I walked down the halls of the castle with slow, thumping steps. I winced as I passed by a few windows where the sun was coming through and muttered some curses to myself. Eventually I made it to the dining hall for breakfast table and slumped down into my usual seat.

“Good morning everyone,” I yawned, putting my head down on the table.

“Hey.” Jason commented, sitting at the table, his hands resting in his stomach. He was due at any time now.

“Vash, where were thee? Thou hast been late coming to breakfast quite frequently lately,” Celestia commented, putting a hand on my shoulder.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” I said, head still planted firmly on the table. “Ever since Jason gave me that hammer I’ve been drawing up plans and working on that scale he gave me.”

“Making anything good?” Jason asked, looking at me.

“Yeah, but what I’m making is a secret.” I looked up at him with a smile. “So, how do you feel? Relieved that your nine month ordeal is almost over?”

“Yes. I can't tell you how much it sucks to be stuck like this...” Jason sighed, leaning back in his chair.

“Well, hopefully it’ll all be worth it once it’s over,” I said as my food arrived. “And hopefully you don’t have to just deal with pregnancy again once the baby’s out,” I chuckled.

“Don't forget, you did say I get to knock you up in return.” Jason smirked, winking at me.

“Just as long as this doesn’t turn into a vicious cycle of us knocking each other up,” I grinned. “Oh, how’s that griffon egg doing by the way?” As if on cue, a sharp crack filled the air. We all looked at the egg, nestled in a basket next to Jason’s feet as it wiggled around. Jason smiled, lifting the egg up as if cracked open, making sure he was the first thing the chick would see.

“Well hello there.” He cooed in mock sweetness. “Do you understand me?” The chick just turned her head at Jason in confusion, before chirping happily and nuzzling against his chest. “Well that's no fun...” He gently poked its head, his hand glowing in magic.”Hows about now?“

“Huh, what’s going on?” The chick suddenly looking around the room, confused.

“Umm Jason, why did you make the baby griffin talk?” I asked, blinking at the scene before me.

“Because then they wouldn't learn their lesson.” Jason hummed, picking the egg shell off the griffon.

“What’re ya talking about?” The baby griffin asked before looking down at herself and her eyes nearly bulging out of her tiny head. “What the hell happened to me?!” She shrieked, her wings spreading out of instinct.

“You are a hatchling.” Jason cooed. “And I'm the first thing you saw.”

“Why am I a hatchling?” She growled, gripping Jason’s dress with her talons.

“I reduced you to an egg.” Jason picked off the rest of the egg shell. “Vash, can you get me a tub of water?”

“Sure thing,” I nodded and snapped a salute as I jumped from the table and went to the kitchen. I returned shortly with a good sized tub of warm water, a bar of soap and a towel. “Here you go, everything you need for baby’s first bath,” I said with a big smile.

“Thank you.” Jason set the chick in the tub, starting to clean her up, humming a song.

“Grrr, none of you better sleep anytime soon because I’m gonna claw somebody’s eyes out over this.”

“How are you gonna do that, baby? You can't even walk.” Jason smirked at her.

“Aww, let her dream a little Jason,” I said. “It’s not good to disillusion children at her age.”

“True.” Jason nodded, pouring some water on the chicks head. “Now you need a name...how about... Valkyrie?”

“That depends, do I get to be fully grown now?”

“No, you have to do that the normal way.” Jason commented, patting her head.

“Then I like the name about as much as the rest of this situation,” she pouted the way all kids do, her arms crossed over her chest.

“You're so tiny!” Jason laughed, lifting her up, wrapping her in a towel. He laughed, drying her off, making her all puffy. “Now to get you diapered.” He conjured one up, quickly getting it on the chick. “There ya go! Comfy?”

“I am sitting in a diaper, comfy is not what comes to mind,” she shot back glaring up at Jason.

“Yeah, I’ve been there,” I sighed. “Though I only had to do it for about a week.”

“Now, do griffon chicks nurse or eat solid foods?” Jason asked, bouncing the chick.

“Well, griffons here do have breasts, so I’m guessing they nurse,” I pointed out. Jason pulled his shirt down a little, popping his nipple into her beak. Something seemed to click in her head and instinct took over as she started to greedily nurse. “Aww, she was cranky because she was hungry,” I cooed, gushing over the chick.

“Okay, that's really weird with a beak.” Jason shuddered, rubbing Val’s back.

“Yeah, probably because yours weren’t made for beak nursing,” I chuckled. “But it’s an adorable sight to see.”

“So...what are our plans for today?” Jason asked, looking at us

“Vash needs to take a break from his work in the forge,” Celestia commented, looking me over. “He seems to be working himself too hard.”

“Oh come on, Tia, it’s not that bad,” I dismissed.

“Vash, honey,” She cooed with a too sweet tone. “The bags under thy eyes have bags of their own. Thou art taking a break or we will be forced to do something drastic to make thee take one.”

“Thou will end up suckling from Jason’s other breast,” Luna added on.

“Okay,” I shot up, shuddering a bit, “I won’t even think about working today,” I chuckled nervously.

“Well...we still need something to do.” Jason rolled his eyes a little.

“Well, wanna see if we can get you one last scan before the baby’s born?” I suggested with a shrug. “Hopefully it’ll go better than last time,” I added with a shiver.

“Alright...” He smirked a little. “How's about...Diamond Dogs...?”

“Fine, but you’d better not make good on that threat from earlier,” I grumbled. He smirked, holding his hand up, getting ready to snap his fingers. I gulped and closed one of my eyes, watching him from the corner of my other eye. “J-Jason, I’m serious here. Don’t do it.” and...he snapped his fingers… “Gyahh!” I cried, looking myself over. “Am I… a diamond dog?” I asked with a gulp. “I can’t tell. My clothes haven’t changed so that’s a plus.”

“Need a mirror?” Jason asked.

“Jason, just tell me,” I looked at him in the eye. “Did you turn me into a diamond dog?”

“Woof woof.”

I looked down at my gloves and pulled the right one off, revealing my hand hadn’t changed. “You just love trolling me, don’t you?” I asked with a sigh.

“Who's trolling?” He asked, reaching over, scratching my...ear… All of a sudden, my leg started to twitch and I felt something behind me move.

“Jason, these next two questions are important,” I deadpanned, trying to stop my leg’s movements. “Did you turn me into a diamond dog female, and am I in heat?”

“Yes and yes.”

“Okay, and this is the most important question, will you please change me back before we go to a country filled with diamond dogs? I would greatly appreciate not getting pregnant with a litter of diamond puppies.”

“Hmm...no.” Jason smirked. “I made a bet with the girls here on how long you’d last.”

“Last until what? I break down into a lust-filled mess?” I asked, still trying not to panic.

“Until you start jumping someone's leg.”

“And what are you betting for?” I asked, feeling my eye twitch.

“Who gets to collar thee.” Luna winked at me with a smirk.

“Hey Jason, you probably should’ve changed my clothes when you changed my species,” I said, reaching into my duster with what was now a paw. He snapped again, my clothes changing. “Too late!” I called throwing down the smoke bomb I had managed to grab from my duster. I ran when the cloud started filling the room. Only to be stopped by something.

Morning smiled, starting to coil around me. “Where dost thou think thou art going?”

“Far away from anywhere with diamond dogs so I can deal with this heat,” I answered, struggling against her coils.

“Nope!” She smiled, rubbing her coils over my body.

“Dammit, Jason, this isn’t funny,” I groaned, feeling my face flush.

“No! T’is hilarious!” Celestia laughed, watching the scene.

“Really? Because I’m not laughing,” I deadpanned.

Jason just chuckled, switching Val to his other breast. “Well, Vash, if you can go the whole day, I'll put the girls into heat.”

“I guess that would be fair,” I sighed as Morning let me out of her coils. “Alright, I’ll try to last the day. Are there any rules that I need to follow?” I asked, slumping over.

