Chapter 8: All quiet on Tranquility Lane
“An old and wise pony once told me that in the future there is only chaos.”

Something shook me as a pony quietly said, “Lily, wake up you’re having a nightmare.”

My eyes snapped open as I lunged at the intruder. I wrapped a foreleg around a dark shape and squeezed tight. He struggled under my grip while I started to notice a few things. First I was in an immaculately clean room with the lights on. Which revealed a clean grey carpet on bright wood flooring, clean yellow-white walls, a clean white ceiling, a star filled night sky out of the window with...

Lighted apartment buildings across the street.

I glanced down at the black unicorn whose face was rapidly turning blue. A crystalline tan foreleg was wrapped around him and was squeezing tight. My right shoulder felt funny, like it wasn’t there, so I glanced at it and my eyes slowly widened. Where there should be a foreleg, there was a cybernetic socket and on the nightstand next to the desk was a dull silver foreleg that attached into it. A stray lock of brown hair fell in front of my eyes and all vision in my right eye was a complete blur like it was glazed over, because it was.

I connected the dots and the pressure was released on the pony. He gasped in relief while he slumped forward on the bed. I used my magic to pull the bed sheets aside, which allowed me to look at the scars on the right side of my body from the mortar shell, but more importantly. I saw my cutie mark and his.

My only good hoof was applied to my forehead as I facehoofed in despair. “I’m sorry,” I whispered softly. "I thought... I'm sorry, Synthie."

He held out a foreleg and nodded. “It’s okay. At least you couldn't snap my neck. Mind telling me what your dream was about?”

I took his hoof in mine, pulled him back into bed, and covered us up. “Just... a creepy one.” I replied while he ran a hoof around the cybernetic socket’s rim. We stared into each others eyes for awhile. I shut mine and sighed. “You were a zombie, I was a green version of Celestia. There was a blue version, and purple, along with many other ponies, and we were all stuck on this insane island two hundred years after...”

I immediately shot up in a sitting position and looked out the window at the city. “The war against the zebras!” I shouted. My wide eyed gaze went to his as I added. “Synthie, we must warn the Princesses about the future!”

He pulled me back down and hugged me tightly. “It was a dream, Lily. I told you, you should see the Ministry of Peace about these. They’re getting worse.”

The door was kicked open and I shot up again in surprise. A spell at the ready to kill whatever was intruding, but it quickly dropped in confusion when I saw three blank flank foals scrambling towards me.

One brown unicorn, one sky blue unicorn with orange eyes, and one teal earth pony with a strawberry red mane. Their hooves barely had traction as they practically bolted towards us. They looked about that age where they were late bloomers in getting their cutie mark.

Sienna and Eclipse hopped onto the bed while Arid Rain bounced off, and went flying after mistiming the jump. I giggled as my magic lifted her up and onto it. Eclipse shoved the slightly Sienna, who shoved back, and they began to bicker and fight.

“I was here first!” the brown one shouted.

The teal filly bucked the brown one off and jumped on her. “Nu-uh, I got here first!”

The sky blue one tackled Eclipse, pulled her off by the mane and tossed her away. “Get off my friend ya meanie!”

She hit the wall with a thud and slid down. She got up, shook her head and charged, but was promptly grabbed in a field of silver by Synthie. He lifted her off the floor while she pouted.

“Moooom!” the Sienna said loudly and pointed at the teal one. “Eclipse bit Arid Rain!” The sky blue filly in question held out her hoof to show the bite mark on her leg. “We didn’t do nuthin ta make ‘er angry!”

Eclipse glared at her. “But Ma, I caught Sienna kissing her! That’s just... ew! Their both fillies!“

“I slipped,” Sienna commented as her face darkened, clearly out of embarrassment. “And... an’ I jus’ happen ta... land with my mouth on hers. We didn’t not kiss.”

Arid Rain looked at Sienna, then me and nodded. “It’s true! She fell an’... an’ landed on top of me!”

My eyes widened at the ridiculousness of this situation.

Eclipse rolled her eyes while still floating off the ground in magic. “Yeah, suuuure. Sis’ fell through the top bunk mattress an' onto you?” She yelped in shock as Synthie tossed her to me. I caught the filly in my good leg and glared at her. She gave a nervous smile. "Hi, Ma."

