Rats In The Belfry

by Beegirl Scribbler

Chapter Thirteen

Grogar trotted out of the theater, telekinetically emptying the rest of his popcorn into his mouth. “That was fun. We should do it again sometime.”

He glanced back, chuckling. Luna and Fluttershy exited the building after him, walking more slowly. “Assuming Her Highness wishes it, of course.”

Luna and Fluttershy exchanged looks. Behind them, the glowing Canterlot Theater sign fell off its supports and went crashing to the ground.

Grogar skipped away, humming an unfamiliar tune. He paused, blinking. “Ah, I had almost forgot.” He turned, jabbing in Luna's direction. “Several complaints have been filed over the sun's recent vanishing and placed upon your throne. I suggest you go see to them.”

Luna started. She eyed Grogar suspiciously, but the ram showed no signs of amusement. “The sun vanished? We were—I was not informed of this.”

“Hm.” Grogar raised an eyebrow. “Weren't you? I could have sworn I ordered my...” He stomped his hoof into the cobble, eyes widening. “...my, that does seem strange. Did my pet not contact you?”

Luna frowned. “Why did you not inform us?”

Grogar shrugged. “I had assumed I would not need to—though I will admit I was beginning to wonder as to your priorities.” He gave a small bow. “You have my...humblest apologies, Princess. I worry my homonculus may not be as reliable as I assumed.”

The apology sounded extremely forced, but it caught Luna off-guard. Grogar had never stooped to admitting failure, especially to a pony. Perhaps he means it, she thought.

“Um, what happened?” Fluttershy asked.

“Hm?” Grogar looked up and scowled at Fluttershy. “Oh, that. Well, the sun went dark for a second or two. Nothing to worry about, but there are some complaints.”

Luna's eyes narrowed. “Went dark? That can only mean—”

“It is all in the paperwork, Princess.” Grogar turned away and continued along. “I suggest you examine it closely.”

“But—” Luna hurried after. “Tia—Celestia may well need my help!”

And the last time I saw her, she thought, heart sinking, I dismissed her.

“Oh, probably.”

“Then surely—”

“Ahem.” Grogar cleared his throat. “I was unclear.” He looked up at the sky, giving a little laugh. “My apologies again. She probably did need your help. Three hours ago.”

Luna blinked.

Grogar winked. “That is when it took place, that is.” He quickened his pace. “By now she is either dead or otherwise neutralized, so there is no point in risking your hide. We must determine the threat. Hm.” He stopped walking for a moment to rub his chin. “I suppose Tartarus and Equestria may be forced to act as allies once again. Interesting.”

“I hardly think paperwork will—”

“You are not here to think.” Grogar shot her a glare as he started walking again. “When we fought, you were stupid. I will handle the strategy.”

Luna stood still, stunned, as he passed her by.

“Um...maybe I can go?” She turned to see Fluttershy hovering alongside her. The pegasus blushed, eying the street cobble. “I mean, um, the danger's probably gone by now. I can look.”

“Hmph!” Grogar stopped walking once again, turning to face his companions. “As I said, there is no need to risk...”

The ram trailed off.

For a moment, Grogar didn't say a word. Luna stared as he just cocked his head from side to side, looking between her and Fluttershy.

Finally, he shrugged. “As you will, then. But the Princess must remain here. She is an infinitely finite resource, while cowardly mortals are a bit a barrel.”

Fluttershy turned and took flight.

Luna's eyes widened. Watching her friend fly away, she felt a horrid sense of dread. “Fluttershy—”

“Now, now.” Grogar approached, smirking. “If you would award your ponies the freedom to live as you think is healthiest, allow them the freedom to live as you think is not.” He poked her in the side. “Otherwise, it is hypocritical; wouldn't you agree?”

Luna stared after Fluttershy's diminishing form, heart sinking.

As much as she hated to admit it, Grogar was right. Fluttershy knew the dangers. It was not Luna's choice.

She rushed to catch up with Grogar. Her head was hung all the way back to the castle, and even within, until she reached the throne room.

It was only upon her arrival that she happened to look up and realize Grogar was gone.

---

Fluttershy took a deep breath as she ascended above the clouds. The lake, about a minute's flight away, was visible off in the distance. She squinted, but couldn't make out much more than a silver sheen.

