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Chapter 24: Four on One

It took Brandon all morning to finally ask Anger Heart what was on his mind. "Alex, when did you grow a second tail?"

Anger Heart looked back over his shoulder where there was a second tail swishing next to his original. He sighed, "Life Heart said it's something that happens to foxes when we learn enough magic. She said it means I'm a 'kitsune', multi-tailed magical fox."

Guidance Heart grinned and gave Anger Heart a kiss, "I think it's wonderful. You're a real magical being just like in fairy tails."

Caleb averted his gaze from the two of them. He tried to be understanding but seeing his two friends without clothes on and being affectionate was still a bit...off-putting even if their fur and magic kept their appearance from being inappropriate. Defiant Heart leaned up against a tree and rolled his eyes.

When they had arrived at the park the five of them had split off from Love Heart, Confidence Heat and Sweet Heart. They knew they would have to leave soon so they wanted to spend some time together to relax and reminisce about old times, some of which were spent here in the thin woods near the lake. Defiant Heart stayed nearby but didn't jump into the conversation. Though he was hanging out with them the badger still wasn't really their friend. Too many years of bad blood as it were.

Brandon shielded his eyes from the sun with his left hand and stared across the lake, "What's going on over there?" He pointed with his right index finger.

Four new people had joined Love Heart and Confidence Heart. The rest of them turned to watch, until they saw the blue one crash into Confidence Heart and carry her away.

"What the hell!" Anger Heart bristled.

"What's going on over there?" Defiant Heart squinted then his eyes widened as another figure joined the group and more fighting broke out.

"Let's get over there!" Anger Heart smacked his right fist into his other hand then took off around the lake. And then smacked right into a wall of trees that sprang up out of the ground.

"You're not going to help them." The voice came from an unclothed pale pink female bear riding towards them on an extending tree trunk that grew over the lake. She had a heart-shaped forest for chest symbol and long eyelashes that shadowed blue eyes that had the fierceness of chipped ice. She stepped onto the shore as the tree bridge behind her dissolved into nothing then folded her arms under her moderately sized breasts and stared at them. "I won't mince words: I'm taking you with me whether you like it or not."

"Yeah, how about no." Defiant Heart stepped forwards as Anger Heart just growled at her.

Guidance was the only one who managed to keep a level head, "Who are you?"

"My name is Flora Bear and I'm not wasting any time. Binding Vines!" Flora raised her right hand and snapped her fingers. Vines suddenly erupted from the ground at her feet and shot out to wrap around Anger Heart, Guidance Heart and Defiant Heart and bind them tight. All three magi fell to the ground, their arms and legs pinned in place by the tight vines. Flora turned to Brandon and Caleb, who still stood nearby, "I'm giving you two one chance to walk away, to spare your friends having to see your death. Take advantage of this because I do not grant mercy to humans so easily."

Brandon ad Caleb were frozen to the spot, torn between their fear for their lives and a desire to stay and help their friends. Flora sighed and stepped towards them with her hand outstretched as shards of wood materialized in the air around her arm.

"ERRRRAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Flora's attention was drawn by Anger's cry of rage as his body set alight, burning away the vines around him. Before Flora could react he formed a jet of fire between his index and middle fingers and sliced through the vines that had Guidance and Defiant pinned down.

"Ow," Defiant winced as he felt some of his fur get singed as he stood up.

Anger Heart checked Guidance, "Are you OK?"

"I'll be fine, look out!" Guidance dove as several shards of wood launched towards them.

Anger Heart barely managed to avoid getting hit then turned to face Flora, his twin tails swishing agitatedly as he created an orb of fire on each hand. "Alright, payback time!"

Flora scowled, "Are you going to burn me and risk setting fire to the rest of the park? You're just as bad as these humans."

Anger Heart froze his hand that he had been about use to cast a fireball at her. He growled then let his fire dissipate. She had a point, he couldn't risk starting a fire in the park.

"So you're not beyond hope then." Flora tossed her short hair behind her head as her skin and fur took on a tree bark-like texture, "Even if you were that reckless you three are all novices with kinetics. Now are you going to make this difficult or am I going to have to knock you out and-"

"AIYAAAAA!" *CLONK*

A pink blur dove out of the sky as Sweet Heart Pegasus dropped onto Flora with a double-hooved kick to her head. Flora's bark-like armor thankfully protected her from a concussion but she was still sent flying two meters away and to the ground as Sweet Heart flapped her wings to halt her momentum and land where Flora had been standing a moment ago.

"Sorry I took so long." Sweet Heart panted slightly as she faced down Flora.

