In the Dark I Know That You Do
Summary: I have a headcanon that Alex slept with a photographer overseas and, as a result, some tiny art gallery in New York is displaying artfully erotic black and white photographs of him. He signed the release form when it dropped in his inbox because the pictures made him feel powerful and sexy, and he figures no one he knows will ever see them.
Then I thought: What if Michael sees them?
Author’s Note: I feel the need to say that this fic, and all my other fics, like my blog, is Maria-friendly. Just putting that out there.
Title is lyrics from "I Want You To Love Me" by Fiona Apple.
Read on AO3
Alex hears a soft, shuttering click and turns his head.
“This okay?” Josué asks, lowering the camera from his face and smiling softly. “You’re just—so fucking gorgeous, man.”
He’s squatting naked across the room, just returned from the studio’s tiny bathroom. His thighs are thick and meaty, the muscles corded as they support the weight of his body. The sight of them makes Alex burn, makes the vivid memory of him grinding down on Alex’s cock, riding him single-mindedly as Alex gripped those same thighs tight flood his senses. Alex feels weightless, somehow simultaneously above his body, and very much in it; he feels every scratch of the stiff sheets underneath him, every delicious ache from the evening’s activities, but they only serve to elevate this heightened feeling that Alex is good and right and glorious. Alex laughs, runs a teasing hand up the length of his own naked torso, his fingers catching in his dog tags.
“It’s okay,” he says, and Josué grins, raising his camera again, the lens re-focusing and the rapid-fire, fluttering click resuming.
Alex stares down the lens, willing the camera to stop time, to capture and hold him in this moment and this feeling forever and for real. He’s twenty years old; he’s free, he’s whole, and he’s alive within himself for maybe the second time in his godforsaken life, since the moment time failed to stop in the first place and Jesse Manes had crashed into the shed and into Alex’s sacred space, defiling it and him and the only thing that had ever felt right to him. The only person. Because time, unfortunately, doesn’t work like that.
Alex hears the soft buzz of his phone vibrate on the wooden table and looks down.
“Shit,” he breathes, picking up his phone and staring at the name and subject line next to the little e-mail icon: Josué Medina, Photo Release.
“Is something wrong?” Maria asks from across the table, and five pairs of inquisitive eyes focus in his direction.
They didn’t plan this gathering, but Michael, Isobel, Max, and Liz were having a drink when Alex wandered into the Pony, and it seemed rude not to sit with them. Traffic petered out as the night went on, and Maria eventually joined them, and before he knew it Alex is nursing his third beer at a reclaimed wood table with five people who’ve been in his personal orbit for so long that it never occurred to him they haven’t actually spent much time together as a group. It’s awkward.
“Who’s José Medina?” Isobel asks, leaning shamelessly into Alex’s shoulder to better read his phone screen. Max, sitting on her other side, pulls her back.
“Iz, personal privacy?” he chides.
“It’s Ho-sway,” Alex corrects, sounding the name out phonetically. “And he’s someone I knew—Jesus, seven years ago?”
“Oooh,” Isobel drawls, “so he’s an ex.”
“He’s not an ex. He was—”
“An itch?” she supplies, and Alex kind of hates her.
“Sure,” he says, rolling his eyes and pretending to miss the way Michael’s briefly flash with something unreadable when they cross gazes across the table.
“So, this is a booty call?” Liz asks, chin in her hands and eyelashes fluttering suggestively. “Is he passing through town and never quite got you out of his system?”
Alex forgives her much easier; her blood is basically tequila at this point in the night.
“Seven years ago,” Maria cuts in, redirecting the conversation kindly. “You were overseas at that point, right? First tour?”
“Yeah,” he says. “I was on leave in Italy. He was—well, is a photographer, from the looks of the e-mail, but at the time he was just a student. I don’t know why he’s sending me a release form.”
Alex scans the e-mail. It’s brief pleasantries and apologies for popping up unannounced in Alex’s inbox, all written with that easy, magnetic confidence that drew Alex in so many years ago. And then there’s the ask:
There’s a call for submissions for this arthouse photo book on queer military personnel as erotic subject. It’s not fetish; it’s art. It’s a tiny press and less than fifty people will ever see it, but it would be a big deal for me. I want to submit the photo attached and I need your consent. I know it’s intimate and I understand if you aren’t comfortable. But a guy can try, right? If it helps, it’s just for us, you know? It’s not going mainstream anytime soon.
Alex doesn’t understand half of what he’s reading; well, he’s unfortunately very familiar with the dark side of fetish since he lost part of a limb and gained a prosthesis. It’s the reason he’ll never re-activate his Grindr account. But the rest goes completely over his head, so he just taps the icon to open the attached image file.
It’s.
It’s intimate, all right.
Erotic, for sure, though the image stops short of full nudity.
And, before he can really fully process what he sees, it’s tugged out of his hand by Isobel’s bony fingers.
***
Michael is trying to focus on the conversation around him—on Maria, beautiful and loose by his side; on Max, reserved, but happy, flanked by his best girls; and decidedly not on Alex, staring at his phone with a dazed expression, lips parted softly and quirked in a barely-there smile. He shouldn’t care that Alex is receiving an email from a long-lost fling, or that he’s staring at said email as though transported. Michael is so fixed on not watching Alex out of the corner of his eye that he misses Isobel leaning over to pluck Alex’s phone out of his loose grip, and jumps at Alex’s cry of protest.
