Artex was the first one to wake up the following morning. His vision was blurry and his head felt like it was going to split open. He blinked his eyes and wondered why his left arm was numb. He rubbed his eyes with his right hand and peered owlishly at the sight directly in front of him. He could not make it out at first, but after a few more blinks, the blur cleared up, revealing Razor Wit's backside not a finger's width from his face. She was lying belly up with her top half draped over Vaiawa and her bottom half resting on Rose's side.

Artex smirked and gently pulled the tan leg down slightly, revealing two nicely rounded udders in what he guessed was a 'C' cup. The teats were bright pink and hairless against the surrounding soft tan fur. Feeling curious and more than a little amorous, he reached out his hand and softly stroked the pink nipple closest to him. Razor whimpered slightly in her sleep but turned her belly toward the sensation. Feeling more emboldened, Artex cupped the soft udder in his palm and used his thumb to gently rub the plump, pink nipple in a circular motion. The Unicorn mare let out a shuddering breath and breathed in slowly and deeply. She shifted again and her legs opened farther, allowing him greater access. He let go of her udder and gently pinched her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, rolling the digits back and forth. He continued rolling his fingers back and forth, back and forth in agonizingly slow motions. He made sure not to apply too much pressure to his love, but she seemed to be enjoying herself, so he saw no reason to stop yet. Razor moaned in a high pitch, making a whining sound in her throat as her tail twitched back and forth. Artex let go of her nipple and gently stroked his fingers gently along in the direction of the fur on the inside of her right thigh. Razor's hind legs gave a sudden, involuntary buck and kicked Artex right in the mouth.

His head snapped back like a cracking whip and his right hand flew to his mouth. He let out a long, loud, low groan of pain and rolled off the bed, dislodging Feather Tip and Vaiawa. The three tumbled onto the floor. The mares groaned at the extremely abrupt and rude awakening as Artex scrambled to his feet and ripped open the room's door. He darted down the hallway trailing blood and checking every door until he found the bathroom.

He slammed the door open and knelt over the sink, slinging the door closed behind him. Taking his hand away from his mouth, he placed his palm over the drain and spat out blood, shredded bits of flesh from his lacerated gums, and teeth, 'Serves me right! Ooh FUCK this hurts!' He lifted his head and looked in the mirror. His lips were already swollen and there were four obvious places where his incisors had broken the skin on his upper and lower lips before they were knocked out. Fearing what he would see, but knowing he needed to see anyway, he opened his mouth and recoiled in horror, 'Oh FUCK ME!' His front teeth were all either missing or broken, the gums split by the power of the impact and the punishing angle of the teeth being dislodged. He groaned loudly and forced himself to keep his mouth open as blood and saliva dripped down his chin. His arms shook as he held himself up rocking forward and backward, groaning in pain.

"Artex?" A voice called from outside of the door, it was Vaiawa, "Are you alright? What happened?"

A second voice joined her, "Hold on, let me see." The second voice he recognized as Feather Tip. She suddenly gasped, "His teeth!"

"I'm coming in." Vaiawa stated sternly. She opened the door and Artex turned his head away, hiding his newly mangled mouth. He saw her face in the reflection of the mirror. She saw the side of his face and her eyes were drawn to the blood dripping down his mouth. She sprang forward and peered into the sink, "Oh heavens!" She whispered. Looking up at the back of his head, she ordered, "Let me see."

Artex shook his head, "Gno." he whined, chest hitching.

Vaiawa growled in irritation, "If we hurry, we might be able to fix it. Now... TURN. AROUND."

Artex balled his fist and struck his right thigh with it, "Isch ngy ooh halt! Ayu huchck Ragier!" He shook his head, "Ayu wagh hargny ang Ayu wagh huriouch! Schee wagh rike hoo hick ngee!" He was all but impossible to understand.

Vaiawa rolled her eyes, "We can discuss that later!" She snapped impatiently, "Right now we need to make sure that your face doesn't end up looking any worse!"