She took a deep breath of the cold air and sighed. She knew she hadn't been much help to Luna this morning. Whenever she'd tried to say something to combat Grogar, a part of her had always made her hold back and observe.

Probably the same part of her that really wanted to be in bed right now.

The thought brought Fluttershy shame, but she couldn't deny that Twilight certainly made insomnia look easier than it really was. She winced. I hope Luna's not too disappointed.

She spotted a little dinghy floating alone in the water and descended towards it. She noticed that the boat did not stir when she landed. Looking over the edge, she saw a couple meters of ordinary water—then a solid bed of ice that the keel of the dinghy now rested upon. The lake was refreezing from the bottom-up.

That didn't matter, though, as it did not involve her purpose. She turned and hopped down onto the solid ice.

She started walking towards the center. She started running when she noticed what was there.

The lake was quite large, so she was gasping for breath by the time she arrived at its middle. Her hooves were numb. Actually, all of her was. Most pegasi developed a healthy resistance to frostbite thanks to being able to reach such high altitudes, but she'd never even flown above Cloudsdale until today.

Fluttershy's teeth started to chatter—both from the chill and from her mounting dread—as she reached down and took in her mouth a weighty tiara.

She hesitated, then made her way back to the boat. It wasn't much warmer there, but at least there wasn't any ice on the floor. She set the crown down and curled up, trying to stop shivering.

She felt something hit the side of the boat.

She looked up, frowning, and glanced about. The lake was as silent as ever.

I'll just recover my strength, she thought to herself. Then I'm off. Luna has to know what's going on. She lay her head back down.

Something hit the boat again.

Fluttershy got up with a sigh. She peeked over the boat's edge.

Two beady black eyes stared back at her.

---

Luna levitated the completed form from one very large pile of scrolls to another, much smaller stack. “Sixty-eight.”

“You are making excellent progress, Princess.” Grogar grinned, entering the office and sitting in the corner. He started chewing on one of Celestia's pens. “There are only about two hundred left.”

“There you are. I was beginning to wonder where you'd got to.” Luna sighed, craning her neck to read the next form. “I had forgotten how unpleasant this task can be. I don't know how Celestia managed.”

“Hm? How she managed...when?”

Luna started, falling back into her chair. She looked at Grogar, heart pounding. “Nothing! The, ah, just meant. When I was sick. Recently. Last week.”

“Ah.” Grogar nodded.

Luna sat up again and continued going over the form. That had been a close one. But how much longer could she hide that she, Princess of the Night, had gone insane and made a deal with a Nightmare? If Grogar ever found out—

“My, my. You are in a state. Is that any way to approach a Princess?” Grogar sounded irritated. And a little disappointed.

Luna looked around the scroll pile. Her jaw dropped.

The shivering yellow pegasus who had entered was bruised, scratched up and sopping wet. There were several small white teeth stuck in her hind leg. Her eyes were red-rimmed as if she'd been crying.

But when Fluttershy spoke, she spoke very clearly. “Dire shark in the Silent Lake.” She looked at Luna, then at Grogar. “Thought you...might wanna know.”

She collapsed.

---

“It was...” Fluttershy sneezed, shifting under her three blankets. “...it was a dire shark. I'm sure of it.”

Grogar scoffed. He eyed a roll of parchment on Fluttershy's bedside table. I want more donuts. I am beginning to eat things that are not meant to be eaten. “A dire shark? Dire sharks are native to the land to the north of this mountain. You doubtless just ran into a creature of the lake.”

“N-no.” Fluttershy scowled at Grogar, then looked back at Luna. “It was a dire shark. Rarity and Rainbow Dash took me to Neighagra Falls last summer. I saw them there.”

“Hmph. If it had been a dire shark, you would be dead.”

Grogar's eyes darted to the left, then the right. He leaned down and snatched the parchment up, swallowing it whole. To his disappointment, it was parchment in name only. I've had no meat in two days. This is madness.

Luna looked at Grogar, rolling her eyes. “Ms. Fluttershy—”

“Um, I thought w-we agreed on just Fluttershy, Prin—Luna.”

Grogar shook his head.

Luna nodded. “My apologies. Fluttershy has a way with animals, Grogar. She doubtless convinced it to abandon its pursuit.”