I looked at the clock on the wall and noticed the time was two minutes to midnight. I sighed. “Eclipse, Sienna, Arid Rain,” they looked at me as I continued, “do you three know what fucking time it is? What are you still doing awake?!”

Eclipse pointed a hoof at Sienna and Arid. “Sis’ an’ her friend were whispering things an' keeping me awake!"

“Were not!” they shouted in unison.

“Were too!”

“Were not!”

“Were too!”

“Were not!” Sienna hopped and shouted at the same time.

Eclipse sighed. “You’re jus' one big doo doo stain, fatty.”

“I’m not fat!”

“Are too!”

“She is not!” Arid Rain shouted, “she’s a strong 'n pretty filly!”

“I knew it,” Eclipse snidely replied. “You two were kissing!”

“Were not!”

“Were too!”

Sienna gave a fiendish grin at Eclipse. "You wet your bed and woke yourself up!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did..."

While the three fillies bickered back and forth, Synthie tied to stop them and I blocked it out. I decided to put my cyber leg into the socket. As it connected I felt the sting of electricity flow through and the leg came to life with a crackle. Underneath the silver leg had been a book with a pen attached to the binding that I brought over and opened as I was curious.

This dream journal belongs to Lilium Bell. Please don’t read it. If you do I will find you and beat you with my cyber leg until you forget you ever read it.

My eyes widened as I began to skim through the pages. “What?” I asked above my breath as I read many pages of a very long lucid dream in which I had no memory of my past and was a green alicorn.

My ears drooped as the book was dropped and I clutched my head with my hooves. I began to slowly rock back and forth as Eclipse dropped to the bed and, looked at me in concern. She placed a hoof on me and gave a nudge. "It wasn't real," I whispered. "It wasn't real! Yes! Thank Celestia it wasn't real."

“Your mom’s weird,” Arid Rain whispered to Sienna.

Synthie collected all the foals into a bundle and smiled at them. “Back to bed you three and let’s have a look at this bite.” His eyes narrowed at Eclipse. “And you... you’re grounded. You're gonna be doing dishes for a month.”

She pouted and began whining. “But I don’t wanna!”

I glared and shouted at her. "Go back to bed!" Their ears drooped in shock.

*** ***

The day’s newspaper lay in front of me on the coffee table along with a jar of moonshine. Synthie went to work, Arid Rain had gone home earlier and Sienna was attempting to beat up Eclipse over last night’s debacle. I wore an eye patch over my right eye because even with glasses I couldn't see out of it. I'd been feeling sick all morning and had vomited earlier from it. Yet I still felt slightly sick.

A set of crimson hooves walked in, which caused me to look up at a pegasus mare with a two-tone blue mane, and golden eyes. She was wearing an Equestrian Air Force uniform and hat. Instead of having normal wings, she had cybernetic wings much like my leg. I flinched as I began to move towards the intruder, but stopped when I remembered that I leave the door open in the day and a sign saying 'don't knock, just come in'.

“Hello, neighbor,” she said rather cheerfully. “I'm Corporal Dawn Star and I moved in yesterday. I saw the sign on the door and came in to say hello. As well as to tell you that I’m baking a cake for a housewarming party and wanted to say you're invited to come to it if you want."

"I'm Lilium Bell. I was once like you. Except they let me go because of this,” I held up my cyber leg and showed her it as I pointed at my eye. “Unfit for combat and my term was up."

"Nice to meet you, Lilium."

"And these two balls of joy are Sienna and Eclipse." I said as the two aforementioned foals rolled into the couch with Sienna on top of Eclipse as she to slap the teal filly across the face. Eclipse was trying to slap back and neither managed to land a blow. It was like watching a couple of foals wave at each other in point blank range.

Dawn Star looked at me in confusion. “Aren’t you going to stop them before they get hurt?”

“No. If Eclipse can’t defend herself against her own sister, then how can she at school and in the wasteland that is to come after the war?”

Her jaw dropped slightly then she shook her head. "Okayyy... Did you have any spare flour? I kind of ran out after my first failed attempt."

“In there, next to the sink,” I pointed at the kitchen that was just inside the door to the large two bedroom apartment. She walked over while she looked around at all of our decorations. Quite a few were zebra relics I had 'liberated' along the way.

As she was nosing around for the flour she said, “I'm sorry about your leg and eye. It's tragic, this war. If you wanna talk about it I'm right next door."