“Excuse me!” Alex says, turning towards her incredulously, but making no move to take his phone back.
“Damn, Alex,” Isobel whistles, tapping at his phone with two fingers to enlarge and then zoom in on the screen. “Save a horse, ride an Airman.”
Alex rolls his eyes, but there’s a proud, playful smirk pulling at his lips.
“Lemme see!” Liz cries, reaching across Max for the phone. Max looks back and forth between Liz’s grabby hands and Isobel sliding the phone her way, then shoots Alex a plaintive, deer-in-headlights look.
Alex shrugs.
“Isobel probably already forwarded it herself,” he says easily, and Isobel nods shamelessly.
Liz picks up the phone eagerly, mouth dropping open in an exaggerated grin, hand on her chest, faux-scandalized. Michael watches Max’s eyes dart over in curiosity, then quickly away again, back straightening and eyes fixed forward. He coughs gruffly.
Liz passes the phone across the table to Maria. Maria hesitates, looks questioningly at Alex.
“It really is fine,” he assures her, eyes sliding to meet Michael’s gaze next and raising a brow, almost in a challenge. Michael gazes over Maria’s shoulder and inhales sharply.
The image is in black and white, maybe so it will pass as high art rather than cheap erotica. Though Alex in the picture looks anything but cheap. He looks—He looks fucking sinful. He’s lying on his back on a small, messy pallet bed in what looks like a sparsely-furnished studio apartment, clearly post-coital. His hair is short and messy, soft tendrils sticking out at wild angles. He’s clearly naked, but his closer leg is bent at the knee, foot planted on the mattress, preserving some semblance of modesty. Michael notices with startling clarity a small bead of sweat caught mid-roll down the crease of his hip. One arm is thrown over his head languorously, the other resting on his chest, long fingers tangled in his dog tags. He’s thin, the outline of his ribs visible thanks to the stretch of his arm, but his body is toned and tight, the small swell of his bicep and the curve of his quad and calf muscles evident even at a distance. His head is turned towards the camera, dark, hooded eyes gazing directly down the lens, full lips quirked as though in acknowledgment of his audience.
It’s the expression that truly unsettles Michael. He knows that look. Intimately. Has spent hours and days and years, a whole lifetime coaxing that look onto Alex’s face with his hands, his mouth, his reverent touch, and all the other ways he’s pressed unspoken truths into Alex’s skin. Alex is at peace, lazy and comfortable and confident in his body, in its form and how he’s using it. This is an Alex blissfully alive and shameless in his own skin, absent the unrelenting control with which he holds himself back, the careful disassociation and denial of his own needs and desires. This is Alex basking in himself rather than swallowing himself whole. It’s intimate and sexy and, until now, Michael had thought only he had seen Alex like this. Only he had earned it.
Michael tears his eyes away from the screen, away from an Alex that’s no longer just his to focus on an Alex that isn’t his at all.
“So, this guy wants to display it or something?” Liz asks.
“Sort of,” Alex says. “There’s some kind of art book he wants to submit it to.”
“Would you get paid?” Maria asks, and Alex snorts, taking his phone back from her when she holds it out to him.
“I posed for it for free, so I think that window is closed.”
“So you knew he was taking it?” Michael asks abruptly, and Alex furrows his brow.
“Yeah,” he says slowly.
Michael is suddenly aware of several pairs of eyes on him, and he nods hastily and stammers, “Good. You know. That you weren’t—that you didn’t not know.”
“So what are you gonna do?” Isobel asks, examining her manicure. She seems bored with the conversation now that there’s nothing in front of her to ogle.
Alex takes a breath, looks down at his screen again.
“I’m gonna sign the form,” he breathes, and Liz actually claps in delight.
“You sure?” Michael can’t stop himself from asking, even as Maria kicks him with the heel of her boot under the table. “Doesn’t seem like something you’d be into, is all.”
Alex narrows his eyes and quirks his lips teasingly, but there’s a bite in the tone of his voice when he asks, “You trying to slut-shame me, Guerin?”
“Never,” he drawls in return.
Their eyes lock and their smiles slowly fade.
“I would never,” Michael adds, softer and more sincere. Alex nods once, looks away.
“It’s a gorgeous photograph, Alex,” Maria says, smiling warmly at him. “If you want to share it with the world, I say go for it.”
“And I say let’s go for another round,” Isobel declares, holding up her empty glass, officially over it. “Michael, I believe this one is yours?”
“It’s mine, actually,” Alex says easily, effectively ending the conversation. He grips the table for support as he slides out of his chair and stands, pocketing his phone as he goes. “I’ll be right back.”
***
They’re saying hasty good-byes in the parking lot, Liz and Isobel piling into Max’s car, Max extremely sober behind the wheel. Maria heads back inside to help her staff close up, and Michael stands quietly with Alex, waiting on his rideshare.
“You seem pretty sober to me,” Michael comments, pulling his jacket tighter around his torso.
“I’m tired,” Alex admits, “and my leg is bothering me. It’s just easier for tonight. I’ll pick up my car tomorrow.”