Flora stood back up, the bark-like texture around her face having splintered from the impact of Sweet Heart's hooves. Her gaze turned fierce as she turned to face Sweet Heart, "I didn't think you would get involved. Aren't you going to help Love Heart?"

Sweet Heart grinned, "Nah, my big brother can handle himself. These guys need my help more."

"Hey!" Anger Heart stomped his foot.

"She's not wrong," Guidance Heart averted her gaze.

Defiant Heart just sighed.

"I see. But what can you hope to do against me?" Flora held up a hand as a flurry of flower petals spun around above her hand.

"Lots!" Sweet Heart held up her hands as six elemental orbs orbited above her: fire, water, cold, earth, wind and lightning.

Flora blinked, "So you're indecisive with your element. This won't take long." She shot her hand forwards as a flurry of sparkling flower petals shot forwards at high speed. Sweet Heart suddenly regained her composure just in time to receive the full force of the blast that sent her flying and shot pain through her body. Flora didn't waste any time and fired off a wave of sharp wooden spears at her but now Sweet Heart was paying attention and flew upwards and over the wave.

Sweet Heart landed on the ground and shot a torrent of water towards Flora that pushed the pink bear back. "OK, remember what mom and dad said," Sweet Heart clapped her hands together in front of her as her skin and fur took on a rocky texture and icy armor appeared on her body, just in time as another shower of wooden stakes peppered her which snapped and shattered on her new defenses.

Flora bared her teeth then took a deep breath, "So you're not a novice, very well I will take you seriously! Vine Throw!" She raised her hand as several more vines shot out of the ground and grabbed Sweet Heart by the feet. The pegasus was swung up and then smashed into the ground as the vines vanished. Sweet Heart used a burst of air to get back on her feet then shot out a stream of cold air towards Flora, which created several ice crystals on her body. Sweet Heart followed up with several rocks she fired from her hands, pounding on Floras body repeatedly until the bear put up a wall of trees to deflect them.

Sweet Heart took off into the sky with her wings and over the trees and fired off a blast of air towards Flora, who managed to dodge aside then sent another torrent of glowing flower petals at Sweet Heart that knocked her from the sky and made her hit the ground hard.

Flora was panting as she lowered her tree barricade, "I'm impressed that someone so young can do this."

Sweet Heart pushed herself to her feet, her icy armor having fragmented and her rocky shell cracked in several places, "My parents taught me since I was six...or was it five." She shook her head to clear it, "Not important! Yah!" She conjured a ball of fire in her right hand.

Flora glared as her as she conjured several more wooden stakes, "You would set fire to this place to defeat me?"

"Nope!" Sweet Heart conjured an orb of water on her left hand, "Take this! Steam Blast!" She brought her hands together instantly vaporising the water into a cloud of super hot steam that fired at Flora. Flora barely had time to fire off her wooden stakes before the stream struck her. She screamed as she felt the boiling hot vapors scalding her body. She got some satisfaction when she saw Sweet Heart get struck in the stomach and shoulder by two of the stakes, which dissolved after hitting her.

"Enough games! You'll feel the wrath of nature!" A vine shot up and wrapped around Sweet Heart's middle, not enough to constrict but contacting her hardened skin caused Sweet Heart to cry out as she felt her body start to itch. "Poison Ivy." Flora marched towards Sweet Heart, "The plant kingdom has many different toxins and defenses people can't even dream of, so what do they do? Chop them down! Burn the up! And plunder the special ones for themselves! Rafflesia!" She stomped her foot and a massive red flower sprouted from the ground. Sweet Heart and the five observers were forced to cover their noses as the stench of rotting flesh assaulted their nostrils.

Flora kept her up march, "I know more about plants than almost anyone on this planet. Don't worry, I'll leave the deadly ones away but you'll still feel the sting! Venom Blade!" She created a wooden dagger with a sharp green tip in her hand and raised it to stab into Sweet Heart. Sweet Heart just barely dodged aside and kicked out, her hard hoof connecting with Flora's knee. Flora cried out in pain then rounded on sweet heart, forming a wooden spear in her hand she jabbed it at Sweet Heart repeatedly, striking her several good blows most of which were absorbed by her rocky shell or deflected by her icy armor.

Sweet Heart finally regained her composure and created fields of lightning around her hands which she struck out at Flora with. Most of her punches missed or were deflected by Flora's spear but one struck home and Sweet Heart immediately followed it up with a jumping kick to Flora's chin.