I stood up to say something as Eclipse, who without Sienna noticing, had climbed on top of the couch and dove off. Sienna belatedly registered the threat. Eclipse tackled the larger filly to the ground and both of them slammed into the coffee table. Their combined weight snapped the legs off and sent its contents flying.

Any comment I had for Dawn Star died when I saw my precious alcohol jar go flying through the air. My jaw dropped in shock, but luckily, I caught the jar in magic and brought it back without spilling a single drop. I glared disapprovingly at the two fillies as their ears folded back in despair. Sienna pointed a hoof at Eclipse.

"She did it!"

"Did not!" Eclipse retorted. "Doo Doo Brain fell into tha table!"

"You pushed me!"

"No I didn't!"

"Found it!" Dawn exclaimed. I looked over at her as her smile faded when she pulled a bagged .44 revolver and two speed loaders out of the can of flour.

My eyes widened. "Put it away before the foals see it!"

Dawn Star quickly put it back in and shut the lid. "Okaaayyy. Not in that one! Let's see..." She pulled out another jar and hesitantly looked inside it. She smiled and opened it all the way. "Oh hey, here's the flour! I'm not gonna find..." she looked at the foals, then me. "One of those items deep in here, am I?"

I shook my head. "No." She gave a nod as I scooped up Sienna and Eclipse. They struggled against my cyber leg's hug. "Thank you for the offer of talking, perhaps I will take you up on it later and I'll be sure to come by the party for a while."

She nodded. "How about when I bring what's left of the flour back when I'm done baking?"

"Sure," I said with a wave.

She turned and walked out of the apartment. I waited for her door to close before I dropped the foals and glared at them.

Eclipse squealed in terror and ran off to her room, which was directly across from where I had been sitting. Sienna looked down at the floor. "Sorry," she mumbled under her breath.

I turned my head and pointed at my ear with my cyber hoof. "I'm sorry, I must have heard a gnat buzzing around. Did you say something?"

She nodded and raised her voice to a mumble. "I'm sorry we broke the table. I'll do the dishes an' take trash out for a whole week ta make up fer it, Ah swear!"

I glared at my little fillyfooler and motioned her closer. Then leaned down when she did and whispered. "I think you and Arid Rain look cute together. Just hold off on it for awhile to let your friendship grow." Sienna smiled brightly and her ears perked up. "And next time somepony comes flying at you like that, roll out of the way and kick their face when they slam into the ground."

She gave a nod. "Yes, Mom." I nudged her towards the room with my cyber hoof. She took the hint and began walking towards it.

"Tell your sister we're going shopping for a new table. She's coming with us whether she likes it or not. And practice your magic!"

*** ***

The three of us, well four with Dawn Star, walked through the department store that was more like a warehouse. I browsed for a new table, Dawn looked for a desk, and my two foals were being as obedient as a dog. They stayed quiet, followed along, and barely hit each other.

I stopped and pointed my hoof at the coffee table. As I turned to ask the foals opinion, an annoying sales pony walked over and shoved his muzzle in our business.

"That's a very fine table indeed!" he explained too excitedly for my tastes. "Top of the-"

I grabbed him by the neck with my cyber leg, pulled him close and spoke through my teeth while giving a fake smile for passer-bys. "When I want your opinion I'll ask for it! Now beat it before I beat you with the table."

I let him go and he quickly left the three of us alone. Again I pointed at the table. "Sienna, Eclipse, what do you think?"

"I think Doo Doo Head will break it again," Eclipse said.

"Nu-uh. Water Bed will break it." Sienna grinned. "Mom, I think the table is too pretty."

"Suck up," Eclipse chided.

Sienna glared at her. "You still wet yer bed!" Eclipse blushed in embarrassment and looked at a dresser to avoid my gaze.

I gave a nod. "The both of you are right. While the table is nice, it might get broken one day with how you two play. But that's not to say we can't have nice things. Just be careful near it."

I glanced around with my one eye but couldn't find Dawn Star anywhere nearby, then I glanced up, since she could fly, and saw her watching me from the rafters. When she saw me looking she smiled and waved. I nodded back.

A tug drew my attention down to Sienna. She pointed her hoof in a seemingly random direction, which was in my blind spot. I followed it just in time to catch Eclipse in magic as she jumped off the dresser. Her aim being to land in glass breakables. She squirmed, and pouted, as I set her down and pointed my hoof in an annoyed manner.