He glances sideways at Michael.
“You don’t have to stand out here with me,” he says. “Go inside and help Maria.”
“Why’re you releasing that picture?” Michael blurts, not realizing the words he’s speaking until they’re out there, irretrievable, and Alex turns slowly to consider him.
“I liked remembering how I felt when Josué took it. I felt free,” he says quietly, and Michael is shocked he’s even deigning to answer. “I was far away from Roswell and everyone in it. I felt strong, like I was in control for once. Maybe if the photo’s out there, that feeling won’t seem so far away.” He smiles mischievously. “And, I mean, I looked good. Hadn’t been too long since basic.”
Michael catches his gaze, holds it.
“Did I make you feel free?”
Alex’s smile is small, but genuine.
“You used to,” he breathes. “For awhile you were the only thing that made me feel that way.”
Michael feels his whole body release, as though he’d been holding in a breath, clenching every single muscle unconsciously. Alex shakes his head.
“What?”
“That’s too much pressure,” he says. “No one person can be everything good for someone else.”
Michael looks down and kicks at the dust and grime of the parking lot with his boot, and thinks of Maria.
“I told you I couldn’t be your medicine,” Alex continues, “but I think I was doing the same thing to you. Maybe that’s why I reacted they way I did when you started acting out.”
They let his confession hang in the air between them before Michael, now in possession of a one-track mind apparently, speaks.
“So you aren’t worried someone you know is gonna see it?” Michael asks softly.
Alex shakes his head.
“That’s why it feels safe,” he says. “New York, the 'art scene.' That’s a whole nother world.”
Michael nods, stuffs his hands in the pockets of his jacket.
“So, what if someone wanted to see it?”
Alex looks at him blankly.
“What if I wanted to buy a copy?” Michael explains. “I mean, you’re right. You were in spectacular shape back then.”
Alex bursts out laughing.
“Not like now,” Michael goes on, grinning as Alex’s shoulders shake. “You really let yourself go, private.”
The silence between them as their laughter dies is the most comfortable of the night.
“I’m okay with that,” Alex murmurs as a car pulls into the lot and a notification pings on his phone. “Good luck tracking it down, though.”
“Alex?” the driver of the car asks, rolling her window down an inch.
“Yeah,” Alex says, and pulls the car door open.
“Night, Guerin.”
“Sweet dreams, Fabio.”
It takes Michael three months to find the book after Alex mentions that it's out and his photo made the cut, and it takes some intense eBay stalking at that, plus he's out $60—indie press, my ass, he thinks as he clicks purchase.
#rnm#rnm fic#malex#malex fic#alex manes#michael guerin#isobel evans#max evans#liz ortecho#maria deluca#maria-friendly#my fic#background miluca
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Gryphon Justin: why does you father hate you for being gay? Is it for religious reasons or something else?
“..My Father isn’t really religious it’s just that... One his side of the family, all the males are inspiring deers who beat the odds and made themselves known in the pony society as highly intelligent beings. My Father was the best Deer out of 7 other brothers to outshine them all and became one of the most famous Doctors in the Northern parts of Equestria... So since Im his son... His family and my Father especially hold me at a high pedestal to be just as great as my Father when he was my age.. But so far, I haven’t lived up to their standards of becoming successful. They said I should be married to a mare, go to medical school, have children and become a direct image of my Father and become the next generation of a deer doctor, well half deer... Follow his hoofsteps.. But of course, I dont want to be in my Father’s shadow nor do I want to follow those guidelines they have set.”
He sighs as he smiled at his mother in the picture,
“My Mother however.. Accepts me. Well mostly. She maybe as crazy in science and such like my Father but she accepts that I wish to be with stallions. Sometimes she does suggest a mare here and there if she sees a cute one, but she never forces me to go on dates with said mare like my Father does to try and change me..”
#mlp#mlp oc#mlp oc ask blog#mlp oc art#mlp oc pony#ask me stuff#ask me questions#send me asks#mlp ask oc#mlp oc deer#deer
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Several of my stories have mentioned Canbe, a mortal living in the Borderland of Nightmare with the Lamia Flowering Ash. This is the tale of how they met.
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The Day After Nightmare Night
by
De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)
2284 words
© 2016 by Glen Ten-Eyck
All rights reserved. This document may not be copied or distributed on or to any medium or placed in any mass storage system except by the express written consent of the author.
//////////////
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Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights. They may reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information remains intact. They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions.
All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged.
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I really should have known better. It was the day AFTER Nightmare Night. Morgan and I were out strolling around, looking at the remaining decorations and assorted minor pranks that had been played.
Sawnax's Lumber Yard office had got it by at least two or three pranksters. It was covered in ribbons of cheap toilet paper and the windows had been painted over with egg whites and liberally dusted with dirt. It was understandable, if not really excusable. He was always too cheap to put out a Foal Bowl.
Passing Caramel Treat's Sweets, we saw that Ponyville's genuine werewolf was still in the form of the gigantic Everfree Ridgeback Wolf that was her when she was not a pony. Smiling, she was passing out treats to any who were still in costume.
A good many foals knew of her habit and were lined up, chanting, “Nightmare Night has passed away! Now it is Nightmare Day! Please give us something sweet to bite, to celebrate the daylight!”
