HOME | DD

Description

  Back at the boat house on Capricorn Reef, Mako and Bubble were enjoying a quiet relaxing weekend together after a long week of work. Having been gone for a week at the nocturnal village put him a bit behind on his repairs but over the few weeks of peace and quiet, he was able to catch up and complete all of his orders. With the seasons changing and not as many tourists on the island, he can focus on a much more important and personal project.

  Bubble Lee was relieved to have the weekend off so she could spend time with her beloved fiance. Nothing out of the ordinary at the hospital, just the same long busy days of patients shuffling in and out with various illnesses or injuries or mandatory check ups. After what happened with the changeling hive, Queen Eris, and later Daniel Dasher running away to the Nocturnal Village, it was nice to have things finally quiet down.

    But as soon as she thought the words in her head, she heard her cell phone go off in the kitchen. Getting up to get it she was mildly surprised to see whose name was on the caller ID.

Bubble: *answers the phone* … Good morning, Daniel.. Umm, how are you doing?

Daniel: Doing alright.. But listen, I didn’t call to make small talk, there’s something you need to know..

Bubble: *ear twitch* Straight to business, huh? I didn’t know if Singe was there eavesdropping or something… What’s up? *dropping the cheery façade right away*

Daniel: It’s the Eclipse.. I…. I told them about Eris’ hive, and they want to look into it. Someone is going to be looking for you and Mako to ask you a few things..

Bubble: *ears spring up* What?! Why did you do that? I thought we agreed to keep this all off the radar. What the hell?!

Daniel: Hey hey, before you have a cow, let me just say this is Annie’s fault for pulling moral high ground on me..! *sighs* But she made a good point that the Eclipse needed to know about the hive at least.. No one knew it was there, and a highly dangerous, undocumented hive can spell out trouble for Equestria..

Bubble: *rubs her temple* They really don’t need to know though! In fact, the less the Guard knows, the better! Besides, it has been months ago, even if there were any survivors, they would have abandoned the hive long ago or.. Get eaten by Claudis. *with a cringe*

Daniel: Grandfather doesn’t like pests… But think about the bigger picture here. If there are survivors, the guard can handle it. Maybe even Thorax’s army. You and Uncle don’t have to play clean-up crew for your mess if Government Officials know.. *snorts* And if anything, it’ll help you two relax again…

Bubble: *let out a hollow sarcastic laugh* Hahaha, this is doing the exact opposite, trust me! You said someone is coming here? It’s not one of Thorax’s drones is it? I can’t stress this enough, Changelings can sense other changelings! Reformed or not, it’s just a natural part of our biology that I can’t turn off!

Daniel: Calm down..! *talks quieter* It’s an Eclipse leader, and last time I checked, we don’t have any Reformed Drones working in the ranks.. I know the leaders coming to see you too, they just want to confirm my story..

Bubble: *takes a deep breath* Okay… And what exactly is your story? The same thing we told Singe? I need to know so our stories line up..

Daniel: Pretty much.. I left out the obvious stuff, but that’s the jist of it. *ears twitch* Look, if it were up to me, I’d have buried this case in the ground, but they took it off my hands because it was very personal… I really think telling them about this will help all of us in the long run. It’s not our problem anymore..

Bubble: Right, I guess. No point arguing about it now, I just wish you would have told me before you told them. I have a lot more to lose then you do if this goes south..

Daniel: I would have, but recently I have been reassigned to a new job, and finding the time to make a phone call has been very hard.... *loud banging in the background* FUCK OFF, JUNIOR, I’M BUSY!!!

Junior: Do I look like I give a rats ass?! You can do your makeup later tonight! *bangs on the trailer louder*

Daniel: HEY! I am ON, the PHONE! I don’t interrupt you when you’re doing something important, so screw off!!

Junior: You mean, like your sister?~

Daniel: HRmmm..!!! *talks calmly into the phone* Excuse me, I have a jackass to drop-kick…!

Bubble: *puts the phone between her head and shoulder so she could use her hands* Uh huh, I’ll hold..

For a few short minutes, the only sounds coming from Daniel’s side of the call were very loud banging noises, followed by what sounded like a mule braying. Meanwhile Bubble thought it would be a good time to give her feline companion, whose name was unironically “Cat”, her morning wet food and medicine. As she opened up the can, she expected to see her dark gray furred fluff ball come out of hiding but there was no sign of her.

Bubble: *looks around* Huh.. maybe she’s sleeping….

Daniel: *picks up the phone* Ahem…. Sorry about that.. My new boss is just an insufferable asshole….!

Bubble: Aren’t all bosses? So before this… leader gets here, let's just run through what you told him.. Where did you start it off at?

Daniel: I told them you called me to tell me that you saw Uncle get taken by a changeling you couldn’t recognize as one of Chrysalis’ drones. And after agreeing to help, Grandfather and Mother lead the way in their larger forms as protection… while you followed, even after we told you not to..~

Bubble: Uh huh.. How did I follow two full size dragons flying away from an island surrounded by water in the middle of the night…?

Daniel: Teleportation magic.

Bubble: I can’t teleport!

Daniel: I seriously doubt they’ll check to see what magic tricks you can do..

Bubble: Faiiiiir… Plus I need to learn how to Teleport at some point. Maybe I’ll ask Dr Evergreen… *pauses as she puts the cat food down, seeing that Cat’s dish was still full* …………… Uh.. hmm.. What happened next? *ear twitches as she starts looking around the house for the feline*

Daniel: I briefly talked about the fight, aaaand accidentally stabbing you in the whole mess. We escaped after the clutch caught fire, the cave collapsed with the queen inside, aaaand…. That’s it.. After that, they thanked me for the information and sent me on my way, saying this was too close of a case for me to work on..

Bubble: *looking under the couch* So, I need to make sure I have a visible scar in case they decide to check. I don’t think, with my medical history, it would be too hard to believe that I could heal myself after a near life threatening injury like that. They may question why I didn’t go to the hospital after though…

Daniel: Well, you are a nurse.. But I did mention that Grandfather is a very skilled healer, so that will help that portion of the story..

Bubble: *grunts as she looks checks Mako’s shop next* That’s more believable. I’m sure whoever this is hardly knows anything about Nocturnals or their unique type of magic… *looks under Mako’s workbench and pouts*

Daniel: I told them that information on my extended family was too personal to talk about publicly at the moment… Maybe at some point we’ll branch out to Equestria, but not now, heh.. But other than those small details, all they’ll want to do is match up the stories before doing whatever they plan to do next.. Once they’re gone, this hive business is off our hands..

Bubble: About time, honestly… You should make sure you tell your mother and grandfather as well, in case they want to question them too. With Mako being the main victim in this, it makes a lot of sense why they would come here. I’ll be sure to fill him in.. once I figure out where he went…

Daniel: I made sure to call them first.. One of the leaders gave me a weird smile when I mentioned Grandfather though, I’m not sure why… It was a little creepy..

Bubble: Huh.. you don’t think he suspects anything?

Daniel: I don’t think so.. If he did, I expected to get the pulp beaten out of me.. He’s a very hands on type, like his squad… *grumbles*

Bubble: *cringes* Wonderful.. I guess I will keep that in mind.. Thank you for the heads up, Danny. I really do appreciate it..

Daniel: No problem.. I’ll check in when I get the chance later.. Right now I have… *siiiiigh* Rehearsals…

Bubble: *ear twitches* Rehearsals? Like.. for a play or something?

Daniel: Nooo… I wasn’t sure if Cinder texted you about this or anything, but my new “job” is to be part of the carnival, and I am now the second Firedancer in this place..

Bubble: SNRK! Hahaha! Are you serious? You, a circus performer? Ha! Wow, talk about a demotion~

Daniel: *snorts* For your information, this is an undercover job..! I wouldn’t be here if the General didn’t think it was important. And I don’t think I need to point out that crowded places where kids can go missing in seconds is a huge concern…!

Bubble: Ah so it’s one of those things. Brings me back to when I did my own “undercover” work, hmhmhm~ I’ll have to tell you about it sometime.

Daniel: Looking forward to it.. *huffs, hearing the trailer door open* I said I’ll be out in a minute, Junior!!