Artex huffed and turned around on his knees. Vaiawa winced at his mangled mouth, "Good grief, love." She said quietly, "You must be a magnet for pain."

Oriana poked her head around the corner and gasped, "Ooh!" She quickly dashed away down the hallway.

Razor Wit and Rose Thorn then appeared in the doorway. Rose's jaw hung open silently while Razor's eyes bulged, "Oh Celestia, what happened!?"

Vaiawa turned her head, "Apparently y..." she was cut off as Artex gently grabbed her muzzle and held it closed. She turned her head and he let go of her muzzle. She shot him a curious look which he replied with a sad look and shook his head sadly.

Razor was still curious, "What is going on? How did he get hurt... again!?"

The shock from Artex' injury wore off and he arched his back as a scream ripped from his throat. He fell onto his back on the bathroom floor, writhing in agony and unable to hear the clopping of hooves down the hallway. Clean Cut nudged Razor out of the way as she entered the bathroom. She lit up her horn and pointed it toward the writhing Human. The beam hit him and he immediately went limp, groaning with relief.

Clean Cut stepped over his legs and used her hooves to turn his head to the side to prevent him from choking on anything, "I numbed him completely, but it's no substitute for proper anesthesia and it won't last long. We need to get him to an Orthodontic surgeon as soon as possible. I need clear space to move him, now!"

The mares scattered out of the bathroom as Clean Cut tried to levitate his whole body. Her magic flashed out and she clenched her eyes shut, putting a forehoof to her head. Razor realized what had happened, "His hands! Don't use magic on his hands! They cut off magic and give you a painful backlash!" Clean Cut shook her head and grunted as she levitated him off the floor by his torso and head.

She trotted down the stairs where the rest of the family was gathered, "What happened?" Mason asked.

Razor looked upset, "Vaiawa knows but for some reason Artex doesn't want her to say."

Visceral Slaughter could not help but to chuckle, "Injured AGAIN?" She looked to Razor Wit, "I hope he's rich. The doctor bills are going to start piling up if he keeps getting hurt like this."

As Clean Cut levitated Artex through the front door, he held up the thumb of his right hand. The family all looked puzzled when Razor and her herd all giggled. Oriana trotted out with Clean Cut while the others all stayed behind. The Zebra mare had an idea, "Is there an apothecary nearby? I can mix up a potion to restore his teeth to their original state as long as he gets his gums stitched up."

Clean Cut nodded, still concentrating on the pain-deadening spell and levitating the Human, "I'll give you limited access to the pharmacy and apothecary in the hospital when we get there. Just write down a list of the ingredients you need. At least now we won't have to call for an orthodontic surgeon."

* * *

Six hours later Artex was feeling pretty good. The anesthesiologist had not been stingy with her medications. Remembering how much anesthetic it took to knock him out from before, she had been more than generous. He also had a filled prescription for some of what Clean Cut referred to as 'happy pills'. He was conscious, but not completely coherent as Clean Cut levitated him back toward the house. Oriana had been as good as her word. His teeth were in perfect condition, but the stitches in his gums would take time to heal.

They reached the house and Oriana held the door for Clean Cut then closed it behind her once Artex was inside. The two mares could hear talking from the living room and adjusted their course accordingly. Due Process, Visceral Slaughter, and Cloud Cutter were the only three member of the family still present. Razor Wit, Rose Thorn, Vaiawa, and Feather Tip were all sitting down on cushions on the floor chatting calmly with the three remaining family members. Every one of the visiting mares had their saddlebags packed up and ready to go. Cloud Cutter had his saddlebags packed as well.

Vaiawa was the first to spot the returning mares and her returning, doped up, boyfriend. She rose to her hooves and trotted over toward him quickly. Artex saw her and held his arms open, "Heeeeeeeey! How's th' purdiest Changul... Changemak... how are you Vaiawawawa?"

Vaiawa rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation, "Oh good grief." she grumbled, "You're trashed."

Artex let his arms fall limply, his expression was sad, "Awwwww, c'mon babe! I jus wanna hug!"