“Nope, just last the day.” Jason smiled, enjoying this way too much.

“Alright, if you excuse me then I’m gonna go to my stash of booze, drink until I pass out and last the day that way,” I chuckled, walking out of the room.

“Nope! We’re still going to the diamond dogs!” Jason called and I was dragged back in by Luna’s magic.

“Oh, this is probably going to be the worst day of my life,” I gulped, my tail going between my legs.

“Oh thou art too dramatic, Vash,” Luna assured. “We art sure Jason will keep anything too traumatic from happening.”

“Ain't got nothing to worry about, Vash, you’ll be fine.” Jason assured with a smile.

“See, normally I’d say something sarcastic here, but that's bitten me in the ass the last few times I’ve done it so I'm just going to shut up and focus on anything other than sex.” I said, my arms crossed over my chest.

“Hey, Vash...help me up please?” Jason asked, holding his hand out.

“Sure, no problem,” I shrugged, taking his hand and gently helping him up. “There we go milady.”

“Thanks, Vash, really.” He gave me a sincere smile, passing Val to me while he fixed his shirt

“Don’t mention it,” I smiled back. “So, how long did you bet I’d last?”

“Until sundown.” Jason grinned taking Val back, patting the chick’s back.

“I’m surprised,” I replied after blinking a few times. “I would’ve thought you'd bet a lot earlier than that.”

“Nah man, I have faith in ya.” Jason smiled, heading to the exit.

I followed at his heels and let out a chuckle. “I’m betting I don’t wanna hear how long the girls thought I’d last.”

“Probably not.” Jason chuckled, letting out a whistle, bringing Zed running. “Neither of us can really fight at the moment.”

“Yeah, I’m a little preoccupied thinking the least sexy thoughts possible. Though I might have to fight to keep the males… and possibly one out of ten females away from me,” I chuckled nervously.

Jason just giggled at me. “You’ll be fine, Vash, I'll beat them all off with a stick.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” I laughed. “I do not want to lose this bet. Mostly because I’m worried what you and the girls would do after you get that collar on me.”

“Oh, I think you can figure it out.” Jason laughed, getting into our normal carriage. “Morning, Flash Fire.” He nodded to the pegasus hooking himself to the carriage.

Flash Fire nodded and gave Jason a quick hello as he finished his preparations. “And where wouldst thou like to go today?”

“That barren field outside of Gunsmoke. You know that one with all the rocks and gems.”

“If that is what thou wishes,” the pegasus shrugged. “Though if thou were not so heavily pregnant I would tell thee to just walk there,” he laughed and shook his head.

“Yeah, yeah, Brad, make fun of the lady.” Jason took a sit, placing Val on his lap. Zed sat next to him, licking her paws.

“Why do you call Flash Fire, Brad sometimes?” I asked as I sat across from him.

“Because he looks like Flash Sentry and Flash Sentry is the definition of ‘Brad’.”

“I don’t know who this Flash Sentry is, but he sounds generic and hateable.” I commented.

“Yeah he’s generic but eh...he’s not that bad. Just...bland...though...his pony version is much better...” Jason grumbled, rubbing his chin.

“Eh, I probably won't have to worry about him,” I shrugged.

“You will in a thousand years.” Jason got comfy, petting Val’s head.

“Yeah, don’t think I’ll be interacting too much with Brad. If anything, I’ll be too busy looking at the female teachers in that high school world.”

Jason shrugged, trying to tickle Val's armpits, much to the hatchling's annoyance. “Hey! Cut that out!” The chick said between giggles as she squirmed in Jason’s grip.

“Aww, she’s a ticklish little thing,” I cooed, smiling down at the hatchling.

“Everyone back home is going to love her!” Jason laughed, keeping it up.

“L-laugh it up now buddy! I will get you back for all this!” She screeched, trying to glare at Jason but the gesture was lost as she continued to giggle uncontrollably.

“Oh yeah? How you gonna do that huh?” Jason asked, letting her catch her breath.

“I’ll claw your eyes out! Or… I dunno,” all of a sudden she let out a yawn, and her eyelids seemed to get heavy. “I’ll… I’ll jump rope with your…” her head then lulled to the side and she let out a tiny snore.

“I think all your tickling tired her out,” I chuckled as I patted the sleeping griffon on her head.

“She’s got quite the mouth on her.” Jason chuckled, cradling the hatchling. He pulled out a blanket, swaddling her.

“Well she was a bandit leader before you turned her into a baby. I’m guessing manners aren’t all that important when you’re a thief,” I offered. “But I’m sure this is just a phase she’s going through.”

“She’ll grow out of it. I'll make her a model citizen.” Jason smirked. “So...the heat kickin’ in yet?”

“Umm, not really?” I shrugged. “Never really experienced heat before so I wouldn’t really know what to expect. All things considered,” I said, indicating my diamond dog body, “I don’t really feel anything extreme in my libido. Same thoughts as always.”

“Just checking.” He nodded, looking out at the scenery. “You better let me win.”

“And why would I do that?” I asked with a smirk. “Does a certain jotun want me as their personal puppy?” I laughed.

“Why not?” He asked, winking at me.

“Heh, I’ll think about it. I mean winning would get me all three of the girls in heat again. And as fun as the first time was, I barely survived,” I shuddered. “Do you know what a naga pony does when they’re in heat?” I asked him. “Things get weird.”

“Do you know what two shapeshifters do in bed?” Jason shot back.

“Good point,” I nodded. “But I’ll still keep your offer in mind,” I smiled. “I mean, my will might just happen to waver around sundown. I am a weak man after all.”

“Oh ye of little faith.”

“Eh, whatever you say,” I shrugged. “So, I’m guessing there’s a thing of diamond dogs in that field you mentioned?” I asked.

“They live underground a dig for gems...not sure why,” Jason explained, looking down at the world below.

“Well considering dragons eat gems, maybe they’re similar,” I offered. “Or it could be a pure commerce thing. Or they could just like shiny objects.”

“Yeah...I doubt that last bit. Too much work for just shiny things.”

“Guess you make a good point,” I said as I absentmindedly scratched my chin in thought. I then looked down at my paw and the rest of my transformed body. “Oh god, I just had another idea of why they might dig up gems the way they do,” I gulped.

“What?” Jason asked, looking at me.

“It might have something to do with mating. There are several animal species that present objects to a potential mate,” I explained, shivering slightly. “Though, luckily for us none of those species were canine back on earth so there is that.”

“Well we’ll find out when we get there won't we?” He asked, gently stroking Zed’s head, who was curled up at her master’s feet.

“Or, hear me out on this, I stay in the carriage while you get your scan?” I asked with a hopeful smile. One look at his face told me what his response would be. “Yeah, kinda figured that was a longshot to hope for,” I said slumping over.

“Come on it won't be so bad.” He smiled, relaxing

“If you say so,” I sighed as I felt us land. “Looks like Brad brought us here safely.”

“Thanks, Flash.” Jason grabbed onto my arm, pulling himself to his feet. He got off, Zed following after him.

I looked around the field we were in, scratching my head a bit. “So, any thoughts on how we’re supposed to get to their underground caverns? You got a couple shovels in that hyper cube of yours?” I chuckled.

“Zed, Slamworm.” Jason commanded, Zed shifting into a huge yellow and red, beaked worm. She let out a cry, burrowing into the ground.

“Huh, kind of forgot she had her own version of the omnitrix,” I commented, watching her burrow away. “And now I kind of feel like making a Dune reference.”

“You know, I never saw Dune.” Jason looked at me as Zed burst out of the ground, showering us in dirt.

I shook off the dirt from my head and looked back at Jason. “Looks like Zed’s finished our hole for us,” I deadpanned, still brushing dirt off myself. Zed reverted to normal, barking in glee when Jason rewarded her with some jerky.