She was happily giving treats out and posing for pictures with the assorted little ghouls, alicorns, very phony deer, liches, and witches.
We watched for a little and went on our way.
It was not long before we were passing the shoulder high stone wall of the Ponyville Cemetery. We found a perfectly lovely and unusual gray mare staring at us, over the wall. She smiled, keeping her lips shut, and said with mild humor, “So, looking over the wall between life and death?”
“Sort of,” Morgan replied. “Canbe and I are out looking at all of the assorted pranks that have been pulled, that's all.”
She kept pace with us, she on the inside, and we out. Her head swayed in a sort of undulating way, instead of bobbing a little, like a pony's usually does.
She offered, “Are you just looking, or are you doing anything to help fix the pranks? I am not sure why, but some ponies think that it is fun to mess up the graveyard. Do they think that they will disturb the rest of those who have passed beyond life or are they trying to upset the living by knocking over or wrecking grave markers?”
Actually looking across the wall, at something besides the lovely mare's head and shapely neck, I commented, “I don't see any damage here. What happened?”
Sadly, she replied, “You can't see it from here. There is a really ancient part of the cemetery. Nopony knows how old it is. It is far older than Ponyville. It has crypts, tombs, mausoleums and markers that nopony around here now knows how to read. It is over the hill, there, where those big trees show their tops.”
She pointed to an area that I had never paid attention to before.
I sort of shook my head in surprise. “I did not even know that those trees were in the cemetery! Old stones that nobody can read? That sounds really neat, actually. If I come to help you, would you mind if I made some rubbings of those stones? Maybe a scholar like Twilight Sparkle could read them.”
The gray mare raised her eybrows in polite surprise. “That would be a true boon, if she could. So many old things are simply forgotten.”
Morgan snorted, “Never could figure out why anypony bothers with history! Basically, it is a pack of lies told by the winners to make them look better than they were!”
The gray mare gave Morgan a disturbed look. “That is partly true. The truth of what did happen can often be found out. It is the best understanding of the past that can serve to guide you and help you to avoid the mistakes that your ancestors made.”
Bitterly Morgan snapped back, “I was one of those 'mistakes' that somepony made! I was abandoned on the steps of the Ponyville Orphanage without even a note! I don't want to know who my mother or dad was!”
Morgan rudely turned his rump and stomped off.
The lovely gray mare turned to me and gave me a beseeching look. “Will you come to help us? We cannot undo the work of the vandals alone.”
I shrugged and opened the gate. Entering I offered, “Sure, why not? What is to fear now that it is broad daylight?”
The mare had hidden behind a large stone monument. She pointed a shapely foreleg and hoof skyward. “That is a common misconception. So long as the Moon of Nightmare remains in the sky, we can be abroad. That, I fear may tell you who you are coming to help.
“I will guarantee your safety if you do come to help us do what we cannot do ourselves alone.”
I paused to think over this development. “I will make you a small deal, my sweet pony. Show me yourself. If you are an undead, as you have said, and guarantee my safety, I will aid you as well as I can to fix what the vandals have damaged.”
She nodded gracefully and slithered out from behind the stone. Her body, from the navel back, was that of a huge serpent. “As you can see, I am a Lamia. Had I not guaranteed your safety, I could easily crush and rend you. You may still leave and I will thank you for even considering giving aid to such as I.”
I kind of shivered all over but gamely offered, “Lead the way, my Lady Lamia. I am known as Canbe.”
She led me across the hill. If I remembered correctly, the back wall of the cemetery was down the hill only a little ways. Before we got to where the wall should be, I noticed that the Lamia cast no shadow from the light of the sun. She did, however, cast a shadow. It was from the light of the moon, still in the sky, though getting low.
We passed under the trees without coming to the cemetery wall. Long streamers of moss like stuff hung from branches that almost seemed to move of their own volition. The foliage of them was a far darker green than it had appeared when seen from the street in Ponyville. It almost looked black. That was when I noticed that nothing here, not even me, cast any shadow but one from the full Moon of Nightmare which was now at zenith, rather than nearly set.
I nearly fled when I noticed that. My promise held me.
I was led to a fallen obelisk about two or two and a half meters long. I saw the marks where it had been pried from its base. I pointed out, “I cannot lift this, it is too heavy for me.”
Several voices replied, “We can lift it if you will help us. Lay your mortal hooves on it and keep them on it until we have restored the stone to its place. This work takes the cooperation of both the mortal and those beyond.”
As I laid hooves to it, a little past the center, the stone was seized by hooves of several undead sorts. I did try to help with the lift, but it was the strength of those ponies who were long past the grave who actually did most of it. As the stone was properly replaced, the break appeared to simply vanish. The stone stood tall and proud again.
As we were walking to the next damaged monument, I stumbled on a fallen slab of stone. A simple grave stone. I paused and asked, “What about this one? It has fallen too.”
The Lamia looked back and replied, “True, it has. Time did that, not vandals. You agreed to help us to undo the vandalism. This goes past your agreement.”
I sort of surprised myself by replying, as I scraped at the moss grown stone to get a better grip, “Not quite so, my lady Lamia. Time is the greatest vandal of all. Let us set to rights all that we can. Even the simplest grave deserves to be remembered.”
