Training ground

"So. We're going to be an uncle huhn?" I heard someone say to me.

I opened my eyes to see a white expanse. I sat up and looked around to find Pulse behind me.

"What did you say?" I asked him, not wanting to believe what had happened.

"Emily said we're going to be an uncle." He spread out his hands like he was a director with a dream. "Uncle Sam. Actually, that sounds too American. Uncle Sammy is better." He rambled to himself. He put his hands on his hips and looked at me.

"We are american. At least we were." I told him as I stood up.

"Doesn't matter. I like uncle Sammy better." He said, indignant.

I didn't feel like standing so I began to sit down. A chair appeared below me right before I would have lost my balance and fallen on my ass.

I put my head in my hand, thinking about the repurcussions of my sister being pregnant. And about the new band-wearer.

"Have you been able to get in contact with the new metamorph yet?" I asked Pulse.

"Yeah. It's name is Violet. The girl it is attached to is named Amy and her brother's name is Josh." He explained.

"So they are siblings."

"Yup, you called it." He said, far more cheerful than his usual self.

"What are you so happy about?" I asked him, finally looking up at him.

He had his arms crossed and was glaring at me. "I finally have someone to talk to other than you and Omir's emotional incarnation. His is boring and you ask to many friggin questions when we talk. Maybe I'll actually get some intelligent conversation." He had stretched out intelligent, implying that everyone he ever talked to was stupid.

I just put my head back in my hand. This was going to be a long day.

"Why is her brother here?" I asked him.

"Well... the bands have been quiet on this one. Both Cobalt and Toxic Green. The best we could come up with is that the bands track DNA. So, since siblings share anywhere from fifty to one hundred percent of their DNA, they could come along for the ride. Emily shares about seventy eight percent of her DNA with you, and Josh shares about seventy four with Amy. At least, that's what we came up with." He explained.

"Wait a minute." I told him, looking up. "You guys can measure human DNA?"

"Duh, how do you think you can use another creatures power and why you can only use one at a time? A certain amount of the DNA from the creature is taken, then when you need it, inserted into you. So, if you wanted to fly, you'd become a little bit pegasus. However, I can only keep the DNA of one creature from taking you over at one time. Cobalt can do more. So, we have to be able to code and sequence DNA to let you use it." He explained.

"Holy shit, what else can you guys do that you aren't telling me?" I asked him, dumbfounded.

"That... is for another time. You need to get back out there and face your unclehood. Ta ta." He said, almost peppy.

I slipped through the chair and collapsed back into my body. I sat up suddenly, breathing in. Suddenly, my forehead really hurt. I brought a hand up to it and felt a knot beginning to form. Then, something punched me really hard in the arm.

I looked over to see Emily glaring at me while holding her own head.

"Next time, I'll kill you." She said angrily.

"If you can catch me, preggers." I snapped. I was still pretty pissed.

"Hey, it's not my fault-"

"What? It's all his fault?!" I yelled, pointing at Omir, who held his hands up in a 'not me' gesture, but I wasn't blaming him. Mostly.

"It's just as much your fault as it is his. It takes two to make a baby, Emily! And then you turn around and chew Areta and me out because I fell asleep in her room! I can't believe you right now." I threw my hands up in exasperation. I stood up and she did as well

"If you don't like it then leave." She yelled back at me.

"Fine!"

"Fine."

I walked out the door, slamming it behind me.

Omir

Areta flew out the door after Sam. Emily went to stop her, but I put a hand on her shoulder.

"It will only make it worse. And she's the only one who can calm him down right now." I explained to her.

I pulled her to me, trying to calm her down.

"He'll be back later tonight." I comforted her.

"But he just infuriates me sometimes." She spat angrily. Then she thumped me on the chest with her fist.

"And that woman." She practically growled.

"Emily, I think it's time you let them be. We have our own..." I was about to say problems, but I knew that wouldn't be wise given her current state. "Uh, things we have to work out. I think it's time for you to stop being his mother, and start being his sister."

"But he needs me to protect him from her." She said meakly. I pulled her head to me.

"Yes... he does. Yet not as an obstacle, but as a support. If he wants to be with her, then that's his decision. If it's a mistake, then you should be there to comfort him. And if it isn't, then you should congratulate him." I laid down the law. I was tired of her and Sam's fights about Areta, and his boundaries concerning her. He needed to live his life, and she needed to let him live it.

"If that doesn't work, I blame you."

