Come the rain

by some weird guy

Awkward not-so-small-talk

Author's Note:

Oh man, guys, what's up? Enjoying the new year? Yeah, me too! First chapter after a long mental drought, so criticize! Myeah, don't know what else to say. I guess, enjoy the chapter?

Wait! I got it!

I'll let you chose one:

1) Enjoy the chapter!

2) Sorry for the chapter!

Ah, the power of choice! Save it for the end though, please, and once again: Thanks for reading!

The stone gray Dog stood his high ground, clearly enjoying the moment of superiority. With comrades at every angle, a cocky grin was plastered across his face. He took a moment to close his eyes and flare his nostrils in a quick yet audible sniff.

"You guys smell like shit!" he stated matter-of-factly.

Can't argue with him there. With everything that’s been going on, we haven’t exactly had the chance to properly clean ourselves off. The Iron Feather doesn’t exactly come with a shower standard, plus there was that one bit in Somareia with the gas chambers…

"You look as bad as you smell too—"

"Hold your tongue, pup," Talon wasn’t about to have any of the new guy's sass, "unless you'd rather have it at your paws!" He made sure to draw his knife for emphasis.

A snicker, then the canine jumped down to the floor. We all prepared for the worst.

"Is that a threat?" he chuckled. "And just who the hell are you to tell me what to do, huh? You're definitely no superior to me!"

The Dog was getting edgy; he emphasized the "e" if only to bare his fangs.

"No, but I am!" boomed a new voice.

The mutt jumped to one side as a new Diamond Dog approached from behind. This one was different, from the way he walked to the way held his head high. There was authority in his voice and purpose in his step. His eyes spoke volumes about his wisdom and the scars on his body betrayed his experience. His golden eyes seemed to glow from his pitch coat as he approached Talon himself.

"Gamma, stay back and keep quiet. You don't have the experience necessary for dealing with stubborn old pigeons like this one." the grizzled Dog stated, stopping a wingspan from Talon.

The griffon narrowed his eyes and moved closer to his challenger, still gripping his blade.

"Because dealing with a scraggly old mutt is much easier?" he fired back.

The air became thick with tension as the two continued to stare daggers at each other. Everyone else already had their weapons primed with a possible target in mind as time slowed to a crawl.

Okay, they clearly outnumber us, so to make it out of this with as few injuries as possible, we're going to have to make the first few shots and take out about two of them befo—

"Hehehe…"

What the hell, was that Talon?

"AH HA HA HA HA!!!"

The Diamond Dog too!?

"Oh, it's been far too long, Talon!"

"Ah, likewise, old friend, likewise! It's good to see you alive and well!"

The black Dog turned to his compatriots and bellowed.

"At ease! These soldiers here are not enemies; they are the ones we were tasked to find!"

Now it was Talon's turn to explain.

"Relax. These are the Dogs of War, our allies in this jungle. And that scraggly mess over there is my good friend Beta, the second in command of the Dogs."

Whoa, whoa, what? Did he say "friend," and is Talon actually… happy? What the hell kinda ass-backwards world did I just fall into?

"Hey you, Pegasus!" Beta called out. "… No, not you, the other one!"

Well, there are only two Pegasi here, so if he didn't mean Firecracker then he must've meant—

"Me?"

"Yeah, you."

"I've got a name, you know!"

"Yeah? You and everyone else on this planet. So, what drugs are you on?"

Today's turning out to be a really confusing day. Did I really hear that right?

"Can you run that by me again?"

"What do you have, biscuits in your ears?" he scoffed. "I asked what substances you're using!"

"None! I don’t do drugs nor am I medicated in any way!"

"Then why are you so damn fidgety?"

My turn to scoff.

"I just had quite a few weapons pointed at my face, that’s not something I tend to find relaxing!"

Beta looked me over before turning to Talon.

"Kid's really lippy. Reminds me a bit of Gamma."

"Don’t talk about me as if I wasn’t here!"

The gray Diamond Dog had lost his smirk and was quite visibly annoyed.

Talon turned to speak with Beta, but I never got to hear what he said as I was suddenly thumped behind my head. Recovering, I turned to find Stonewall with a meaty fist.

"Stonewall, what the hell!?"

"What was that back there?"

Well now I'm lost.

"Back what? What are you talking about?"

"I found you staring down the barrel of your weapon like some inexperienced child! Were you actively trying to take your own head off!?"

Oh, he was not happy.

I tried to compose myself as much as I could before defending myself.