The many undead here all looked at me thoughtfully and agreed, “What he wants to do goes beyond our agreement. We should do the same for him.” If appearance was any guide, faces that had not smiled since they died smiled in agreement.
As we were lifting the stone back up to standing in a well dug socket hole, one of the liches actually shed a tear. He stated, “This stone and grave are mine. Thank you, Mortal.”
I think that the others were astounded when I held his apparently rotting body and said, “You are welcome. Now I am doubly glad that we did it for you.”
We all went on, from grave to crypt to mausoleum fixing and setting things to rights. If I could touch even so much as a rotting bit of an ancient oaken and iron bound door, some one among them was able to make it whole again. We even did the same for the decayed remains of coffins in the ancient crypts.
It did take a long time to do. I was bone tired at the end of our labor. Not hungry. Not thirsty. Proud. The ancient necropolis was now well tended and all was as it ought to be.
I looked up. The Moon of Nightmare was unchanged in the sky. It was still at its zenith.
My lovely Lamia saw my glance and spoke softly, “Our lives spring from and are ruled by Her. The Princess of the Night. We may be of the Nightmare Realm but our Ruler is not without compassion.
“We did notice something about you as you helped us to restore our ancient homes. Not only did you not shrink from us, going so far as to give comfort and share happiness with a zombie, you appear to like us. Is that true?”
That sort of opened up my eyes. I had been getting along with these once living beings far better than I ever had with any living ponies. It just took Lamia's question to make me notice it!
I nodded sort of slowly as it sank in. “That is true, my lovely Lamia. If there was some way to stay with you, my friends, and keep this gift of helping you all, I would have no desire to return to ponies who do not care about me at all.”
The Lamia stood up, supported by her elegantly coiled snake body and said softly, “My name, Canbe, is Flowering Ash. You have asked a boon of Our Princess of the Night and we in no way forced you to it or tricked it from you.
“Do you truly ask of Princess Luna, Ruler of the Night, Harbinger of Dreams and Sometimes the True Embodiment of All Nightmare, the boon to stay with us, keeping the ability to aid us in preserving our places of rest, our homes?”
I did not hesitate, “If it can be done, Flowering Ash, I do ask that boon of Princess Luna.”
There grew a shadow on the Moon of Nightmare overhead. Gliding down to a landing as silent as a dream was Princess Luna. She alighted before me and smiled.
“Canbe, I have favorably heard your request. You are a creature of the Day. A pony who grew up under the sway of my Sister, Celestia. Would you renounce her to fulfill your request?”
I thought carefully and she gave me the time to do it. “Princess Luna, you and your Sister Celestia are two parts of a whole. I had not heard that you two are in contest.”
I gathered the lovely Flowering Ash on one side and the zombie whose grave I had restored on the other into a hug. Still holding them, I went on, “Knowing that you two Sisters are not in contest, I will willingly do whatever is necessary to fulfill my request.”
Princess Luna bowed her horn to just touch my forelock. A fine wisp of midnight magic, shot through with stars flowed between us.
She straightened and proclaimed, “Canbe, as the subject of us both, Myself and my sister Celestia, you may stay here with your friends. Here, you will retain your Mortal Gift to aid them. Here, you will not age. Here, you will not hunger. Here, you will not thirst. When you do much, as with this night's labor, you will tire. A little rest will cure that.
“You may leave here and return at will but only through the Ponyville Cemetery. While you are away, you will age. While away, you will hunger. While away, you will thirst. While away, you will tire from labor as you always have.
“You have chosen more wisely than you know.”
With that, Princess Luna spread her huge wings and made a powerhouse of a downstroke. She flew up, seemingly to the Moon of Nightmare.
Luna alighted on a patio of the Palace of Canterlot and trotted into the Dining hall. There she found Princess Celestia happily munching on chocolate topped donuts.
Princess Celestia's snicker suddenly turned to a stricken look as she saw Luna's expression!
With a grin that showed her perfect teeth, Luna reported, “I WON!
“Canbe did NOT renounce me when he was put in with those Nightmares! Most interestingly, he chose to STAY with them but he was clever enough not to renounce YOU either!
“Now pay up!”
Luna hoofed over a substantially sized tray.
Glumly, Princess Celestia began to pile on tan topped pastries. She returned the tray to Luna with a sad, “Farewell, my butterscotch treats!”
~~THE END~~
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#THE DAY AFTER NIGHTMARE NIGHT#MLP Fan Fiction#Tales to read AFTER the Lights are OUT#Written by De Writer
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@peonyreaper asked:
(▰˘◡˘▰) now you can hate me thank you~
botan’s afraid of him. he can taste it in the air sometimes, hear it in the way her mortal body’s heart thumpthumpthumps just a little faster when he steps too close, can see it in the way she looks at him with pupils that are a touch too wide and doe-like. she gives off all the signals of prey, and it takes a lot for him to rein in his youkai half, to put a lid on any predatory behavior she makes him want to bring out.
it’s out of kindness that he never mentions it. it’s out of necessity that he tells himself to ignore it.
time, however, does no good favors for the youkai in him. the stronger he gets, the older he gets, the more he finds himself slipping into a strange place of balance between his personas. no longer just shuichi, he finds himself becoming a blend of human behavior and old youkai habits, an mix of old and new and strangeness that settles his once volatile and admittedly wishy-washy spirit.