"Not now, Artex. We need to get going or else we're going to miss the next train." Vaiawa said.

Oriana scuffed her forehoof against the floor, "Drat! I didn't have time to pack yet!" She dashed up the stairs while the other readied themselves to go. Oriana yelled down from upstairs, "I need to pack Artex' bag! Where is it!?"

Rose yelled up to her, "We already packed it. Sorry we didn't pack yours but we didn't want to mess with any system you have for your herbs. Artex just throws his stuff into his bag and sorts it out later."

Artex suddenly waved his arms wildly, "Waaaaaiiiiit!" He yelled, "We haven't talked to Visgoth... Viscose... Razor's Mom about the wedding!" His lower lip suddenly trembled, "I don't even know if she likes me an' I wan' her to like me! She's funununy!"

Visceral Slaughter trotted up to Artex. He looked down at her and waved his right hand sheepishly, "H-hi there funny, angry momma Pony. When did jew git here?" He giggle-snorted briefly, "Y-you know, you raisedidid a wunerful mare?" He nodded his head drunkenly, "Well yu-uu did... an' she's wunerful!" He pointed to himself, "You s-see this face? Well this face is ugly! I mean I'M ugly! But your daughter luves this ugly face! S-she's so sweet too! She's the sweetesses Pony I know!" He waved his hands in front of his face, "I know I'm nodda Pony an'... an' I'm sorry. I-I can' help it!" He smacked his lips, "Did I mansion... mention she's wunerful? She'so wunerful an' I don'never wanna hurt 'er." He motioned Visceral Slaughter forward conspiratorially, "She'so beautifulul too! I wus admiral... ad... MIRING her this mornin'. Well I admired her too close," he chuckled quietly, "And I started... startled her... and she kicked me inna mouth. I diner... didn't wan her to feel bad... SHE didn'know she did... and I ate it... hate it when she feels bad. It makes ME feel bad... an' then everyone feels bad... it's jus' a circle of bad!" He hung his head, "I-I love 'er so much an' I don'wanna make her f-feel bad... SHE dinin know wha' she did'an I'm not gonna tell'er. She doesn' deserve tha'... she's wunerful."

Oriana trotted down the stair right then, "Whew, that was fast! Everybody ready to go?" She stopped when she saw the tears shimmering in Razor Wit's eyes, "Razor? What's wrong?"

Razor Wit trotted up to Artex and hugged his leg, "You're so sweet, you big goof. I'm sorry I kicked you."

Visceral Slaughter giggled, "Alright you two, this is so sappy, I'm hungry for pancakes." She trotted up and bumped Razor Wit with her left haunch, "I'll send you a telegram about when we're free to help you plan the wedding."

Razor Wit's eyes lit up. She turned around and pounced onto her Mother, happy tears in her eyes, "Thank you!" She cried happily, nuzzling the older mare, "Thank you so much!"

The other mares all gathered their bags and decided to wait outside to give the pair some privacy. After the front door closed, Visceral Slaughter nuzzled her daughter lovingly. There were tears in her own eyes, "I know I've hurt you sweetie." She whispered into Razor Wit's mane, "And I know you don't forgive me yet... but I honestly do want you to be happy." She fell back onto her bottom and pulled her daughter into a tight hug, "I love you, my little filly. I'm so sorry for hurting you. I... I just wish I could have seen... before now." She sniffled and closed her eyes, resting her chin on the crown of Razor Wit's head, "Despite how I might feel... I can see that he loves you." She sniffled again, "And if he... makes you happy... then I don't have the right to stand in the way." She sighed, blinking as tears fell from her eyes, "Just... just promise me one thing..."

Razor Wit hugged her Mother back, "Anything Momma."

"I want to see at least one grandfoal before I die."

Razor Wit giggled and wiped her nose, "You're not even sixty yet. You're probably going to see great grandfoals."

