The Lost Connection

by A bag of plums

5 - The Call

“Here, Mr. Pierce?” Jetstream asked as he tilted the antenna down a little.

Pierce Network looked up at the school’s roof, where Jetstream was standing, squinting as the sun’s rays shone down under his cap and into his eyes. “A little to the left. I still don’t have a connection. Just keep moving it until I tell you. You don’t need to keep asking.”

Jetstream blew a strand of hair out of his eye and continued, tilting the antenna more to the left as he was instructed.

Pierce kept his eyes on his phone, watching as a green bar on the side wobbled and shook, signifying the bad connection he was having. The rest of the screen was currently black, but he couldn’t do anything till the boy arranged the antenna properly.

Then for a split second, the bar straightened, only to go back to its previous state again.

“Back a little, Jetstream!” Pierce called up to the baseball player. “I had it a second ago. Just move it slightly back.”

“You got it, boss!” the boy responded and moved the antenna back slowly.

“Okay, stop,” Pierce said once the bar righted itself again, this time staying unwavering. “Good. Just leave it as it is. You may go. I’ll send a late note to Mr. Bray. Just make sure you go straight to class. Don’t take my kindness for an excuse.”

“You got it! Glad to be of service, sir!” Jetstream waved from the roof as he headed back to the rooftop door.

Pierce had made use of the clueless baseball player, because he always seemed oblivious the the problems around him. Since he was always talking to the computer teacher like there wasn’t a problem with the world, Pierce figured he put him to some use, which paid off.

With the antenna moved to his liking, Pierce would be able to transmit a message to any remaining Assassins out there.

A part of him still didn’t know if asking their help would work, seeing as he had abandoned them in troubled times, but he also knew he didn’t have a choice if he wanted to save Principal Celestia and get rid of Mirror Match.

Typing the message, he watched as it was sent out through a coded frequency, only able to be read by an Assassin.

Walking back into school, all he could do now was wait and hope someone was still out there and listening.

---

“I’m back,” Celestia’s doppelganger announced, entering the house with another bag of groceries.

Celestia put down the documents she had been reading and looked up. The other Celestia seemed in a far worse mood than this morning, if the furrowed brow and pursed lips were anything to go by.

“Something on your mind?” she decided to ask her captor. “Something mess up in your plans, perhaps?”

“That Pierce Network is useless!” the other Celestia exploded, throwing her bag onto the table with a thump. “What kind of a hacker is he needs to actually go to the place that he needs to hack in order to do it? I should just kill him and hire someone more competent!”

Celestia wasn’t going to let her double kill anyone, especially not one of her staff, no matter what he had done in the past. He was still human after all.

“W-Why don’t you let him go to the building then? I’m sure he can still help you with what you want, right?”

“He said it himself,” the other Celestia fumed. “He can’t climb anything with his leg in that condition. So if he can’t do it, I may as well dispose of him and get someone who is better suited for the job.”

“Wait, what happened to his leg?” Celestia didn’t recall the man having any injuries or problems. Besides, he’d always looked rather fit for someone his age.

“I shot him in the knee with my phantom blade,” the other Celestia growled. “And I hope it’s hurting him badly. He deserves it for all he’s done, though it does make taking back what’s mine that much harder.”

“So it’s your own fault he can’t help you out,” Celestia sighed and folded her arms. “Well, if you really wanted it done, why don’t you help him with that? What do you even need done that he has to climb a building?”

“It is not my fault-!” the other Celestia began, but then she put a hand on her chest, composing herself. “I’m sorry,” she said eventually. “I shouldn’t have lost my temper. A reaper should never lose her temper. But Pierce Network makes me so angry.”

“He does, does he? But you shot him in the knee.” Celestia couldn’t see how her other self wasn’t responsible in a way, but she guessed she wasn’t going to admit her mistake. “So is that what you are? A reaper? What’s that?”

“It’s my title. But let’s not talk about boring things like that. I’ll cook dinner. How do you feel about spaghetti?”