“Alright so...help me down the tunnel?” Jason asked, moving over to the tunnel.

“No problem,” I smiled. “Should be a piece of cake,” I told him, going over to him and starting down the tunnel. Jason leaned on me, being careful with his steps, keeping Val close to him. “Want me to hold Val?” I asked. “You seem to be having more trouble with the tunnel than I am.”

“Alright, here.” Jason passed her off to me, bracing himself against the tunnel wall, walking as carefully as he could.

I didn’t say anything, I just put myself in front of him in case he fell. “So, what do you think the baby will be? Boy or girl?” I asked, staring into the dark tunnel.

“I hope a boy honestly.” He placed a hand on my back to further steady himself.

“A boy would be cool. Honestly I’d probably be the overprotective dad if we had a girl,” I chuckled. “A lot of boys she brings home would have bullets whizzing by their ears. So, why are you hoping it’s a boy?” I asked.

“Because I’d like an equal gender balance to be honest with you. Right now it’s two boys to four girls...”

“Oh, I understand where you’re coming from,” I nodded before smiling and shaking my head. “Hard to believe this is almost over though.”

“I'll be happy to shapeshift again.” He nodded, letting out a sigh of relief as we got to the end of the tunnel.

“Yeah, but you’ll have to find some source of milk for the baby if you wanna go back to normal. Are you gonna have Rarity take care of that?”

“About that...I'm not taking the baby with me, Vash.”

“Say what..?” I said, turning around to face him. “You’re leaving the baby here? Why?”

“Vash, if I take the baby, you will most likely never see them again.” Jason let out a long sigh. “I'll live a lot longer than you, I'll have more chances to see them...”

“See there’s one thing neither of us know Jason,” I started, putting a hand on his shoulder. “And that’s how long I’ve got exactly.Vash was three hundred and still looked like he was in his twenties. If I keep my Angel Arm from firing enough times, there’s no telling how long I’ll live,” I said with a bright smile. “You seem to be more worried about my mortality than I am.”

“I'm still leaving the baby here.” Jason looked into my eyes with an unflinching expression. “Vash...I'm going to live for millions of years...”

“Okay, I get what you’re trying to say. But you do realize that you’re going to be leaving the baby with me during its developmental years,” I smirked. “You sure that’s a good idea?”

“The princesses will keep you in line.” He smirked back, placing a hand on the tunnel wall. “Hello!” He called out, closing his eyes to focus his hearing.

“Hmmph, I’m sure they’d agree with me that our kid is gonna call you, ‘Momma Jason’,” I smirked as I placed an ear to the cavern wall. “Hmm, there doesn’t seem to be any large number of people nearby.” I told him.

“That's what they want you to think...” Jason started to walk again, conjuring up a fireball.

“Well, good thing both of us know how to deal with ambushes.” I said as I caught up to him and scanned the darkness.

“Nah, the fireball is to light the way.” Jason rolled his eyes, holding his hand out.

“I figured that much,” I rolled my eyes back. “But if they’re actively hiding themselves from us then we should be careful. I’m sure they noticed Zed’s digging.”

“You worry too much.” Jason kept his hand on the wall, Zed trotting alongside him.

“I think I worry the correct amount in this instance,” I shot back. “Though I guess we do have the best guard…” I stopped myself before I managed to say dog. “We could ask for. I mean, she can turn into some nightmare creature and take care of anyone dumb enough to try and hurt us,” I smiled.

“Seriously guys! We come in peace!” Jason shouted down the hall, frowning a little. “I'm getting annoyed...”

“I think I have an idea so stupid it just might work.” I took a deep breath and let out a long howl. “Think that’ll get their attention?” I huffed, trying to catch my breath. All of a sudden, I felt a low rumbling beneath our feet. Zed growled, tensioning up. Jason steadied himself, reaching his hand into his pocket, beginning to draw his sword. A minute or so later, the tunnels surrounding us filled with diamond dogs, each one of them giving us curious looks. They seemed fairly humanoid, with short muzzles and fur. The strangest thing about them though was their varying heights. Some were almost as tall as I was while others were barely taller than Zed. “Um… hello?” I waved with a weak smile.

Jason held his hand up. “Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong.”

“The hell was that?” I whispered to him. “You feeling okay?”

“What? Never heard of the universal greeting?”

The diamond dogs looked as confused as I was as they all shrugged amongst themselves. “What that one say?” One asked.

“Sound like gibberish to me,” another shrugged.

“Does anyone smell something?” Yet another asked.

“Smell like female in heat,” the first one stated. I gulped and felt my tail tuck between my legs.

“She’s off limits boys.” Jason snorted, some mist flowing out of his nostrils.

“Yeah, not interested in dudes,” I chuckled, getting behind Jason. “Sorry to burst your bubble.”

“What you two want then?” The diamond dog that seemed to be the leader asked.

“To offer peace...and maybe an alliance? I dunno.” Jason shrugged, getting Zed to relax her posture.

“If that what you want then we can show you where we live,” the leader said, motioning for the rest of the dogs to start moving down the tunnels and looking toward us to follow. Jason nodded, starting to follow them. I followed along with him, making sure to stick close to him and Zed.

“Okay, starting to feel a little weird,” I whispered to him. “But it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“I hope you can.” He smirked at me.

“When this day is over I need to have a serious talk with you and the girls,” I said with narrowed eyes.

“Relax will ya?” He asked, rolling his eyes.

“I think I have a right to be on edge considering I have a chemical cocktail in my head telling me to shake my ass for anthropomorphic dogs,” I hissed.

“At least you only have it for a day,” he shot back.

“Jason, look down at your stomach. One day is all it takes.”

“I'll make sure nothing happens to you,” he assured me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

“Yeah, guess I am getting a little too worried,” I sighed. “I mean, I’m literally surrounded by them and their scent and my self-control is holding pretty well,” I assured myself with a smile. “Just make sure you keep that stick handy to beat them off in case things get hairy though,” I joked with a wink. He chuckled a little, socking me in the arm gently. The two of us continued walking down the tunnels, the diamond dogs chatting amongst themselves as we did. Eventually, we came into a large opening where other diamond dogs were milling about and even a few pups could be seen playing. There were also crude homes carved out of the cave walls strewn about. They weren't the prettiest looking things, but they looked sturdy.

“Hmm, not a bad looking place for an underground village,” I commented.

“Very scant clothing though.” Jason looked around, as if not surprised.

“And it looks like they’re mining setup is pretty inefficient,” I said, pointing at a few diamond dogs hacking away at a cave wall in a corner.

“Try not to insult them, Vash.”

“I wasn’t,” I huffed. “I was just saying that they’re missing out on opportunities to make their lives easier. Hell, if they have a forge and some stuff for me to sketch with, I could probably get them a better mining setup.”

“What are two of you talking about?” the diamond dog that led us down the tunnel asked.

“Oh, we were just observing your village,” I said, rubbing the back of my head.

“Its nice, if not claustrophobic,” Jason added smiling a little.

“Have to be careful,” the dog commented. “If village spread too far tunnel collapse, many lives lost.”

“I could probably help with that. I know a fair amount about building things,” I commented.

“Will keep in mind,” the dog nodded. “You say you want make alliance. Will lead you to alpha if you want.”

“Lead away my friend!” Jason smiled, nodding his head. The diamond dog nodded and led us to an upper portion of the underground village. There, a large diamond dog, about my size with the coloring of a german shepherd was sitting on a carved out stone throne. He raised a brow when he saw us coming but kept up his casual pose.

“Who these strangers?” The Alpha asked our diamond dog escort.

“Outsiders say they want make an alliance,” the escort answered with a slight bow of deference.

“This true?” The Alpha asked us.

“Yes it’s true. The kingdom of Equestria would be honored to forge an alliance with your people.” Jason nodded, bowing as best he could.