Singe: Hehehe, just me little Robin~ Oh, sorry, you on the phone?

Daniel: *sighs* Heh, yes, I was just calling Bubble to check in on her.. We haven’t spoken since we were on the island… *ears twitch*

Singe: Heheh, yeah I know how that is. Things just get busy here. Tell her I say hiiiiiiiii! And to slap that fish for me!

Bubble: *speaks up* Do it yourself, you coward! Hehehe~ Well, I have to get going, I think Cat got out again..

Singe: *leans in so he can hear* Cat? Aww, give that angry ball of fluff and claws a hug for me.. I would myself but I really am a coward, hahaha!

Daniel: *raises an eyebrow* Considering all the screams of terror at spiders crawling up the drain of your shower, I can confirm that..~

Singe: Oye.. That’s different!

Bubble: *snickers* Byyyye Singe! See you later, Danny~ I’ll be sure to keep you updated! Be sure to blep at Dewberry for me~

Daniel: I will, hmhmhm.. See you later, Bubble.. *hangs up*

Bubble: *puts her phone in her pocket and sighs* Oye… I guess I should go tell Mako we are going to be having an unexpected guest…

Down by the docks, Mako was cleaning up his boat to get it ready for a quick trip across the sea. With the wedding plans in motion, Mako came up with a plan to go visit Trotland for the Honeymoon. With that in mind, he could check in on the house he inherited from Aleyn years ago, and make sure it was in top shape. With the deck cleaned and the engine working like a charm, all that was left was to scrape away pesky barnacles that occupied the sides of the vessel.

Mako: Alright ye little pests, I let ya squat on my boat long enough.. *sighs* I really need to find somepony I can pay to do this..

Bubble: *from behind him* You? Paying some pony to do something for you? Who are you and what have you done with my salty Trotsman?~

Mako: *ears perk up* Heheheh, I like doing my own work, but even barnacles can be the biggest pain in my arse..~ *walks onto the dock* What’s going on, Love?

Bubble: Well, I just got a phone call from Daniel… He wanted to let us know that he ended up telling Eclipse about what happened with you and Eris and the hive…

Mako: *chokes on a squeak* W-wait, what?!

Bubble: That’s what I said! But I guess he felt morally obligated and now it’s “no longer on his hands” as he puts it.. *making quotations in the air with her fingers*

Mako: *grunts* So in other words, his sister got to him… *rubs his temple* What did he tell them..?

Bubble: Long story short? He received a call from me that you were abducted by a non-reformed changeling from unknown origin. Daniel, Lady and your father left me here to go find you. I teleported across the fucking ocean to come so I could help, I get stabbed by Daniel by accident.. *pulling over her shirt to show the new scar she added to the form* And… that’s about it. Essentially the same thing we told Singe…. Which should be easy since.. There is a guard coming to our house to question us about what happened..

Mako: Ah- Why..?! The hell they need to ask us about it for, they have their story!

Bubble: Apparently they trust Daniel about as far as they can throw him.. So they need us to back up his story and make sure it’s true. You just stick to what you remember when the “changeling” took you..

Mako: *sighs, giving a bit of a shiver* As if I could forget about it.. Alright, I can do this. When do you think they’ll get here?

Bubble: *shrugs* No idea. I don’t think we are supposed to know they are even showing up so could be today, could be next week…

Mako: Well, until then I guess I’ll just get some work done.. *rubs the back of his neck* Hopefully this little guard visit will be the end of it. I just want to focus on the wedding, hehehe.. When your mom lets me pick something on my own.. *pouts*

Bubble: *smiles at him* Me too~ Do you want some help with those barnacles? Some company might help move it along faster~

Mako: *purrs* I’d like that, heheh. Just uh, prepare yerself. I got a couple of Goosenecks down there and they can be a creepy sight to look at.

Bubble: *cringes* What.. is a Gooseneck?

Makko: *leans over the dock to point* Those are Goosenecks… *gestures to strange long creatures clinging to the side of his boat*

Bubble: ….. Gross. Wonderful.. I’m just.. stick to the smaller, not phallic looking barnacles. You have fun with the… Goosenecks.. Geesenecks? Changeling dicks.

Mako: *snickers* Say what you will about em, but they sure do make a good meal when cooked.

Bubble: Do not even think about bringing those into the house! Gross! Ewl!

Mako: Aaaw, you won’t even try one?! *cackles as he goes down below to start prying them off the boat*

Bubble: *shakes her head as she picks up a tool to start scraping off barnacles* And they say changelings are nasty… bleh..

Mako: Don’t knock it til ye try it. *stretches his arm to wave a Gooseneck at her*

Bubble: *squeals and leans away* Noooo, hehehe~ keep your oddly shaped genitalia monsters to yourself!

Mako: Heheheh, your loss.~ *continues cleaning them up*

Once the barnacles were all taken care of, both Mako and Bubble headed back to the house for some rest and some proper food to forget about the weird wiggly barnacles. Not to mention a good shower to get clean from the mucky smell of algae. Before they could exit the docks, both were approached by a couple of royal guards. The two stallions weren’t dressed in the traditional armor, but in the similar style battles suits that Daniel has, a jeweled badge shimmering on their chests.

Mako: Oh boy…

Bubble: *gently nudges Mako* Calm…

Mako: *inhales calmly, then exhales* Right… *puts on a smile* Hello, can I help you with something?

Arche: *nods* My name is Lieutenant Arche, and this is Lieutenant Pierce. You are Mako and Bubble Lee, right?

Mako: Yeah, that’s us.

Arche: Good.. We have a couple of questions to ask you, regarding the Changeling hive you two were involved with some time ago..

Bubble: *gently rubs Mako’s back* Of course. We can answer any questions you may have.

Pierce: *clears his throat* Perhaps we can take this somewhere more privately?

Mako: Of course, heheh. We were just headed back to the house, come with us. *leads the way, taking hold of Bubble’s hand and holding on a bit tight*

Bubble: *rubs his hand with her thumb, hoping to help keep him calm*

Once they reached the old boat house, Bubble unlocked the door and let the two guards inside.

Bubble: Would you like anything to drink? We have water and juice…. Scotch.

Pierce: *before Arche could say anything* No, we are fine. Just have a seat. Hopefully this won’t take very long.. *his eyes looking through the living room. He pauses and lifts the corner of the rug with his hoof and spots a green stain on the wood floor* … Hmm..

Mako: *ears twitch* Suit yerself, heheh.. *starts pouring himself some Scotch*

Bubble: *stares at Mako with a disapproving look* Ahem..

Mako: …… Hrmmm… *hands over the glass*

Arche: If you’re not drinkin’ that, I’ll have some.~

Pierce: *sighs* Ignore him.. We are on duty! *with a grunt before nodding to his hoof at Arche*

Arche: *grumps* You’re no fun..~ *looks over at the stain* …. Huh… *ears twitch, looking at a side table and seeing the wallpaper behind it is torn* ……..

Mako: *looks to Bubble* I dunno if I can do this….

Bubble: *takes his hand and rubs it gently* Deep breaths… Do you have any questions for us or are you just here to critique our internal decorating..? *with a pout* We.. haven’t had a lot of time to remodel since.. It.. happened.

Arche: *carefully moves the side table, seeing the wall had claw marks* Juuuust taking in leftover evidence of a struggle…

Mako: *ears twitch* Y-yeah, those marks were from me… *sees where they are, remembering it was from when he lost his temper over Sunstreak* ….. I wasn’t going to go down without a fight, heh…

Pierce: *gently moves the rug to see more blood stains, both green and red* Why don’t you start from the beginning?

Mako: *sighs a little* Well, I was just finished in my shop from working all day and closed it up for the night… Around that time, who I thought was Bubble, was the Changeling that kidnapped me. They were disguised as her and put on a very….. Convincing act.. *looks at Bubble with nervous side eye*

Bubble: *grimaces and nervously plays with her hair* ….

Arche: *smirks a bit* Oh I bet they did, heheh.~

Mako: Ahem! Uh… They weren’t that good though.. A couple of hints gave it away before I realized it was a drone, so I attacked it… It made it’s intentions pretty clear on what they wanted, so we started fighting.. But after a little while……. *rubs his head* I'm actually not sure what happened after that.. Everything got blurry and the next thing I knew when I woke up was I was in an underground hive..