Flora felt her teeth crash together painfully and she growled, conjuring an aura of verdant pink and green energy around her spear before she resumed her assault. Sweet Heart jumped up and flapped her wings to get out of Flora's range but Flora just threw the spear up and struck one of Sweet Heart's wings. Sweet Heart cried out and was forced to land as Flora approached with a wooden club in hand. "Stay down!" She brought the club crashing down on Sweet Heart's head. Stars exploded in Sweet Heart's vision but she swept her hoof at Flora's leg and knocked her down. Sweet Heart felt some feeling go back into her wing and she flapped up and away from Flora as her vision cleared. She saw Flora get up and shot a blast of cold air at her, which froze to her fur.

Flora shook off the cold and shot her hand out "Impaling Tree!", a long spike of wood lanced out and tried to impale Sweet Heart, who just barely dodged aside. "Alright, taste this!" She conjured a ball of earth then soaked it into a massive mud ball, "Mudslide barrage!" the ball shattered into a dozen smaller mud balls that flew at Flora. She was stunned as the mud balls pelted her with incredible force, knocking her back two meters before the barrage finally ceased.

Flora wiped the mud from her face, her wooden armor splintered in several places as she felt bruises starting to form on her body. "Enough of this! Vine Torrent!" She swung her arms out and pulled up a massive wave of green vines, "If I must I'll smother you!" The vines all fired forwards. Sweet Heart had no choice but to try and fly on her injured wing as the vines converged, jumping around and gaining some air tie with a few flaps as the vines chased her all around the thin treeline.

By now most of the public had fled but Sweet Heart caught sight of what looked like a news crew recording her fight. She did her best to ignore them as she jumped around, trying to find an opening. Twice she shot fire or cold at the vines and while it slowed or burned away some of them it was too little to stop the onslaught.

Flora grinned as she conducted her swarms of vines like an orchestra with one arm then fired off several razor sharp pink petals towards Sweet Heart. Several of them struck home, piercing through her armor and hardened skin and leaving the pegasus with several small cuts. Flora was panting but she grinned, "Just give up!"

"No you give up!" *CLUNK*

"Back off!" *CLONK*

Anger Heart Fox and Defiant Heart badger had charged in to try and stop Flora. Anger Heart had a sai in each hand, one of which was slammed into Flora's stomach and Defiant Heart had a spear with a wide, elaborate blade he had brought down on Flora's shoulder. Both attacks had been stopped by Flora's bark-like skin and fur, leaving only shallow dents.

Flora glared at Anger Heart in front of her then Defiant Heart over her shoulder, "Is this really the best you can do?"

"Not by a kilometer!" Defiant raised his left hand as the skin parted and what looked like a spike made of bone emerged.

Flora grimaced then tried to dodge as the spike shot out and embedded itself in her shoulder. "Biokinetics!" She turned to kick out at Defiant, who dodged aside and shot another bone spike out at her, which missed. "I can't imagine what kind of pain that leaves you in!"

"Less than you'd think, it's more gross than painful," Defiant charged and jabbed with his lance, which Flora deflected. Anger Heart came in swinging and tried to jab her with his sai again, only for Flora to shoot out a small tree trunk into the fox's stomach, completely winding him.

All of a sudden, Guidance Heart appeared out of thin in front of her and showed a small ball of light in her face, "Blinding Flash!" The light ball burst and Flora scream out, hands shooting to her eyes as everything became white.

"Auuugh! My eyes!" Flora's hands shot to her eyes. The blindness only lasted for a moment and her vision cleared right as Defiant tried to stab his spear through her.

*CLONK*

The spear stuck in Flora's bark shell and now that her sight was back she just glared at Defiant Heart. "You're too weak." She conjured a wooden staff surrounded in verdant glowing flower petals and smacked Defiant Heart away with it. She watched as his spear dissolved into nothing then whirled around to where Anger Heart was about to strike him with his sai and smacked him over the head with her staff. She felt a sharp pain in her back as Defiant Heart shot another bone spike into her shoulder blade and whirled around in time for Guidance Heart to shoot off a bright laser beam straight into her chest, that only impacted her bark armor.

"Enough!" Flora changed the staff into a whip made of vines and swung it out, striking both Defiant Heart and Guidance Heart and knocking them to the ground. "This barely qualifies as a distraction."

Defiant Heart winced then grinned from where he lay on the ground, "That was kinda the point."

"What?" Flora just stared at him, and then finally noticed the whirring and crackling sound in the air behind her and spun around to see Sweet Heart.

