The laws of society can be highly unfair, though they are theoretically designed to treat everybody equally. They were the best illustration to the saying "the road to hell is made of best intentions" or what it was?.. No matter. First time it had been about those very "miracle babies", as the children with both mage's bump and wings were called, or, to say honest, not about them, but about their abilities. What to say, there had been no system of taming children this powerful, therefore everything had been done to cease their number.
But here it wasn't about too much power, it was about the lack of it.
While Dandy was attempting to "reverse the polarity" of the mixture which had turned Hobo into a very peculiar pegasus pony, Shade, Time, Derpy and Thistles were watching him from the outside, knowing that he shouldn't be disturbed during his work, otherwise there would be an atom bomb explosion.
"I've never seen a winged one walking around with wings folded all the time", Derpy admitted.
"I've got to", Thistles shrugged. "That's for the best".
"Actually he's officially an ordinary", Time noticed, having made Shade's icy eyes flash:
"Time, is it necessary to shout it out every time you see him?!"
"It's all right", Thistles said. "That's no problem".
Within this he finally unfolded his wings, and it became clear why he was to keep them "closed" all the time: his right wing lacked its lower part, while the left one was as long and tight as it should be.
"One and a half wings", Time commented. "You cannot fly too far with such wings".
"Got that..."
"There could be worse", Shade went on. This theme was the one which could occupy the talk for a long-long time, for in the world with three races which could get mixed in the most unexpected ways it was the most tangled and one of the most interesting ones. From research and development to simple gossip... "Tell me honestly, Thistles: have you ever wanted to be a mage?"
Thistles shook his head violently.
"Why? Let me guess: you think that touching things physically is more reliable than holding them mentally?" Nodding, as eager as previous shaking head. "All right. But you don't know what the feeling is, eh? Wait here". Shade ran away and soon returned with Glimmer. And this kid was the best illustration for the saying "two souls in one body": he wasn't amused by the fact that he had been prevented from doing his "business", but as soon as he spotted Thistles, his green eyes glittered with glee and his pouting was gone. What to say, Glimmer's mood could switch from one pole to another, as if it depended on some remote control button.
"How was your training today, little brother?" Time asked.
Glimmer beamed:
"I was helping Tricky and Blast with making dinner! They told me not to be in their way, so I was helping them with cutting vegetables!"
"Hope you didn't direct the knives onto their fingers", Shade smirked, having made Glimmer shiver:
"No fun, Shade!"
"Anyway, how does it feel when you use something with your magic?" Time continued.
Glimmer knitted his funny eyebrows:
"I don't know... It's like... I'm telling the thing to get into the needed place, and it does so..."
"And while it's in your control, do you feel it?" Shade caught up.
"Sometimes, when I control it for a long time", Glimmer muttered, as if he wasn't sure in what he was saying. "I feel as if it's held by an invisible and stretchy hand beginning here", he pointed at his mage's bump. "Rubbish, eh?"
"It's not rubbish. See, Thistles? Mages have their own way of actions", Shade concluded.
"And what about Masters?" Time put in.
"Which Masters?"
"Don't pretend to be sillier than you are, Shade! The Saxoboom twins!" Time shot out. "Say, it's also very rare when there are twins who share appearance but not race..."
"It's great that someone thinks it's an honour", two voices said.
"Two devils! You say their names, and they are here!" Shade snapped.
"Devils" was the most appropriate word - it would be too soft to call them imps after what had happened in that cafe. Wonder why that song had made Gingersnap so furious?.. Anyway, they both were here - official-styled and dark-haired Saxobeat and scruffy tow-topped Thunder, and the last one's mage's bump was faintly glowing with whitest white light, but it wasn't steady, those were more of thunderbolt flashes. Right for the name.
"My my, brother, just look who's here", Saxobeat mused, slowly walking up to them.
"No way. The maniac, the cross-eyes, the fearless, the freak and the bare-legs", Thunder caught up, moving the gaze of his greenish hazel eyes along the row. Judging by his weak smirk, he got what he wanted - Thistles's face flushed with rage:
"Bare-legs?! Hell yeah! Shut up and drive, dump king!" His fingers quickly found the way to the handle of the dagger which was hanging on his belt. "For you to know, I'm sure how to use it!"