Visceral Slaughter laughed lightly, "And I'm going to spoil them rotten." The two shared a brief bout of giggles before they separated, "Now..." she said rising to her hooves, "I still need to escort your brother to the train station and officially transfer custody to Rose." She helped Razor up, "She's really muscular, isn't she?"

* * *

Rose finished sending the telegram to New Humansville and met everybody at the train station. Clean Cut had transferred Artex to Vaiawa and said her goodbyes quickly as she needed to return to the hospital to fill out forms. Vaiawa was slowly rotating Artex end-over-end and he was loving it. Meanwhile the rest of the herd and family were busy saying their farewells.

Due Process hugged Cloud Cutter then delivered a hard punch to a bundle of tendons in his left shoulder, "Be good and for goodness sake, don't kill anybody!"

Cloud Cutter rubbed his shoulder hoping to regain some measure of feeling back into the limb, "Ow! You didn't have to hit me so hard."

Due Process ignored him and trotted over to the herd. She hugged each of them, starting with her sister, "Keep in touch from now on will you? If five months go by and we don't hear from you, I'm going to come to New Humansville and find you. I may be your little sister, but I can still fold you in half, horn head."

Razor hugged her sister, "Take care Duey. Don't worry, you're going to be around New Humansville here soon. I plan on getting married before winter's end."

Due Process then hugged the other mares and even Artex. Visceral Slaughter stood in place like a stoic statue until the train pulled in. Once the brakes began squeaking, she marched up to Rose and threw her a salute, "Prisoner transfer from Trottingham to New Humansville. Do you accept responsibility for this prisoner?"

Rose stood at attention and saluted back, "I accept." Visceral Slaughter levitated transfer papers out from her saddlebags, "Sign here please." Rose gripped the charcoal stick with upper lips and wrote her name. Visceral Slaughter the used her magic to make the signature permanent, then copied the parchment, "This is your copy. Be sure to deliver it to your commanding officer as soon as you arrive at your destination." Rose stuffed the parchment into her saddlebags but nearly fell over when the older mare suddenly hugged her, "You're a good mare, Rose. Keep your herd safe," she cast a sidelong glance at Cloud Cutter, "And keep this bonehead safe, too."

Rose hugged the older mare back, "I will. I'll make sure there's clean rooms in our house when you all come to visit for the wedding."

Before she broke the hug, the older Unicorn mare whispered into Rose's ear, "And make sure Artex is VERY gentle with my daughter on their first few nights together... and so help me, if he ever lays a finger on her..."

Rose patted the older mare heartily on the back, "Don't start." She pulled away from the hug, "There is nothing you could do to him that would be worse than what he would already be doing to himself if that happened. You saw how he was about getting his teeth knocked out. He wanted to spare her feelings even though he was in pain." She patted Visceral Slaughter more gently on her back, "Razor's in good hooves, not just with us, but with Artex too."

Visceral Slaughter hugged each of the other mares in turn until she got to Vaiawa. The Changeling was in her Pegasus disguise since she was out in public. Visceral Slaughter bit her lower lip nervously and looked down at the wooden floor of the station, "I'm sorry this is so hard for me... you seem like a very nice... female..." she looked up, "Is mare the right word?"

Vaiawa nodded, smiling softly, "It will be fine." She suddenly pulled the older Unicorn into a hug. Visceral Slaughter went stiff as a board, but Vaiawa chose to ignore it, "I know this isn't easy for you, but nothing changes overnight. I cannot say that you should trust everybody, but there are many of us who would gladly put ourselves in harm's way to protect others. Razor is probably safer with us than almost anywhere else in the whole world."

The train's whistle cut through the air like a siren and Visceral Slaughter knew her time was almost up. She quickly embraced her daughter one more time, "I'm trying, Razor, and I'll continue trying. All I ask for is time and a chance." She hugged her tighter, "Take care of yourself."

Razor hugged her back, "You have one last chance Momma, please don't waste it. I love you."

The two of them let go and Razor trotted onto the train as her mother replied, "I love you too." She and Due Process waved until the train was lost to their sight, then they turned and headed home.