with the melting of personas, comes the inability to straight ignore things like he used to be able to as the shuichi-kurama mixture he had merely been pretending to be. part animal instincts, part human nature, it’s undeniable that he is now something far more dangerous than he had been before.
she senses this as well, and he can smell the sweat on her palms the moment she’d found him in the tea shop, their traditional meeting spot for friday afternoon discussions. the files in her grip crinkle when she spots him, her body nearly giving up on itself and spirit fleeing in fear.
but she wrangles herself together like she always does, a combination of false courage, stubbornness, and duty keeping her from splitting at the seams.
it’s out of politeness that kurama pretends not to notice the hesitation, or the way her spirit flutters as her gaze meets his, even if it riles things in him better left dormant.
the meeting, otherwise, goes as fine as expected. koenma is pleased with his efforts to blend humans with youkai in the working field, and kurama himself is proud of his ability to keep the c-class demons out of trouble.
as it turned out, his past as a thief had caught him the finer points of manipulating situations, and people, to his advantage, and as cold as it seemed on paper, in theory it had saved a lot of lives, and the spirit world from having too many problems in the mean time.
with work done, botan babbles in what he knows is nerves. she talks about how strange the spirit world was with the barrier down, how surprising it was that no one had gone against enki’s law about messing with humans, how proud she was to hear that hiei’s patrolling had saved so many blundering humans from their own stupidity.
kurama, to his credit, listens with a smile, sipping his tea with the patience of a man he was almost not anymore. he nods at appropriate times, fills in the silence with commentary of his own, rumors of the makai that he’d heard mixed in with hiei’s often very to-the-point briefings.
polite and perfect. but still, he can smell it in the air, and whenever he opens his mouth to speak, the taste of it tempts him.
“they’ll figure it out.” his voice is low, a little too low, but he catches himself as he watches botan physically shudder, from the top of her blue pony to the tips of her socked toes. corrects his tone and strives for the calm neutrality that he’d had when he had been simply shuichi. “yusuke is still new to his heritage, but he will want to honor raizen. a blended wedding would not be as complicated as you think, a lot of the aspects of marriage are the same.”
yusuke and keiko’s impending nuptials were always the topic of the hour when it came to botan if she calmed down enough. there were still some stirrings in the spirit world over their union and what kind of creature their inevitable mating would bring. another human-mazoku hybrid would be, in the eyes of most, a danger to the three worlds.
kurama remained unconvinced. the eventual child’s mother would be keiko after all.
“y-yes, well.” botan stutters, flushing pink. “koenma still thinks --”
“and what do you think?”
“think of what?”
“them becoming official.” he gathers the files she’d brought for him and moves to stand. together they walk towards the door to the shop, him taking point to open the door for her as she looks at him with confusion. “do you still think it’s romantic?”
ah, the topic of romance. botan had always been more than a bit fond of it, and even kurama has to admit that the romance of yusuke and keiko is something that legends were made of. the brat and his steady friend. the spirit detective and his fearsome girlfriend. the mazoku and his human mate.
yes. this would be a tale he would not be surprised to see still be talked about centuries down the road. perhaps he would be telling it himself, retelling his story as witness to perhaps one of the greatest youkai he’d ever met, and the most unique mortal he would set his eyes on to a group of young pups in the safety of the new makai.
“well, yes, i’m just -” her cheeks are red when she puffs them out, expression endearingly innocent. “what if he eats her?”
the guffaw that erupts from him is entirely unexpected. someone shoots them a sharp look as they pass by, and kurama has to cover his mouth as botan flushes angrily.
“what? he’s a mazoku and the files said -”
“yusuke will never had a taste for human flesh.” kurama steers her down one of the alleys near the shop, one of the most direct points to a weakness in the barrier between the three worlds.
“how can you be so sure?” she’s glancing at him suspiciously, and kurama inhales through his nose, noting with some satisfaction the dissipating fear. “he’s, you know, a demon.”
“as am i.” kurama reminds her, watching out of the corner of his eyes as she flushes some more with embarrassment. “but human flesh is an acquired taste. it’s not very likely that, in the throws of passion, he’s going to decide to take the nibbling a little too far.”
there’s silence, and then a question he’d been waiting for so long pops up. “have you ever --”
“yes.” the answer comes immediately and unashamed. the consumption of human flesh in his past was nothing he was going to develop of grief-stricken conscious over. he had done what he had done to survive in the makai, and he was unapologetic for his actions.
botan stops cold in her tracks, and kurama is forced to as well, mouth curling as she advances on him. curious and furious. an interesting combination for the reaper. he doesn’t back down.