Pierce: *pulls out a notepad and writes something down* And you had no idea how you got there? You are a pretty big guy, was there more than one drone or…

Bubble: *chimes in* It.. it was just one! I came home after a late shift and.. Saw this giant changeling with Mako.. *taking a moment to choose her words carefully* .. It was like nothing I had ever seen. 8.. Maybe even 9 feet tall, with bright green stripes on its arms and down it’s legs… *squeezes Mako’s hand tight*

Arche: Hmm… Sounds like one of the Soldier Drones in Thorax’s faction. They’re almost as big as him.

Bubble: *ears fold back* It wasn’t a reformed changeling, I can tell you that.. She-.. it had long manables that came out of its mouth and.. A long split horn….

Pierce: *writes that down* … So you got a pretty good look at it then? What did you do?

Bubble: *ears fold back* … I couldn’t do anything. This changeling was huge, there was no way I could have taken it on by myself. So I.. called Daniel Dasher for help. I knew he was in the Royal Guard and maybe he could do something..

Arche: *ear twitches, looking at the bloodstains on the floor* Dasher was on Medical Leave at the time. I don’t suppose you knew about that..?

Bubble: *shakes her head* No, he never told me he was injured.. He just cared about getting Mako back.. So he left with his mother to go after the changeling…

Arche: *raises an eyebrow* Just, his mother..?

Bubble: *without missing a beat* His grandfather was waiting outside, he couldn’t fit in the house. They flew off towards the mainland.

Arche: *smirks a little* Hmhm, he sure is a big guy. That hasn’t changed.~ *nudges Pierce*

Pierce: *snorts* How could I forget?

Mako: *ears spring up* W-wait, you know him..?

Arche: It’s hard to not notice a huge dragon sleeping in the dungeons.

Pierce: We are getting off topic… So Daniel, his mother, and Claudis all made their way to the mainland… What did you do, Miss Lee?

Bubble: *looks at Mako and pouts* … I wasn’t going to just sit around and do nothing when the love of my life was taken from me… I still hate myself everyday thinking about how I let that bitch take you away from me…. So I … followed after them.

Arche: And you did that by teleporting? Sounds pretty exhausting..

Bubble: *nods* It was, but… I was determined to find Mako. It wasn’t hard to find a couple of dragons fighting in the Everfree Forest, and.. I’ve had experience in the past with the same woods with Daniel’s sister… It didn’t take long for me to find the hive entrance and sneak inside while the drones were distracted.

Arche: Snrk, sounds like you get in more troubling adventures then you let on.

Bubble: *grimaces* More than I like to admit, unfortunately. You can say this family puts the “Fun” in Dysfunctional…

Arche: Clearly.~ *snickers*

Mako: *grumps at them* Hrmmm…

Pierce: *trying to get the topic back on track* So you successfully entered the hive without being detected.. How did you get to where Mako was before Dasher if they were already there fighting by the time you got there?

Bubble: *ears twitch* .. I.. I don’t know. I just saw Lady and Claudis, maybe he was fighting the drones by the entrance but I was more focused on finding Mako.. It was a bit of maze but I eventually made it to what looked like a throne room and that’s where Mako was.

Pierce: *looks up from his pad of paper* .. Alone? No guards? Did you see that same changeling from before?

Bubble: *ears twitch but shakes her head* I didn’t see anyone besides Mako.. He didn’t recognize me at first, he thought I was the changeling but I had to persuade him it was me..

Mako: *nods* That’s when I was able to think clearly again. But right after, that’s when Daniel came in.. He looked fresh out of a fight, and he must’ve thought the same thing as me…. That’s when he….. S-stabbed, Bubble….

Bubble: *swallows hard and pulls the collar of her shirt to the side to show the puckered scar on her shoulder* ….. It was.. one of the most painful things I had ever had to go through…

Arche: *muzzle scrunches* Oof, you’re lucky to still be alive…. How’d you three get out of that?

Mako: Well, that’s the harder part of it… We didn’t know til we were trying to leave that we were in the Queen’s chamber.. We saw the eggs and figured it out pretty fast, and then she showed up… *ears fold back*

Pierce: *pauses writing* The Queen Changeling of the Hive? *glances at Arche*

Arche: *raises an eyebrow* Hmph, he didn’t bring that part up…

Mako: *ears spring up* H-he probably doesn’t remember it…. The Queen put him under mind control and made him attack us.. *points to the scar on his cheek*

Pierce: Mind control?! Like what Chrysalis used on Shining Armor? *quickly writes down notes*

Bubble: *stares at Mako from the corner of her eye* ….

Mako: *stares back at her* ……

Arche: Hmm… That explains why she was so far in the hive… So what started the cave-in..?

Bubble: Um.. I’m still not sure what caused the explosion.. We were hiding in the area where the eggs were kept and.. Next thing I knew we were running away and the whole nursery exploded! Well.. I was being carried. *points to her shoulder*

Mako: Heh, I saw the flames growing and just felt this huge rush to get the hell outta there.. We ran through the hive and eventually found the exit, and then my dad just caught all three of us in his wing and carried us away from there.

Pierce: And this was after Dasher was mind controlled.. by a changeling Queen?

Mako: Y-yeah.. We still don’t know how he got out of that. There was a moment where he was trying to kill us! But then the next thing, he just started yelling at the Queen to get out of his head and then…. He was fine..

Pierce: *taps the quill to his chin* .. I wonder if that was somehow related to his seizures… Hmm.. *writes something down*

Arche: *snorts* Next chance we get, we should bring him in for a little examination..

Pierce: *nods* Especially since he left that important detail out.. I don’t want to worry about Eclipse being compromised by a rogue queen..

Bubble: *tenses up* Uh! But.. the Queen is dead. She was trapped in the cave in..

Mako: *nods* I couldn’t see, but I heard Lady say she was staying behind to close the cave off and make sure the Queen stayed inside. Next time we saw her, one of her horns was missing and she confirmed the Queen was dead… A-and, we are more than positive it was still her, heheh. Red blood and everything…

Pierce: Hmmmm.. And what happened after that?

Bubble: *shakes her head* Nothing really.. Daniel left, I stayed in Claudis’ cave for a while to recover and… that was it.

Mako: We came home once we had the energy to, and just carried on with our lives.. Like getting engaged afterwards, heheh.. *tail wags a little*

Pierce: *smiles* Congratulations on your engagement… Now, I do have one more question. Why did neither of you ever come forward and report to the authorities of what happened?

Mako: *ears fold back a little* We were a little-... No, extremely paranoid to come forward about it.. It was hard to settle back in with the creeping idea drones from the same hive could be a cop. Or we’d get suspected and t-taken away… I still see their face sometimes… The one that took me..

Arche: Hmmm, PTSD…

Bubble: *plays with her short hair* … It has been really hard for us, we just want to push this all behind us and move on with our lives.. Together. *as she squeezes Mako’s hand again*

Pierce: *nods as he finishes writing down his notes* Of course. That’s all we have at this time but if we need to get in contact again, I’d like to get both of your numbers..

Mako: Of course.. *writes down both his and Bubble’s numbers on a piece of paper, handing it over*

Arche: *takes it* Thank you. If we need any other information, we’ll give you a call.

Pierce: We’ll let you enjoy the rest of your weekend, thank you for your time… Let's go Isaac.

Arche: *follows after him* … See, they’re getting married….~ *griiiiiiins*

Mako: SNRK! *covers his mouth*

Pierce: *siiiighs* We’ll talk about it after you get back from Ponyville.. I need to talk to a… Lady Lovegreen. Address unknown. Wonderful…

Mako: Ah- she lives with Willow Breeze, here on the island.

Bubble: I can write down the address.

Pierce: *ears perk* Ah, splendid. That makes my job much easier. *looks at Arche* Good luck trying to find a dragon cave~ I don’t think they have addresses for those.

Mako: *points in a direction* He’s over in the basin of the dead volcano, heheh. Even turned that place into a hot spring.