"How could you think that was a good idea?! It's glass! Do you want me to explain in great detail how glass will cut through you, your tendons, and your organs like a hot knife through butter?"

She rolled her eyes. "I was bored! Shopping's boooring."

"Well we're done anyway."

I gave her and Sienna a nudge in the general direction of the exit with my cyber hoof. They scrambled off with shouts of joy. I looked over and tore off one of the price tags for the fancy coffee table.

I wended my way through the crowd of ponies while I followed the fillies. With it being the weekend there were a lot of ponies in the store. But it wasn't hard to follow the fillies because some of the ponies would almost get knocked over or react to the two as they bickered back and forth.

The two fillies bowled over a display stand, spilling its contents everywhere, and quickly scrambled back to me.

I ignored the destruction to stop and let Eclipse climb my foreleg onto my back, followed by Sienna. "Doo Doo Head broke something," Eclipse whispered in my ear.

"You pushed me!" Sienna sneered at her.

"Nu-uh! You jumped into me."

I nodded as we passed by it on our way to the register. The pony behind the counter smiled. I slid the ticket over along with an address and my bag of bits. "I'd like this table delivered to this address."

The unicorn took it, rang it up and scribbled something on the receipt. As he handed it to me he took my bits and said, "it'll be delivered tomorrow morning around ten."

I gave a nod and turned to go.

*** ***

As we walked through the streets I had watched all of the ponies around to make sure none of them were going to attack my foals, none did. It was like... paradise. Despite the war going on everypony was happy and went about their day as if nothing was amiss. There was even the odd zebra here and there, and they went about unmolested by ponies who hate them.

It was perfect.

So why then was I laying on the couch at noon with the foals napping and wondering why it felt off in a way. Almost like it was wrong. Dawn Star had finished making her cake and was talking about how she lost her wings I think.

I absently nodded my head while looking at the door across from me where Eclipse and Sienna were. Eclipse was an odd one... She fought a lot with Sienna and Sienna's friend. Her anger at her unicorn sister was acceptable. She was jealous that Sienna was getting more attention and bigger, and a unicorn while she was an earth pony.

"...and so they set me up with a place here," Dawn finally finished. I looked over at her sitting in the chair and smiled.

"So how long until you're able to go back again?"

"I start a desk job as a recruiter on Monday. Can you believe that shit?!"

I shrugged. "Well you do have a pretty face. Which might attract more stallions into the military. Well, the ones that walk in... maybe... It's also safer if that's what you prefer."

One of her cyber wings came out as she scratched her chin in thought for a while and she bobbed her head around. "You know I never thought of it like that. Yeah... and I won't have to worry about flak guns, missiles, gryphons, and dragons trying to kill me. You're right it is a little better."

I smiled warmly at her from some of the alcohol and felt its delayed effects heating up my face. "See? There's a good point in every situation. Even if you don't see it at first."

She got up and shook my real hoof with both of hers. As she let it go she said. "Thanks for the chat, but I gotta go decorate the cake now. I'll see you at the party."

"Alright, my door is always open for you."

Dawn stopped and looked at me with confusion for a second. "You're apartment door, right?" I nodded. "Okay, good," she laughed in embarrassment as a blush formed on her face. "I thought you meant something else for a second."

"Naughty thoughts?" I asked with a smile. Her face darkened even more.

As she was walking towards her place I slumped back with a deep sigh of regret as I facehoofed. My words could have been better, no. They should have been chosen better. I shook my head slowly to ignore the fact that there was nothing I could do about it.

The little patter of tiny hooves dragging something drew my attention to the room where the foals were sleeping. Eclipse had a deep blush on her face as she dragged a damp looking set of sheets behind her.

I sat up and sighed. "Bad dream again?" She nodded. "Don't worry about it. I have them myself a lot and it's okay. It scared you and your body did the only thing it knew what to do. Put the sheets in the hamper and we'll wash it in a bit."

I watched the teal filly take the sheet into the loo that was in the center of the hallway between my room and theirs. However as she turned around she stumbled and fell face first into the wet sheet. She groaned in annoyance while I stayed quiet. Eclipse got up, put the sheets in a pile and with a scowl she washed her face in the sink.

