//------------------------------// // 08 - Negotiations // Story: The Conversion Bureau: Project Thesan // by Cloudhammer //------------------------------// “And thus concludes my report.” Eclipse kept her eyes fixed on a spot on the floor. “I see,” Luna mused as she put down the paper version of Eclipse’s dictation. Also on her desk were damage figures and summary reports from the other Guards who’d responded. “What is being done with Guiding Light?” “He has been detained in the dungeons, with all the normal precautions. I personally validated his inhibitor ring, along with his muzzle and chains.” Luna nodded. “I will see to him later. And the diamond dog pack?” Eclipse scowled. “They’ve been quartered in one of the dragon diplomatic rooms for the moment, given the dungeon’s weaker stone composition. The Day Guard created a barrier around one of the rooms to prevent them from digging out, they assure me it’s virtually impenetrable to a non-unicorn. I felt that holding them there was prudent until yourself or Princess Celestia decided what was to be done with them.” “Well, I believe that we should at least meet with them and hear them out. After all, had they not interfered, Heather might well have been lost to us, and her child with her.” Luna rose to her hooves. “I assume she is recovering?” “Yes, I have Doctor Silverheart giving her a full checkup. I expect to have the results by moonrise.” Eclipse followed Luna as she trotted down the hall. As they rounded the corner to the diplomat’s wing, Luna tilted her head slightly, ear cocked. “Do you hear something, Princess?” Eclipse asked as she scanned the hall. “How many diamond dogs did your report indicate were in the pack again?” Luna asked calmly as she opened the door, idly taking note of the furrows clawed into the door. The rest of the room hadn’t fared much better, with more scratches and furniture scattered about. Oddly enough, or perhaps not given the nature of their guests, the bed remained untouched. The pack’s alpha had claimed the bed, the sheets rumpled into a burrow of sorts, while the rest of the pack lounged on various cushions or throw rugs. “Seven,” Eclipse answered at once, eyes darting around the room as she took a headcount. Luna sighed. “It would seem that we are short a guest. If I could trouble to ask you to ensure their safe, expedient return?” “Of course, Princess.” Eclipse wheeled about and trotted down the hall. “Now, I suppose that we can at least begin our initial talks. Shale, I believe your name is?” Luna slowly strode into the room, horn glowing as she shut the doors behind her. She wove an additional layer of magic to reinforce the wards on the room, noting the hole burrowed under the pile of cushions in the corner. The largest dog thumped his chest. “Shale is alpha, yes.” “Perhaps you could at least give me the courtesy of explaining the absence of one of your pack? I had thought I made it clear that until we had calmed the city down, it was safest for your pack to remain in this room?” “Shale not dumb, he know pony games,” he growled. “Ponies keep diamond dog females to themselves, try to control packs and rule dogs.” “I can assure you, that is not the case—“ Shale shook his head. “Dogs remember you, Lady Moon. We still sing of your darkness, of the corruption you unleashed upon this world. We still fight it in the wilds, after all—“ “Enough.” Luna’s eyes shone white, her mane whipping faster. “I understand more than you know the suffering I inflicted while I was under the sway of the corruption.” The temperature in the room began to fall, frost forming on the windows as the other dogs whined and huddled together. “I continue to atone for that to this day. But regardless of my past actions, they do not justify yours. Now, I would like to have a reasoned discussion with you, leader to leader. Is that an acceptable request?” Shale shivered, a light dusting of frost shaking off his fur, though his eyes remained defiantly proud. “S-Shale accepts pony offer of talk.” “Excellent,” Luna exclaimed as her eyes, mane and the room returned to normal. “Then let us begin.” “I told you I’m fine, stop poking me with needles!” Heather growled as the tray struck the far wall with a clang. “Miss Douglas, please, calm yourself!” Dr. Silverheart shouted. “I understand you don’t like the needles, but we need to verify that you and the baby are safe after your ordeal!” He took a hesitant step forward, a set of syringe tubes floating around his head. Opposite him stood Heather with a needle in her shoulder and a filled tube in her paw. She glared at him for another few seconds, then sat heavily on the floor. With a heavy sigh, she nonetheless presented her shoulder to him. “Sorry, Doctor. I’m just on edge after… all this.” “I understand, Heather.” He carefully drew the second tube full of blood, then deftly switched it for the third. “This is a lot to ask anypony to go through.” After the third was full, he gently set them into their case. “Now, let’s get a look at your baby, alright?” “Sure.” Heather lay back on the bed, eyes half-closed. Silverheart reached out with his magic, his own eyes closed as the silver-blue aura settled over Heather’s abdomen. “Alright, let’s see what we have here… Vital signs all appear normal… at least as normal as I can tell. Magical saturation is consistent with background levels… You sure you don’t want me to tell you the gender? I’m pretty sure I can get it right.” “No thanks, I’ll wait.” Heather grimaced at the uncomfortable tingle of the spell. “Though I guess you’ll make a note of it somewhere, huh?” “Only in my verbal report to the Princesses, and in nothing that you’ll see.” He promised, letting the spell fade. “In any case, it’s my verdict that you and the baby are both healthy as—” “Horses?” Heather cut in, grinning toothily. Silverheart rolled his eyes and sighed heavily as he turned to leave. “Why not? We’ve already got humans Converting into everything under the sun, dolphins turning into Celestia-knows-what, and I’m sure others I don’t know about. Might as well add horses to the mix. I can see them now, stomping around the castle, whacking their foreheads on every doorway...” His tirade continued as he headed down the hall. Heather smiled as she stretched, then got to her feet to close the door. As it thudded shut, her nose twitched as a sudden new smell hit her. A low growl rose in her throat as she turned, “If you’re here to try and kidnap me, you’d better not be the only one coming.” Digger raised his paws with a whine. “Digger