Arche: *smirks at Pierce* Guess I know what I’m doing after questioning, if you wanna join me.~

Pierce: *grimaces* We don’t have time.. After that, we still need to go to Ponyville..

Arche: *siiiiiiigh* Not even for a small break? You could use it..

Pierce: ….. Later. *clears his throat* Excuse us, we’ll be leaving now. Thank you for your time.. *grabs Arche by the thumb of his wing*

Arche: *snickers as he’s dragged away*

Mako: *calls after them* Have a nice date! *walks over to close the front door*

Bubble: *chuckles and purrs softly* They seem nice~ I could tell they were together when they first approached us on the docks. The bat pony, Arche I think? He got really protective when he saw how big and strong you were in person~

Mako: *looks at himself* Snrk, he’s the one in armor, but I can get why he would.~ His partner is a bit smaller than me.

Bubble: *nuzzles Mako softly* Yes, but you are also a big softy~ my gentle giant~ *kisses his cheek*

Mako: *purrs and wraps his arms around her* Guilty as charged.~ *gives kisses and bites on her cheek*

Bubble: *smiles* So sweet tasting too~ always so full of Love….. I’m.. glad they didn’t push why you were targeted. That could have gotten bad..

Mako: Heh, or question more on why I wasn’t “guarded” in the main chamber… *sighs* They got the information they wanted, at least it’s over..

Bubble: *nods* Yeaah.. That was rough. Hopefully we don’t get Daniel into too much trouble about the Eris thing…

Mako: I think he’ll be fine.. They can’t expect him to answer much about mind control.. *starts getting into the fridge to see what to make for dinner* ……. *sniff sniff* …….. *sniff*

Bubble: *ears perk* What is it?

Mako: …… Something doesn’t smell right.. And it’s not just us..

Bubble: *ears fold back* Like someone is here? *sniffs* I.. don’t smell anything..

Mako: *sniffs the air, going up the stairs* …. Oh no… *goes into the bedroom* …………… *calls out* I-Imago..?! You need to get up here!

Bubble: *ears perk before going up stairs* What’s wrong?

Mako: *talking quietly* Hey, it’s okay…. You’re okay…

Over by the closet, Mako crouched down and gently pet Cat, as she let out tired croaky purrs. The elusive furball was curled up on the floor of the closet, one of Bubble’s scarves underneath her as she held it tightly in her paws.

Mako: She had a little stomach problem by the bed and crawled in here…. And she’s letting me pet her, she never does that….!

Bubble: *ears fold back as she kneels next to him* Maybe she ate something bad? .. I saw that her food dish was still full for yesterday.. I’m going to call the vet and see if I can bring her in..*pulls out her phone*

Mako: *looks back at the small bit of vomit* I don’t see any food bits in there either..*looks at Cat, giving gentle scratches behind her ears*

Bubble: *on the phone* Hello? Yes do you have any openings for today, my cat is really sick…..… Throwing up, not eating and she’s curled up in the closet and not moving much…….. Her name is Cat. C-A-T… Yeah, we can bring her in now, thank you… *hangs up the phone* … I’m.. going to go get the carrier. Can you stay with her?

Mako: Yeah, I got her….. Hmmm… *gently reaches to pick her up, the scarf stuck in her claws* ….. You can hold onto that, heheh..

After making the short trip to the veterinary office, the two waited anxiously in the waiting room, Bubble holding the cat carrier in on her lap, her fingers gently petting Cat through the grate. After a bit the doctor let them in so that Cat could be weighted and blood taken from her to be tested. While the tests were being run, Bubble and Mako were left alone in the examination room with the lethargic feline, still clinging to the scarf. What was only a few minutes felt like hours of silence and anticipation until the doctor returned with news that they were dreading but knew was coming: Cat is nearly 16 years old, which, for a feline is very very old. There isn’t much that could be done, besides take actions to ease the suffering. Even if they were to bring Cat home, it would only be a matter of days, a week at most.

After only being gone for a couple hours, Mako and Bubble returned to the boat house on the sandy beach, empty cat carrier in hand. They both felt like the energy they had once had was sapped from them. Bubble sat at the kitchen counter, holding the scarf in her hand with a fair off stare.

Bubble: …. *clears her throat* .. Umm. Are you hungry? We didn’t really have lunch..

Mako: *ears perk* Uh… Yeah, I can make something….. You wanna go shower while I take care of it..? We didn’t get to before those guards showed up…

Bubble: *ears twitch as she smells her arm and cringes* .. Ick.. Yeah, probably a good idea. I smell like barnacles still, heh… *putting on a smile before putting the scarf on the counter and heading to the bathroom*

Mako: *watches her go* ….. *walks up behind her to give her a hug*

Bubble: *stops, ear twitching before putting her hand on Mako’s arm* I’m okay, honest. It’s hard but… I’ll be okay.

Mako: Mmm… *lets go a little* … I’m gonna miss her too, heheh.. *smiles a bit for her*

Bubble: *ears fold back* … I got her after.. Bubble fell. I found her in a box near the hospital. Someone just left this tiny fuzzy black kitten. She couldn’t have been more than a few months old. I beeegged and pleaded with Kiwi and Silver for me to keep her, not knowing that Silver was allergic, hehehe… Even despite that, he still said yes. It always felt like Cat was my pet, not Bubble’s. I know that’s stupid sounding seeing at the time I was Bubble but… I don’t know how to explain it.. *rubs the back of her neck*

Mako: I think I get it, heheh…. That whole time I feel like Cat knew that, under this form was Imago…

Bubble: *shrugs* .. Maybe, heh. Either way, it felt a lot less lonely… *ears fold back before look at Mako with shiny eyes* …. I didn’t even know she was sick.. Does that make me a… bad cat mom, heh? If I had noticed sooner then m-maybe…

Mako: No no, of course not.. *rubs her back to comfort* It can be pretty hard to notice when a pet is sick… Just because we missed the signs doesn’t make it that we’re bad for it.. I’m sure if she could she’d have told us, heh…

Bubble: *ears twitch as she looked down* … Maybe, heh.. It just makes me worry that… like if I were to become a real mom.. Whether we have our own kids or adopt them.... What if I don’t notice something is wrong again? It already happened with Bubble…. And you, when you passed out in Willow’s kitchen..

Mako: *grimaces* Well, for one thing, it’ll be hard to miss with a child, heheh. At least, sometimes. Common colds, the flu.. And besides, by then things will be different. We’ll be parents, and with our kid we’ll probably be ten times more jittery and nervous to NOT see something’s wrong, heheh..!

Bubble: *raises an eyebrow* I know you will, hehehe… You already get super anxious whenever Holly is around~

Mako: *makes sad orca eyes* She’s just so tiny and squishy and delicate, I don’t want her to get hurt on my watch..! Cuz then Lady will hurt me… *grumps*

Bubble: Snrk! Hmhmhm~ I have no doubt you’ll be a great parent~ … I just feel like I’m not up to par yet…

Mako: *smiles* Just give it a little time, Love… Maybe a little more practice will help.

Bubble: *grimace* I don’t know how many more times Lady will allow me to put Holly’s diaper on backwards….

Mako: Snrk! Heheheh, we’ll think of something.~ *nuzzles her cheek* Maybe I can convince Lady to let us babysit more when she goes to work….. *sniff sniff* ….. Barnacles…. *sniffs at Bubble’s hair*

Bubble: *groans* Okay okay! I’m going to go take a shower! Get that nasty Gooseneck stench off my body… *shudders*

Mako: Hmhmhm, I’ll get dinner going and then do the same once you’re done. *playfully tugs her tail*

Bubble: *smiles* Sounds good.. While you are showering I’ll start cleaning up the bedroom.. *leans in and kisses Mako’s cheek* Thanks for cheering me up, Barnacle Breath~

Mako: *purrs and wags his tail* I try.~ *kisses her cheek*
-------------------------------------

A bit of an emotional rollercoaster we finally have some closure as Mako and Bubble work to move on after the ordeal and now the lost of a beloved pet. It has been a year since I lost one of my cats so this board was very close to home.

Catch up and read the other boards at under "MakoLee"!