Celestia gave up with the questions. Over these few days, she learnt that when her doppelganger didn’t want to talk anymore, she wouldn’t.

“Spaghetti’s fine. You know, you cook pretty well for a kidnapper and all.”

“Those two things,” the other Celestia said as she tied an apron around herself. “Have nothing to do with each other.”

Celestia laughed. She never had time to consider it, but to see herself talking to her was actually a very strange occurrence. It was like looking in a mirror, only that your reflection could talk to you and keep you hostage.

“I guess not…” Celestia admitted. “So how do you do it? Looking like me and sounding like me? I mean, I really see nothing that can tell us apart.”

“It’s something my kind have long since perfected since before the medieval days, the art of disguises.” There was a hiss as the other Celestia put some bacon in the pan. “As for your voice, we’ve always been good at copying things if given enough time to survey the original. I spent two weeks stalking you and learning your mannerisms before moving in to replace you.”

“You were watching me?” Celestia was shocked. “You’ve gone through a lot of trouble to get me here. All this just to get back at Pierce?”

“Ordinarily I would have spent longer, but time was of the essence. I need Pierce to take back what’s mine, and if he performs well enough, I may even decide to spare his life.”

Celestia blinked. “What do you mean, ‘take back what’s yours’?”

The other Celestia sighed. “Look, you of all people should know that Mirror Match was officially declared dead by the authorities over the winter holidays.”

“Yes, I saw it on the news, just like everyone else,” Celestia nodded.

“Well, I’m clearly not dead, but coming out and explaining that would just be too much trouble for everyone, and reveal far too much about me. So instead, I’ve taken up Pierce with the task of hacking back all of my money and possessions, and assigning them to a new identity,” the other Celestia said proudly. “It’s a rather good plan if I say so myself.”

“It does sound good, except that you shot him in the knee. Can’t you do something about that?”

“I can, but I won’t. I have no intentions of wasting my healing power on him when I’m not at full strength yet.”

“Can’t you just climb the building for him and do as you have to to get him to hack the stuff back for you?” Celestia suggested. Anything she could do to keep Pierce alive.

“Now, would it be seemly for you to be seen climbing a building?” The other Celestia poured out a jar of red sauce into a pan and stirred it. “Remember, I am you, and I am trying to keep your reputation in check as much as possible. So no, I don’t think I will be doing any climbing. Besides, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. Too much strain, and I’m nowhere near full strength.”

“That does raise a good point,” Celestia leaned on the table. That would also hurt her reputation. “Well, then you really shouldn’t have injured him. It seems like he’s your only bet now.”

“You know all his dirty secrets.” The other Celestia sniffed as she stirred the spaghetti in the pot. “And you’re still concerning yourself with him? You are an unusual person, Celestia.”

“He may not be the person I knew, but he’s still a person,” Celestia answered. “If I can help it, I won’t let you kill anyone.”

“Well, you can’t help it. As the Queen’s Reaper, it’s my job and responsibility to execute all of the queen’s enemies. And Pierce has made himself a rather big enemy of the queen. But enough about that. Let’s eat.”

The other Celestia returned from the kitchen with two steaming plates of spaghetti with red sauce, lightly sprinkled with crispy bacon bits and served with a side of assorted vegetables drizzled in Prench dressing.

It looked so good that Celestia had to control herself from gobbling it all down.

“This is good.” Even if she was kidnapped, she still felt she had to compliment her captor. Her cooking skill really was something else. “This is amazing.”

The other Celestia leaned back in her chair and inhaled, smiling as she did so. “Why, thank you. I grated some parmesan into the sauce while it was cooking, to give it a slight edge. Can you taste it?”

“Mhhm,” Celestia confirmed, wolfing down her dinner. Her double also proceeded to begin eating, though with a little less enthusiasm.

It was about when Celestia was polishing off the last of her lettuce when she noticed something.

“You’ve only eaten a few bites,” she pointed out. “Is something wrong?”

“No, not really,” the other Celestia shrugged noncommittally. “I get my energy not from food, but from others. And your gratitude is serving me nicely.”