not here to fight! Shale tell Digger to just find female! That all, Digger swear!” The already short dog seemed to shrink in on himself as Heather stared at him. She lunged into motion, crossing the room in a few long strides, and grabbed Digger by the scruff as he tried to dive back down his hole. “Oh no you don’t! I want answers, and you’re going to give them to me!” Holding him clear off the ground, she pulled a dresser over the hole, then set him on the bed. “Now, talk!” Digger quailed under her glare, tail tucked firmly between his legs. “Digger just doing as alpha said, just wanted to find female to rescue, get female out of pony prison!” “Rescue?” Heather blinked. “Prison?” Digger nodded eagerly, tail twitching in the barest of wags. “Rescue, yes! Shale smart, he come up with plan to take female, bring her under the mountain, back to a proper pack!” He frowned slightly. “Well, it mostly Digger’s plan, but it still good plan!” He hopped to his paws, almost falling off the bed in his excitement. “Now hurry, ponies may come back any minute!” Heather stared incredulously at Digger, before the corner of her mouth started to tremble. “You… you tunneled all the way here, into the city, to rescue me?” “Uh-huh!” Digger nodded proudly. “Then, after rescuing me from the ponies who kidnapped me, you tunneled out of your room in the castle to mine, to rescue me from the ponies who saved me?” Digger tilted his head, some of his excitement fading from his face. “Uh… yes?” “And so now, you plan to smuggle me and my child out of the safest place for us, to go off to who-knows-where, to live underground with a bunch of other dogs?” “Ummm… It sounded better to Digger when he first think of it…” Digger tapped a claw on his head. “Digger… may need to think plan more.” Heather’s lip quivered more, before a sharp laugh burst forth. Bending over, she laughed until her lungs hurt. “This… my life’s become so completely upside down and insane I feel like I might as well be!” Digger whined, scooting back instinctively. “Digger confused. Also, if Heather is with pups, what is child?” Heather wheezed as she wrestled herself back under control. “Well… a child is like a pup, I guess, only they’re human.” “What is hyuman?” Digger asked as he scratched at an ear. “Not hyuman, hu-man.” Heather sat back down on the bed. “Well, humans are…” “Shale still not understand.” Luna resisted the sigh. “As I explained, I am well aware of your laws regarding the care and safeguarding of den mothers and have nothing but respect for them. But Heather is not a den mother, and furthermore, I believe the law as set down by Atrus was that a den mother must go willingly.” Shale shook his head. “How can ponies expect Shale to believe Heather is not under spell? Would be easy for ponies to make Heather stay.” He scowled. “Shale dem-“ he caught himself as Luna’s eyes narrowed slightly,” -ask at least Heather be allowed to come to dens, to see the proper way for dogs to live.” “I do not see why Heather cannot be asked if she would like to visit your dens, but for the time being, until her child is delivered, I am afraid that she must remain in Canterlot.” With a low growl, Shale leaned forward. “You say Heather being with this ‘child’, but have not explained why it is so she must remain with ponies. Shale would very much like to know why this is.” Luna shook her head. “As I explained, that information is strictly need to know, and you do not need to know, aside from that it does not pose a risk to Heather’s wellbeing. I understand that this is difficult for you to accept at face value, and thus extend the invitation for you and your pack to remain within the castle to observe the proof of my words. Should Heather accept it, of course.” Shale grumbled, growled, and groused; his claws carved long furrows in the floor as he paced back and forth. Pausing only to whisper with another hulking dog, which could only be his beta, he finally strode back to stand in front of Luna. “Shale… accept pony offer, but with condition. If it is shown Heather is in danger, Shale pack reserve right to take Heather away. Without interference from ponies.” “Excellent, then we are in agreement.” Luna extended a hoof, and Shale took it. After a firm shake, her voice remained light and pleasant. “Now, let us address the issue of your attempted kidnapping of Heather from under our noses from within this castle.” Shale gulped. “And so I got flown here to Canterlot, and have been here since.” Heather finished. She’d not given too many specifics about the project, but despite herself had discussed it more than she’d anticipated. Digger might not have been the brightest bulb, but nonetheless she found it easy to talk to him. Digger frowned, chin in paw as he thought. “But Digger still confused. If hyumans not strong enough to survive, why should they live? Is not how dogs are raised.” “Well, that’s the thing. Even in the face of being wiped out, humans have figured out a way to survive. I’m… just the test to see if it works.” “So…” Digger scratched his head, “… Heather is saving entire race? All by self?” “Well, no, there’s a lot of people involved…” Heather trailed off at the blank look in Digger’s eyes. “Yes, you could say that.” Digger’s tail wagged a little. “Wow.” Heather was about to open her mouth to ask Digger a question when the faint sound of wingbeats carried through the door. She barely had time to start turning her head when an armored missile slammed them open, and Eclipse skidded to a halt. Her wings flared aggressively, she took in the scene before her, the missing dog sitting on the bed, half an expression of rapt admiration on it’s face. Heather sitting cross-legged not two feet from it, both relaxed and almost… friendly? “Somepony has about five seconds to explain what in Tartarus is going on before I start turning that dog into my best impression of a pretzel.” She took a step forward, and her scowl deepened at the sharp smell that filled the air. “Really?” “Digger can’t help it, demon pony is scary,” he muttered shamefully, shuffling back from the wet spot. “Eclipse, stop.” Heather climbed off the bed, interposing herself between the two. “Yes, he broke into my room, but I don’t think he actually meant to hurt me. Apparently the whole thing was a harebrained scheme to free me from being held captive here.” Digger frowned. “M’not a rabbit…” Both Heather and Eclipse stopped and looked at him incredulously. “What? Digger is a dog.” In unison, a hoof and paw hit their respective foreheads.