"Oh, really?" Thunder purred. "And for you to know, nothing's worthy against magic. I can easily redirect the weapon against its owner".
"But I can at least use my hands, and you are useless without your magic, I'm sure", Thistles retorted.
"It's YOU who's useless with your wings", Saxobeat hurried to help his brother. "One and a half!"
"Leave us alone!" Shade interfered. "Yell and shout as much as you want it, Saxoboom, but none of you..." he paused, having given both of them the most mocking gaze, "...can redirect me against myself. I just know it".
"Nice argument".
This last was said by a tall man in dark grey clothing who approached to them from the other side of the street. He looked like some older copy of Mask Master - the similar, but a bit shorter hairstyle, the goatee, the tall height - but there were differences. First of all, Mask was winged, while this was a mage. Secondly, there were white stripes in his hair. Thirdly, the attitude was different. Mask was more of a cunning and evil prankster, while this man's gaze was stone cold.
"Looks like someone knows the nature of magic quite well despite not possessing it", the man noticed. Saxobeat and Thunder crossed their arms at the same time, as if offended by his entrance. "That's fine".
"But no use, Fencer!" Saxobeat objected, but the man gave him such a freezing look that his being posh was gone like air from a balloon.
"You should've been born with something, little brother, and you would be able to tell me what's right or wrong", Fencer finished. "Honestly, I feel sorry for those who can't learn the perks and feeling of making things obey you..."
"We have different priorities, Fencer", sounded from the garage. Now Dandy was standing outside, leaning on its wall. "You prefer forcing everybody to obey, and someone else prefers equal measures".
"Really, Dandy, we would've made a fine team if you weren't so free-minded", Fencer snapped. "You have no business to have with these", he gestured at the bench where the gang was sitting.
"These are my brothers and their friends", Dandy replied. "You have non-magical brothers as well".
"But they at least are sensible", Fencer mentioned.
"Leave them alone, Mr. Master!"
This last was said by a teenage girl with short jet-black hair, the fringe of which was covering her forehead so it wasn't clear if she was ordinary or a mage. Her expression was as if she was not completely sure about what she was going to do, but her dark eyes were filled with energy ready to break out.
"Look who's here. Collapse", Saxobeat commented immediately.
"My name is Skyfall", the girl replied. "Leave them alone. If they're not mages, they are not worse or better than you".
"Aren't they?" Thunder caught up.
Skyfall squinted, and two droplets of sweat appeared on her temples. The impression was as if she performed a short, but hard action with no effect.
"Try me", she whispered firmly.
And then the unexpected thing took place.
It was the first time when Derpy saw a mage fail his action. Actually it was not a failure, it was more of a sudden power loss. Thunder's mage's bump refused to obey him, as well as Fencer's when he decided to help his little brother. But Glimmer's and Dandy's "cores" worked perfectly well, which helped them carry the unpleasant three away for good without using their hands.
"Skyfall, my dear girl, you know it very well that it's forbidden to perform things like this". This was said by History, who for now walked outside.
"I know, but..." Skyfall blushed and turned away a bit.
"That's one more example of unfair rules". Shade decided to go on with the unfinished talk when they two were gone. "Skyfall is a mage, but she uses her powers very rarely. You saw what she did to Thunder and Fencer? She took their magic away. This is a very rare - and potentially very dangerous, because it tends to break out of control - ability, therefore poor Skyfall has to use magic only when she's sure it won't harm anybody. No public displaying. Thank goodness our History helps her to tame her abilities".
"By the way, about taming", Time put in. "Are you there, Hobo?"
The reply was more than seen. Hobo walked out of the garage in all his messy and scruffy self. Well, almost all. The human groove almost returned to him, apart from the fact that his head had two pair of ears now - human ones and grey pony ones sticking out of his hair. And not all grey feathers in his wings were replaced by normal bluish black ones. But those were trifles.
"Nice ears, bro", Glimmer chuckled.
"If you say one more word, I'll make you four-eared", Hobo threatened. "And I won't need being a mage to do it".
A/N: Skyfall is the counterpart of Susan in this AU.