“Um, yes. Sort of.” Fluttershy reached onto the table, placing a hoof on her cup of hot cocoa. “He was very angry, though. He even bit me before I was able to convince him not to.”

Grogar chuckled. Luna's gaze shot back to him and he made his face serious. Luna looked at him, eyes narrowed, then turned back to Fluttershy. “You really should go to the infirmary, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy's hoof fumbled with the mug. Luna cast a spell, gently levitating it over to rest on Fluttershy's pillow. Fluttershy looked at it, then grasped it with both hooves. “Thanks.”

Grogar looked at Luna, then at Fluttershy. He raised an eyebrow. “Hm. Well, little winged pony, how do you believe a two-thousand pound shark native to the north managed to make its way up a mountain to a frozen lake—which, incidentally, the 'honorable' Princess Celestia should not have been fishing at; I shall have my pet make a note—to harass a creature barely meaty enough to justify chewing?”

“I, um, think somepony teleported him there.” Fluttershy took another sip of her cocoa and set it aside. “He seemed really confused. It was hard to understand, but it sounded like he didn't have any idea why he w-was there.”

Grogar growled. “Preposterous.”

Fluttershy looked up at Luna, eyes wide as saucers. “If you could please just go up there and teleport him back...it wouldn't take long. He's very scared. The lake will freeze back over soon, and then he'll be trapped with the other fish.”

“Good.” Grogar leaned away, snatching up and swallowing a towel. “The lake will preserve him until the matter of Celestia's disappearance is resolved.”

Fluttershy kept looking at Luna. Luna seemed to be hesitating.

Grogar stomped a hoof, glaring. “Princess. You have your duties.”

Luna looked at Grogar, wincing. “Yes, but...”

“Your 'duty' to this peasa—ah, champion of yours is nonexistent. Your duty to your sister—and therefore, your kingdom—is much more corporeal. The forms must be completed, that we may begin making sense of that which took her.”

Luna rolled her eyes. “Lord Grogar, new forms are arriving every minute. They all say the same thing.”

“You should not take that chance.”

“It shall take days to complete the task you've assigned me!”

Hopefully that will be long enough, Grogar thought. He cleared his throat. “So be it.” Luna opened her mouth to protest, but he held up a hoof. “There will be no protestations.” He turned to Fluttershy. “Get out of bed.”

Luna's eyes bulged. “Lord Grogar—”

Grogar stomped his hoof again. This time, a crack appeared in the floor. “Princess, you have your duty. She has hers. We are both fully aware that the only injury of any note she sustained was from her own clumsiness, and she is dry now. She is not going to freeze to death.”

Luna glared.

Grogar trotted over to the door, not looking back to see if she followed. “If you defy me again for such a trivial matter, I will see to it your reign ends tomorrow. The yellow one will live. We have much more serious duties to attend to.”

Grogar exited the room. He was beginning to get sick of dealing with ponies.

Comments

[Kage no Brony]

Grogar, you know not the forces you tamper with.

And I'm not speaking of Ponies. Nor Dragons, nor any living species your world supports. My kind created you and all that surrounds you. To you, we are as gods. And you, you have seriously displeased me.

Cease and desist, and that will be the end of it. Refuse? I'll make your life much worse than just dealing with ponies. I will strip you of all your power, transform you into a pony, and set you in the midst of what you hate most, powerless to escape the endless torment. I'm talking doors, stairs, and ponies; Doors you can't destroy, stairs that never end, and Ponies who won't ever shut up.

Then again, I'm not a good guy, so I might just torment you anyway. For my own amusement. Oh, don't bother petitioning Tartarus, either, as we made that, and we can destroy it.

[Mr. Grimm]

Dire Shark? For a moment there I thought it was Squirk...

OH GOD, SQUIRK IS SENDING THEM DIRE SHARKS! And if that's the case, they ain't seen nothin' yet!

2574902

He's already been subjected to such tortures during his 500 year imprisonment in the Shadow realm, where he was forced to put up with living in his decaying city, keeping the Troggles in line, and dealing with his idiot donkey-servant, Bray.

[vazak]

Great chapter, Grogar is staying a competent and sinister opponent (I loved the scroll eating bit) The FlutterLuna friendship is very well done; I'll be interested to see where the next chapter goes.