My vision was slowly filled with a feathered face and a beak. Mango grinned at me while I rolled my eyes and leaned back.

"Hey, Lils!" He hopped into a hover. "So did you meet the new tenant?" I nodded and he swooped around the apartment, barely missing expensive breakables. "That's awesome!" Mango slowed to a hover and tilted his head. "So... what was she like? I mean she wouldn't talk to me. She kept giving me the cold shoulder, and ignored my knocking earlier. Then she just up and vanished for a few hours! Well you were gone too, but I figured you went to the store because you always do on Saturday mornings. Did she go with you?"

I double facehoofed as Eclipse crept around the floating gryphon. She walked over and tapped my leg. I glanced down at her pout, so I gave her a bear hug that she returned.

When I set her down she asked. "Can I go play wiff my friend Rose?"

"Well you did bite your Sister's friend... So, no."

"Pleaseeeeeee?" Her eyes grew really big and I lightly flicked my tail in her face, which distracted her and broke eye contact before it could attempt to melt what ponies called my heart. "You're mean," she grumbled.

I tapped my cyber hoof against my chin while I looked up at the ceiling. "Well... I'd say that little 'accident' earlier is part of your punishment." A smile slowly formed on my face as I brought my gaze down to meet hers. "So you can go play for two hours while Mommy talks with her friend, okay?"

"Yay!" she exclaimed and bolted from the apartment to one down the hall.

I looked over at Mango and smiled. He hovered closer and dropped to the floor. Mango leaned in and kissed me on the lips. I kissed back for a second before I pushed the gryphon away with a scowl.

"Not now!" I hissed. "Sienna's sleeping. What if she see's us or a pony walks in?"

He shrugged and sat down next to me, then scooted close enough that our flanks were touching. He smiled at my belly and slowly rubbed it with a talon. I shut my eyes and smiled at the gesture because it felt really nice. "Looks like your oven is cooking that bun nicely," he said.

My jaw dropped as I shoved his taloned hand away and looked down at the small bulge. My jaw dropped further. "Oh no... No no no!" I clutched at my ears with my forehooves and shut my eyes. "This can't be real this can't be real this can't be happening!"

Mango leaned in, wrapped an arm around me and stroked my mane with his taloned hand in an attempt to comfort me. It was working. "Well it might not be mine," he explained. "Could be another of Midnight's. I'm sure he's been trying for another wonderful foal."

I slumped over into his embrace and dropped my hooves to the couch as I sighed in defeat. "No... Synthie and I... we've, well to put it bluntly. We haven't had sex in almost a whole year. Sweet Celestia, I'm so fucked right now! How am I going to explain this to Synthie?"

I laid there, listening to his heartbeat as my brain ran through various scenarios ranging killing Mango and claiming magic created the foal, to telling Synthie right now with a terminal call. I looked up at Mango's smiling face and smiled back as my horn glowed while I concentrated on grabbing a kitchen knife.

Then my magic field faded and the knife dropped to the counter when I realized this wasn't the wasteland. You can't kill random ponies in broad daylight because you wanted too! You had to wait till night time when no pony saw you two together. Then take them out into the desert to a pre-dug hole.

Mango looked up at the sound of the knife dropping. "What was that?"

"Probably Eclipse knocking something over. So any names? I think Clyde's a good colt name. Let's name him Clyde."

He looked back down at me in confusion. "You do realize I'm a gryphon and you're a mare, right?"

I nodded. "Mhm, and?"

"Your new foal is most likely a hybrid. Half gryphon, half pony."

"So Clyde then?" He shrugged and I smiled.

Mango gently laid me on my back and my smile turned into a grin as he climbed on top. I wrapped my forelegs around him as he collapsed on top of me. I rolled my eye in annoyance because I was expecting something else. "You know I had the strangest dream last night."

"Do tell," he said. The weight of him using me like a pillow was almost crushing, but he made sure to not crush a certain area.

"You were a mare, well alicorn mare, but you still loved me and-"

He put a talon to my lips in an effort to silence me which worked. "Ssh... Spoilers." Mango smiled. "It sounds like a creepy dream to me. Let's not dwell on it any longer."

"Are you okay?" Sienna's voice caused my crystalline face to go pale. The both of us looked at the unicorn filly who had her head tilted at an angle. "Did you fall too, Mister?"