“Yes, as someone with close, personal relations with the princesses of Equestria I come as their ambassador,” I said with a bow.

“Hmm, so they send pretty female to make deal with me,” the Alpha said with a creepy smile.

“Hey, good for you Jason, he called you pretty,” I whispered to Jason with a chuckle.

“...He was talking about you Vash...”

“Nope, I’m going into denial over this,” I said sharply. “He was talking about you and that’s final.”

“I'll say this now, our names are Jason and Vash and I expect us to be called as such,” Jason narrowed his eyes at the alpha.

“Heh, heh, fine, I call you by name,” The Alpha said with a wave of a paw. “So, what we get out of alliance?”

“Well, protection from any potential threats that come through the area,” I started. “Along with access to our technology and you’ll be able to freely trade with us.”

“As well as access to gems from around the continent.” Jason added, taking one out and tossing it to him.

He lazily caught the gem and sniffed it. “Hmm, that good quality gem. This alliance sound good so far,” he concluded by taking a bite out of the gem, noisily crunching on it.

‘And it looks like they eat gems,’ I thought to myself.

“So will you accept our offer?” I asked hopefully.

“Will think about it. Not sure how feel about ponies getting into diamond dog business,” the alpha replied. “Make selves comfortable in village. Will have answer by tomorrow.”

“Thank you.” Jason bowed, following our escort out of the room. He whistled for Zed to follow, the Baskurr chasing after him.

“So, that guy had the attitude of a roman emperor,” I chuckled at Jason.

“Think so?” He asked, casting a glance at me.

“Well, one of the later ones anyway. Sort of had a Caligula vibe to him,” I shrugged.

“Yeah well...” Jason winced, stopping in his tracks, clutching his stomach.

“Jason,” I started putting a hand on his side. “Are you okay?” I asked.”Is it the baby?”

“I'm pretty sure...that was a contraction...” He winced again, starting to collapse. He fell on top of me, his face contorted in pain.

“Really?” I asked starting to panic as I got eye level with his stomach. “You sure have a really bad sense of timing,” I said to the baby. “Is there anyone here that can help us?!” I called out. “We’ve got a baby on the way!”

“We have dog that can help,” our guide said helping me lead Jason toward an older looking female dog in one of the stone homes.

“Put her on slab, I will do what can,” she instructed, pulling out a few things from around her makeshift room. I helped Jason on the stone table and kept a hand on his shoulder.

“How are you feeling?” I asked carefully. “Anymore contractions?”

“I'll let you know, Vash.” Jason took in a deep, shaky breath, his trembling nearly vanishing.

“Heh, I almost lost my cool there,” I admitted. “Guess I wasn’t expecting this to happen now of all times. I didn’t even invoke Murphy or anything like that.”

“You just did...” Jason opened his eyes, glaring at me.

“I need to learn when to keep my mouth shut, don’t I?” I sighed.

“Yes.” He grabbed my wrist, which started to ice over. “You do.”

“Gah!” I winced. “Please stop with the ice. I’d rather not have to deal with frostbite on top of everything else. I’m sure everything’s going to be fine,” I assured with a weak smile.

He released my arm, going back to controlled breathing.

“So, this is it,” I said. “You really want to leave the baby with me?” I asked. “I’m sure they’d be happy being around all their siblings.”

“Vash, I'm leaving them here with you, stop trying to duck your parental responsibility.”

“That’s not what I’m trying to do,” I said with a shake of my head. “I’ll gladly take the kid.” I smiled at him and started to chuckle. “I’d accuse you of trying to duck out of your responsibilities if you didn’t already have a few kids of your own.”

“Ya well first they have to get out of me.” He laughed, wincing slightly.

“Looks like they want out,” I said, patting his shoulder. “You ready to scream that you hate me for putting you through this?”

“Vash, I've been nearly cut in half and got erased from existence, this is not going to make me scream...” Jason assured, looking at me.

“Alright, if you say so,” I said, smiling at him.

‘Here’s hoping he’s right about that,’ I thought. ‘I’ve probably got an even more sensitive sense of hearing thanks to his transformation.’

“Well? What the hell are we waiting for?” Jason asked, looking at the older dog.

“For child,” she answered putting down a tub of warm water. “The contractions still far apart. Once they get faster, then we ready to start getting child out.”

“Well Jason, how are the contractions?” I asked.

“They suck,” he muttered through gritted teeth.

“I was referring to how quick they’re coming.” I looked down and my eyes widened. “Well, we might be seeing the kid soon. I think your water just broke.”

“Joy...”

“Good,” the older dog commented. “Now come the hard part. Keep breathing steady and push.” Jason grunted, gritting his teeth. A cracking sound filled the air and after a moment I realized it was his teeth cracking.

“Jason, are you okay?” I asked. “That did not sound good.”

“I have something to bite down on if want,” The older dog offered, holding up a leather strap.

“I'm fine...” Jason snorted, icy mist blowing from his nostrils.

“Fine, keep pushing then,” the older dog shrugged, putting the leather strap down.

“You’re doing great Jason,” I assured, patting his shoulder. My hand started to ice over again, though it didn't seem like Jason was doing it on purpose. I ignored it and did my best to keep reassuring him. “Just focus on pushing, help our kid out of there.” This went on for what seemed like hours, until finally, a baby's crying filled the air.

“It a boy,” The older dog smiled as she cut the umbilical cord. She then washed the baby in the tub of water and quickly swaddled it, handing it to Jason.

“Wow,” I said, feeling stunned. “A son, I have a son now… I can’t even find words for this.” Except...Jason wasn't moving his eyes shut and being death still. “Jason!” I cried, putting an ear to his chest. “Okay, he’s still got a pulse,” I sighed with some relief. “Take the baby,” I told the older dog as I prepared to perform what little first aid I knew. “Jason, come on, wake up!” I shouted, shaking the jotun.

A moment later, the Omnitrix went off, shifting Jason into a few large, utterly terrifying lizard. He took in a deep breath, coughing heavily.

“Umm, Jason?” I asked, standing between him and the older dog. “Are you okay?”

“Not in the slightest.” He leveled an eye at me. “You ever lose most of your life force Vash?”

“Uhhh no,” I answered. “How did you lose your life force? Did you give it to the baby?” I asked, stealing a quick glance at the baby.

“Vash, you know as well as I do that Plants are higher beings. You ever watch Steven Universe? “

“Yeah,” I answered. “Okay, I think I see what you’re trying to say,” I nodded. “So,” I started, looking his form up and down. “What scan is that, Godzilla Jr.?”

“SCP-682.” Jason said simply, as if that was the only thing I needed to know.

“Okay, do you want to change back now?” I asked hopefully. “That form is starting to creep me out.”

“I'm not going to be able to do much for a while.” Jason shifted back, falling off the slab. I picked him up and helped him back on the slab.

“Yeesh, now I really feel bad about putting you through all this,” I said, rubbing the back of my head.

“Just let me sleep...” Jason muttered, drifting off again.

“Here, take children,” the older dog said as she handed me the baby and Val. I took them and looked down at our newborn’s confused face.

“Yeah, something tells me both of us are going to have that look on our faces a lot,” I smiled down at him and sat down on the slab. “So, welcome to the world,” I smiled down at him. “Oh man, you still need a name,” I realized before glancing over to Jason. “Guess that’ll have to wait until your mommy wakes up,” I chuckled. I settled down in a corner of the room and kept an eye on Jason and the two babies. Zed padded over, looking up at the baby, tilting her head. “Do you want to see him?” I asked, bouncing him slightly. Zed barked softly, placing her legs on my lap, standing more upright.