* * *

The train ride back to Canterlot was quiet. Passengers who boarded from Flankfurt tried to enter the car, but all silently turned around once they saw Artex' sleeping form. The mares and Cutter never said a word to any of them. Cutter tried to start up conversations with Rose, but she declined to answer him. Vaiawa, Oriana, and Razor Wit all did the same. He was puzzled until he remembered that he was in a train car with the four loves of the Human he had eviscerated. Once he made the connection, he stayed silent and the temperature in the car seemed to drop drastically.

They arrived in Canterlot by early evening. Rose guided him to the Royal Palace and through the front gates like she owned the place. None of the Guards said a single word or tried to stop them. They boarded a covered air coach and took off into the quickly cooling evening air. During the trip, they passed by Cloudsdale, which was on its way to provide New Humansville with its first snowfall. They passed the floating city and continued on into the night.

Cutter knew something was going on, when the mares began gathering their bags. He slipped his on and peered out the closest window for his first look at the fabled town. New Humansville spread out below them in a pattern similar to that of a wagon wheel. Town Hall was the obvious center of the town and it shone like a beacon with illuminated light crystals around the perimeter of the roof. Down below in the town proper, houses and businesses spread out like a tapestry. There was an order to the symmetry that appealed to the young stallion, 'So this is going to be my home for now. It looks like a fairly nice place.'

The air coach landed and Cloud Cutter let the mares disembark first. Vaiawa still carried Artex. He had slept almost the entire trip after they boarded the train. Rose stood at the doorway and motioned for Cloud Cutter to come out. He reluctantly did so and took his first step into New Humansville.

The Pegasi team who had pulled the air coach took off into the night as the mares trotted down the stairs to the lower levels. All except Rose. She nudged Cloud Cutter in the backside and guided him down the stairs behind everybody else. Upon reaching the bottom, she called out to her herd, "I'll catch up in a few minutes." She then turned and ushered the young Pegasus stallion toward a brightly lit building. The sign in front of the building informed him that it was the Community Welfare Guardian Headquarters. Rose led him through the front doors and stopped in front of a wide desk, "Sargent Thorn transporting prisoner from Trottingham." She reached back and bit down on the parchment in her saddlebag. She passed it to the Human woman wearing shiny armor and sitting behind the desk.

Cloud Cutter had never seen a Human female before. She looked fearsome in her armor and the scowl on her face was far from false, if he read her expression correctly. He watched as her agile fingers picked up a quill pen and began silently filling out forms. The minutes ticked along as the Human woman continued writing and Rose just stood there as unmoving as a statue. Aside from the scratch of the woman's quill and his own breathing, the entire station was as silent as a tomb.

The front doors suddenly burst open, startling Cloud Cutter. He twitched and turned his head. His eyes widened as he saw a powerfully built Human man striding toward the desk. He moved with a fluid grace that spoke of barely controlled action. He looked a tightly coiled as a high tension spring. He stopped, standing just behind Cloud Cutter and looked down at him silently. Cloud Cutter laid his ears back and tried to step away, only for his backside to bump into the desk.

The man held up his arms and placed one hand into another. Cloud Cutter heard a popping and cracking sound as the man looked to be massaging his hand joints, 'Is he... DISLOCATING his bones for fun!?' The young stallion's eyes widened even more as the man gave him the coldest grin he had ever seen.

"Well, well," Lieutenant Commander Darryl Hord said loudly, "I hear you took exception to my good buddy. Nearly cut his 'ass' in half. Now you're here with us so you can serve your time." He bent over and spoke quietly, "Make no mistake... you. Are. Mine." Cloud Cutter was so frightened that he almost peed. The world seemed to fade into darkness as he stared at the towering man. Every single one of Darryl's features seemed to dissolve into blurry blackness, leaving only his eyes and his icy cold grin.

Author's Notes:

I'm not picking on Artex just to see him suffer, really. He is a very convenient tool for emphasizing a point. Such as how deeply ingrained the fear of a mare is in regard to certain things. Let me know if you spot any typos.