Next:

Description

  Back at the boat house on Capricorn Reef, Mako and Bubble were enjoying a quiet relaxing weekend together after a long week of work. Having been gone for a week at the nocturnal village put him a bit behind on his repairs but over the few weeks of peace and quiet, he was able to catch up and complete all of his orders. With the seasons changing and not as many tourists on the island, he can focus on a much more important and personal project.

  Bubble Lee was relieved to have the weekend off so she could spend time with her beloved fiance. Nothing out of the ordinary at the hospital, just the same long busy days of patients shuffling in and out with various illnesses or injuries or mandatory check ups. After what happened with the changeling hive, Queen Eris, and later Daniel Dasher running away to the Nocturnal Village, it was nice to have things finally quiet down.

    But as soon as she thought the words in her head, she heard her cell phone go off in the kitchen. Getting up to get it she was mildly surprised to see whose name was on the caller ID.

Bubble: *answers the phone* … Good morning, Daniel.. Umm, how are you doing?

Daniel: Doing alright.. But listen, I didn’t call to make small talk, there’s something you need to know..

Bubble: *ear twitch* Straight to business, huh? I didn’t know if Singe was there eavesdropping or something… What’s up? *dropping the cheery façade right away*

Daniel: It’s the Eclipse.. I…. I told them about Eris’ hive, and they want to look into it. Someone is going to be looking for you and Mako to ask you a few things..

Bubble: *ears spring up* What?! Why did you do that? I thought we agreed to keep this all off the radar. What the hell?!

Daniel: Hey hey, before you have a cow, let me just say this is Annie’s fault for pulling moral high ground on me..! *sighs* But she made a good point that the Eclipse needed to know about the hive at least.. No one knew it was there, and a highly dangerous, undocumented hive can spell out trouble for Equestria..

Bubble: *rubs her temple* They really don’t need to know though! In fact, the less the Guard knows, the better! Besides, it has been months ago, even if there were any survivors, they would have abandoned the hive long ago or.. Get eaten by Claudis. *with a cringe*

Daniel: Grandfather doesn’t like pests… But think about the bigger picture here. If there are survivors, the guard can handle it. Maybe even Thorax’s army. You and Uncle don’t have to play clean-up crew for your mess if Government Officials know.. *snorts* And if anything, it’ll help you two relax again…

Bubble: *let out a hollow sarcastic laugh* Hahaha, this is doing the exact opposite, trust me! You said someone is coming here? It’s not one of Thorax’s drones is it? I can’t stress this enough, Changelings can sense other changelings! Reformed or not, it’s just a natural part of our biology that I can’t turn off!

Daniel: Calm down..! *talks quieter* It’s an Eclipse leader, and last time I checked, we don’t have any Reformed Drones working in the ranks.. I know the leaders coming to see you too, they just want to confirm my story..

Bubble: *takes a deep breath* Okay… And what exactly is your story? The same thing we told Singe? I need to know so our stories line up..

Daniel: Pretty much.. I left out the obvious stuff, but that’s the jist of it. *ears twitch* Look, if it were up to me, I’d have buried this case in the ground, but they took it off my hands because it was very personal… I really think telling them about this will help all of us in the long run. It’s not our problem anymore..

Bubble: Right, I guess. No point arguing about it now, I just wish you would have told me before you told them. I have a lot more to lose then you do if this goes south..

Daniel: I would have, but recently I have been reassigned to a new job, and finding the time to make a phone call has been very hard.... *loud banging in the background* FUCK OFF, JUNIOR, I’M BUSY!!!

Junior: Do I look like I give a rats ass?! You can do your makeup later tonight! *bangs on the trailer louder*

Daniel: HEY! I am ON, the PHONE! I don’t interrupt you when you’re doing something important, so screw off!!

Junior: You mean, like your sister?~

Daniel: HRmmm..!!! *talks calmly into the phone* Excuse me, I have a jackass to drop-kick…!

Bubble: *puts the phone between her head and shoulder so she could use her hands* Uh huh, I’ll hold..

For a few short minutes, the only sounds coming from Daniel’s side of the call were very loud banging noises, followed by what sounded like a mule braying. Meanwhile Bubble thought it would be a good time to give her feline companion, whose name was unironically “Cat”, her morning wet food and medicine. As she opened up the can, she expected to see her dark gray furred fluff ball come out of hiding but there was no sign of her.

Bubble: *looks around* Huh.. maybe she’s sleeping….

Daniel: *picks up the phone* Ahem…. Sorry about that.. My new boss is just an insufferable asshole….!

Bubble: Aren’t all bosses? So before this… leader gets here, let's just run through what you told him.. Where did you start it off at?

Daniel: I told them you called me to tell me that you saw Uncle get taken by a changeling you couldn’t recognize as one of Chrysalis’ drones. And after agreeing to help, Grandfather and Mother lead the way in their larger forms as protection… while you followed, even after we told you not to..~

Bubble: Uh huh.. How did I follow two full size dragons flying away from an island surrounded by water in the middle of the night…?

Daniel: Teleportation magic.

Bubble: I can’t teleport!

Daniel: I seriously doubt they’ll check to see what magic tricks you can do..

Bubble: Faiiiiir… Plus I need to learn how to Teleport at some point. Maybe I’ll ask Dr Evergreen… *pauses as she puts the cat food down, seeing that Cat’s dish was still full* …………… Uh.. hmm.. What happened next? *ear twitches as she starts looking around the house for the feline*

Daniel: I briefly talked about the fight, aaaand accidentally stabbing you in the whole mess. We escaped after the clutch caught fire, the cave collapsed with the queen inside, aaaand…. That’s it.. After that, they thanked me for the information and sent me on my way, saying this was too close of a case for me to work on..

Bubble: *looking under the couch* So, I need to make sure I have a visible scar in case they decide to check. I don’t think, with my medical history, it would be too hard to believe that I could heal myself after a near life threatening injury like that. They may question why I didn’t go to the hospital after though…

Daniel: Well, you are a nurse.. But I did mention that Grandfather is a very skilled healer, so that will help that portion of the story..

Bubble: *grunts as she looks checks Mako’s shop next* That’s more believable. I’m sure whoever this is hardly knows anything about Nocturnals or their unique type of magic… *looks under Mako’s workbench and pouts*

Daniel: I told them that information on my extended family was too personal to talk about publicly at the moment… Maybe at some point we’ll branch out to Equestria, but not now, heh.. But other than those small details, all they’ll want to do is match up the stories before doing whatever they plan to do next.. Once they’re gone, this hive business is off our hands..

Bubble: About time, honestly… You should make sure you tell your mother and grandfather as well, in case they want to question them too. With Mako being the main victim in this, it makes a lot of sense why they would come here. I’ll be sure to fill him in.. once I figure out where he went…

Daniel: I made sure to call them first.. One of the leaders gave me a weird smile when I mentioned Grandfather though, I’m not sure why… It was a little creepy..

Bubble: Huh.. you don’t think he suspects anything?

Daniel: I don’t think so.. If he did, I expected to get the pulp beaten out of me.. He’s a very hands on type, like his squad… *grumbles*

Bubble: *cringes* Wonderful.. I guess I will keep that in mind.. Thank you for the heads up, Danny. I really do appreciate it..

Daniel: No problem.. I’ll check in when I get the chance later.. Right now I have… *siiiiigh* Rehearsals…

Bubble: *ear twitches* Rehearsals? Like.. for a play or something?

Daniel: Nooo… I wasn’t sure if Cinder texted you about this or anything, but my new “job” is to be part of the carnival, and I am now the second Firedancer in this place..

Bubble: SNRK! Hahaha! Are you serious? You, a circus performer? Ha! Wow, talk about a demotion~

Daniel: *snorts* For your information, this is an undercover job..! I wouldn’t be here if the General didn’t think it was important. And I don’t think I need to point out that crowded places where kids can go missing in seconds is a huge concern…!

Bubble: Ah so it’s one of those things. Brings me back to when I did my own “undercover” work, hmhmhm~ I’ll have to tell you about it sometime.

Daniel: Looking forward to it.. *huffs, hearing the trailer door open* I said I’ll be out in a minute, Junior!!