"Look, I know it was stupid—"

"So why'd you do it?"

"I was trying to check for an issue—"

"Then why didn't you check the dial or the gauges?"

"They got cracked back in Somareia. It's one of the reasons why I was hoping to head back home, so I could get it repa—"

"If the damn thing is broken then don’t use it, I thought it would be as simple as that!"

"Look, I'm trying to explain, and all you're doing is yelling."

"Because with you it's like I'm stuck taking care of some dumb kid that’s gonna get himself killed, and I don’t want that!" He actually stopped to grab hold of my shoulders before continuing. "Listen here; ever since you joined the company, I've been the one to look after you. I've taught you everything I know. I never denied you help and always did my best to make sure you could do yours. Do you know what I see when I look at you? I no longer see that arrogant, cynical smartass that Talon first introduced all those years ago! I see a capable, well oiled fighting and thinking machine. You may still be a smartass sometimes, but I actually look at you with pride now. You're my biggest investment apart from the actual company itself, and I feel it's really paid off. I actually feel as though when I look at you, I'm looking at some sort of distant younger brother I never knew I had."

Wow… I don’t even know what to say. Does he really see me like this…?

"And then I see you go around doing reckless and stupid things, nearly getting yourself killed. It frustrates me to no end! I want to reach out and strangle you sometimes!" His meaty hands hovered over my neck a few seconds to really drive the point home. "But then you always manage to get out of it somehow. You always defy the odds—no matter how stacked against you—and come out on top, or at least in the middle at times. And that’s what worries me, kid. You can only get lucky so many times before it runs out.

"You didn’t take your head off with your gun, and I'm glad, but that just means that your chances are growing slimmer, and I don’t want to be around when they're all gone! So, for the duration of this mission, at least try." Stonewall actually knelt down to look at me eye to eye. "Try not to do anything too stupid, and just do what you do best, stay alive."

Dumbfounded, that’s all I could feel right then. I knew he'd always treated me different, he sure as hell never gave anyone else homework, but to think that he saw me as his kid brother. Damn. Kinda makes me feel a little bad for all those mini heart attacks I gave him. Kinda.

He didn’t wait for a response. He just got up and strolled right next to me, weapon at the ready. Glad he didn’t wait for an answer, not sure I could’ve given him one right then.

That’s when I noticed it was quiet. Too quiet. Looking around, all eyes were locked on me!

"What?!" I called out.

No one answered, but at least they stopped looking.

"Stupi—"

A heavy fist dropped down on my skull for a second time today.

"Oww! Stonewall, what the hell!"

"Respect your elders."

That's it? That stupid cow! Warning me about being careful while giving me concussions left and right!

"I believe we've given our new friends enough time to gather their breaths?" Beta announced.

"Of course, my soldiers are good to go." Talon confirmed.

"Excellent! In that case I suggest we move along. Alpha and Delta are up ahead with the rest of the Dogs. Upon reuniting, we will close in on the location of a nearby camp we believe to be sheltering the thieves that stole the weapons crate."

"Very good. Talon Company, let's go!"