"Uh, hello. Girl freaking out over here." The girl called. There was no panic in her voice.

"I think that's the fastest I've ever hated someone just from hearing them talk." Emily said.

Oh heaven above, this just got hectic.

Areta

'Why can't she just let us be?' I thought to myself while I chased Sam down. Ponies were quickly getting out of his way while he stomped through downtown.

'She has to keep getting in our way, making things difficult.' I was a little mad, but not as much as Sam.

I needed to catch up to him before he accidentally activated something, but I wanted privacy, so I let him get all the way out of town and to the surrounding countryside before I stopped him.

"Sam, look at me." I grabbed his face and pulled it to look at me, but his eyes wouldn't meet mine.

"Look at me." I commanded him. After a few seconds, our eyes met.

I sighed, trying to get up the nerve. "Think of it like this: You're going to be an uncle. You will have a new life to love and nurture and teach. It's everything amazing about being a parent, without all the downsides like actually having to change it." I told him, getting a small chuckle. I giggled a little at my crude joke.

"I guess you have a point." He escaped my hold on him and turned his back to me.

"But... how can she raise a baby here, even if she has the four of us? Everything's been quiet so far, but don't you remember what happens when a new bandwearer shows up? Bad shit."

He started pacing. "Your tree burned down and I almost killed, and almost got killed, multiple ponies; and Omir almost managed an entire mental takeover of Equestria's equine population and ponyville was destroyed."

He threw his hands up in exasperation. "Things just keep getting worse every time. What's next? The world is threatened? Band wearers are bad news, Areta." He turned to look at me.

"That baby won't be safe. Even with Omir and myself protecting it. There will always be something faster, something stronger, something smarter... something deadlier than us. It pains me to say it, but I can't imagine that child getting past the age of five. All Omir and I attract is danger. It would take just one flick. One. Flick. For a dragon to kill that child. Even Emily or you could take a hit without being killed. I don't know about you-" He looked me in the eye, the sadness evident in his. "But it would destroy me to be the reason that baby was dead. It would destroy me."

So that was why he was angry. Not so much her, but about what might happen.

I walked up to him and pulled him into a hug. Eventually, his arms wrapped around me.

"Everything will be fine, Sam. I promise."

Emily

'I hate her. I hate her soooooo much. I'm going to kill her.' I thought to myself as Omir talked to her. I had to watch her stupid brother, who kept asking me stupid questions.

"No, I don't know how the ponies 'get it on'." I held up my fingers for air quotes in emphasis. What kid even asks something like that?

"How do they fly, how do they do magic?" He had a really high, squeeky voice. And I was always proud of my very feminine voice, but this kid has even me beat. However, that's a bad thing.

"I don't know." And how did he know they could do that?

To top it all off, he was kind of a runt. I was used to men like my brother, grandfather, and Omir. Sure, Sam wasn't a giant, but at least he had hit the average before his growth spurt.

And the woman! Ah, she infuriated me even more. Her voice was fairly low for a woman, but it was still very much feminine. She had a full body and long, luscious hair. With the color being almost completely opposite to my almost snowish hair. I hated her just for that. She was the picture of sexy while I, albeit begrudgingly, wasn't. Compared to her at least. I still looked pretty good though, but that didn't make me any less jealous.

What pissed me off the most was that she was flirting with Omir too! She just got here. She was demanding, pushy, and rude as well. I knew I was a lot like that, but at least I had some semblence of decency. She looked like she wanted to hogtie Omir and ride him like a horse. It sickened me.

Yet there was nothing I could do. Omir had explicitely told me not to talk to her so he could get his 'metamorph business' out of the way. I hated him too right now. He wasn't getting anything tonight.

Not to mention, I still had my brother to deal with. I haven't seen him that pissed off since Omir and he had fought for real and he had absolutely kicked Omir's butt.

How was I going to deal with him? I just hoped Areta could do something, because lord knew I couldn't. Sure, I could get him calm almost to the point of sleep just by talking softly to him, but when he was angry at me? Well... that's an entirely different story. Just hearing my voice might make him angrier.

I laid my hand on my stomach and sighed. I wasn't entirely sure I was pregnant. It wasn't uncommon for me to be a day or two or even three late. But I also hadn't been doing it off and on for the past month and half when this had happened previously. There was no birth control in Equestria. Or, at least, birth control that either Omir or I could use.

I sighed again. Today was going to be a long day.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Something came up that I couldn't fix right away. See ya on the flip side.