Singe: Hehehe, just me little Robin~ Oh, sorry, you on the phone?

Daniel: *sighs* Heh, yes, I was just calling Bubble to check in on her.. We haven’t spoken since we were on the island… *ears twitch*

Singe: Heheh, yeah I know how that is. Things just get busy here. Tell her I say hiiiiiiiii! And to slap that fish for me!

Bubble: *speaks up* Do it yourself, you coward! Hehehe~ Well, I have to get going, I think Cat got out again..

Singe: *leans in so he can hear* Cat? Aww, give that angry ball of fluff and claws a hug for me.. I would myself but I really am a coward, hahaha!

Daniel: *raises an eyebrow* Considering all the screams of terror at spiders crawling up the drain of your shower, I can confirm that..~

Singe: Oye.. That’s different!

Bubble: *snickers* Byyyye Singe! See you later, Danny~ I’ll be sure to keep you updated! Be sure to blep at Dewberry for me~

Daniel: I will, hmhmhm.. See you later, Bubble.. *hangs up*

Bubble: *puts her phone in her pocket and sighs* Oye… I guess I should go tell Mako we are going to be having an unexpected guest…

Down by the docks, Mako was cleaning up his boat to get it ready for a quick trip across the sea. With the wedding plans in motion, Mako came up with a plan to go visit Trotland for the Honeymoon. With that in mind, he could check in on the house he inherited from Aleyn years ago, and make sure it was in top shape. With the deck cleaned and the engine working like a charm, all that was left was to scrape away pesky barnacles that occupied the sides of the vessel.

Mako: Alright ye little pests, I let ya squat on my boat long enough.. *sighs* I really need to find somepony I can pay to do this..

Bubble: *from behind him* You? Paying some pony to do something for you? Who are you and what have you done with my salty Trotsman?~

Mako: *ears perk up* Heheheh, I like doing my own work, but even barnacles can be the biggest pain in my arse..~ *walks onto the dock* What’s going on, Love?

Bubble: Well, I just got a phone call from Daniel… He wanted to let us know that he ended up telling Eclipse about what happened with you and Eris and the hive…

Mako: *chokes on a squeak* W-wait, what?!

Bubble: That’s what I said! But I guess he felt morally obligated and now it’s “no longer on his hands” as he puts it.. *making quotations in the air with her fingers*

Mako: *grunts* So in other words, his sister got to him… *rubs his temple* What did he tell them..?

Bubble: Long story short? He received a call from me that you were abducted by a non-reformed changeling from unknown origin. Daniel, Lady and your father left me here to go find you. I teleported across the fucking ocean to come so I could help, I get stabbed by Daniel by accident.. *pulling over her shirt to show the new scar she added to the form* And… that’s about it. Essentially the same thing we told Singe…. Which should be easy since.. There is a guard coming to our house to question us about what happened..

Mako: Ah- Why..?! The hell they need to ask us about it for, they have their story!

Bubble: Apparently they trust Daniel about as far as they can throw him.. So they need us to back up his story and make sure it’s true. You just stick to what you remember when the “changeling” took you..

Mako: *sighs, giving a bit of a shiver* As if I could forget about it.. Alright, I can do this. When do you think they’ll get here?

Bubble: *shrugs* No idea. I don’t think we are supposed to know they are even showing up so could be today, could be next week…

Mako: Well, until then I guess I’ll just get some work done.. *rubs the back of his neck* Hopefully this little guard visit will be the end of it. I just want to focus on the wedding, hehehe.. When your mom lets me pick something on my own.. *pouts*

Bubble: *smiles at him* Me too~ Do you want some help with those barnacles? Some company might help move it along faster~

Mako: *purrs* I’d like that, heheh. Just uh, prepare yerself. I got a couple of Goosenecks down there and they can be a creepy sight to look at.

Bubble: *cringes* What.. is a Gooseneck?

Makko: *leans over the dock to point* Those are Goosenecks… *gestures to strange long creatures clinging to the side of his boat*

Bubble: ….. Gross. Wonderful.. I’m just.. stick to the smaller, not phallic looking barnacles. You have fun with the… Goosenecks.. Geesenecks? Changeling dicks.

Mako: *snickers* Say what you will about em, but they sure do make a good meal when cooked.

Bubble: Do not even think about bringing those into the house! Gross! Ewl!

Mako: Aaaw, you won’t even try one?! *cackles as he goes down below to start prying them off the boat*

Bubble: *shakes her head as she picks up a tool to start scraping off barnacles* And they say changelings are nasty… bleh..

Mako: Don’t knock it til ye try it. *stretches his arm to wave a Gooseneck at her*

Bubble: *squeals and leans away* Noooo, hehehe~ keep your oddly shaped genitalia monsters to yourself!

Mako: Heheheh, your loss.~ *continues cleaning them up*

Once the barnacles were all taken care of, both Mako and Bubble headed back to the house for some rest and some proper food to forget about the weird wiggly barnacles. Not to mention a good shower to get clean from the mucky smell of algae. Before they could exit the docks, both were approached by a couple of royal guards. The two stallions weren’t dressed in the traditional armor, but in the similar style battles suits that Daniel has, a jeweled badge shimmering on their chests.

Mako: Oh boy…

Bubble: *gently nudges Mako* Calm…

Mako: *inhales calmly, then exhales* Right… *puts on a smile* Hello, can I help you with something?

Arche: *nods* My name is Lieutenant Arche, and this is Lieutenant Pierce. You are Mako and Bubble Lee, right?

Mako: Yeah, that’s us.

Arche: Good.. We have a couple of questions to ask you, regarding the Changeling hive you two were involved with some time ago..

Bubble: *gently rubs Mako’s back* Of course. We can answer any questions you may have.

Pierce: *clears his throat* Perhaps we can take this somewhere more privately?

Mako: Of course, heheh. We were just headed back to the house, come with us. *leads the way, taking hold of Bubble’s hand and holding on a bit tight*

Bubble: *rubs his hand with her thumb, hoping to help keep him calm*

Once they reached the old boat house, Bubble unlocked the door and let the two guards inside.

Bubble: Would you like anything to drink? We have water and juice…. Scotch.

Pierce: *before Arche could say anything* No, we are fine. Just have a seat. Hopefully this won’t take very long.. *his eyes looking through the living room. He pauses and lifts the corner of the rug with his hoof and spots a green stain on the wood floor* … Hmm..

Mako: *ears twitch* Suit yerself, heheh.. *starts pouring himself some Scotch*

Bubble: *stares at Mako with a disapproving look* Ahem..

Mako: …… Hrmmm… *hands over the glass*

Arche: If you’re not drinkin’ that, I’ll have some.~

Pierce: *sighs* Ignore him.. We are on duty! *with a grunt before nodding to his hoof at Arche*

Arche: *grumps* You’re no fun..~ *looks over at the stain* …. Huh… *ears twitch, looking at a side table and seeing the wallpaper behind it is torn* ……..

Mako: *looks to Bubble* I dunno if I can do this….

Bubble: *takes his hand and rubs it gently* Deep breaths… Do you have any questions for us or are you just here to critique our internal decorating..? *with a pout* We.. haven’t had a lot of time to remodel since.. It.. happened.

Arche: *carefully moves the side table, seeing the wall had claw marks* Juuuust taking in leftover evidence of a struggle…

Mako: *ears twitch* Y-yeah, those marks were from me… *sees where they are, remembering it was from when he lost his temper over Sunstreak* ….. I wasn’t going to go down without a fight, heh…

Pierce: *gently moves the rug to see more blood stains, both green and red* Why don’t you start from the beginning?

Mako: *sighs a little* Well, I was just finished in my shop from working all day and closed it up for the night… Around that time, who I thought was Bubble, was the Changeling that kidnapped me. They were disguised as her and put on a very….. Convincing act.. *looks at Bubble with nervous side eye*

Bubble: *grimaces and nervously plays with her hair* ….

Arche: *smirks a bit* Oh I bet they did, heheh.~

Mako: Ahem! Uh… They weren’t that good though.. A couple of hints gave it away before I realized it was a drone, so I attacked it… It made it’s intentions pretty clear on what they wanted, so we started fighting.. But after a little while……. *rubs his head* I'm actually not sure what happened after that.. Everything got blurry and the next thing I knew when I woke up was I was in an underground hive..