“and you’ve never -- not when -- a human?”
his brow wrinkles at the question, not expecting it. the answer is not one he could give, he’s never laid with a human, let alone kissed one. his mouth twitches. “i’ve never been with a human.” he’s never been with anyone in this body, never considered it. it had always seemed like -- inappropriate to lay with a human, even as a one-night thing. they were so small, so fragile --
“then how would you know? what if he --”
kurama, to his credit, realizes what he’s doing the entire time. he’s in complete control of his body as he turns the tables on the reaper, pushes her to fall back against a concrete wall. she doesn’t even have a chance to scream, to hit him as he advances on her, quick as a flash, mouth pressing delicately against hers as her mind tries to catch up with what’s happened.
the fear is back. he tastes it on her lips along with the artificial flavor of strawberries. her scent fills his nose, youthful and yet old and beneath the hand he’s gently placed on her chest, her heart nearly stops beating.
when he pulls away, she looks more like a deer in the headlights than he’s ever seen her. wide eyed. mouth slack. pulse jumping in her neck. she looks like prey. the youkai in him rumbles in interest, but just like he’d thought, the kind of eating on his mind has nothing to do with her human form.
okay. maybe a little with that. but there’s a full moon approaching, and kurama makes no claim to his actions or thoughts when the moon is waxing.
“no,” he finishes his study with a sharp smile and turns on his heel to continue on his walk. “yusuke will be fine. i’m not even the slightest bit hungry.”
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Prompt of the legendaries reactions to ash actual dying without coming back
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The Gods rage. They rage and rage. Tornadoes and thunderstorms sweep through all Regions.
Except... for one town. Pallet Town is untouched, kinda, the clouds cover the sky but not like Unova where there’s blue lightning and flames of fire spilling out of the pitch black smoke. The perfect weather for a funeral in some opinions, and that the Gods wouldn’t dare touch their Chosens resting place like that.
The only ones there are the Oaks and Ash’s Mom. The rest couldn’t attend because their Gods just couldn’t handle the grief like their supposed to, like they have been the last time. But last time was different. Last time their Chosen and lifted himself up and dusted off his body before racing forward with his Pikachu in front, leading the charge like he always does.
Lugia cries as he pulls the waves high above the sea level. Deaf to the cries of the human people and Pokémon alike below him. His children; Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltress, do the same. Their beams of Ice, shots of electricity, and blowing flames scorch the earth untouched yet by Lugia's grieving waves. Striking everything underneath, but never each other. For they know. They know that their Chosen will never return to help calm their raging soul.
Ho-oh shrieks. Burning down buildings while crying flaming tears. Her cubs underneath reak havoc in their own way. Sucuine freezes forests and lakes to their bottoms and the poor Pokémon cry out in pain.
Raikou actively goes for the towns, hitting the ones that were untouched by his mother's blinding fury. Entei… Entei goes to where he had met the Chosen for the first time and he sits, sits and contemplates about how much Ash has had to give up just so they the Gods could be happy.
Giratina hides. They go back to the distortion world and hides away. Because they don’t want to hurt the humans like their siblings do. They don’t want their Chosen spirit to frown down on them from the heavens above. The other two hide as well, for they do not have the right to hurt what their Chosen has put so much effort into protecting. So they hide in the clouds, waiting for their third and their Father to join.
MewTwo… Mewtwo finds the other Mewtwo, the one Team Galactic and Ghetsis made, and they fly to Pallet Town. Waiting till nightfall where everyone has cried themselves to sleep before glaring down at the gravestone. Both equally enraged that they couldn’t do anything for the boy who risked his life over and over again, all to just see the both of them happy.
The Reggies stay where they are. They feel the passing and the anger, the betrayal, the sadness. And they stay. Because they have a job to do, and no matter how much they want to leave for just… five minutes, they can’t. For they have a job and their Chosen is looking down own them now instead of up at them. And there’s nothing they can do.
Rayquaza destroys several planets. Along with Deoxys. Several galaxies away because the two don’t have any connecting to the living beings on the pile of metal and dirt like they did back on Earth.
Latias cries, she cries and sobs, but never screams. Never rages like she wants to. Because that’s not what their Chosen would have wanted, and even though he didn’t come back like he promised he would, she understood. Because their Chosen could never have a God or a Mythical on his team no matter how much she wished and wished he could.
Kyoger wailed, it bounced off every underwater cavern surrounding Hoenn. Creating massive earthquakes that did not deter their sibling, Goudon, up above. Calling to the mountain and Lava that flows underneath, to come forward and recoat the crust with something new, to make something new.
Zecrom and Reshiram scream at each other, pointing and blasting at their opposition half in a battle of “it's your fault’s!” While Terrakion, Cobalion, and Virizion guard a weeping Keldeo that was shielded under Kyurem. For the oldest Unovian God knows what it feels like to lose a friend you thought would always be by your side, and that he can keep an eye out to his children and the three other weather gods.
Landorus, Tornadus, and Thunderus don’t do anything. For they never had a connection with the Chosen as much as the other Gods, and that their rage is worth being pressed to something more than a mortal life that has ended.
Kalos witness first hand of Xerneas’s rage. The deer God has never felt so much liquid hot anger slushing through their veins at that moment in time. Their lover, Yvelta, stays hidden in their cave. Far from where Xerneas’s anger will touch, and they will cry. Cry softly until their ever terrifying lover shall return from letting loose their own feelings for once in their life.
Zygarde finds Bonnie, finds Bonnie, Clemont, and the rest. Keeping them safe from Xerneas while also Consoling the little girl and her friends. For he can not lose his control on Kalos, he has to keep in control or Xerneas won’t stop until every last living being is floating in their own pile of cold blood.