"Uhh..." he nodded as he sat up. "Yeah. I was flying and lost my balance."

I looked at Mango, then Sienna, then Mango, and back a few times before I finally shoved the gryphon off with a scowl. "What'd I tell you about flying in my house? Get out this instant you fat turkey!"

He scooted away and got off the couch. "I'm sorry, okay?! I guess I'll see you later." I waved and wanted to hug him goodbye, but not with Sienna right there.

I patted the couch and motioned her over as Mango left the room. She complied by climbing up and sitting down. I let out a deep sigh of frustration. "Sienna, you know I love you dearly, right?"

"Yes, Momma." she nodded.

"And you know I love Eclipse just as much because I don't play favorites?" Another nod signaled she was listening intently. "I also love your father just as much as the both of you. But the gryphon that was just here a minute ago... Well... I love him too."

"Like Papa?"

"Not as much as I love your father. But enough that we... Well we did something magical together a couple months back."

She tilted her head even more and gave me a confused look. "Magical like a spell?"

I gave a half nod and kind of waved my hoof about as I shrugged. "Eh, sort of... Yeah. Let's just say with his help I cast a spell that only adults know and you're getting another sibling to play with in a few more months." I sat up to expose my belly and pointed at the slight bulge with my hoof. "I'm calling him Clyde. Because I'm hoping to Celestia and Luna it's a colt."

Her face lit up like the sun on the summer sun celebration day. "Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh, I'm gonna have a brother to play with?!" She shot forward, stopped just before my belly and gently laid her ear on it. "I hear him!" Sienna jumped back and grinned. "Mom, this is the best birthday gift ever!"

I gave a weak smile because I had honestly forgotten it was their birthday. My gaze flickered to the moonshine jar for a second before it locked back onto the sweet innocent filly in front of me. "Can you go put Mommy's Firewater away and bring me a Sparkle-Cola?"

Sienna nodded and grabbed the handle of the jar in her teeth as she couldn't quite grasp the finer points of levitation yet. I slumped back down onto the couch and groaned while I facehoofed.

One down, two to go and no more alcohol for almost a year I thought to myself.

"Sienna," I said while staring at my metal hoof. "Forget the Cola. Go get your sister then leave us alone for a bit. She's at her friends house."

The patter of her hooves told me she obeyed. I shut my eyes to rest them for a while and wondered if Mango was right. That it was not a pony. What would it even look like? Some insidious wasteland monster freak that I'd have to keep locked away, or a beautiful creature of death like gryphon's are?

My ears picked up three sets of hooves. It caused me to lower my hoof from my eyes so I could see. Flanking Sienna was Arid Rain and Eclipse. I lifted my head up and tilted it at her creepy orange eyes.

"Arid Rain... Don't you live two floors above us?" She nodded and bumped Sienna with her flank. "Ah, I see. Well if you two want to have a tea party or play some games, I have all of that. There's even some makeup in the loo."

Eclipse rolled her eyes as the other two fillies walked into the other room. "I bet their kissing right now," Eclipse snickered as she came within whispering range.

My regular hoof slapped her across the muzzle hard enough to get her attention but not hard enough to cause any harm. She held her forehoof to her face in shock while I pointed the one I used and glared.

"So what if your sister likes fillies?!" I scolded. "I don't want to hear you making fun of her about it again, do I make myself clear? You should love her for who she is! Eclipse, this family is all you will have someday so be nice, and most of all be happy for her. Because she loves you even though you're mean to her."

She nodded and set the hoof down. "Fine. Doo Doo Head said you want ta see me?"

I made a motion for her to sit on the couch. She climbed up and sat down. "Yes. You know I love you even though you try to beat up Sienna everyday, right?"

She nodded. "And what's your point?"

"I love her the same amount. Your father too. I don't play favorites. It's just..." I clicked my forehooves together while I thought up a different explanation because Eclipse seemed smarter than Sienna at times. A smile formed on my lips. "I have this friend see, and... With his help I cast an adult only spell and well..." I showed her. "It worked."

She arched her eyebrow and for a second I thought she was going to buck my stomach. "That's what you had Doo Doo Head bring me here for? So you could tell me I'm gonna have another stupid sibling?!" She groaned and hopped off the couch. "That's so lame! I'll be at Rose's house."