“Alright,” I smiled. “Zed, say hello to Jason and I’s unnamed child. Unnamed son, say hello to Zed the alien.” I then held the baby out, allowing Zed to get a better look at him, and vice versa. Zed leaned in sniffing at him, letting out a happy growl. She licked him, tail wagging. The baby seemed to like her too, his tiny hands reaching out and touching her head. “Heh, you’re a brave little guy,” I told him with a proud look. “I bet you’re going to love what I’ve made for you.” Zed let him touch her, nuzzling his hands gently.

“Crazy day, huh, Zed?” I asked the alien with a shake of my head. She seemed to agree, giving a silent yawn. “Yeah, probably a good idea,” I nodded to her. “I’m gonna stay up though. Gotta keep an eye on everyone,” I told her, indicating Jason and the babies. Hours passed and eventually Jason started to stir. I got up and sat next to him on the slab.

“Water...” Jason looked at me, holding his arm out weakly.

“Alright, I’ll get you some,” I smiled as I handed the kids to him. I looked around for a little bit and eventually found a pail of water and a cup. “Here you go,” I said as I sat the pail and cup next to him.

“Thanks...” Jason commented, picking it up, chugging it down.

“So, are you ready to give the kid a name?” I asked. “I held off, figuring you’d want a say in it.”

“I want to name him after my father...”Jason gazed at the baby, stroking his cheek. “Toya..”

“I love it,” I smiled at the baby. “Mind if I use my own dad’s name for his middle name?” I asked.

“Go right ahead.” Jason nodded, smiling.

“Well then, hello there, Toya Vincent… and I’m guessing his last name will be Vashson?” I chuckled.

“Well, I'm Toyason.” Jason laughed weakly.

“I guess that settles it then,” I grinned. “Say, can you get me my duster?” I asked. “There’s something in there I want to show you. It’s a present for Toya here.”

Jason snapped his fingers, changing my clothes back.

“I was originally going to give this to you when you left,” I started, rooting around in the coat. “But since you’re not taking Toya with you I might as well show you now,” I finished as I pulled out two sheathed blades. One a shortsword and the other a dagger. “This is what I made from that scale you gave me,” I beamed at him.

“Vash...that scale was for you.” He laughed, looking at them. “They’re beautiful...”

“Yeah, and that’s not all,” I chuckled. “I also carved a nordic rune on the crossguard of both of them. “The rune on the sword says ‘strength’ and the dagger has ‘love’ etched onto it. I even made a prayer to Odin when I was done. I call them, Jormungand’s Fangs. Or Fangs of Jormungand, whichever sounds cooler.” I shrugged.

“I have something too...” He muttered, passing the babies to me, reaching into his pocket.

“Oh, you had the same idea as me and had a present ready for the baby?” I asked with a bright smile. “So, what’s your present for Toya?” I asked, eager to see it.

Jason reached into his pocket, pulling out a large, grey sphere. “I didn’t get mine when I was ten but...I would like him to...”

“Whoa, what is that?” I asked, gawking at the sphere.

“What do you think it is?”

“I dunno, that’s why I asked.”

He smirked a little. “It started when an alien device did what it did…~”

“Wait a minute…” I blinked, not believing what I was hearing. “You’re giving Toya an Omnitrix? How did you get an extra one of those?”

“I made it.” He grinned proudly.

“Greymatter?” I deadpanned.

“Oh you know it.” He grinned more.

“Well way to one up my homemade gift for our kid,” I pouted. “Here I was thinking I was being the best dad ever, and there you are giving Toya a super-powered alien device. You suck.”

“Vash, you made him nearly indestructible swords. Your gift is awesome,” Jason assured me.

“But is it as awesome as alien superpowers?” I asked him, my pout increasing. “I think we both know the answer to that.”

“You're messing with me aren't you...?”

“Heh, yeah.” I chuckled at him. “Still, can’t believe you had an Omnitrix ready for Toya. He is going to be a real handful once he turns ten. Gonna need to fireproof the castle in case he goes Heatblast… or Swampfire.”

“I'm also going to leave him and by extension the princesses some spell books.” Jason sat up slowly, swaying a little.

“And now you’re leaving things that’ll allow him to freeze my ass or worse?” I groaned as I supported his weight. “You’re just trying to make my job as a dad difficult, aren’t you?”

“Oh stop it, you'll have two gods to help keep him in line.” He rolled his eyes at me.

“And a half-snake captain of the guard,” I reminded him. “Who you spliced with a species of alien geniuses. Something tells me she’ll be a big help keeping an eye on Toya too. Well, when she doesn’t have to keep an eye on me that is,” I chuckled.

He chuckled, nodding. “So...how's the heat going?”

“Haven’t really noticed it,” I answered. “I think the baby delivery took my mind off it.” I then paused, letting out a small groan as I felt it hit me… hard. “That is until you brought it up,” I panted. He reached up, petting my head.

“Relax, I got ya.” He smiled, leaning on me.

“Dear god don’t do that,” I flinched from the contact to my head. “That made it worse. Ugggh, this is awful,” I panted, sniffing the air a bit. “And you’re starting to smell good. That doesn’t seem like a good sign.

“What do I smell like?” he asked, raising his eyebrow.

“Really? We’re doing this?” I sighed. “Umm, kind of hard to put to words. There’s this kind of… coldness to it and this weird… almost earthy and heaviness to it. Which to my heat-addled mind smells awesome.”

“Huh...never thought of that...” He scratched his head. “And now I feel like an asshole for doing this to you...”

“Considering I just put you through pregnancy, I think we can call it even,” I groaned, nearly falling to my knees.

“I'll turn you back.” He moved to snap his fingers, looking at me.

“Thanks,” I breathed, getting my footing back. “So, how long did I last?” I asked hopefully.

“I think it’s sundown.” He snapped his fingers reverting me to normal.

“Guess that means you win the bet,” I chuckled weakly. Jason just smiled, offering me a berry. I smiled back and ate the berry quickly.

“Hmm, interesting taste,” I commented. “You could probably use that to make a good jam or even muffins.”

“Save the seeds, these are kinda like senzu beans.” Jason nodded, starting to eat one himself.

“This one of your Enigma Berries?” I asked, spitting out the seed.

“Yup.” He licked his lips, chowing down on it.

“Heh, almost feel like calling you Krillin if these are like senzu beans. He always seemed to get relegated to being the healer.”

“Does that make you Yamcha?” He shot back at me, grinning.

“You have just insulted me in a way that no other has ever done,” I stated with narrowed eyes. “Don’t you ever call me Yamcha again.”

“Yamcha.” He grinned evilly.

“Oh, I’ll get my revenge,” I told him. “Maybe I’ll put another baby in you,” I said with a smirk.

“How ya gonna pull that?” He asked, giving me an incredulous look.

“I’m a crafty guy Jason, I’ll find a way. If I managed to win the hearts of literal goddesses, I’m fairly sure I can accomplish just about anything.”

“I dunno, I could put a baby in you.” He licked his lips, winking at me.

“Hmmph, not after that grave insult,” I shot back, crossing my arms over my chest and turning my head up at him. “I wouldn’t bear the child of someone who thinks of me as a… as a Yamcha!”

“Shh! You’ll wake the kids!” He shushed me quickly.

“Sorry,” I whispered with a wince. “Got a little carried away with my dramatics.” I looked down at Toya and smiled. “Heh, he has your hair,” I commented.

“How can you even tell?” Jason asked, looking down at Toya, frowning a little.

“What little hair he does have on is head is certainly not blonde,” I pointed out, rubbing his head a bit. Toya made a face, opening his eyes a crack. “Aww, how you feeling sleepyhead?” I cooed at him. He gurgled, turning his eyes away, looking up at Jason. “He’s looking for his mommy,” I told Jason, trying to hold back a bit of a smirk.

“Hi baby,” Jason cooed, reaching down, touching Toya’s cheek. The baby gurgled again, squirming happily. Jason smiled, rocking him gently.

“Seems we’ve got quite the happy baby here,” I chuckled. “You should’ve seen the way he acted with Zed.”