"YES SIR!"

~~~

Quiet. That’s the only way I could describe how the journey was going. Firecracker, Grace, Talon and I were flying alongside the rest of the pack, and not a single word was uttered. Shocker. Oh well, if no one else wanted to say anything, I may as well. I still had a couple questions I wanted answered from these guys.

Glancing over the bobbing heads, I zeroed in on my target and made my move.

"Hey, you're, uh, Gamma, right?"

The stony canine briefly looked me over before turning away.

"What, you don't remember me?"

"No."

"Two years ago, Black Arrow?"

"Sorry, I wasn't there for that one."

"Hmph, figures." he snorted.

"Hey, I was curious whether or not you could help me connect a few dots on what's going on."

"What am I, a tour guide all of a sudden? Why don't you go bother someone else?"

Alright then, asshole, why don't we try…

"Whoa there, didn’t mean to rub you the wrong way! I just thought, with a title like 'Gamma,' they might actually keep you in the loop with what's going on. But no worries, I understand if you don’t know anything. Hey, maybe that guy over there can actually be help!"

3…2…

"Wait."

Gotcha.

"What's up?"

"You wanna know what's goin' on?"

"You going to fill me in?"

"How about a trade—knowledge for knowledge—I answer one of your questions, you one of mine."

I looked at him with a raised brow.

"I'm not gonna ask for company secrets or anythin', just a few small things."

"…Alright, I'll go first. What were those giant centipede things and are there anymore we should be aware of?"

"They're exactly what the looked like, giant centipedes."

"Centipedes don’t shoot acid."

He studied me for a moment.

"You’ve never been here before, have you?"

"What gave me away?" I chuckled. "I did read about the jungle, and even about some of the flora and fauna, but not those oversized crawlers. Just want to know what else is out there, you know?"

The pack seemed to slow down from a jog to a trot. Getting tired already?

"There are other giant arthropods throughout the jungle, but they tend to come out at night. Don’t know what you did to draw out the centipedes though, your smell maybe? And what's up with that anyway, why do you smell like a Griffon's lunch after four days in the sun?"

"That one of your questions?"

"Yeah," he couldn’t help but plug his nose, "what were you doing before this, shovelin' crap?"

"I wish." I didn’t want to go into specifics, it's not something I really want to think about right now, but I do owe him an explanation, so… "We were sent into Somareia for a mission just prior. Now, I've been to some pretty intense places and seen some really wicked stuff, but Somareia? You'd think that the ponies living there had never heard of the word 'morality.' Don’t get me wrong, the whole city isn’t run by deranged sociopaths and is in fact very nice in some places, but we didn’t get contracted to take a vacation. We were paid to travel into a vile and corroded armpit of a place as peace-makers armed with enough firepower to challenge a small army. Good thing too.

"It was an intense fight that really put us in the mud and filth. When it was all over, we were originally planned to head back to Equestria to recharge our batteries and whatnot. Clearly that didn’t happen, and our airship isn’t equipped with any showers. So what you smell right now is the result of our assault in Somareia.

"Now, my turn," Gamma simply nodded, "what do you know about the weapons inside the crate? What kind of firepower are we talking about here?"

"You're not thinkin' about baggin' the guns and makin' a break for it are you?" Gamma responded with a sly grin.

"Oh no," I stated flatly, "you got me! That was my plan all along, to use my secret super strength to pick up the enormous crate and fly off into the sunset without getting killed… or crushed."

"Ha ha, that Minotaur was right, you are a bit of a smartass! Good for you!" he actually gave me a thumbs up. I think the guy's actually warming up to me. "While I don't know the exact quantity or caliber of the weapons, I do know that you can find just about every kind of firearm I there—from crystal optimization to good ol' fashion black powder! Of course, supposedly it's to defend the workers from attacks by the local populace. Me though, I don't fully buy it."

"What, why?"

"Sorry, friend, but that would be a whole other question, and I already answered your first. Now I've got one for you!"

"Okay then, shoot."

He started by pointing just under my wing.

"That's a pretty interestin' weapon you've got there. Wanna tell me about that, like, what it is?"

It took me a moment to realize what he was talking about.

"What, you mean my rifle?" I pointed.

"Yeah, that. What's the story behind that?"

I couldn’t keep the smile from creeping on my face.

"This," I pull out the full size of the awesome weapon for greater emphasis, "is a tri-barrel, fully optimized, multi-crystal COLT I built with my own two hooves!" I ran through the basic demonstration for effect. "Each barrel is individual from the other two. Failure in one does nothing to impede the others. A multiple, insulated and reinforced housing chamber at the base allows for up to three different crystals to be used as power sources. Plus, the hollow stock allows me to carry an extra four just in case." Though I really wish I'd actually put that to use this time. "I can swap out the barrels too in case one breaks, I need a shorter barrel or whatever. The trigger is interchangeable with mouth pieces and larger paw accommodations. Fully insulated from any heat or cold, its waterproof, highly durable and can leave one serious hole in whatever I put in my sights! Oh, did I mention I can put a scope on this too, or that I machined the ends to look like each barrel ends in a dog's head? I call this bad boy Cerberus! Yeah, it's pretty awesome!"