Diancie sobs with her subjects, much like Yvelta, uncaring and unseeing the the wreckage going on above. Volcanion wherily sighs and continues to protect the Pokémon under his care until Arceus or another higher God finally steps in to control everyone. Because the Chosen is no longer here to do so himself.
Hoopa… Hoopa flys through its portals. It doesn’t want to be in a universe without the Chosen, because their Chosen is bright, friendly, and warm. But no other Universe has the right Chosen like theirs. Others are to cold and calculating, or to battle weary to hold any more warmth like the last Chosen. So Hoopa continues to search, ignoring the tears tracking down its face.
Celebi took one look, before going to the past. Desperately trying to find just how this had happened, just how the Gods just let their Chosen slip through their grasp so easily. They soon break down in the Past Chosen’s arms when they realized that he’ll never survive, that Celebi can’t help make things right this time.
Tapu Koko screams. His people cowering in their huts and homes as he races around his island. An island that no longer has its dearly beloved Champion and protector. That Tapu Koko has lost another child to the cruel fate that reminds every living being that it still exists, no matter how much Arceus tries to twist and pull it to another direction. Tapu Lele joins her older brother in a battle. Both attacks clash against the sea and their respective islands. A dance of death that will not come to a stand still until one body will lie floating in the water, soaking it with the deep rich color of Godly blood.
Tapu Bulu mournes. He grows a giant tree off to the side of one of Ula'ula beaches. One that the Chosen liked to visit a lot. He grows a tree full of every fruit that can be connected together, and he marks the bark with the Chosen’s name with a crown above it. Tapu Fini goes to her Kahuna, she goes in search of comfort. And is faced with a child that doesn’t know what to do, that is inexperienced in every way possible in dealing with a God. And Tapu Fini is reminder once more that their Chosen is one of a kind and his soul no longer exists on a plane that she can touch.
Solgaleo cries and roars at the altar on Poni Island. For they have lost the person who watched them grow and the person who walked through hell and back with skinned feet on hot blazing fires just so that Solgaleo and Necrozma could live a happy life. Lunala tried to comfort, tries to help Solgaleo with the loss. But they fail as they watch their matching half heave with fur streamed with falling tears. Lunala never felt so useless before.
Mew and Arceus-
“Please!” Ash sobbed. Hunched over on his knees, arms clutching at his shoulders as he rocked back and forth. “Please just let me rest!” The Chosen chokingly begged.
Arceus and Mew were stone faced in front of the Chosen-in front of the child they pushed to face wars and bloodshed.
“I just want to rest.” Ash could barely breathe through his tears and hiccups.
He smells like whiskey and smoke, blood dropped onto the tile-like-clouds from his wrists. Marks all the way up to his elbows and they were deep, matching ones mirrored on his open thighs.
How could the two let this happen? let this happen to their Chosen? How have they not noticed the way Ash begged for a few minutes before the sent him back down to earth? Not notice when Ash would cry and dry heave after every battle when he got back home or to the hotel where he was staying in?
Because they didn’t care, their shared thoughts growled. They should have cared.
Mew flew down. Resting their forehead against Ash, in an apology or as an answer. They don’t know. But Ash slumped against the feeling of Mews warm pink fur as Arceus rumbled above.
“Then we shall let you rest now, your time as the Chosen One is done. Ash Ketchum. Sleep now, for it’s all over.”
Ash sob of relief tore into their shared heart. And the young man-the Child soon began to disappear until Mew was no longer clutching the greasy black hair to its small chest.
The two Gods looked at each other. They had work to do and they needed to do it now, for they no longer have a Chosen and now it’s up to them to calm their children down.
So they set off, Mews gentle touch soothed their children’s anger and fear while Arceus broke rule after galactic rule just so that the humans didn’t suffer more than the holes that Ash Ketchum as physically and mentally left in everything he touched.
And after everything was done. When they forced all their children and grandchildren into sleep, they go to Pallet Town. The two haven’t walked in their human forms in a very long time, for they never found any use until now.
once the two Mewtwo’s leave they go to the grave. Placed under a large oak tree in the middle of an open field full of wildflowers.
Two accompanying graves sit right next to it.
Alfreda “Red” Ketchum-Oak and Green Ketchum-Oak reads the closest one. The other didn’t even have the first name, something must have weathered it off, but the last name of Ketchum is still there.
Arceus is the first one out of the pair to fall to his knees, the soft thumping sound was followed after a loud sob and he bent forward to Arceus could smash his fist into the soft dirt in front of Ash’s grave. It was filled with trinkets, flowers, and lit candles.
Mew followed soon after, much like how she always does when it comes to Arceus or Ash. Her sobs were quieted as she pushed her tear stained face into Arceus’s blazer, weeping just as much as her partner.
“I should have noticed!” Arceus yelled through his sobs. Body racking in shivers as a strong breeze rolled through the Kanto hills. “I should have fucking noticed!”
Mew doesn’t say anything, how could she, Arceus was right. They should have noticed, from how much they boast about being ‘all seeing’ they didn’t see the mountain high shit Ash was dealing with.
If he were here now, Ash would call them the biggest hypocrites in the world. Because he’s always been right.
Arceus and Mew were just like everything else in their world. Their not perfect and they’ll never be, no matter how hard they try.
Ash’s suicide will forever remind them of that.
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