“I wish I could have seen it, I know Zed is a sweetheart with kids.” Jason smiled, kissing Toya’s head.

“I bet the fact he smells like you to her helps,” I smiled, looking down at Toya. “Still having a hard time believing I’m a dad. Did you feel the same way when you first became a father?”

“Yeah...I had that moment...when Chrysalis stepped out of the way and I saw them...it was amazing...” Jason smiled, a faraway look on his face.

“Heh, amazing is the exact word that came to mind when I laid eyes on Toya here… up until you passed out that is. I was scared I lost you there for a second,” I admitted, nudging him a bit.

“Yeah well, it would have pissed Hel off.” Jason laughed, shaking his head.

“Oh man, didn’t even think about Hel,” I shuddered. “What are the chances she’d come gunning for me?”

“Nah, she’d just wreck this world’s afterlife to get me.”

“Well, that’s good. I’d rather not have the embodiment of death mad at me. Especially not the norse one.” I shuddered. “Really wish I didn’t have such a vivid imagination sometimes.”

“It's one of your best traits!” Jason smirked, wincing as Val started to wake up.

“Ugh, where am I now?” Val asked, groggily looking around. “Are we underground?!” She shrieked.

“Hush.” Jason soothed, “You'll upset your brother.”

“Brother? I don’t have a brother.” The chick replied with a tilt of her head.

“He means this little guy,” I said, indicating Toya, who was regarding Val with a curious look, his mouth shaped into an “o”.

“Hey Vash, wanna help me test something?” Jason asked.

“That depends, will it involve me getting transformed into something?” I asked cautiously.

“No, I just want to see how griffon bonding works.”

“Sure thing, I’m game,” I told him with a relieved smile. “What do you want me to do?”

“Just take Val and I dunno, take her out of sight. I wanna see how she reacts without me around.” Jason explained, holding out the chick.

“No problem,” I shrugged, taking her.

“Pfft, as if I’ll care,” Val snorted. “You put me in this tiny body, being away from you would be a gift as far as I’m concerned.”

“We’ll see.” Jason pet her head, smiling. I walked away, quickly finding a secluded spot. At first, Val seemed to keep up her haughty attitude. But after a while she seemed to be agitated, and constantly whipping her head around.

“You want me to go back and get Jason?” I asked her.

“No way,” she huffed, though she seemed to perk up a bit at the mention of his name. “There’s no way I’d want to see…” her eyes started to water and she let out an ear piercing cry. “Jason!” she wailed, breaking down into tears.

“Alright, Vash, bring her back.” Jason called. I walked back over to him and handed her over. She instantly clung to him and started nuzzling his chest.

“I hate you,” she said softly.

“Do you really?” He asked, ruffling her feathers gently.

“No,” she admitted weakly. “But I should for what you’ve done to me.”

“What? Give you a new lease on life?” He asked, rocking her.

“Aww, what a cute moment,” I smiled, snapping a picture with my phone.

“You took me from my old life,” Val grumbled. “Might not have been the most honest of livings, but I was happy.”

“Really? You were happy ruining people's lives and harming them for your own gain?” Jason questioned.

“Griffon Stone’s a tough place, gotta be tough to live there. Besides, I had the respect of my men. I earned that the hard way.”

“Wanna help me out here Vash? I'm not the best at this stuff...” Jason turned to me, sighing.

“Hmm, I’ll see what I can say,” I shrugged. “Val, you’re right, that was a tough town. And I’m sure you did earn the respect of those bandits. So maybe you should’ve used that to change the town? Make it a better place. That way you wouldn't need to be tough to live there.”

“I'm trying to give you a better life.” Jason cooed, kissing her head.

“Whatever,” she huffed, though there seemed to be the ghost of a smile on her face. “Not like I can do anything considering you’ve got me dependent on you,” she finished, burying her head in his chest.

“Hey, think of it like this, you’re royalty now.” Jason responded.

“You're royalty?” Val asked, taken aback.

“Yeah, not only that, but, I'm sorta of a god,” Jason explained.

“I’m starting to think I could adjust to this new life.” She beamed.

“I think you just appealed to her inner bandit.” I chuckled.

“And you have a crap ton of siblings.” Jason smirked. “So, you have to share.”

“Ugh, sharing,” she groaned. “Still, should be plenty to share.”

“Think of it this way. Since you can already talk, you can set yourself up as the boss of your new
siblings,” I offered with a grin and pat on the head.

“That reminds me, you hungry?” Jason asked bouncing the chick.

“Maybe,” she said, just as her stomach let out a rumbling growl. Jason smiled, pulling his shirt off, letting Val nurse. Toya’s stomach let out a loud growl and he looked up at Jason with a pout.

“Looks like he’s hungry too,” I chuckled. Jason took Toya as well, letting him nurse from the other breast. “Eat up little guy,” I said as I patted Toya’s head. “That way you can grow up stronger than your mommy here.”

“I’d like that a lot.” Jason laughed, letting out a contented sigh.

“Really?” I asked with a tilt of my head. “Figured you’d always want to be the strongest guy in the room.”

“I want my children to be strong. I’m not one of those guys who takes pride in being able to beat their kids. My ego isn’t paper thin.”

“Fair enough,” I nodded. “Well with Morning, the princesses and Star Swirl around, you won’t have to worry about Toya here becoming weak. They’ll turn him into a proper warrior and magic user in no time.” I beamed. “Though I’m guessing you’ll want to train him when you come back here, whenever that is,” I shrugged. “Someone’s gotta show him the finer details of that Omnitrix.”

“Oh, I wanted to tell you know, I left out the more uh... destructive forms I’ve picked up.” He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small green chip. “Whatever you do, don’t give this to him until he’s ready.”

“What forms are on that?” I asked, pocketing the chip in an unused pocket. “Hodge, Alien X, the ultimate form function?”

“Saiyan, Majin, Celestialsapien, 682, and Mewtwo.” Jason listed off. “Vash, you do not want 682 out. It is the singular, most dangerous thing in the Omnitrix.”

“Alright, I’ll take your word on that,” I nodded and gave him a look of understanding. “Still, this 682 thing has to be bad considering all the crazy forms you have on that watch of yours. How will I know when to give Toya the chip?”

“There is no taking my word for it Vash.” Jason looked dead into my eyes. “If 682 gets out, nothing in this world will save you, not the princesses, not the angel arm, not the Elements. Nothing. It’ll adapt to everything you hit it with and just keep coming. Do you understand?”

“Then why did you give me this chip?” I asked. “If 682 is really more dangerous than even the worst baddy and magical artifact that Equestria has, wouldn’t it be better to just never let Toya put that scan in his Omnitrix?

“Because Vash, 682 can’t die.” Jason let out a long sigh. “The Omnitrix has a failsafe: when its users life is in danger, it places them in the form with the highest chance of survival. What has a better chance for survival than something that can’t die?”

“Wouldn’t the Majin and Celestialsapien be nearly as good at keeping Toya alive, without the crazy unstoppable death lizard side effects?”

“Vash, there was a version of Albedo who was stuck as Alien x for a year because the voices wouldn’t let him go. That's why.”

“Is that as bad as the unstoppable death lizard that I’m guessing would just love to eat everything Toya will come to care about?” I asked with narrowed eyes. “I get where you’re coming from here Jason, I do. I’d give anything to protect the ones I care about, but this seems too dangerous, even for a god-baby like Toya.”

“Then don’t ever give it to him.” Jason shrugged, closing his eyes.

“I’d also better never let Toya know this chip exists. Something tells me he might be a cocky teenager and try to swipe the chip from me to prove he can handle anything,” I sighed and rubbed the side of my head.

“If he’s anything like I was, he’ll be a lazy slacker asshole who caused nothing but trouble. I ever tell you about the time me and my cousin burned down a barn making moonshine?”