"I can tell by the way you had that same stupid smile across your face throughout your little sales pitch."

"Heehee, I can't help it!" there's not a lot for me to be happy about in my line of work, but when I look at Cerberus and think about the fact that I actually built this incredible machine! I wonder if this is what Source Code feels like when she walks around the ship…

"So, what, you just woke up one day and thought: 'I think I'm gonna tape three rifles together and see how that works?'"

"Not exactly, I got the plans off of a blue print… from a pirate."

Gamma arched an eyebrow.

"Any chance you still got those blue prints lying around?"

"Nope." I lied, putting the rifle away. "Sold 'em."

His jaw dropped.

"What?" I shrugged. "I needed the money. A weapon this unique's expensive to maintain."

"I thought you said it was 'durable?'"

"Yeah, but I put it through hell. Everything breaks down eventually." Dropping down into a trot, I got closer. "Alright, I answered you; tell me why you doubt Torchlight's story. What do you think is going on?"

Gamma lowered his head and chuckled.

"Conspiracy huntin'?"

"Just answer the question."

It was only for an instant, but I saw a real serious look wash over Gamma's face before he chuckled again.

"That crate they keep their weapons in, I recognize it. I've seen it used many times before, fitted with false bottoms to use in smugglin' and whatnot." He looked on ahead before continuing. "You wonder why this place is called the Livin' Forest? Strange things happen here that don't really happen anywhere else. Reports of strange creatures, weird sounds, hidden temples, and of course, sentient flora. Plants that can think! Maybe Torchlight found somethin' interestin', and dangerous. Maybe they want to move it without no one knowin'. Maybe…

"Maybe I'm over thinkin' things." he sighed. "Maybe I just need a vacation."

We moved along in awkward silence.

"Hey," Gamma spoke, "I got a question for you. Who's the Griffon on your team?"

"Who, Talon?"

"No, the other one."

"… Grace? She's not a Griffon, she's a Hippogriff."

"A Hippogriff, really?"

"Yeah, why?"

"… You know if she's seein' anybody at the moment?"

I turned to Gamma and saw the faintest trace of red emerging from deep beneath his cheeks.

"Are you—are you wondering if she's dating anyone right now?"

"Maybe."

"Wait—is this the only reason you agreed to trade information, so I could tell you about Grace?"

"…Maybe."

I didn't know whether to be annoyed or amused.

"I don’t know. Would you like me to ask her?"

"…Could you?"

"What happened to the ballsy Diamond Dog that dared to challenge my commanding officer? Is he really tucking tail over a girl?"

"You gonna ask or what?" The red was becoming more pronounced.

All it took was a couple flaps to make it over to where Grace was. She was flying alongside the group, no doubt keeping a lookout for the slightest hint of trouble.

I normally didn't give much thought to my teammates' physical appearances, I just didn’t care much how bad we looked, but looking at Grace, I suddenly felt my chest tighten. The way the breeze blew through her feathers, her glowing eyes and sleek shape. She looked amazing—and she was a mess, so that’s saying something! It suddenly made me feel very—

Dammit! This always happens at the strangest times!

I shook the thought out of my head and tried to cool my face down. The same thing happened to me with Firecracker a while back, Source Code too. I was developing a crush—me, of all ponies—and I hated it! It always messed with my thoughts, made me feel weird things and turns me into something of an awkward idiot. It sucked. But, even so, maybe…

"Something wrong, Comet?"

"Huh?"

Grace kept her platonic look as she repeated herself.

"Is something wrong?"

I quickly shook the last stray thoughts out, and even though I was asking for Gamma, I couldn’t get rid of the tight feeling in my chest.

"Hey, Grace, are you dating anyone?" I blurted.

Smooth.

She just kept looking in that same, calm manner. She probably thought I was an idiot. Well, a bigger one.

"Sorry," she patted me on the head, "but you're not my type. Why don't you try one of the other girls, like Firecracker? She seems more your speed."

"It's not for me!" I protested a bit too quickly.

"Oh? Then who's asking?"

"… Nevermind." I chose to quit while I was behind.

Flying back over to Gamma, I simply shook my head when he turned to me.

"So?" he prodded.

"She's not interested at the moment." I mumbled.

"Bummer. Well, thanks for askin' anyway."

"Yeah."

Without a word, I split off and flew to the outside of the pack, far opposite from where Grace was. I felt embarrassed, awkward and confused. I hate crushes.

"Making new friends?"

I turned to see a cherry red Pegasus float my way.

"You okay?" she continued.

"I'm fine, just a little… nervous."

"Nervous, really? Wow." She laughed. "I thought you would’ve been more nervous when we were about to become worm food!"

"It's… hard to explain."
No it's not; it's just awkward as hell.

"So save it for your diary," Firecracker teased, getting in my face, "find time to mope about when this is all over. Right now, we've got work to do."

And with that she flew on ahead.

I gotta admit, when things get weird, she's always able to find some way to get my head back in the game.

Finally pushing all thoughts aside and taking a deep breath. I picked my head up with considerably more confidence. She's right; all that personal stuff can wait 'til later.

Right now? I've got a job to do.