Pierce: *pulls out a notepad and writes something down* And you had no idea how you got there? You are a pretty big guy, was there more than one drone or…

Bubble: *chimes in* It.. it was just one! I came home after a late shift and.. Saw this giant changeling with Mako.. *taking a moment to choose her words carefully* .. It was like nothing I had ever seen. 8.. Maybe even 9 feet tall, with bright green stripes on its arms and down it’s legs… *squeezes Mako’s hand tight*

Arche: Hmm… Sounds like one of the Soldier Drones in Thorax’s faction. They’re almost as big as him.

Bubble: *ears fold back* It wasn’t a reformed changeling, I can tell you that.. She-.. it had long manables that came out of its mouth and.. A long split horn….

Pierce: *writes that down* … So you got a pretty good look at it then? What did you do?

Bubble: *ears fold back* … I couldn’t do anything. This changeling was huge, there was no way I could have taken it on by myself. So I.. called Daniel Dasher for help. I knew he was in the Royal Guard and maybe he could do something..

Arche: *ear twitches, looking at the bloodstains on the floor* Dasher was on Medical Leave at the time. I don’t suppose you knew about that..?

Bubble: *shakes her head* No, he never told me he was injured.. He just cared about getting Mako back.. So he left with his mother to go after the changeling…

Arche: *raises an eyebrow* Just, his mother..?

Bubble: *without missing a beat* His grandfather was waiting outside, he couldn’t fit in the house. They flew off towards the mainland.

Arche: *smirks a little* Hmhm, he sure is a big guy. That hasn’t changed.~ *nudges Pierce*

Pierce: *snorts* How could I forget?

Mako: *ears spring up* W-wait, you know him..?

Arche: It’s hard to not notice a huge dragon sleeping in the dungeons.

Pierce: We are getting off topic… So Daniel, his mother, and Claudis all made their way to the mainland… What did you do, Miss Lee?

Bubble: *looks at Mako and pouts* … I wasn’t going to just sit around and do nothing when the love of my life was taken from me… I still hate myself everyday thinking about how I let that bitch take you away from me…. So I … followed after them.

Arche: And you did that by teleporting? Sounds pretty exhausting..

Bubble: *nods* It was, but… I was determined to find Mako. It wasn’t hard to find a couple of dragons fighting in the Everfree Forest, and.. I’ve had experience in the past with the same woods with Daniel’s sister… It didn’t take long for me to find the hive entrance and sneak inside while the drones were distracted.

Arche: Snrk, sounds like you get in more troubling adventures then you let on.

Bubble: *grimaces* More than I like to admit, unfortunately. You can say this family puts the “Fun” in Dysfunctional…

Arche: Clearly.~ *snickers*

Mako: *grumps at them* Hrmmm…

Pierce: *trying to get the topic back on track* So you successfully entered the hive without being detected.. How did you get to where Mako was before Dasher if they were already there fighting by the time you got there?

Bubble: *ears twitch* .. I.. I don’t know. I just saw Lady and Claudis, maybe he was fighting the drones by the entrance but I was more focused on finding Mako.. It was a bit of maze but I eventually made it to what looked like a throne room and that’s where Mako was.

Pierce: *looks up from his pad of paper* .. Alone? No guards? Did you see that same changeling from before?

Bubble: *ears twitch but shakes her head* I didn’t see anyone besides Mako.. He didn’t recognize me at first, he thought I was the changeling but I had to persuade him it was me..

Mako: *nods* That’s when I was able to think clearly again. But right after, that’s when Daniel came in.. He looked fresh out of a fight, and he must’ve thought the same thing as me…. That’s when he….. S-stabbed, Bubble….

Bubble: *swallows hard and pulls the collar of her shirt to the side to show the puckered scar on her shoulder* ….. It was.. one of the most painful things I had ever had to go through…

Arche: *muzzle scrunches* Oof, you’re lucky to still be alive…. How’d you three get out of that?

Mako: Well, that’s the harder part of it… We didn’t know til we were trying to leave that we were in the Queen’s chamber.. We saw the eggs and figured it out pretty fast, and then she showed up… *ears fold back*

Pierce: *pauses writing* The Queen Changeling of the Hive? *glances at Arche*

Arche: *raises an eyebrow* Hmph, he didn’t bring that part up…

Mako: *ears spring up* H-he probably doesn’t remember it…. The Queen put him under mind control and made him attack us.. *points to the scar on his cheek*

Pierce: Mind control?! Like what Chrysalis used on Shining Armor? *quickly writes down notes*

Bubble: *stares at Mako from the corner of her eye* ….

Mako: *stares back at her* ……

Arche: Hmm… That explains why she was so far in the hive… So what started the cave-in..?

Bubble: Um.. I’m still not sure what caused the explosion.. We were hiding in the area where the eggs were kept and.. Next thing I knew we were running away and the whole nursery exploded! Well.. I was being carried. *points to her shoulder*

Mako: Heh, I saw the flames growing and just felt this huge rush to get the hell outta there.. We ran through the hive and eventually found the exit, and then my dad just caught all three of us in his wing and carried us away from there.

Pierce: And this was after Dasher was mind controlled.. by a changeling Queen?

Mako: Y-yeah.. We still don’t know how he got out of that. There was a moment where he was trying to kill us! But then the next thing, he just started yelling at the Queen to get out of his head and then…. He was fine..

Pierce: *taps the quill to his chin* .. I wonder if that was somehow related to his seizures… Hmm.. *writes something down*

Arche: *snorts* Next chance we get, we should bring him in for a little examination..

Pierce: *nods* Especially since he left that important detail out.. I don’t want to worry about Eclipse being compromised by a rogue queen..

Bubble: *tenses up* Uh! But.. the Queen is dead. She was trapped in the cave in..

Mako: *nods* I couldn’t see, but I heard Lady say she was staying behind to close the cave off and make sure the Queen stayed inside. Next time we saw her, one of her horns was missing and she confirmed the Queen was dead… A-and, we are more than positive it was still her, heheh. Red blood and everything…

Pierce: Hmmmm.. And what happened after that?

Bubble: *shakes her head* Nothing really.. Daniel left, I stayed in Claudis’ cave for a while to recover and… that was it.

Mako: We came home once we had the energy to, and just carried on with our lives.. Like getting engaged afterwards, heheh.. *tail wags a little*

Pierce: *smiles* Congratulations on your engagement… Now, I do have one more question. Why did neither of you ever come forward and report to the authorities of what happened?

Mako: *ears fold back a little* We were a little-... No, extremely paranoid to come forward about it.. It was hard to settle back in with the creeping idea drones from the same hive could be a cop. Or we’d get suspected and t-taken away… I still see their face sometimes… The one that took me..

Arche: Hmmm, PTSD…

Bubble: *plays with her short hair* … It has been really hard for us, we just want to push this all behind us and move on with our lives.. Together. *as she squeezes Mako’s hand again*

Pierce: *nods as he finishes writing down his notes* Of course. That’s all we have at this time but if we need to get in contact again, I’d like to get both of your numbers..

Mako: Of course.. *writes down both his and Bubble’s numbers on a piece of paper, handing it over*

Arche: *takes it* Thank you. If we need any other information, we’ll give you a call.

Pierce: We’ll let you enjoy the rest of your weekend, thank you for your time… Let's go Isaac.

Arche: *follows after him* … See, they’re getting married….~ *griiiiiiins*

Mako: SNRK! *covers his mouth*

Pierce: *siiiighs* We’ll talk about it after you get back from Ponyville.. I need to talk to a… Lady Lovegreen. Address unknown. Wonderful…

Mako: Ah- she lives with Willow Breeze, here on the island.

Bubble: I can write down the address.

Pierce: *ears perk* Ah, splendid. That makes my job much easier. *looks at Arche* Good luck trying to find a dragon cave~ I don’t think they have addresses for those.

Mako: *points in a direction* He’s over in the basin of the dead volcano, heheh. Even turned that place into a hot spring.