Sweet Heart had her arms held forwards next to a large chunk of rock that floated inside a sphere of air in front of her as four orbs of magical energy orbited it, Lightning, Fire, Water and Cold. With a visible effort, Sweet Heart fused the orbs into the floating air and earth orb in front of her, forming a ball of boiling mud surrounded by an aura of electrified cold. Flora Bear tried to react but she was too late. "HEXA FUSION BLAST!" The ball fired off and Flora raised a wall of trees to block it, but the ball of elements shattered the barrier and cannoned into her.

"YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGG!" Her body boiled and froze at the same time as the heavy mud and water buffeted and bruised her body as she was electrocuted and raised up into the air. The elements finally dissipated and Flora fell to the group with a *whump* where she lay stunned.

Sweet Heart was panting as sweat dampened her fur all over, "Whew!" She wiped her forehead, "Keeping those six elements together really take it out of me." She walked over to Flora and looked down at her. "Are you alive?"

"Barely," Flora glared up at Sweet Heart, "Now what will you do?"

Sweet Heart had to think for a minute before she answered, "Wait for mom and dad to get back, or at least for everyone else to win their fights then we can decide what to do."

Flora chuckled then winced, "Heheh, ow! Your father isn't going to get back here. We sent someone to intercept him on the road and capture him while we took care of all of you."

Sweet Heart took a deep breath then sat down hard, "Dad can handle it, I hope...I just need to rest for now."

"In the meantime, don't try anything," Anger Heart growled. Defiant Heart walked over to her and stuck a new spear he had created in the ground next to her head.

Flora just glared from her eyes, "Be more worried about what will happen to you when my friends are done with yours.

Battle in the Park Woods

_ _

Winner:

_ _

Sweet Heart Pegasus

OoOoO

Sage Heart and Life Heart sat side-by-side with Crafty Heart and Hidden Heart across from them on a pair of benches in the bus. Life Heart leaned up against her husband with one hand on her tummy and one hand clasped with his. Crafty Heart had fallen asleep while Hidden Heart was re-reading the book Crafty had bought for her, again.

Sage Heart was drifting off to sleep when a loud honk from the vehicle's horn roused him. He stood up and peered forwards. The driver honked again and Sage Heart just barely made out a figure standing in the middle of the highway some distance away.

"Out of the road!" One of the passengers at the front of the bus shouted, as though that would help.

Out on the road, a white arctic fox stood garbed in thick brown clothes with tassels hanging off the arms and moccasins on his feet. Like the Magi his shirt's collar was low cut to show off his chest symbol: a cloud with heart and star shaped snowflakes falling from it. He took a deep breath as the bus came closer and his chest symbol glowed to form a bow in his left hand. His right hand glowed and an blue arrow of pure frost appeared in his hand. "Concentrate, Snowy, breathe out," he drew the cold arrow back on his bow and exhaled, "Then release!" he fired off the arrow at the road some distance away. A sheet of ice appeared on the road as Snowy released two more arrows that froze more of the road.

The bus driver barely had time to react and slammed on the breaks as the wheels touched the newly formed sheet of ice. The bus skidded on the ice sheet and ended up sliding off the road, thankfully staying upright as it went off road.

The driver turned around, "Is everyone alright?" A series of affirmations came from the passengers and the driver nodded, "Alright. I'm going to call a tow truck and the police, just sit there and... sir what are you doing?"

Sage Heart had walked up to the front of the bus, "I think I recognize that person out there, or at least someone like him. I'm going to talk with him."

"Sir, please stay in your seat and, sir! Sir!" the driver tried to stop Sage Heart as he exited the bus.

Snowy watched as the iridescent blue bear wearing an orange t-shirt and black sweatpants stepped off the bus. "I was hoping you'd see me. Good, I wasn't eager to step onto that... vehicle." His voice was level and calm, but had a hint of acid in it as he spoke the word 'vehicle'.

"I don't want to mince words, why are you here?" Sage Heart was readying himself as he saw the bow in the fox's hand.

"Simple, to take the six of you with me. It can be as guests or as prisoners but that is your choice," Snowy said.

Sage Heart blinked, "Six? But there's only four of us."

Snowy shook his head, "No. I can sense life including the unborn twins inside your mate. And if you think they're going to escape while you distract me," Snowy instantly strung another arrow, this one made of fire, and shot it at the bus' front tire. The sudden heat made the tire melt off the wheel and it leaned forwards slightly.

In an instant, Sage Heart conjured his sword and brandished it in both hands as his skin and fur took on a rocky texture. Snowy turned back to him as a disk of water appeared, hovering in front of him in-between him and Sage Heart.