“Ha!” I laughed. “I burned down a barn once too. Though I was working on fixing a busted truck that was abandoned there. Money was tight and I needed a ride. Luckily I didn’t get in trouble with the cops… but my mom kinda knew what I was doing there and I got in more than enough trouble with her. I think I would’ve preferred the cops to be honest.” I shuddered.

Jason snorted, shaking his head. “You know...I think we got majorly off topic on why we’re here.”

“To be fair we do have a few excuses,” I chuckled. “Between Toya being born, you’re near death scare, and you putting me in heat, we’ve been dealing with a lot. Plus, we haven’t heard anything from that Diamond Dog leader. We’re still waiting to hear what he has to say about our deal,” I shrugged. “It’s not like…” Before I could finish that sentence I clamped a hand over my mouth, to prevent Murphy from screwing with me.

“Oh good, you’re learning.” Jason smirked, giggling at me.

“I may not be totally convinced about this whole Murphy thing,” I answered, shivering slightly. “But even I’m not dense enough to not know a pattern when I see one. Last thing I need is to get myself in trouble by opening my mouth due to the supernatural. I’ll stick to the old fashioned way of my mouth getting me in trouble.”

“Cause we all know that's so much better.” Jason smirked.

“Hey I can deal with the latter. A supernatural being screwing me over for my sarcasm is a whole new thing for me,” I laughed.

“So...what do we do now?” Jason asked, adjusting the kids a little.

“Uh…” I drawled, trying to think of something before I got interrupted by our dog guide coming up to us.

“Leader want see you,” he said, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder.

“Talk about timing...” Jason shifted the kids again, pulling out another berry, devouring it again. “Help me up?”

“Anything for the mother of my child,” I joked with a wink as I held out a hand to help him up. He took it, getting to his feet.

“Come on, let’s get going.” He smiled, moving over to the dog at the door.

We moved along with the dog and were led back up to where the leader was lounging on his throne. He looked us over and arched his brow. “Where pretty female from before?”

“She had to leave.” Jason shrugged.

“Shame,” he sighed. “Me would have liked putting pups in her belly. Could have had strong pups from one like her.” I nearly vomited in my mouth, but maintained an even expression.

“Yeah, real shame that. Anyway, what do you have to say about the peace offer?” I asked with a nervous chuckle.

“Me see no reason to object,” he shrugged. “We will take deal… for now.”

“Thank you sir,” I replied with a bit of a bow. “You won’t regret this decision.”

“Thank you for the hospitality.” Jason bowed, being careful not to drop the children.

“Yes, yes, be sure to tell pony princesses about deal,” the Alpha waved. “You two have more business here?” He asked, arching his brow again.

“Not that I know of...” Jason blinked, looking at me.

“Don’t you need a diamond dog scan here?” I whispered to him.

“Oh yeah.” Jason nodded. “I would like to get a scan off of you.” Jason looked up at him.

“What you mean by that?” The Alpha asked, leaning forward in his throne.

“You see, I’m a shapeshifter.” Jason passed me the children, pulling his top up. He activated the Omnitrix, shifting into a zebra. “And I would like to have a diamond dog form.”

“Hmmph, very well,” the Alpha smirked. “My form should make you stronger than a little zebra would.” Jason just smiled, shifting by to normal and taking the scan.

“Oh, it’s not about strength, it’s about blending in.” He winked before shifting truly back to normal, his clothes changing back to his normal hoodie and jeans.

“Aww, I already miss your woman form,” I sighed, adjusting a babbling Toya who was clapping at Jason’s shapeshifting.

“Yeah well, I don’t.” Jason grumbled, seeming to smile as he heard his normal voice. “You still recognize me?” he asked, looking at Val.

“Yeah, you do still smell the same,” she answered.

“Good.” he pat her head, looking at the Alpha. “Gotta ask though, do all diamond dog males treat females like that?”

“Only when heat season come around. Instincts are strong.” The Alpha shrugged.

“Hey Jason, this guy did say he wanted pups,” I whispered. “Wanna turn the heat up on him as we leave?” I asked with a devious smile.

“Oh that is a wonderful idea.” Jason smirked, shifting into Hodgepodge.

“It feels so good to be back!” Hodge smirked, cracking his various joints....even ones that shouldn’t.

“Hi Hodge, so nice to see you,” I said with a forced smile, my eye twitching a bit.

“Sup?” he asked, ruffling my hair. “Awesome kid.” He gave a thumbs up before looking at the Alpha. “Whats happinin’ bro?” he asked, suddenly behind the guy.

“Discord!” the Alpha yelped, suddenly looking scared. “What you doing here?! Me heard you were defeated by pony princesses!”

“Quiet,” I shushed him. “You’re scaring the baby,” I started bouncing a crying Toya.

“Nah, I’m not Discord. I’m Hodgepodge.” He blinked narrowing his eyes. “Are you implying that we all look alike? There’s a word for that, what is it Vash?”

“Prejudiced and or racist,” I answered with a sagely nod.

“Exactly! How dare you suggest that we all look alike!” Hodge scolded with mock outrage.

“Yeah,” I nodded with a suppressed grin. “The eyes are totally different, and the claws on Hodge’s reptillian leg are 2cm longer than Discord’s. Anyone could tell the difference between them.”

Hodge pouted, snapping his fingers, reducing the Alpha into well, a bitch in heat.

“Gah!” The Alpha cried, looking his new form over. “What you do to me?!” (S)He panted, his/her tongue lolling out of her mouth a bit

“Well, you did want pups...” he chuckled a little.

“Not like this,” she whined, her legs crossing erratically.

“Should’ve been more specific,” I shrugged, “Hodge can’t be held responsible for what he does if you’re not.”

Jason reverted to normal, leaning in and taking a whiff. “Seems like it’s pretty bad.”

“Grrr, if you don’t change me back I will…” she paused her nose twitching and she crossed her legs with a whimper.

“Will what?” he asked, reaching to stroke her cheek. She whimpered again and flinched from the contact.

“Can’t think straight,” she answered with a shake of her head. “You two smell too good.”

“I can help with that...” Jason smirked, his eyes changing to a shade of red that wasn’t normal.

“How…?” She asked, turning her head away from Jason.

“How do you think?” he leaned in further, breathing on her neck.The former Alpha shuddered, her panting getting heavier.

“Anything to make it stop,” she relented.

“Cover your eyes children,” I said, putting a hand over Toya and Val’s eyes. “What’s about to happen isn’t meant for young audiences.”

“You take them back Vash... I’ll meet you there.” Jason winked at me, in a voice that wasn’t his.

“Fine,” I sighed and looked down at Zed. “You got a form that can get us back to Brad quickly?” She looked at him, shifting into a very large, big as the room, black bird with four red eyes. I hopped on her back and shifted the children in my grasp.

“Good girl,” I said with a pat to her back. “And don’t be too rough with her, Jason. It is her first time as a girl after all,” I told him with a smirk.

A few hours later Jason strolled into the castle, walking up to me and decking me in the face.

“Why the face!?” I cried, making sure nothing was disfigured. “It’s my only redeeming feature!”

“Why did you leave me there, with a personality I don’t even fully comprehend?” Jason asked, crossing his arms.

“I wasn’t aware that another personality was in control,” I replied, pulling out a handkerchief to stop the bleeding from my nose. “Sorry I did that though,” I sighed.

Jason sighed, holding his hand out. Once I was on my feet, he cast a spell, healing my nose. “And I’m sorry I hit you...”

“Huh, first time you’ve apologized for hitting me,” I commented, smiling at him.

“I could do it again,” Jason offered holding his fist up.

“No thanks, I like not being numb all over.” I laughed.

“Anyway...I’m really hoping that doesn't result in a litter of pups...I have enough kids as it is...”

“Did you just invoke Murphy?” I deadpanned.