“You don’t need food?” Celestia found that intriguing. “Why not?”

“I do need some food,” the other Celestia amended. “But after a few mouthfuls, I prefer the taste of someone else’s good feelings. In this case, yours.”

“Wait, feelings?” Celestia wore a confused face. “You eat… feelings?”

The other Celestia nodded once. “I do. It’s one of the abilities of my kind. Taste and smell emotions, that is. Aaand now you’re feeling fearful. Please don’t. It doesn’t taste nearly as nice.”

“Well, why wouldn’t I feel fear?” Celestia looked at herself. “You’ve kidnapped me, you’re trying to kill one of my teachers, no one else knows you’re an imposter and you’ve drugged my sister!”

“Well it all sounds very bad when you put it that way,” the other Celestia said awkwardly. “I mean, it isn’t all that awful, right?”

“It is,” Celestia replied flatly. “It’s terrible.”

“It could be worse…” the other Celestia mumbled. “I mean, if this is a kidnapping, you’re the most comfortable kidnap victim ever. And Luna’s in no real danger either. As for Pierce, he deserves everything that he’s got coming. You wouldn’t understand.”

Celestia exhaled and looked out the barred window. “You don’t have to kill him. There are other ways of seeing justice. Besides, what did he do that you want to make him suffer so?”

“Let me tell you another story. Shortly after the queen and her servant parted ways, the queen’s servant saw the error of her ways and looked for a way to get back to her queen and ask for forgiveness. However, the queen was crafty, and had hidden herself from her servant, taking on a completely new identity. In order to find her queen, the servant turned to a group of people called the Templars, who were building a machine that could be used to locate the queen. However, before it could be used, another group of people called the Assassins destroyed the machine, and with it, any hope of the servant using it to find her queen again. Pierce Network was one of the Assassins who was there, who destroyed the machine. And I will make him pay for it.”

“I heard of these two factions from an old student of mine,” Celestia recalled. “But surely there are other ways to find this queen of yours. How did you even know that the machine would’ve worked? Maybe instead of killing him, you can get him to find her for you.”

“That’s… not a bad idea, actually…” the other Celestia put a hand on her chin, thinking. “If I could put up something irresistible… something that even she would fall for…” she glanced at a calendar that was hanging off the fridge. “Yes… that might work!”

“Right, see? You just need to think,” Celestia smiled. “You don’t need to kill Pierce. Besides, he’s been valuable to the school in his own way. He’s good at what he teaches and he even did up a better network connection and firewall for us.”

“I’ve come up with a plan to draw out my queen,” the other Celestia said excitedly. “And I think you and your school can help me. How soon can I organize a Valentine’s Day dance?”

“Wait, what?”

The other Celestia told the principal her plan. She didn’t like it.

“But you can’t use my students as bait like that!” Celestia argued. “They’re just children!”

“I don’t need your students,” the other Celestia said with a grin. “Just the love they produce. I won’t harm a hair on their pretty little heads.”

“What about your queen? If she somehow smells their love and comes, do you guarantee their safety? The safety of my staff and students?”

The other Celestia paused. “Now, ordinarily I would say yes, but after a hundred years, who knows? People change over time, and I don’t know how my queen will react to so much love. But that’s family for you, eh? The ones closest to us are sometimes the most unpredictable.”

“If you can’t guarantee their safety, then I can’t let you go on with that plan!” Celestia raised her voice slightly. “I can’t let harm come to any of them. Please, consider all this.”

“...And I’ll have Network do all the advertising! It’s perfect!” Celestia’s doppelganger jumped to her feet and gave Celestia a pat on the head. “Thank you so much for the idea, sweetie. I’m sure I’ll be able to repay you someday for it, if it works.”

“Hey, are you listening?” Celestia stood up as well. “Hey.”

“Oh, how wonderful it will be to see the queen again!” the other Celestia’s face was positively radiant. “If this works, I might even decide to spare Pierce’s life.”

That last sentence got Principal Celestia’s attention. There was a chance that she could save her computer teacher here, but was she willing to bet the safety of her students on this? She sat back down, her mind deep in thought.

“I hope I can make it before I change,” the other Celestia muttered to herself anxiously.

“Change? What are you talking about now?”

“Nothing,” Celestia’s doppelganger said quickly. “Once Pierce gets my money and home back, I’ll see about this dance. Valentine’s Day is next week, yeah? There should still be time.”

“Now how is this queen even going to know about this dance?” Celestia leaned back in her seat. “I mean, unless she can smell really well, she’s gonna have a tough time finding this place.”

“I believe in Pierce’s ability to advertise the dance properly,” the other Celestia smirked. “Well, if that’s all, I’ll wash up and then head home. Your bed’s very comfy, by the way. Squishy.”

“Wait,” Celestia grabbed her doppelganger’s arm. “My sister, Luna, I want to know she’s doing fine.”

The other Celestia seemed to think for a moment before pulling out Celestia’s own smartphone out of her pocket, holding out tantalizingly just out of reach.

“Fine. Call her. On one condition.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow.

“Give me your hand,” the other Celestia commanded. Celestia offered her right hand, only to have it waved aside. “Your other hand.”

Stretching her left hand out for the other Celestia, Principal Celestia was shocked when her doppelganger opened her mouth and placed her hand in between her teeth. Only then did she hand her the phone.

“Call your sister if you must, but if you call for help, I’ll bite. Capiche?”

Celestia could see and feel all too well the pair of fangs that were jutting out of her double’s mouth and she shuddered involuntarily. Just another reminder that whoever this other Celestia was, she wasn’t human and couldn’t be expected to abide by human rules.

“O-Okay.”

Tapping in Luna’s number with one hand, Celestia raised the phone to her ear and waited. She didn’t have to wait long.

“Hello?” Luna’s bleary voice came from the other end.

“Luna? Hey, it’s me. Just wanted to check in on you. Is everything fine?”

“Tia? Where are you? Why aren’t you at school?”

The other Celestia mouthed ‘meeting’, all the while keeping her fangs pressed against the back of Celestia’s hand.

“I-I have a meeting out of town, Luna,” Celestia said carefully, but at the same time, her mind was a whirl, trying to plan a way to let Luna know what was really going on, but without letting her captor in on it. “J-Just calling back to check on you, dear s-sister.”

“Oh. Well, I’m fine. Bit tired though. And before you ask, yes, I drank that herbal tea you prepared for me. Thanks for that, by the way.”

“Herbal tea? Ow!” Celestia gasped as one of her double’s teeth poked her skin. “Right, yes. The tea. I’m glad you’re drinking it, Luna. How does it taste? Good?”

“You should know, you made it,” Luna yawned. “I think I’m going to head home early today. Been feeling really tired lately.”

“Umm… Okay, you take care, sister. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Okay, Tia. Goodbye.”

“Rest well…” Celestia said as the line clicked off. “There, happy? I didn’t blab. Can you let go of my arm now?”

“Certainly,” the other Celestia took back the phone and pocketed it. “So now you know that Luna’s okay, I guess it’s time for me to head home. Your home, that is. Well you know what they say, mi casa es su casa. I’ll see you tomorrow morning then, Celestia.”

The principal sighed and nodded. She didn’t have anything else to say, nor did she have the will to do so.

Her doppelganger waved goodbye and headed out, locking the door behind her with a click. Celestia was left to herself, covering her face as she thought of everything and everyone she was missing.

---

Comments

[Jaxxon Markus Citadel]

You know, I kind of like Mirror Match (Psithyra?). She's an actual smart antagonist who isn't leaving anything to chance. 10/10 best kidnapping.

But where are the sirens?

[JMP]

7882750 I thought this all took place post-Rainbow Rocks, so why would they be relevant?

[Marcthelightspark2004]

7882995
in the descripsion it mensioned the sirens

[MoonlightRift]

Most interesting.

[MoonlightRift]

Hmm. Hundred years means it's far after Age of Kings then. Also takes a hundred years for a Reaper to change I guess, l o r e!