My ears folded back as my heart sank. The teal filly began walking towards the door as I sat up. "Eclipse, tell me what have I done to you to make you like this? Why do you hate me so? Where did I go wrong?"

She looked back and her concern or something flashed across her eyes for a second before it returned to her usual demeanor. "I'm staying the night at Rose's. She's having a slumber party an' Doo Doo Head isn't invited."

"Yeah? Well why don't you just ask her mother to be your mom?!" I shouted in anger and stormed towards Sienna's room.

"Maybe I will!" she replied snidely.

I stopped at the door to the tiny hallway and gave a sidelong glance at Eclipse. She had her head hung low as she turned to corner into the hallway. My gaze returned to the door and I gently place an ear to it.

"Not like that... you're doing it wrong!" Arid Rain said with a whine.

"How about here?" Sienna asked and received a giggle.

"Yes, there." Arid Rain replied followed by a thump and another giggle.

My eyes widened and I threw open the door as I quickly scanned the room.

Sienna had failed an attempt at climbing into my old dress uniform and had fallen on her face. Arid was wearing a badly fitting hat and a much too long for her dress. Behind them was a perfectly made triple bunk bed, desk, and an open chest of toys that had its contents scattered everywhere.

I breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the fillies playing dress up. My smile returned. "Sienna. Why don't you pick out your favorite toys, take them over to Arid's house, and stay the rest of the night there?"

"Really?!" she hopped up and grinned. I nodded. "Awesome! Come on, Arid, let's get ready!"

Arid scratched at the wood. "I dunno... my mom might not like it..."

"It will be fine," I told her. "Just tell her... Doom Bunny. Arid, please don't forget to tell her."

She nodded. "I won't."

"Arid. Repeat what I said, please."

The sky blue unicorn sighed. "When we get to my house I'm to tell my mother 'Doom Bunny'."

"Good."

*** ***

The time was close to when Synthie would be getting home. I had made myself as pretty as I could with all my scars on my right side by using makeup, sexy sleepwear under a robe that hugged my curves, a fancy eye patch, candles, nice food and dim lights.

All I could do now was wait for my husband to get home and break the news in the nicest way I could. I lay on the couch again with the robe partially open. The .44 revolver was loaded and under the broken coffee table just in case things got really bad. That was the reasoning for me telling Arid Rain to tell her mother the code word.

It was to have her check my apartment as soon as the sun comes up. That way ponies would know right away if I went missing.

It took a while but eventually the black unicorn opened the door and came inside. "Hello?" he called out as he shut the door.

"In here," I replied sensually. He walked through the short entryway and smiled at the sight of me. I pulled the robe back to reveal everything. "Do you like what you see?"

He nodded then took a long look around. "I take it the foals are at their friends for the night?"

I smiled, "yup. There's a housewarming party for Dawn Star in a couple hours, but I figure we have time for a quick tumble."

He frowned. "Lily, I'm worn out from work and I've got to catch up on some research into zebra necromancy. I'm sorry."

My smile instantly faded and I closed my robe. "Be that way then!" I retorted as I sat up. He trotted over and place a hoof on my shoulder. My lips began to tremble and my eyes started watering. "I... I... I have something to tell you..."

Synthie tilted his head. "What's wrong, Lily?"

I fell into his embrace and hugged him. "I'm pregnant," I mumbled into his neck. "I'm sorry!"

"But, Lily, that's wonder-wait..." He instantly let go with wide eyes and I fell to the floor in a cry of shock. "Pregnant? But we haven't...?"

I shut my eyes as I nodded. "I'm an idiot! I've been seeing a gryphon, he comes over a few times a week and we have sex. I met him last year. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry... Please forgive me."

I felt his hoof on my shoulder. I opened my eyes and looked up at his smiling face. "Took you long enough to admit it."

I nodded, then stopped mid-nod and blinked in shock. "You... you knew?! How?"

"Well I do sleep right next to you and you have a habit of mumbling in your sleep. So I had my suspicions when his name kept popping up." he shrugged. "Why do you think I keep coming up with excuses? I'm not having some other pony's seconds! You can just forget that idea."

"I'll stop seeing him. I swear I'll make it up to you! Right now. I'll do anything!"

"Alright," he turned his head and his horn glowed as he levitated out a stack of papers, and laid them down in front of me. "You wanna make it up? I've already got it all planned out for when you admitted it or I walked in on you two."

I skimmed through them rather quickly and my heart sank. "Divorce papers?! But we can't do that to the foals! They... They'll... They'll ask questions!"

He leaned down, I looked into his glaring eyes. "Then ya should have thought about that before ya fucked that gryphon!"

"I was lonely! You went to work, came home to do more work, and you ignored me! I..." I groaned in annoyance as he dropped a pen on top of the paper. "No, Synthie! I won't do that to them!"

"Sign them!" he shouted in an authoritative voice that caused me to wince.

"What's gonna happen if I do?" I asked as I picked it up.

"Simple really. You get Sienna, I get Eclipse. This place is yours already, so you're keeping that. You get to keep fucking that gryphon and don't have to worry about it anymore."

I gulped as I looked at the papers. "Please... I can change. I can be a better pony."

He tapped a hoof on the paper and glared.

With a sigh of defeat I picked up a pen in magic, quickly signed my name on all the lines that required it and tossed the papers in his face with a glare. Midnight caught them and nodded. He wordlessly picked up his bag and left the apartment.

I winced as the door slammed shut.

*** ***

Later on I sat in Dawn Star's main room where there was a whole lot of ponies. It was identical to mine. One big room with a connected kitchen and two rooms next to each other connected by a short hallway. The cyborg pegasus was being a good host with a few kegs, snacks, cake, and awesome music that wasn't too loud.

Of course when one pony happened to notice I wasn't drinking and asked why. I accidentally let slip that I was carrying... All the mares rushed me like a swarm of gnats after fresh blood while they slathered me in their praise, or pity.

None of it I wanted.

I just wanted to be left the fuck alone to wallow in my own self pity for what I'd done. Except I couldn't even have that. A crimson red earth pony stallion with a black mane came over and decided to talk like he knew me. "Some mess, eh Dog?" I shot a glare in his direction as he continued, "you and me, we're both stuck in places we don't want to be in. Why not let me help you? I can show you the way out of this craziness and the path to the truth."

He leaned in and received my cyber hoof to the face. The blow was hard enough to audibly break his snout and blood began to leak from his nose. He held it while I glared at him. "Get away from me! I don't know you, I've never seen you before, and if you ever try to get that close again you'll be shark bait."

Dawn Star came over with a concerned look on her face. She looked at the stallion, then me. "What happened?"

"She hit me," he said while holding his nose and pointing at me.

I rolled my eye in annoyance. "After you tried to kiss me!"

Dawn nodded in understanding, I hope. She looked at the stallion. "I don't even remember inviting you. You’re not from this building, so you better leave, mister." He said nothing as he got up and left the two of us. She sat down and sighed. "So an affair with a gryphon, huh? Guess you're not as happy of a pony like I thought."

"Not really, no," I replied dryly while I watched the stallion disappear into the hallway. Something stirred inside me and began to slowly work over in my mind. I looked down as Dawn Star set down a glass of what looked like sweet tea with a lemon on it. I smiled, "ah, nice one."

*** ***

After the party wound down around eleven and I helped to clean up, I grabbed a few of my long combat knives I used for decoration. There was a box with items in a hidden compartment that I had found when I was cleaning my bed room. In it contained a thin, and form fitting, combat armor that I was now wearing. It had many a built in sheathe for reasons not even I knew of. Well it was slightly tight around the midsection now because of Clyde. Over that went a loosely fitting trench coat so I could easily get to the blades and my suppressed .357 revolver and hide the armor. The .357 had been in a pocket of the trench coat along with a black mask. Which stayed in the pocket.

As I was locking my door Dawn Star had been helping a couple of drunken ponies to the elevator and had just reached hers. She tilted her head. “Going somewhere? It’s almost two in the morning.”

I gave a nod. “Just going for a trot to clear my head of Midnight Bell. The midnight air is... refreshing. I’ll be back in a few hours. Sienna and Eclipse are at their friends for the night.”

Dawn Star nodded. “Okay. Thanks for helping to clean up the party.”

“Anytime,” I replied as I trotted towards the elevator. When the cyborg pegasus shut her door I tapped the down button with my magic. A smile crept up on my face at a thought that had occurred to me when I had punched that crimson red earth pony.

I began to softly hum a tune as I waited for the elevator to reach my floor.

Shell Shock: 5% to next level.