He blinked before facepalming. “Motherfucker.”

“It’s okay, buddy,” I offered with a pat on the back. “Everything’s fine. Not like you’re gonna have to deal with the consequences anyway.”

“I’d rather not be a deadbeat to any of my kids, Vash.” Jason looked at me, narrowing his eyes.

“Yeah, that was a bad joke.” I cringed. “Still, she was the Alpha before you turned her into a female. Something tells me she can handle a litter. Even if they are half-jotun,” I chuckled and patted him on the back again.

“Yeah...” Jason nodded, looking at me. “Keep an eye on them for me?”

“Of course, if Toya has siblings in this universe then I’m going to do my best to make sure he has a good relationship with them,” I answered with a smile. “That’ll include finding Mezza and the other sirens if I can.”

“I doubt you’ll find them again, Vash.” Jason put his hands in his pocket. “So, how are the kids doing anyway?”

“The princesses and Megan are busy fawning all over them,” I replied with a smile. “And Toya is eating up the attention.”

“And Val didn’t freak out at my absence?”

“She was a little upset at first, but Megan managed to calm her down. And she hasn’t threatened to peck anyone’s eyes out in at least an hour, so that’s a plus.”

“Well that's good. Show me the way, dear old dad.” Jason smirked.

“Whatever you say, mommy.” I smirked back as I led him to the sitting room where the girls were gushing over Toya and Val.

“Ooh, he is truly precious!” Luna beamed, rubbing her cheek against Toya’s. “We can not stand it!”

“We can only hope that our own children are as adorable as little Toya here,” Celestia agreed, letting Toya grasp one of her fingers.

“What did I tell you, he’s eating it up,” I said as I turned to Jason.

“You three having fun?” Jason asked, watching as Megan preened Val’s feathers.

“Jason!” Val cried, her tiny wings flitting in a vain attempt to fly.

“They haven’t been able to stop squealing in delight,” Morning chuckled. “They are quite taken with little Toya here.

“Says the pony who played peekaboo with him,” Celestia and Luna teased. Morning blushed a bit and turned her head away.

“Miss me?” Jason asked, taking Val from Megan, who just smiled.

“I think she realized your scent was on me and just relaxed.” Megan giggled, brushing some hair out of her face. “She’s a feisty one.”

“I’ve heard that’s a common griffon trait,” I smiled. “Though she might be a bit more feisty than your average griffon,” I said as I ruffled some of her feathers. “So, have you gotten a turn with little Toya here?” I asked Megan. “Or have Tia and Lulu hogged him for themselves?”

“They’ve been very greedy with my grandson but, I didn’t have any problem keeping Val happy.” She beamed at the chick.

“You’re alright lady,” Val admitted, burying her head in Jason’s chest.

“Tia, Lulu, I know you love kids,” I grinned as I looked at the two princesses. “But maybe you should let Megan hold her grandchild. The two pouted a bit but handed Toya over without complaining.

“Hey there,” Megan cooed, cradling Toya gently. “I’m your granny Megan. Can you say Granny Megan?” Toya started to babble incoherently until his face contorted a bit and let out a sneeze that covered Megan’s face in a thin layer of frost.

“Huh, first time he’s done that,” I commented. Megan blinked, wiping her face off.

“Well, Toya, thank you for my sneeze.” she chuckled, kissing his head.

“I’m sure he’d love to give you more if you just asked,” I chuckled with her, smiling at the baby.

“Jason certainly didn’t give me any of those.” She laughed, watching him play with Val.

“Toya might be an early bloomer to his ice powers because of my DNA,” I told her, rubbing the back of my head. “My character, Vash, looked like a teenager within a year or two.”

“That's because Plants are weird energy things.” Jason commented, tickling Val’s sides.

“Hey! Cut that out!” She shrieked, harmlessly clawing at Jason’s hands.

“Aww, does that mean Toya may not stay this tiny for long?” Celestia pouted.

“If he was a full blooded Plant I’d say no,” I answered. “But since he’s also half jotun my answer is, we’ll have to wait and see,” I shrugged. Jason moved over, switching Val for Toya.

“Hey there little guy, recognize me?” he asked, cradling the babe close to his chest. Toya looked up at him and then down at his chest. He then placed his tiny hands on Jason’s chest and looked back up at him with a pout.

“I think Toya here misses your breasts as much as I do,” I laughed, turning to Jason with a large grin.

Jason gave me a deadpan look. “You keep quiet or I’ll go through with that knocking you up thing.”

“Not until you make it up to me for calling me Yamcha,” I returned with a smirk.

“Yeah yeah,” Jason rolled his eyes. “Sorry little guy but you’ll need to get your munchies from someone else.” Toya continued to pout but remained quiet.

“Luckily we have a wet-nurse on staff,” Celestia interjected, patting Toya on the head. “She should have more than enough milk for Toya here.”

“Hey, do you think we should summon Hel?” I asked Jason. “I’m sure she’d like to meet her great-grandson.”

“Eh, she can wait for the family reunion.” Jason waved his hand dismissively.

“Wow Jason, that was cold as ice.”

“Vash, do you have any idea how much effort Pinkie and Applejack are putting into this reunion? With so many people, they’re putting off like the next dozen to plan a decade in advance.”

“Why are they delaying it a decade?” I questioned, puzzled. “What could those two be planning that’ll take a decade to pull off?”

“Vash, do you have any idea how many families are involved in this?” Jason asked, raising his eyebrow.

“Clearly not otherwise I’d have known that was a stupid question,” I replied, slumping over slightly.

“Relax man. It’ll be epic.” Jason smiled, patting my head.

“So, how many families is this exactly? Just so I know.”

“Well there’s mine, the Sparkles, the Apple clan, the Pies, and our weirdo extended herd thing.”

“Okay, that does sound like a lot. I’ve actually met a different version of Applejack before. Does she wear a stetson and talk with a southern accent in your universe?” I asked.

“Yeah she does.” Jason nodded.

“Cool, then I’ll know what to expect from her for the most part. Though this Pinkie is still a complete mystery. Along with those Sparkles,” I snickered slightly at that last part.

‘Man, some of these pony names are ridiculous.’

“Pinkie is basically the pony version of Discord. Don’t question how she does things or you’ll lose your mind.”

“Then I’ll be sure to question everything strange she does,” I beamed and struck a triumphant pose. “I lost my mind months ago.”

“Anyway,” Jason nodded to his mother, whistling for Zed. “We should get going.”

“Alright, be sure to tell Rarity and Chrysalis that Vash and Toya said hi,” I smiled as I took Toya from him. “And don’t be a stranger, Toya will miss his mommy if you don’t visit,” I finished, bouncing Toya a bit.

“Be sure to send thy wives our regards as well,” Celestia nodded. “They were quite the guests.”

Jason moved over, kissing Toya on the head. “I’m sorry I can’t stay with you...” he said sadly, looking into the baby’s eyes.

“I’m sure he’ll understand,” I assured Jason. “Besides, I can either summon you or you can teleport here anytime you want. You’re never very far away… unless you’re talking about literal distance. In that case you’d be light years upon light years away.”

He just gave me a look, kissing Toya’s head again. “Take care everyone.” He shifted into Hodge, punching a hole in reality before taking Megan through, the broken space fixing itself right up.

All of a sudden, Toya started crying and a foul odor wafted through the room. “Uh oh,” I said, pinching my nose. “So, who wants to be the first one to change Toya here.” The three girls exchanged a look before lighting up their horns and leaving me alone with the crying baby. “Yeah, kinda figured that’d be the reaction I’d get,” I sighed. I then looked down at Toya and smiled a bit. “Don’t worry buddy, daddy’ll fix you right up.” I cringed a bit and started walking down the halls to find a new diaper for him.

Author's Notes:

And the long crossover is finally over. Now we can return to the normally scheduled insanity for a while.