Arche: *smirks at Pierce* Guess I know what I’m doing after questioning, if you wanna join me.~

Pierce: *grimaces* We don’t have time.. After that, we still need to go to Ponyville..

Arche: *siiiiiiigh* Not even for a small break? You could use it..

Pierce: ….. Later. *clears his throat* Excuse us, we’ll be leaving now. Thank you for your time.. *grabs Arche by the thumb of his wing*

Arche: *snickers as he’s dragged away*

Mako: *calls after them* Have a nice date! *walks over to close the front door*

Bubble: *chuckles and purrs softly* They seem nice~ I could tell they were together when they first approached us on the docks. The bat pony, Arche I think? He got really protective when he saw how big and strong you were in person~

Mako: *looks at himself* Snrk, he’s the one in armor, but I can get why he would.~ His partner is a bit smaller than me.

Bubble: *nuzzles Mako softly* Yes, but you are also a big softy~ my gentle giant~ *kisses his cheek*

Mako: *purrs and wraps his arms around her* Guilty as charged.~ *gives kisses and bites on her cheek*

Bubble: *smiles* So sweet tasting too~ always so full of Love….. I’m.. glad they didn’t push why you were targeted. That could have gotten bad..

Mako: Heh, or question more on why I wasn’t “guarded” in the main chamber… *sighs* They got the information they wanted, at least it’s over..

Bubble: *nods* Yeaah.. That was rough. Hopefully we don’t get Daniel into too much trouble about the Eris thing…

Mako: I think he’ll be fine.. They can’t expect him to answer much about mind control.. *starts getting into the fridge to see what to make for dinner* ……. *sniff sniff* …….. *sniff*

Bubble: *ears perk* What is it?

Mako: …… Something doesn’t smell right.. And it’s not just us..

Bubble: *ears fold back* Like someone is here? *sniffs* I.. don’t smell anything..

Mako: *sniffs the air, going up the stairs* …. Oh no… *goes into the bedroom* …………… *calls out* I-Imago..?! You need to get up here!

Bubble: *ears perk before going up stairs* What’s wrong?

Mako: *talking quietly* Hey, it’s okay…. You’re okay…

Over by the closet, Mako crouched down and gently pet Cat, as she let out tired croaky purrs. The elusive furball was curled up on the floor of the closet, one of Bubble’s scarves underneath her as she held it tightly in her paws.

Mako: She had a little stomach problem by the bed and crawled in here…. And she’s letting me pet her, she never does that….!

Bubble: *ears fold back as she kneels next to him* Maybe she ate something bad? .. I saw that her food dish was still full for yesterday.. I’m going to call the vet and see if I can bring her in..*pulls out her phone*

Mako: *looks back at the small bit of vomit* I don’t see any food bits in there either..*looks at Cat, giving gentle scratches behind her ears*

Bubble: *on the phone* Hello? Yes do you have any openings for today, my cat is really sick…..… Throwing up, not eating and she’s curled up in the closet and not moving much…….. Her name is Cat. C-A-T… Yeah, we can bring her in now, thank you… *hangs up the phone* … I’m.. going to go get the carrier. Can you stay with her?

Mako: Yeah, I got her….. Hmmm… *gently reaches to pick her up, the scarf stuck in her claws* ….. You can hold onto that, heheh..

After making the short trip to the veterinary office, the two waited anxiously in the waiting room, Bubble holding the cat carrier in on her lap, her fingers gently petting Cat through the grate. After a bit the doctor let them in so that Cat could be weighted and blood taken from her to be tested. While the tests were being run, Bubble and Mako were left alone in the examination room with the lethargic feline, still clinging to the scarf. What was only a few minutes felt like hours of silence and anticipation until the doctor returned with news that they were dreading but knew was coming: Cat is nearly 16 years old, which, for a feline is very very old. There isn’t much that could be done, besides take actions to ease the suffering. Even if they were to bring Cat home, it would only be a matter of days, a week at most.

After only being gone for a couple hours, Mako and Bubble returned to the boat house on the sandy beach, empty cat carrier in hand. They both felt like the energy they had once had was sapped from them. Bubble sat at the kitchen counter, holding the scarf in her hand with a fair off stare.

Bubble: …. *clears her throat* .. Umm. Are you hungry? We didn’t really have lunch..

Mako: *ears perk* Uh… Yeah, I can make something….. You wanna go shower while I take care of it..? We didn’t get to before those guards showed up…

Bubble: *ears twitch as she smells her arm and cringes* .. Ick.. Yeah, probably a good idea. I smell like barnacles still, heh… *putting on a smile before putting the scarf on the counter and heading to the bathroom*

Mako: *watches her go* ….. *walks up behind her to give her a hug*

Bubble: *stops, ear twitching before putting her hand on Mako’s arm* I’m okay, honest. It’s hard but… I’ll be okay.

Mako: Mmm… *lets go a little* … I’m gonna miss her too, heheh.. *smiles a bit for her*

Bubble: *ears fold back* … I got her after.. Bubble fell. I found her in a box near the hospital. Someone just left this tiny fuzzy black kitten. She couldn’t have been more than a few months old. I beeegged and pleaded with Kiwi and Silver for me to keep her, not knowing that Silver was allergic, hehehe… Even despite that, he still said yes. It always felt like Cat was my pet, not Bubble’s. I know that’s stupid sounding seeing at the time I was Bubble but… I don’t know how to explain it.. *rubs the back of her neck*

Mako: I think I get it, heheh…. That whole time I feel like Cat knew that, under this form was Imago…

Bubble: *shrugs* .. Maybe, heh. Either way, it felt a lot less lonely… *ears fold back before look at Mako with shiny eyes* …. I didn’t even know she was sick.. Does that make me a… bad cat mom, heh? If I had noticed sooner then m-maybe…

Mako: No no, of course not.. *rubs her back to comfort* It can be pretty hard to notice when a pet is sick… Just because we missed the signs doesn’t make it that we’re bad for it.. I’m sure if she could she’d have told us, heh…

Bubble: *ears twitch as she looked down* … Maybe, heh.. It just makes me worry that… like if I were to become a real mom.. Whether we have our own kids or adopt them.... What if I don’t notice something is wrong again? It already happened with Bubble…. And you, when you passed out in Willow’s kitchen..

Mako: *grimaces* Well, for one thing, it’ll be hard to miss with a child, heheh. At least, sometimes. Common colds, the flu.. And besides, by then things will be different. We’ll be parents, and with our kid we’ll probably be ten times more jittery and nervous to NOT see something’s wrong, heheh..!

Bubble: *raises an eyebrow* I know you will, hehehe… You already get super anxious whenever Holly is around~

Mako: *makes sad orca eyes* She’s just so tiny and squishy and delicate, I don’t want her to get hurt on my watch..! Cuz then Lady will hurt me… *grumps*

Bubble: Snrk! Hmhmhm~ I have no doubt you’ll be a great parent~ … I just feel like I’m not up to par yet…

Mako: *smiles* Just give it a little time, Love… Maybe a little more practice will help.

Bubble: *grimace* I don’t know how many more times Lady will allow me to put Holly’s diaper on backwards….

Mako: Snrk! Heheheh, we’ll think of something.~ *nuzzles her cheek* Maybe I can convince Lady to let us babysit more when she goes to work….. *sniff sniff* ….. Barnacles…. *sniffs at Bubble’s hair*

Bubble: *groans* Okay okay! I’m going to go take a shower! Get that nasty Gooseneck stench off my body… *shudders*

Mako: Hmhmhm, I’ll get dinner going and then do the same once you’re done. *playfully tugs her tail*

Bubble: *smiles* Sounds good.. While you are showering I’ll start cleaning up the bedroom.. *leans in and kisses Mako’s cheek* Thanks for cheering me up, Barnacle Breath~

Mako: *purrs and wags his tail* I try.~ *kisses her cheek*
-------------------------------------

A bit of an emotional rollercoaster we finally have some closure as Mako and Bubble work to move on after the ordeal and now the lost of a beloved pet. It has been a year since I lost one of my cats so this board was very close to home.

Catch up and read the other boards at under "MakoLee"!

Next: