Hi, everyone, MarcellusMiro66 back! This is 1) another Loud House / "No Such Luck" AU and 2) an AU take of my MLP fanfiction "Skyfall" that takes place in an alternate universe. The latter half of DuckTales's "Heroes For Hire" will be published eventually.

Enjoy! If you can...


Story #12: "KnightHood & Elysium"

A Few Months Ago. . .

Lincoln could do it no longer. He will not tolerate such behavior. Why should he? They never cared. They never cried. They never...loved him. A meaningless concept love was. It seemed to exist purely for misleading innocent children like himself that the world is full of trust and hope for scared young ones. It was all false. In the real world, people died, and for that very reason, the others had to defend themselves from that very fate. He got dressed in all-black clothing before reaching for three of his many handguns he stole from a (currently deceased) drug dealer, loading ammunition, and performing a brass check on each. He then took up a semiautomatic shotgun and loaded shotgun shells before placing it in his duffel bag full of money. He wasn't just going to run away, but to start a new life...and it all starts with that bag. Sure, it was enough, but Lincoln (the anger clouding his better judgement) decided that enough wasn't enough.

Lincoln suddenly felt pity for his family. How or why, he had no idea; he just did. And he congratulated and criticized himself for it. One half of his mental psyche was proud that the young boy hadn't lost a shred of humanity just yet, the other half was ashamed for taking sympathy for the people who unwittingly made his life a living hell. He said "unwittingly" because they had no idea what they were in when they...did the things that could not be undid. It mattered no longer, however. What needs to be done now wants to be done now. Lincoln tossed the bag out the window and leapt out as soon as the coast was clear. Snatching the bag, he picked up the pace and ran off into the night.

The night began to shine...


A Few Months Later. . .

Vanzilla parked in one of the many parking garages you'd expect to find in California. The entire family exited out and began their trek around the city. Each had their own opinions on the matter of Lincoln disappearing from the Loud Household and, therefore, Royal Woods. However, guilt and regret were the primary emotions running through the heads of this very unfortunate family. The parents were quite possibly the worst of the lot; they were supposed to the caring and nurturing guardians of their kin...and not the complete opposite. After all, they've been through tougher scrapes before. The trophy case incident, the sister fight protocol, and even the bad luck fiasco were the highlights of their poor sense of judgment. However, punishing him such something as trivial as this...was a different case entirely.

Rita and Lynn Sr. decided to split up to make the search more easier. The former took Lori, Leni, Lana, Lola, and Lily while the latter took Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lucy, and Lisa.

"Do you think we'll find him?" Lola gently murmured beneath her breath.

"We have to," Luna returned said murmur as she gently patted her younger sister's head. "Otherwise, who would be there to apologize for him?"

"Why should we?"

Luna turned to Lynn with a glare and felt her hands ball up into fists. She was desperately attempting to stop herself from starting a fight in the middle of the park. Thankfully, her father put a stop to it before it could even began.

"Because we made a mistake..." Lynn Sr. sighed with a forlorn look in his eyes, "...and we have to pay the price for it."

The athlete couldn't disagree with him there. Her pride was her greatest flaw; she believed that there was no one better while declaring Lincoln (the one person she swore to protect above everyone else) to be a waste of space. Deep down, however, she truly loved him, even if she expressed in an unnecessarily unflattering manner. The worst part? She knew that this was the wrong way to go about it...and she did it anyway.

"Come on. We have to find Lincoln."

And so, the two groups went their separate ways for now. We got to the main plot of the story, so don't expect a long paragraph detailing the hardships the family faced while looking for their only son/brother. Long story short, their attempts to find Lincoln proved fruitless and only pushed them towards the abyss of hopelessness...until they entered the restaurant Across 110th Street. Tired and famished from all of the walking, all of them filed in, earning more than a few stares from few of the patrons in the establishment. Ignoring the stares and proceeding to place their orders, the family awaited their food just as three young girls walked inside. The oldest had red hair tied in a bun, green eyes, a black leather jacket, a red-and-yellow sundress, and blue jeans with black boots. The middle child had brown wavy hair, blue eyes, a brown jacket, a gold sundress, and a blue skirt with brown boots. The youngest had dirty blonde hair tied up in a ponytail with frontal bangs, brown eyes, a white polo shirt, blue overall dress, lavender tights, and brown Mary Jane shoes. As par for the course, the oldest was the responsible one, the middle was the adventurous one, and the youngest was the innocent one.

"All right, girls," the oldest sister instructed her two younger sisters, "Let's make this quick."

"Oh, come on, Jean! I've never been in a restaurant before!" The middle sister impressively performed cartwheels in delight, completely ignoring her, "Some of the ones we've been to ended up kicking us out because we're street rats or something like that!"

"But we're not street rats anymore!" The youngest sister added her input in protest.

Jean, the eldest sibling, sighed and smoothed her nose bridge before nodding. "You're right; we're not. But we have rules, which are things we have to follow in order for us to not get treated like street rats as before. Case in point, Diana..."

Diana, the middle sibling, huffed and nodded in understanding. "Cartwheeling makes me look like a street rat? I guess Cassie would agree, right?"

Cassie, the youthful sibling, giggled and shrugged in response. "Well, actually, you could get hurt, too. Remember that one incident, Jean?"

"Yeah, I wish not to talk about that." Jean shook her head before getting back on track, "Look. Let's just buy the food and meet back at the park, please? I don't want him to worry."

Okay, that got their attention – specifically Lynn's. The athlete turned toward the direction of the three girls and frowned in contemplation, Luna muttering a "Lynn, no..." just after she did so. However, Lynn herself didn't listen or even think about the consequences that came with confronting three girls (and, to an extent, possible suspects) about the whereabouts of her brother. Her first mistake was grabbing the arm of the most vulnerable member of the trio. Her second mistake was making a scene that caught the attention of many a customer...primarily that younger sister's older sisters. Her third mistake?

Provoking the most volatile of the two into giving her a reason to talk with her fists instead of her language.

"All right, spill the beans! Who are you, and where's my brother?"

Cassie began to tear up and could only whimper out, "Please, ma'am. You're hurting me."

"Hey! Who are you, and why are you manhandling my sister?"

Lynn looked up to find a fist flying towards her face and didn't have jump back in time to dodge it. As a result, her face slammed against the edge of a nearby table when she stumbled backward from the full force of the punch. Her mouth and nose drew blood as she pulled herself up and drunkenly took a fighting stance at her opponent. The opponent in question was the girl's second sister, who shielded her other two from harm's way.

"What the fuck are you trying to do, huh? No one hurts my little sister and gets away with it!"

Lynn growled and sloppily threw punches in a halfhearted effort to land a blow on her competitor. However, sloppiness rarely worked in a fight involving fisticuffs. Diana was probably best known for bringing her A-game into play when a dire situation involved one of her loved ones. Take this one-sided fight, for example, where in she threw rapid-fire jabs to the stomach and a mean right hook to her rival's left cheek, knocking her out cold. She then turned her attention towards Cassie, who was being tended by Jean. She (Jean) shot her middle sister a disappointed glare, to which Diana responded in kind.

"Relax. The bitch had it coming."

"Okay, dudettes," Luna approached the trio and hoisted Lynn up to carry her, "Let's not resort to violence, right?"

"Well, it may be a little too late for that peace offering," Jean winced at her sister's fighting style of destruction.

"Allow us to apologize for our sister's actions just now," Lisa shuffled forward, "Lynn suffers from a very damaged temper tantrum; it's gotten worse following the disappearance of our brother."

"It's okay," Cassie managed a smile despite Lynn's harsh handling of her a few moments, "I can understand it."

"Bullshit it's okay!" Diana crossed her arms in contempt, "Cassie, your arm is red."

"It'll heal." Somehow, the youngest of the trio managed to maintain her optimism in spite of the events that ensued. Diana couldn't help but soften at Cassie's cuteness proximity the same time as Jean did. The eldest sibling in question approached a stunned silent Mr. and Mrs. Loud.

"Forgive my sister, sir and ma'am. She's...mentally unstable."

"I resent that," Diana huffed out. "So what if I am? Cassie's my sister and therefore my sibling. Anyone who messes with my sister messes with me. Case in point...the unlucky broad who got her ass handed to her."

"Hey, that 'unlucky broad' happens to be our sister," Lola marched forward, "so watch your mouth!"

"Ha. This coming from a tattletale princess who can't keep her own mouth shut? Hilarious."

While her voice was dripping with sarcasm, Diana couldn't help but mentally chuckle at the irony of it all. She also felt satisfied that whatever confidence Lola oozed quickly and completely evaporated on the spot. A weak spot was hit...and she knew it. Apparently, so did Lana, who pulled her sister away before she could commit anything rash (if she could, anyway).

Rita and Lynn Sr. paid no heed to their pompous daughter's confrontation with the peevish daughter of the bunch (unlike the eldest) and the former nodded to Jean, "It's all right, dear. Lynn's not the same since her brother disappeared."

"I'm sorry. I hope you find him."

"Thank you," The latter smiled softly. A few moments later, the couple received the food, paid the bill, and left the restaurant with their daughters in tow. When they left, their order arrived and they left as well carrying their food, all the while ignoring the stares like the family did a few minutes ago. Jean shot Diana a questioning look.

"Do you know her?"

"I'm sorry?"

"The blonde girl with the pink dress. Do you know her?"

"Let's just say...her reputation precedes her."

"Then it better stay that way. As much as I appreciate you standing up for Cassie...one of these days, you're gonna be the one on the floor knocked out."

"... Well, that day might come much later than sooner. You never know."

"You're right. I don't... I just think."

As the three girls walked to Bonner National Park, a certain white-haired individual watched from a distance.


A/N: So, the basic plot of this story seems legit to me, but not to you:

"Following a particularly nasty incident, Lincoln runs away from his home with nothing but a bag of money and firearms. A few months later, the Loud Family somehow ends up in the small town of Echo Creek, California, as it was the last place Lincoln was seen. However, a trio of sisters seems to only exist to hemorrhage their attempts to find him. Why they're doing exactly that, they have no idea."

The trio of sisters are listed below:

Jean Knight (voiced by Sophie Turner): The eldest sister of the trio at Age 12 who is an extremely intelligent yet insecure student at Echo Creek Academy whose inhuman powers begin to manifest. Her constant ADHD, OCD, and PTSD certainly aren't helping matters.
Diana Knight (voiced by Emily Carey): The middle sister of the trio at Age 11 who is an adrenaline junkie with a penchant for swordsmanship, archery, and prostitution. As much as she denies having CSD, she sometimes can't help herself.
Cassie Knight (voiced by Abby Ryder Fortson): The youngest sister of the trio at Age 10 who is an innocent and forgiving child prodigy with an affinity towards the stuff of nightmares (in other words, a "nightmare fetishist"). So imagine her surprise when she was a personal pick by the "Grim Reaper" himself.

In case you were wondering, this may or may not lead to a crossover with Star vs. The Forces of Evil. Also, while not present, certain motifs are present between this story and "Power", my own pet project centered around original superheroes. (So you can assume that while not in the same universe, it's in the same reality in the form of a companion piece.) It's still not certain yet, though; the story's events just come to mind whenever I write.

Until next time...


Act 1: "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me"

Before. . .

Logan Lazuli rubbed his hooves together and took a deep breath: Slowly separating them, a spark of blue magic was briefly displayed before it dissipated. He gently chuckled in slight satisfaction, finally conjuring magic in a place where magic was restricted. He finally found a way of this literal hellhole.

"Hey!" Unfortunately for him, someone cheated, too, "How did you do that?"

"Well, could you ever be that much denser that you already are?" Fortunately for him, he knew how to cheat, "What do the foals call it nowadays? Oh, that's right: Magic."

"Why, if I were in that cell, I outta-!"

"SHUT UP! Do you want Cerberus to hear us? I apologize, sir. She did not mean that. How did you do that, however?"

"Well, it's not that simple, but I can tell you this: It takes a month's practice, maybe more, and I've been here for five years."

"Five years? Why are you just escaping now?"

Logan shrugged, "Couldn't find the right motivation, I suppose."

"Did you?"

"I did."

"What?"

"Revenge. Revenge on Queen Chrysalis."

The trio exchanged glances and turned back to Logan, "Maybe we can work out some sort of deal; we want revenge on Princess Celestia."

"Really? I expected you to say Star Swirl The Bearded."

"Oh, he's long gone by this point. You know who we are?"

"In a way. Less on that recognition; more on that deal. I'll take it. On one condition. Chrysalis is mine."

"As you wish. Now get us out of here."

"Since you asked nicely..."

Logan sighed softly underneath his breath and focused on his aim. His eyes reverted to blue in a split second and his horn/hooves fired upon the lock. It swiftly shattered as a result and freed the trio, who silently cheered in victory.

"Move quickly. Do you have a name?"

"Three: I'm Adagio, and these are my sisters: the purple one's Aria, and the teal one's Sonata. We're..."

"Sirens. I figured."

"You know what we are?"

"In a way. Again, my recognition of you is not important; your escape is. You get out of nowhere."

"How will you-?"

"Just go; I'll catch up. Once you girls do get out, I'll contact you. Now go!"


During. . .

"You want to know why my eyes went all? Nuh! Because ever since I started having to perform my protection spell, I've been getting terrible migraines. Cadance hasn't been casting spells on me. She's been using her magic to heal me! And she decided to replace her bridesmaids because she found out the only reason they wanted to be in the wedding was so that they could meet Canterlot royalty! And if she hasn't been on her best behavior with your friends, it's because with me being so busy, she's had to make all the decisions about the wedding!"

"I was just trying to–"

"She's been completely stressed out because it's really important to her that our big day be perfect! Something that obviously wasn't important to you! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and comfort my bride. And you can forget about being my best mare. In fact, if I were you, I wouldn't show up to the wedding at all."

"C'mon, y'all. Let's go check on the princess."

"I was–"

"You have a lot to think about."

"Maybe I was being overprotective. I could've gained a sister. But instead... I just lost a brother."

Twilight felt like the conversation played was only yesterday. That's because it was only yesterday. Today was the day of the wedding. The wedding would be the one place where Shining Armor, her older brother, would meet his bride...and his end. She could do nothing. She could do nothing about it. Nothing. Nothing but lay there in her bed in hopeless helplessness. After all she'd done for her friends, her brother, and her mentor, they still turned their backs on her. They had betrayed her.

It was probably for the best.

Twilight silently sobbed and drew a deep breath. She wanted to be alone. She wanted to be alone in her misery of the meandering mess before her. She wanted to be alone and nothing less.

"There are two kind of ponies in the world."

Twilight's head and ears perked up at the voice inside her head, "Those who live up to their potential, and those who don't. You, young miss...fit right well into the latter category."

"Who are you? Where are you? Why are you here?"

"I'm everyone and everywhere, darling. I just wish to help you."

"Why? Why me?"

"You're lost, helpless, and hopeless. You were tossed away like trash, something I don't tolerate. You tried to warn your loved ones of the impending crisis, but they didn't listen. You tried to warn your loved ones of the changing charlatan who took your sister-in-law's place, but they brushed it off as pre-wedding stress. You tried to warn your loved ones of the dangers she posed to the kingdom, but they saw the only danger in their eyes as you. You, the Slayer of Nightmares, the Destroyer of Discord. You are nothing but a young mare who wishes to make the world a better place."

It must have been his voice or words, but this secret spectre struck a chord with her. "Why? Why me?" She repeated nonetheless.

"You deserve better than the reality you're in. You deserve better than the reality where Princess Celestia wishes that you're actually Sunset Shimmer."

Twilight cocked her head in confusion, "Who...?"

"Oh. She never told you? Before you, Princess Celestia had an antecedent apprentice. One who wanted to know the powerful potential within her, but she forbid her from doing so. She ran away in response, never to be seen again. Her name? Sunset Shimmer. I'm here to prevent you from suffering the same fate as her."

A shadow swirled in the darkness, only seen by Twilight and the shadow himself, "So...what do you wish to do, my master?"

Twilight glanced away into deep contemplation for a moment's notice, glancing back with a response, "I...I wish...I could prove them wrong! I wish...I could make them see the truth! I wish...I could take-"

Twilight stopped herself for the shadow to finish, "Your vengeance?"

She grimaced at the mere mention of that word and corrected him, "My justice."

"You don't care what happens?"

"I got nothing to lose. So why should I?"

"I was hoping you would say that."

A few hours later, the night reverted to the morning.

The day was perfect.

The pegasi in the sky made sure that the only clouds visible were unable to produce rainfall or storms of the like and able to provide shade for those needing of it. They had also morphed them to resemble hearts and roses. The castle gardens did the exact same, and the water fountain depicted the bride and groom embracing each other in holy matrimony. There was a certain kind of magic in the air today and eventually tonight that made even the most grumpiest of ponies crack a smile as they traveled to the castle. The Mane 6 stood tall and proud as they looked on in wonder at the transformed throne room. They still couldn't believe it: they had pull off a risk that ultimately paid off. They had placed on the most grand wedding in the history of Equestria and everypony who had to be anypony was in attendance. The bride was one of everypony. Princess Cadance walked down the aisle and took her place beside her groom, her lips quivering into a small smirk as her plan played in motion.

"Mares and gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to witness the union of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor."

'Hmm, I was expecting Twilight Sparkle to put up a little more fight... Oh, well. I guess she couldn't find her way out of the caves after all...much like Cadance herself.'

"Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, do you take this stallion to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Cadance smiled to herself, "I do."

"Captain Shining Armor, do you take this alicorn to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Shining Armor smiled to himself, "I do."

"Then... Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, it is my great pleasure to pronounce you-"

"STOP!" Everypony - royalties included - glanced over at the large double doors and released shocked gasps to find another Princess Cadance, a little worse for wear, standing there at the entrance. The wedding dress-clad Cadance scowled in frustration, her plans foiled by her arrival.

"Whoa. I... I don't understand. How can there be two of you?" Applejack took small careful steps forward.

"She's a Changeling," the filthy Cadance explained and elaborated, "She takes the form of somepony you love and gains power by feeding off your love for them."

Her plans fully foiled, the wedding dress-clad Cadance engulfed herself in a circle of green flames. As the flames roared and the magic subsided, everypony - royalties included again - stared at the newly transformed Cadance in absolute horror. She was now a holey Changeling with a similar structure to Celestia's and a distorted laugh of an unholy demon.

"Right you are, Princess," the Changeling sneered, "and as Queen of the Changelings, it is up to me to find food for my subjects. Equestria has more love than any place I've ever encountered. My fellow changelings will be able to devour so much of it that we will gain more power than we have ever dreamed of!"

"They'll never get the chance! Shining Armor's protection spell will see to it!"

"I agree," Princess Celestia concurred as she slowly approached the Changeling Queen, "You may have made it impossible for Shining Armor to completely perform his spell, but now that you have so foolishly revealed your true self..."

The two ponies suddenly charged and locked horns, "I can protect my subjects from YOU!"

They then opened fire on each other with their own blast of magic, spinning around in a circle as everybody watched in wonder. Cadance took the opportunity to make her way towards Shining Armor, who remained hypnotized. Leaning her head against his in solemn sadness, the will to break free from the bug's spell was suddenly found within himself; he blinked and shook his head, "Wha-where...huh? Is...is the wedding over?" Glancing upward, he witnessed the two parties of royalty locked together in a duel to the death. He almost instantly realized the situation beforehand and glanced to his fiance, who shook her head in uncertainty. In the hope event horizon, Shining Armor joined horns' tip with Cadance, not noticing the strong glow emitting from the space between them. The subsequent spell lightly levitated them off the floor, an even stronger glow swirling into a sphere as the two royal parties broke away from their duel once they realized what was happening next.

"NO!" The Changeling Queen and her army of Changelings were then blown backward in a crash of glass, sending them flying outward towards the horizon. Floating gently back down to the dais, the couple had touched the ground by the time the crowd had found it in themselves to cheer. Everypony cheered at their vital victory. Everypony cheered...except one.

Princess Cadance, while she did smiled in relief, glanced around in worry, "Where is she?" as she turned to Shining Armor.

His response was a confused "Who?"

"Twilight. Where is she?" Her tone was much more straighter this time, worrying him as well.

"I...don't know."

Biting her bottom lip, Cadance turned to and approached her aunt. "Aunt Celestia, where is Twilight?"

Celestia suddenly realized that her apprentice was missing as of now, having focused too much on the wedding preparations to even notice, "I...I tried looking for her."

"You're lying," Cadance frowned and grimaced at Celestia, "Don't bullshit me."

Turning tail and leaving the throne room in a fit of fury, Celestia wanted to stop Cadance, but she stopped herself. On rare occasions only did her niece curse like a sailor pony. Plus, she herself was blinded by the Changeling Queen and her "acting" to see right through her. Twilight was telling the truth.

'My God... What have I done?'

Celestia went off over after Cadance, who had disappeared from her line of sight at this point. Shining Armor decided this as well, exiting the throne room with a confused but determined Mane 6 - well, Mane 5 - in tow. The five ponies followed Twilight's older brother, who in turn followed Princess Celestia, who in turn followed Princess Cadance, who in turn took to the skies. From God's point of view, she could see everything. Everything but her little sister-in-law.

"Where have you gone, Twilight?"

"MI AMORE CADENZA!" Cadance dodged a blast of magic from a fastly approaching Changeling Queen, screaming mad curses and firing random shots as she flew towards Cadance, "YOU WILL PAY!"

Cadance flew away as the Queen continued to fire shots at her, Celestia in pursuit. A lengthy chase ensued, with Celestia gaining up on the Queen before she could fire a lethal shot at Cadance. She managed, however, to fire a nonlethal shot at her wings, scorching them and sending her crashing down into the ground. Opening her eyes, she found her legs twisted and not capable of running away. Celestia and the Queen both brawled with each other again, this time to prevent one other from performing their individual task. Eventually, a shot was fired towards Cadance, who closed her eyes and accepted her fate just as Celestia flew in front of her.

BOOM!

When the dust settled, when the mist cleared... Nothing was visible to anypony involved. Nothing...but somepony. A pony whose entire body was substantially scorched to the point of a burnt crisp. Celestia and Cadance gazed upon the sacrificial lamb who saved them both,

"Oh, no," Twilight breathed out, "Looks like...I have a lot to think about, right?"

Famous last words.

Twilight dropped dead in front of the two horrified ponies, Celestia screaming her name in despairing desperation,

"TWILIGHT!"


After. . .

Five years later, the year was now 2017. Twilight had knocked on death's door. Twilight had resigned to her fate. Twilight had found herself.

Twilight gazed upon the horizon and saw a swirl of orange, blue, and purple. This would've been nicer, "would've been" being a dead ringer.

Twilight was indeed dead.

"It was for the "best"."


A/N: So, a few things to point out. As in, bullet point:

• I'm currently reworking my Marvel Universe in order to differentiate it from the MCU. In other words, while there are drastic changes, it will remain mostly true to the comics, while also avoiding whitewashing, promoting diversity (i.e., Marco Diaz as Daredevil, Jake Long as Iron Fist, Ronnie Anne Santiago as Black Widow, Connie Maheswaran as Valkyrie, etc.), and discouraging plagiarism. Also, the universe will most likely focus on team-up stories while establishing their origin stories within them.

• I know my stories and writing style may not appeal to everyone, but that's just the way how I fantasize and pen. I can't help it. I have an imagination, if a crazy and controversial one. Sorry.